Noumea911

Hi ! Great DIY here ! Thank you.

I have one question, I would like to know where the widshield antenna connects to the cable which goes to the head unit ? I have a CDR-220 in my 1990 964 and had the windshield taken out and put back , since then, radio reception is bad, antenna is plugged in but it must have been disconnected somewhere when the WS was taken out bit not reconnected when it was put back in.
Any help greatly appreciated !

jansan946

The links in this Google search should get you started: https://www.google.com/search?q=pors...utf-8&oe=utf-8

Check antenna amplifier connections from/to windshield/radio, and 12 V. power to antenna amplifier.

Noumea911

Thank you so much.
I will check it right now and hopefully find my answer !

p_kennedy

Bret,

Thank you for the post on installing the PCRN. I installed mine this weekend and your instructions, directions and guidance helped me through the installation. The post was very detailed and I liked the pictures which helped any confusion. I opted for the under the dash GPS Antenna mount (on the center vent shelf) as KMASS993 suggested. The only problem on the day was actually getting the clock out. I tried "prying" it out with interior tools, as much as I could without leaving a mark or damage. In the end I pulled the center vent to get to the nut. I could then pop the clock out from behind, but still really tight, no way it was going to move otherwise. I popped the clock because it really is the only way to get the nut back on. It was very difficult to get the nut off through the center vent and I had fears of dropping the nut and it disappearing forever.

In the end, your instructions saved me a bunch of time and the installation looks amazing.

Thanks again,
Patrick

1990 C2 (Silver/Black)

Macs993

If you have been looking for a modern high tech radio for your classic Porsche, look no further; the Porsche Classic Radio Navigation is it. I also just installed one in my 1995 993. It looks great and does what it is suppose to do, unfortunately you are on your own when it comes to installation. My dealer wanted $1000 just for installation. The radio is already very pricey so I installed it myself. It is not terribly difficult but no instructions come with it. You are on your own. Prepare to spend a whole day on the project. Having just struggled through figuring it out I will let you know what I learned. This will be most helpful for anyone with a 993; details may differ with other model Porsches.

1. Removing your old radio. Removing a radio usually involves first removing any plastic surround molding so you can slip keys down the sides. If you have the keys for your brand radio it should be a breeze. I did not. I had a Sony radio and what I found on YouTube demonstrated a simple technique of using two standard table butter knives. Just slide them in on each side and pull the radio out. Be careful not to damage you dash. Unplug the connectors from the back. You will also have to remove the metal holder from the dash, which involves prying up some metal pins bent into the dash.
2. Figuring out the connectors. This was the biggest stumbling block and Porsche was no help here. The 993 came with either a standard radio with the amplifier built into the head unit or the HiFi option that included an amplifier under the passenger seat. Look under your passenger seat. If you see a thin metal box with a long plastic plug and a bunch of color coded wires, these go to the speakers, then you have the HiFI option. You will need an optional round multipin plug with a long cable to connect to the new headpiece. You can order it from your Porsche dealer. This is so you can plug into the preamp outputs of the new head unit and connect to the amplifier under the passenger seat. If not then you should be able to plug directly into the back of the new head unit using the built in amplifiers. This assumes that your car has the original radio wiring harness intact. If not, if it was cut out when another brand after market radio was installed, you are screwed. You will have to figure out how to wire the correct speakers into the connectors. Good luck!
3. Installing the antennas, microphone and accessory dock. You will need to install the antenna for the navigation unit. It is magnetic and a great place to put it is on the side of the metal frame under the rear passenger side window. You can easily hide the wire behind the rear trim (remove with a few Phillips screws) and track it to the front on the floor under the plastic finish piece on the floor of the passenger door and then behind the front sidewall carpet until you are under the dash. I did not install the Serius radio antenna. I did install the hands free microphone on the roof liner in the center of the car just above the windshield rubber molding. You can easily run the tiny wire under the molding and down the passenger side of the windshield. I then had to unscrew the dashboard to be able to hide the wire down the side near the passenger door again until it was under the dash. You do not have to remove the dash, just unscrew it so that it is loose and re-secure it after the wire is hidden. Finally, I placed the USB accessory dock in my glove compartment. You will have to drill a hole into the back of the plastic glove compartment to get the wire up under the dash. This will require removing the glove compartment, three screws on the bottom of the door hinge and four screws inside the glove compartment.
4. Installing the head unit. After all of the wires from the antennas, microphone, accessory box and underseat power amp, if you have one, are hidden with connectors now located under the dash in the rear of the radio location, you are ready. First install the metal bracket and push all of the metal flanges into the dash to secure it. Refer to the cabling instructions that came with the unit. The six pin brown plastic plug has the power supply. The other ten pin socket on the radio is to be used if you do not have the optional HiFI amplifier under the seat. You will plug the ten pin plastic plug of your original wiring harness into the back of the radio. If you have the optional HiFi amplifier you will not use his plug even though you have it. Instead you will plug the optional plug you bought from the dealer that goes to the power amplifier into the indicated socket on the head unit. Plug the microphone into the indicated socket and finally plug the antenna into the antenna socket. If you have the antenna booster, be sure to plug the power for it together, a small white plastic plug wrapped around the antenna cable. Plug the USB accessory box cable into the indicated socket. Slide the head unit into the slot but do not secure it yet until you have tried everything and it all works as it is supposed to. Do not use the screw in bump that comes with the head unit. It does not fit in a 993.

