hally

I've just installed an Alpine headset UTE-52BT, great little unit, easy install, now I have bluetooth handsfree calling! The pandora integration is really nice too. I bought it off amazon and it has the American 10khz AM stepping, where as I need the 9khz stepping used outside of the Americas to get some of the stations. The FM stepping can be changed from the setup menu, but not AM.
So I am guessing that its a firmware update.
Havn't had any luck getting support our of Amazon, Alpine Australia or USA so my last glimmer of hope is probably finding someone techie on the 'inside'.
Maybe when the product is released outside of the Americas the firmware will surface..
cheers

Paulyy

PM Cyberpunky

hally

Thanks Pauly, will do!

Cyberpunky

Might sound harsh but you saved a few bucks by sending your business offshore. You can buy cheap Alpine at JB and you would have had a working AM radio but you didn't, so you are out of luck. No AM for you.

I have several friends at Alpine but would never ask them for this, although I doubt a reflash is possible anyway, because you voted with your wallet not to support your fellow Australians, and the Australians involved directly, are the same friends I would have to ask(so you can see the dilema I would be in if I actually was to ask). I had a great job and a business in car audio for many years but I had to leave the industry, because of bargain hunters taking their business off shore, so sorry but not sorry, that I can't/won't help.
As I said may sound harsh but it is what it is
peace
Cyberpunky

Voith

So you actually don't have radios with working AM/FM bands? Interesting. I have never saw a car radio without both bands in my life.

Australia mainly uses AM? Here 99% of all stations is FM. There are few AM but those sound like sh*t and some hungary stations come trough on AM. All of them sound like straight out of 1950s though.

Gerd

There is a 12 volt source in the upper right hand corner that takes a wire can't remember the color, but that is an antenna amplifier.

Gerd

There is a 12 volt source in the upper right hand corner that takes a wire can't remember the color, but that is an antenna amplifier. If you do a search this usually a problem.

Paulyy

Like every country, Australia uses both Mostly FM, and digital radio for those who have it.

AM is Amplitude modulation
FM is Frequency modulation.

Problem is, every country uses different frequency bands. just like PAL & NTSC

hally

Hi Cyberpunky,
Respect your point of view. I'm still very happy with my unit, I can get the local news station over tunein in digital anyhow. Australia only sells the superseded UTE-42BT which had bad reviews on bluetooth, plus the online shopping from aussie sites for the DIY market is pretty dismal. This falls into the category of globalisation of the economy I guess and how reasonable the markups are for places like Australia under the old economy.
cheers

Cyberpunky

No we use AM and FM and have digital too just no satellite, as thats not economically viable for our little island. We also have streaming services like I heart radio and pandora etc.

The issue is we have 9Khz spacing on the AM band, where as US uses 10Khz spacing, so a US sourced radio that doesn't allow you too swap to 9 Khz steps, still picks up the stations but they are just off, so if we need to tune to 927 for example, we can only tune to 930, which as you could imagine on noisey AM means it sounds even more terrible.

AM in Australia refuses to die and for good reason, as we have such a large land mass and apart from major cities, the population is spread very thin elsewhere, and so many places AM is only viable option as its area coverage is far better than FM. In US and Europe this is less of an issue, so FM is the norm, and you can also use satellite. In our big cities and most larger rural areas FM is what most ppl listen too, and now digital too. We were one of the first to digital but uptake has been slow but now it is getting traction here.

Anyway Gregor, as Pauly and others will tell you, I am normally really helpful and happy to help in anyway I can, but this particular issue(buying OS) actually made me move away from car audio industry, as I just couldn't make an honest living, despite years of experience and a wealth of knowledge, so asking my industry contacts to help just isn't something I would want to do, as I am sure you understand.

I like anyone else, shop online for somethings but unlike most Aussies, I am happy to pay extra to get service and expertise. If no local option is available then I will buy online. Having been on both sides of the fence, I understand your POV and respect your right to spend your hard earned how ever you see fit but it is a choice and sometimes those choices have less obvious consequences, like the decline of my industry, which is just how it is, and it is a very complex situation.
peace
Cyberpunky

hally

All good Bruce, sorry to hear that u had to get out of the audio game. I wonder why they make the FM configurable but not the AM wrt stepping. Hey are you competing in PCV, what category? I'm working toward getting back to do some events again, probably would need a second set of wheels and some camber plates this time as I really need my car as a daily driver for getting the kids around.

Paulyy

PFA is where it's at. Motokhana days and hill runs with a great bunch!

hally

That sounds pretty cool Pauly! I need to sign up to that site, cheers

Paulyy

You'll enjoy it. I don't hang around as much, work keeps be so occupied, and need to fix my car also. But great bunch.

hally

done, i'm time poor also, but will try at some stage to get along to something, motokhana sounds fun, and meet up with u guys, be cool to see your car.