Stock audio

[HummerNewbie]

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.

[BuzzH3]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

Wondering do you have an early build H3? Reason I'm asking is I'm trying to correlate some information on why some have the VSS wire to the connector and some don't. In addition, you say three purple wires, per the schematics, one of those three purple wires going to the radio is only for the GPS head unit. So, I'm only guessing here, but from what I seem to have found out, early builds have the plugs setup for the NAV system, even if they had no NAV system. Somewhere along the line, GM revised the wiring and the NAV wires were left out unless NAV was installed in the plant.

Now, back to those three purple wires. You say you have to splice them together? Doesn't the new system adjust volume for speed? The purple wires are the serial data bus wire, that the BCM uses for multiple reason. One, to signal the volume to go down or up depending on speed, to identify the radio that is part of the internal LAN system, and to chime and I believe the RAP circuit. So, the twisting of these wires together confuses me, since the information on the website regarding these adapters state the RAP circuit works, the volume is controlled.
Are there wires that need to be spliced into other circuits other than the radio circuits?
There is a small shelf just above the radio, where the factory NAV system antenna is mounted, and that should be okay for the Pioneer, at least that is where I'll mount the antenna.
Where did you install the XM box? Did you mount behind the radio, or over the glove box?
Sorry for all the questions, but those purple wires confuse me, but then again, I do not have the wiring schematics for the adapters.

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.

[BuzzH3]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

Did anyone lose the ability to fade front/rear with the adapter? Per one of their techs, I will lose the ability to fade the sound. Looking at their so-called online instructions, it appears that on some GM vehicles with rear controls you lose this ability; however, without rear controls you retain this ability.
Their answer, and their so-called online instruction (which are some of the worse instructions I have ever read), does not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about this adapter.
Granted, their online instructions could be just that, and a better set comes with the kit, but they have some inaccuracies that are noticeable such as Onstar leads coming in on the 24-pin connector.
Are there any other companies that make this type adapter?

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

[HummerNewbie]

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.

[f5fstop]

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.

[Mark805]

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.

[Mark805]

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:

[Mark805]

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.

[f5fstop]

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.

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by Mark805

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.

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.

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.
I will be ordering the Peripheral adapters, even if I do continue to drive the tech crazy. 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.

[Mark805]

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.

[Mark805]

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 )

[f5fstop]

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...

[Mark805]

where did you get that Hummer screen

I made em

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...

[BuzzH3]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

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.

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.

[f5fstop]

Thanks for the screens.

[BuzzH3]

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

[Mark805]

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

[f5fstop]

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.

[BuzzH3]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

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.

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.