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Which model adapter are you talking about? I can't say positively but I believe I have used the fade since installing the D1. I will be heading out for a few minutes in a little while and will test it.

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I purchased my H3 on Oct. 15, 2005. Not sure of the build date. Mine seems to have all of the wires there. There is a bulletin for the GMAH24B that states that the 3 purple wires have to be connected together with a jumper wire. If not, the GMAH24B may not work for OnStar and possibly the new stereo will not power up. Sorry, I don't have any other reason why.
The online instructions for the GMAH24B are horrible. It is for an old version. There is no longer a resistor wire kit. Also, the Monsoon system is not considered to be the Premium Bose system. Just connect all of the wires to the new stereo harness per the wire colors. They all match. I just connected them all so I am running the front and rear speakers through the adapter. I have have full balance and fader controls. All of the chimes are controlled through the GMAHCM adapter. I also have RAP for the new stereo. I don't believe that I have speed sensitive volume (I haven't paid attention). I assumed that was controlled through the factory stereo since you could change it or turn it off using the factory stereo controls, but you are the expert there. If it is in the BCM, then maybe it will retain the last setting when the factory stereo was removed. I never had mine turned on so I don't think I have it.
I actually slid the XM module right in front of the OnStar module. It is between the OnStar module and the front of the center console. There is a metal bracket that the OnStar module sits down into. The bracket just needs to be bent slightly towards the Onstar module for the XM module to fit. I can try to get a picture of it tonight or tomorrow.

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Yes, there are better instructions that come with the adapter. I can try to scan them in tonight and post them.

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Other than where I installed the XM tuner, X2 on everything Buzz said. Just tested fade and balance and everything works just fine. I did have the not powering up issue for the second time last week. Have no idea what causes it but I just turn the key off then back on and it powers up just fine. Only the second time in 2 1/2 months so I'm not going to worry about it.

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Thanks guys, I guess I'm just putting too much into this at this time. I have been in contact with a fellow at Peripheral and driving him nuts. However, he has not explained that the online instructions are not the one to use. However, he keeps insisting I will lose fade, but I keep asking him if he is thinking I have the premium rear system that states you will lose the fade.
Oh well, I will drive him nuts.

Buzz, you have a PM and thanks to all.

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F4Fstop: here are some pictures that I was talking about. The unit is a Z1 but the camera pictures are the same on both z1 & d1. The first picture is my driving view with rear view on and nav. The second is the view when you go into reverse and the third pic is where the camera is mounted. You can definately see my spare in the top part of the screen but its not too bad and doesnt take away from the view. It actually helps me with perspective when backing up close to something.

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Z1 & the Ipod...

I also am putting in pics of the ipod interface on the Z1... If you are putting an ipod in you car the difference from the D1 and Z1 is HUGE.

The D1 would only display the first 8 characters of your choice (song or artist title) and Ipod control was a joke. If you can get a look at the D1 & ipod interface and its important to you do it... These are the Z1:

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As far as interface adaptors go:

As far as I know.. the purple wire deal was for the pac audio, specific to the OS2-Bose adaptor. This was in order to get the interface to work on the H3. Here's the website http://www.pac-audio.com/products/pr...ar%20Interface.

Also here is a link to the directions on their web site: http://www.pac-audio.com/bulletins/2...ringchange.pdf

Personally I would avoid the Pac-audio adaptor. Its what I had with the D1 and it would make a loud "pop" sound when turning OnStar on and off. I currently using the adaptor by metra. Not sure onthe model number, CarToys made this change.

There are now specific H3 adaptors out there that eliminate this splicing stuff.

KodiakZ is a pro on this topic fyi. He helped me talk the installer at CarToys through alot of the glitches.

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Thanks, those pictures are worth a thousand words.
I like where you mounted the camera, I was considering earlier mounting a bullet camera in about the same place, but inside a custom made bracket. I guess the horizontal angle is not enough to show the trailer hitch, which is good. Maybe I'll just go ahead with the Pioneer camera, which I can order from the same location.
Love the Hummer screen, I saw on avid411, how you can install one on the D2, and it appears from reading Pioneers site, it is a feature of the Z1.

Don't have an iPod and don't intend to get one. I use XM all the time, and if I decide to listen to my songs, I have about fifty MP3 CDs that will give me enough music to last for quite a long time.