mrsullivan

Radio seems really awesome!
Somewhat surprised that the entire dash has to be removed to pull out the old stereo and put this one in...

Macs993

You do not have to remove the dash and I would advise against it. I unscrewed the dash only to hide the wire from the microphone perfectly otherwise it is not necessary. Loosening the dash allows you to get a quarter inch separation to slide the wire down along the side.

Gbos1

Excellent Write Up!!!!

mrsullivan

thank you

Bret

As Macs993 indicated, you do not have to remove the dash unless you want to run the various wires under the dash so they are not visible or you want to mount the GPS antenna under the dash. I wouldn't be afraid of removing the dash. The only "difficult" part is getting at the 10 mm nut on the backside of the dash that is between the clock and the center vent. Otherwise, it is literally just a matter of removing 9 screws and the nut and the dash comes right off. I've done it enough now that it takes about 5 minutes.

Bret

Glad the instructions helped. I've had my clock out a couple of times to work on a couple of other things so it comes out pretty easily. Nice to know you can also get at it from the center vent if you need to.

Bret

Not sure if the links that Jansan946 posted answered your question, but in my 993 the antenna amplifier (where the windshield antenna connects to the antenna cable to the radio) is located under the dash on the passenger side where the window frame and the dash meet. The only way I know to get at the amplifier is to remove the dash and then access the amplifier through a cutout in the metal support structure of the dash. I believe the amplifier is bolted with a single bolt to the dash structure. The cable that runs from the amplifier to the radio also has a small white wire that runs with it that provides power from the radio to the amplifier. There is a disconnect for this on the back of the radio (see the very first picture in my DIY) that if disconnected might explain the poor reception (no power to amplifier). Otherwise, I'd check to make sure the antenna cable is firmly seated in the radio and then check the connections on the amplifier. If all that looks good, you may just need a new amplifier. Hope this helps.

ffc

Thanks for this DIY. I installed my PCRN today using this as a guide. It made removing the dash far less daunting that I expected and this meant that I installed the wiring properly rather than bodging it.

Cheers

Bret

ffc - glad it helped. Hope you enjoy your PCRN as much as I do mine!

Proj993

Thanks for all the detail Bret and Schnell. Haven't bought my PCRN yet, but I'm about to.

I'm thinking of installing the media box in the driver side door pocket. Is the cable long enough for that? I plan to pass the microphone and GPS antenna through the radio antenna grommet (option 4 in Bret's). Would that require removing the glove compartment to install the head unit or thread the cables?

Finally, has anyone had any reception issues installing the GPS antenna under the dash (Schnell's approach)?