Recommended units for HD Radio in the car?

[someperson]

I'm from Houston, and I don't know how it is elsewhere, but here, many of the best radio stations are HD-2s. The analog stations are so crappy that I'm currently trying to receive distant stations with mixed success.

My truck has a bad CD player, so since I have no alternative to analog radio, I want to replace my stereo, and I want to go the HD route. Any suggestions on tuners?

As far as fancy features, I don't need much, but I would like to be able to play music from a flash drive, and I would like to be able to stream music over bluetooth from my Android phone.

 

[Darth_vader]

Well, if you have an analogue line-in on your regular car radio and feel like doing a little work, you could put an F1HD in there. It really does make a pretty slick car radio, or more specifically, an add-on to a car radio whose built-in analogue tuner is a total piece of ---t to begin with.

If nothing else, you could grab a $4 RCA-to-TRS connector and stick an Insignia portable on it!

 

[someperson]

Well, if you have an analogue line-in on your regular car radio and feel like doing a little work, you could put an F1HD in there. It really does make a pretty slick car radio, or more specifically, an add-on to a car radio whose built-in analogue tuner is a total piece of ---t to begin with.

I don't have a line-in, and I feel that my stock radio has decent analog reception anyway. I can almost always get KACC well, and even KSHN comes in fairly decently most of the time.

My problem with analog radio isn't the reception; it's the crappy corporate Houston stations.

If nothing else, you could grab a $4 RCA-to-TRS connector and stick an Insignia portable on it!

No! I have one of these portables and the reception is bad enough just lying on my bed! I can't imagine how this thing would be in a moving vehicle.

 

[tomservo]

If nothing else, you could grab a $4 RCA-to-TRS connector and stick an Insignia portable on it!

No! I have one of these portables and the reception is bad enough just lying on my bed! I can't imagine how this thing would be in a moving vehicle.

Even the analog reception? I've got two of them. One's defective and analog is a pain, but the second one works really well. HD has its own set of problems, of course, and using an in-car antenna with a portable doesn't help, but the Insignia in my experience with analog stations is as good as some aftermarket radios you can buy.

 

[someperson]

Even the analog reception? I've got two of them. One's defective and analog is a pain, but the second one works really well. HD has its own set of problems, of course, and using an in-car antenna with a portable doesn't help, but the Insignia in my experience with analog stations is as good as some aftermarket radios you can buy.

Hmm, maybe mine is defective then. On mine, I have trouble picking up some stations in analog that should be easy (e.g. KGLK, KHJK), and anything somewhat weak is nonexistent (e.g. KTSU, KUHA).

Anway, back on topic?

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I'm from Houston, and I don't know how it is elsewhere, but here, many of the best radio stations are HD-2s. The analog stations are so crappy that I'm currently trying to receive distant stations with mixed success.

My truck has a bad CD player, so since I have no alternative to analog radio, I want to replace my stereo, and I want to go the HD route. Any suggestions on tuners?

As far as fancy features, I don't need much, but I would like to be able to play music from a flash drive, and I would like to be able to stream music over bluetooth from my Android phone.

I am from Houston, too, and have the same observation about HD-2 - all the good formats, oldies, Christian rock, smooth jazz, etc are on HD-2. The problem is that the area is so vast that you need a really sensitive tuner to make it work. I just installed a Pioneer DEH-P9400BH. KSBJ HD-2 NGEN is solid in Katy and Cypress, KGLK HD holds in across the North Beltway 8, which are the two fringe scenarios. It has two flash drive inputs, Bluetooth audio input / handsfree through the stereo with automatic answering, the AM sensitivity is as good as Pioneer use to be. Analog FM - I have Bob-FM from Austin all over the west side of town, KCOL from Beaumont all over the East side of town. So - yeah, pretty good radio.

The down side is that HD-2 even on KRBE and other super class C's occasionally drops out, the normal places where FM gets weak. I think it would be the same on any HD radio in a car - except worse with another model that lacks the Pioneer Supertuner 3D circuitry.