I would be more worried about the XM display. But anything would be better than the weak display that is currently on the factory MP3 head unit I have now. (Still trying to figure out who thought amber was a good color:( )

I have looked (onsite) at the Z1 versus the D2, and I guess my problem is the extra $500+ bucks for a hard drive I will never use. I have to assume the D2 has some type of buffer in it for the NAV screens or else there would be some jumpiness to the change in screen when the NAV is on (or it has one hell of a fast DVD reader). I can't say never, but I can almost say I would never load a ton of music onto the hard drive, so I would be satisfied with the D2.
The 7" screen versus the 6.5 might be a decent feature, but the money comes into play again. The D2, with the rear camera, all the adapters, and possibly the remote is hitting $1400.00 bucks, and I promised myself I would not go over 2K in toys this month, and there is a brand new SIG Sauer sitting at the local gun store that keeps calling my name.

However, I'll hold off on the final decision till Saturday, when I go take a look at the pioneer systems at a Pioneer sponsored showing at at local store. This will give me the chance to see them installed, in sunlight and from what I have read, in a Hummer (H2 that is).

Now, the remote. Did you get the wireless remote? If so, is it worth it, does it blend in ok in the steering wheel?

Thanks again.

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I have had some ongoing discussions with Peripheral and I guess I have confused the technician. Their diagrams show the onstar inputs coming into the device on the 24-pin connector, and they actually come into the 12-pin. I believe it is a typo, but he is getting frustrated.:D
I will be ordering the Peripheral adapters, even if I do continue to drive the tech crazy.:D I feel I owe it to the poor guy.
The purple wires are actually easy to understand, but not sure why Peripheral does not fix the adapter. I bet they will in the future since all the new GM radios are being wired the way the H3 is wired.
The reason for splicing the wires is that the class 2 serial data information comes into the radio on pin A2 (24-pin connector) and then is sent out to the XM module through Pin G (12-pin connector), and to the VCIM (onstar module) on Pin A1 (24-pin connector). This pass through of the two-way serial data link is fairly new to GM vehicles, but will be standard in the future. Without splicing the wires, the BCM will lose contact with the VCIM, and XM module, and the modules will not operate since they need VIN confirmation from the BCM, and the BCM is looking for the modules (good reason to keep the XM module powered up, even if not used). So, the work-around is to splice the wires together. Being a class 2 circuit, there is no problem due to the identifier codes from the input/output signals.

I have written Kodiakz, but no answer. Possibly on vacation or too busy installing systems.

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Its funny you ask about the remote... I called around trying to find one and seems they are a pretty hot item right now.

All I know is the straps look kind of cheesy but the price almost justifies trying it out. (around $25.00)

If the D2 is similar to the D1, you can change the load screen and background to custom ones, its just a little tricky. Best place for Pioneer advice is at Avic411.Com

I just followed the instructions on the mod/hack section and it worked flawlessly.

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omg Kodiakz is afk?!

I got to tell you.. hopefully he gets back. The guy that did my initial install was pretty clueless. (was the stores first H3 back in Sept 05) Kod posted alot of instructions and I just delivered them to the installer (not sure how annoyed he was getting but it got the job done.. best reaction was when I showed him the factory antenna would plug into the pioneer xm unit via Kods direction :D )

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From what I have read on this forum, he is the god of system installs on the H3. One of the first things I did was write him a quick note.

Now, one more question, where did you get that Hummer screen...:D

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I made em :cool:

Feel free to use them.. just save the pictures and follow the directions on Avic411.com.

These are the 2 i think turned out the best...

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I did get the wireless remote. It works really good and being black, it kind of blends in with the steering wheel. The steering wheel audio controls was one thing I really wished the H3 had and this solves that issue. There are not a whole lot of controls on it but it has all of the main ones. Plus, with the Z1 there is a button to trigger the voice activation which you can control just about everything in the Z1. The voice recognition on the Z1 works really well.

I too was deciding between the D2 and the Z1. The things that swayed me were:
1. HD based - quicker NAV and ability to learn driving preferences. The second part is cool because it constantly records information about how and where you drive. This not only makes the NAV much more accurate it allows it to generate routes based on roads thet you prefer. Plus, with the ability to record music, it's like having a 200 disc CD changer built into the H3.
2. the 7" vs. the 6.5" screen - may not seem like much, but it's noticable.
3. CDDB database built in - it will look up CD information for any CD you put in it.
4. Voice Recognition

Both stereos are excellent, these were just the main things that swayed me to the Z1. Just my 2 cents.

