[stampeder]

Aftermarket car stereos that feature integrated HD Radio reception are not usually seen much on crutchfield.ca but if you go to their U.S. site at crutchfield.com HD Radio is quite a common feature these days on models from Kenwood, Alpine, Pioneer, Clarion, JVC, and other mainstream brands.

Car stereos at Canadian big box stores and consumer electronics sites don't typically have HD Radio capability, while they are commonly available south of the border now.

Too bad about the exchange rate (Oct. 2015).

 

[CamDAB]

^^^ And what's worse, I was recently into a large Canadian electonics chain and asked the salesperson if they knew anything about HD Radio. They said they thought maybe they have a unit but really didn't know much. I then asked if they were interested in seeing and hearing one (I had my palm sized HD Radio with me) and they were emphatic they weren't interested. There were no other customers present and this person wasn't doing anythng, so it wasn't a case of interupting anything.

It's sad when people who sell "tech" aren't interested in aquiring knowledge of tech they haven't had any exposure to.

Cameron

 

[stampeder]

Integrated HD Radio now common in U.S. models

Nowadays all the newer main brand car stereo models featuring HD Radio have it integrated rather than via an external device.

My first automobile HD Radio receiver was an external Alpine tuner box that plugged into the back of my Alpine AM/FM/CD unit with a proprietary plug and socket. The antenna plugged into it instead of the main unit. It worked well on road trips through the U.S., which was where & why I bought it just as HD Radio was first rolling out.

3 years ago I replaced the Alpine with a Kenwood ordered from the U.S. that also uses an external HD Radio tuner module with its own proprietary plug and socket and that the antenna is plugged into. Once I installed it the originial tuner option on the main unit disappeared and all tuning functions were taken over by the external unit, all controlled by the main unit's display and buttons. Reception improved on both analogue and digital stations as the quality of the tuner was markedly superior. Kenwood doesn't seem to market those external units anymore, now that HD Radio tuning has been integrated into most U.S. car stereos.

 

[ogorek]

This is an old thread but not much has changed. Many people have HD Radio tuners in their cars, but they don't know what the HD Radio logo is for. The technology is not widely publicized. The CJAD 800, Montreal news-talk AM radio station which transmits as a sub channel in HD on FM has a TV commercial explaining the technology but the whole radio industry has to do more to promote it.

 

[BGY11]

I surprised a car dealership rep when I showed them there was a Canadian station broadcasting in HD Radio recently. That said, when there are maybe less than 10 stations broadcasting an HD radio signal in Canada, it doesn't really surprise me that there isn't much marketing going on.

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