Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought two of these JVC radios out of curiosity for HD Radio. I hooked it up on my 08 Taurus and connected it to the aux line in input. The JVC tuner tunes well and I got a lot of new channels/stations. Sound quality is great. I also tested it using its internal FM transmitter. It too workd well but I thought the sound quality appeared less than direct audio. I may be biased becuase I know FM is lesser in sound quality. I rate JVC tuner full 5 stars.
I do have couple of negative point to add here. This radio connects with 3 cables. A 2.5 mm Antenna stereo plug at the top, a 3.2 mm stereo plug lower down and a 12V dc power plug from the cigarette lighter. If you want to remove the radio when you leave your locked car you have to pull out these three cables one by one and replug them individually back later when you get back to your car. This is an inconvenience. JVC could do better if they change the design to have one multi-pin modular plug as in many car audio systems.
JVC does not provide an antenna with this tuner. However they have a "professional" kit if you want to use the existing car audio/antenna but install is too complicated. It took me some research to determine the pin out of antenna (I tried calling JVC help line and the girl who answered had no clue). The 2.5 mm stereo plug ring is the antenna and ground is ground. The tip of the plug should be left unconnected because it brings 12V dc out to a small relay in the professional kit. Remember to keep this isolated or else you may blow a fuse if you accidentally ground the 12 V dc line.
HD Radio is great but has limitations. Unlike satellite radio, you will get your channel only when you are within the coverage area. If you travel long distance over about 50 miles you may lose the station. this will depend on the coverage of the station, it antenna mast height, terrain you are in, etc. You will have to search for new stations and in some areas there are none. I have not had much success with BC (AM) band yet. My self made dipole resonates only for VHF FM band and I may need a better antenna for AM coverage. This is for me to work on.
Overall it is a good radio, best bang for the 30 bucks. I am happy with this toy.
Click Here to see more reviews about: JVC KT-HDP1 Universal Car and Home HD Radio Tuner (Turns any Stock Car Radio / CD Player to High Definition Radio)
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