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Thanks for the screens.

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Here are some pics of the steering wheel remote and the microphone for the Voice recognition on the Z1

Attachment 25410

Attachment 25411

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I put my mic on the bottom right in the intrument cluster by the speedo. I agree on the voice recognition. It works flawlessly.

Thanks for the pics on your steering wheel. My reason for lookin at the remote was for a trigger for the voice control. That might fit the bill.

Speaking of learning driving practices. I noticed this the other day... I use nav every day when i head to work (for the traffic nav) I'm such a creature of habit.. anyways.. one day I was running late and I didnt make my usual stop at starbucks.. when I was driving by, my nav told me to turn right.. I was confused and thought it was messed up... i then realized it was expecting me to turn cause I do every morning. TOO funny. The Z1 wanted me not to forget my morning java :D

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I believe if I go ahead with this (will decide this weekend when I actually see the units installed in some vehicles at the Pioneer show), I will use the Digistar by Soundgate. Kodiakz wrote back and gave me some info on the interfaces to use. In addition, I learned today that in some cases, the Peripheral devices require unplugging for interfacing with the Tech 2 diagnostic tool, while the Digistar does nto require being disconnected. In addition, the Digistar is an all in one unit that combines the Chime module so it should be a cleaner install.

Still deciding which unit to purchase so I have another question regarding the bluetooth adapater.
Is the sound quality good through the bluetooth? I have tried a half-dozen blue tooth wireless headphones before I purchased one that had decent sound, and even that lacks when compared to a wired headset. So, I'm wondering how does the bluetooth compare to let's say using the phone directly?
I also remembered I have a bug in my LG8100 phone with Bluetooth, it won't allow me to use voice recognition built into the phone when the bluetooth is connected.

I currently have Onstar connected through my Verizon acccount, and the connections via Onstar are fantastic, but I would consider dropping this if the bluetooth was as good.

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There is another tech bulletin on the GMAH24B about some of the older units having to be disconnected (or you could remove the radio fuse), but the newer versions of it don't have this problem. I haven't heard about the soundgate adapter. The all-in-one part sounds cool. Let me know how it works.
I don't have the bluetooth adapter yet since my current phone does not have bluetooth. I think there have been some issues with the bluetooth adapter as far as compatibility, but from what I heard if you have a phone that works with it, it works really well. You can also transfer your phone book to the Z1 and use it to call any POI's since most of them have phone numbers saved on the HD. There are some rumors that Pioneer is working on a replacement for the bluetooth adapter to resolve some of the connection problems. Search AVIC411 for bluetooth. There is a ton of threads out there about it.

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Soundgate will do you right... I'll let you know about the b/t adaptor when it comes in.(On backorder)

:cool:

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Does the Z1 and the D2 dim when the lights go on? I have read on avic411 that there is a problem with them dimming with auto headlamps.
Possibly the adapters take care of this, but just curious.
I would guess the nav screen or audio screen would be pretty darn bright when driving at night if it does not dim.

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My D1 dims so I would hope the D2 and Z1 both dim as well.

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Mine dims.. In fact... the first picture I posted for you, the one with the map and rear view... the nav map is in the night mode. :p

Oh.. and my fade works btw... I never answered that question.

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Thanks guys...
Appreciate all the replys. Now, to wait till the auto demonstration and decide which unit to get.

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our z1 dims:p

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Ok, another question, not sure if anyone has tried it.

When you place a route with this system, can you manually override the recommended route?

For example:
On my return trip from Moab, my Garmin GPS had me routed via I-70 to St. Louis, then up I-57, to I-80, through Chicago, then onto I-94 to I-69. I was not about go drive through Chicago twice in the same year, so I went into the Garmin map, placed a new VIA point at I-69, just north of Indianapolis, and the route was changed to I-70 to Indianapolis, then up I-69 to East Lansing. This route was only 11 miles farther than the recommended route, but I would guess an hour or two faster.:D

I have looked at the Pioneer site and can't find any info on overriding the recommended route.

