“HD” in “HD Radio” stands for “highly disappointing"

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

So far it seems like a bunch of secondary, niche, trendy auto companies have adopted HD. But Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler - the brands most people buy - no HD. At least not as standard equipment. They aren't stupid. They aren't going to put something in that costs money for no reason. So - yes if you want to pay a lot of extra money for a German / French / Italian / English / Japanese high end import that - by the way, breaks down as much as less expensive cars - then you can get HD standard. Maybe all that stuff accounts for the 2%.

I got out of the radio business because I found myself moving and moving and moving to improve my job... or to just stay employed. I wanted my children to be able to stay in one school for an entire school year!!!

For over five years I owned an automobile repair business. I took a 10 year detour but was responsible during that time for a fleet of 150 vehicles. (Just a sideline to my primary duties.) Then I worked for six years in the auto dealership business.

Your analysis of the sales volume and the quality of automobiles is about as valid and some of the political views that sometimes break out like food-fights in these radio forums.

From about the mid 80s to about 2000, Japan ate America's lunch when it came to the automobile business. (I don't know if you heard about it, but GM went bankrupt just a few years ago. )

In the last 10 years it seems like the European auto companies got their act together and they have been doing some lunch-nibbling themselves.

And now it appears that what we refer to as "Detroit" finally has their act together.

I have fun when I go car shopping. I bought one three years ago. I tell the salesperson: I buy one of these things once every 10 years, whether I need to or not! (Same story with desktop computers.) When I went in to look at cars, NOBODY even mention that they had a radio. No body was talking about engine size. EVERYBODY wanted me to get in the car and let them demonstrate the electronic dash, the GPS system, the rear-view camera and video screen, the i-pad like panel where street locations and information were available at the tap of a screen. And jacks to plug in your mp3 player or your i-phone. And a cd-player under the seat.

"Does this thing have a radio?" I'll have to go ask my manager sir. I don't know. By the way, what is a radio, sir?

 

[rbrucecarter5]

You are uninformed.

Looks like nobody picked up on the note of sarcasm there. I would say the adoption by Toyota is significant, but how they make HD work in cars without decent antennas is beyond me. You sure wouldn't get the 70 mile HD range required in the Houston metro area, and similar areas like Dallas and LA. That will leave HD non-functional over much of the area - all because somebody decided whip antennas don't look cool.

 

[landtuna]

Looks like nobody picked up on the note of sarcasm there. I would say the adoption by Toyota is significant, but how they make HD work in cars without decent antennas is beyond me. You sure wouldn't get the 70 mile HD range required in the Houston metro area, and similar areas like Dallas and LA. That will leave HD non-functional over much of the area - all because somebody decided whip antennas don't look cool.

I apologize for my lack of sarcasm detection. Been having trouble with it lately. Might have something to do with advancing age.

But in response to your HD antenna comment.....my Genesis (Hyundai) has multiple antennas and only the shark fin above the rear window is noticeable. Inside the rear window resides the FM antenna and it seems to work pretty good as I have identified only one single small area where the HD signal drops out (and then only for about half a block). I have driven the car as far south as 70 miles from the transmitter antennas and still had a listenable signal on HD. The range for an analog FM is closer to 100 in this same direction. I realize Houston is flat and am assuming the antennas there are at a lower AGL than Phoenix. That might account for the difference or it might be a combination of both elevation (HAAT) and distance as Houston is larger in area than Phoenix metro. I don't know where the antenna placement is in current Toyotas. My Avalon's was in the front window but it didn't have an HD component so I can't compare. FM coverage in both cars was comparable.

 

[TheRover]

That's exactly right. The manufacturers load up the most desirable models with all manner of crap that cannot be deleted such as XM, HD, CD/DVD, nav, moon/sun roof, auto wipers, heated seats etc., etc. I could have easily knocked off $5K off the purchase price by eliminating equipment or features I didn't want or need but had to buy them to get the car I wanted.

Well, my emphasis was on a new "radio" purchase for the car I have, a not a "new car" purchase, which, as you rightly stated, can come Std. with any number of entertainment options that I might not prefer. Instead of a Graphic EQ, I would prefer a "Bass/Treble" knob. As I switch from AM to FM to CD, to live CD, etc, the need to quickly change the Bass/Treble is necessary. Fumbling through a 4-5 step EQ process is not needed.