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You can put in things to avoid like toll roads but not sure if you can put in an alternative route, never tried. Now if you left it the way it was and drove straight through past the exit it would start rerouting you. It would probably eventually change to the route you wanted but you would have to listen to it telling you to make a u-turn for a while :(

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My Eclipse gives you 3 route choices you can scan :cool: usually I use the first one(quick way),but its not always the best route.
My brothers Vw factory GPS does not.
But he has clinometor and altitude functions I wish I had ,but his screen doesnt tilt:rolleyes:

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My Garmin is stubborn as hell. It will try for miles to get me to make a U-turn, or a bunch of rights/lefts to get back on course, so I just shut the sound down until I need it again, or I see it has changed the route the way I prefer.

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I am guess that is exactly what the Pioneers would do. I know there are a ton of features that I have not even messed with yet so there might be an option to change the route. I would ask the Pioneer guys today when your are checking out the different systems.

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there's a setting on the z1 that has options like.. quickest, shortest, avoid tolls, avoid traffic (need xm nav) stuff like that... to get more then one option you need to select the amount of routes you want it to make... then when it calulates the route you can scroll thru to the one you want then select ok. I did notice that sometimes it shows multiple routes and there would be a duplicate.

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I know the D1 has these options as well but have not tried them.

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The stock radio/CD is fine with us but we are not of the Generation that requires constant music over voice...in fact it drives us crazy.

Best regards, Happy Jack

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Lost me....:confused:

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But what you don't understand is that with the NAV I get an extra voice that tells me when to turn :D ;)

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I have to defer to the ones that have navigation screens in the dash. I have never had one.

My feeling is that a nav system would be a distraction if only the driver is available to operate it. Even a navagator in the passenger seet can be a distraction.:D I am interested in what others have to say about it.

If one can talk back to the system rather than punch buttons & screen it may be OK.

For the price of the nav systems one can get a good laptop and GPS roadmap program that will do 100 times as much and seems like a better option to me.

What I am talking about "voice overs" is the way they have "music" with narrations that make it hard to understand what they are saying.

Is it possible that the younger generation's brains are unable to stay awake without constant musical background? (incoming)

Best regards, Happy Jack

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It is probably less of a distraction that putting a Garmin on the top of the dash panel, which also tells you where your next turns are, and reduced valuable windshield space.
I have used this same garmin for many years, traveling cross country many times, and I do not consider it a distraction. I have also driven GM vehicles with the in-dash Navs and do not consider them distractions, but I will agree that for some people, they might be distractions.
Nice part of any Nav is the voice command, that makes it possible to know where your turn is without looking at the screen if traffic is too heavy, or like my existing Garmin Nav, it blows up the actual turn so a quick look is all that is required.

I sure hope the Pioneer Nav has no voice overs with music, I agree that would not be good.
Problem with a laptop is it is too large, and there is really no place to put on in the H3. Where would you mount it so that the driver could see/hear the instructions. If traveling alone, you could put it on the passenger seat I guess, but then you would be turning your head to look at something, versus keeping your head straight ahead.

As for younger brains...too old to remember what younger brains required.

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F5f:
Thanks for the hands on description. I have been wondering if it would be worth the high cost of a built in navigation system. It seems like a high price to pay for what they do. For someone that drives a lot in strange locations it would surely be worth it.

I agree that a laptop would be a problem to locate in an H3 but the copilot could hold it on his/her lap during brief intense navigating such as through cities. We have had good luck printing out routes and directions before trips with the laptop.

My rant about voice overs was kind of off topic and applies mainly to the programming on TV these days on my favorite channels such as History, Discovery and Military. They play the background "music" so loud that it is drowning out the narration. Where it applies to cars is that many people play their radios so loud that they drown out sirens, etc. It is well known that high volumes damage hearing.

Best regards, Happy Jack

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That does work great if you know where you are going to be going before hand and can get the route printed out before leaving. I know I have done this many times before getting a navigation system. One problem I had with this method a little while back was when I was heading up to Tellico back in March. I printed the route out, had the turn by turn directions but the problem was the roads were not marked very well. The directions from Map Quest or where ever it was I go them were pretty much dead on but I spent a fair amount of time stopping and second guessing them because of the marking on the roads. With a navigation system you don't have to be watch for signs, how far you have driven since the last turn and so on, you just keep an eye on the road and turn when it says to turn. You also get a warning before you need to turn rather than suddenly noticing you are at the next turn and have to hit the breaks. Of course a navigation system can be more dangerous if the driver is paying more attention to it than they are to the road but that can happen with a map just as easily.