mtl1977

Isn't HD digital? There are probably digital data packets sent on the same frequency? Uh, yep - here you go. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hd_radio This is going to be great when the government mandates all HD for TV and radio...hopefully HD to analog converters will get cheap since every old analog TV/Radio/VCR/whatever is going to need one. Maybe this is a business to get into and make a trillion $$.

Doesn't the PAC just beam an infrared remote signal at the receiver? Pretty freakin' cheesy. The radio related ergonomics on the Fusion aren't bad...its the first car where I hardly use the Alpine remote.

You only lose audio control on the wheel. The layout sucks anyway, the buttons are too small. And can anyone tell me why the temp and fan button locations on the wheel are opposite of what they are on the auto HVAC controls on the dash?!? :banghead:

Huh? I got the antenna adapter at Circuit City, $15.99. Check out my blog for the details of the radio install...Alpine head, Rockford amp and sub. Stock Audiophile components up front and rear doors. The rear deck 6x9s and amp are disconnected. (late December, early Jan). http://mlav.com/blog.

I had no vibration issues until I put the 12" sub in the trunk. Now the driver's door panel rattles like crazy when the low frequencies hit. There is a lot of flex in the panel - take off off the panel and do what is necessary to stop the problem. Packing a little cloth between the metal door structure and panel should take care of it.

So, I guess this is actually the SE appearance thing with the red stitching?

Just posted some pics. Nothing special, pretty basic setup. Still need the antenna adapter. Don't bother getting the Audiophile system if you care about sound and plan to add aftermarket stuff. Save the $$ and get a set of MB Quart or Boston Acoustics components for the front doors. Alpine CDA-9813 - 60 watts of built in power per channel (SWEET!) Rockford Fosgate Punch 400s (about 400 watts into the sub, 4 ohm mono) Rockford Fosgate Punch HE12 sub Gonna throw in the two Rockford Power 12s from a vehicle in storage for the winter. :) http://mlav.com/car/fusion/010507/

Not sure, I just dropped in the Alpine from my expired lease truck. No loss of any functions or speakers, so it must not be important. Dimmer signal for the display? The lighting on my Alpine (CDA-9813) looks sweet with the dash lighting. A little info. from my audio mods last week... I tried using the rear 6x9 subs/factory amp. Sounded alright until I added the Rockford 12. Couldn't tune the low end well having only one low pass sub output, so I axed the factory stuff. Sounds much better without it. One interesting note. The adapter harness for the factory sub amp has RCA connectors. Only one of the two RCAs actually send a signal to the amp. The subs are 2 ohms, so they are likely running the two speakers in series (four ohm load) from a one channel amp. This info might be important if you rewire those speakers from an aftermarket amp or receiver only designed to run at 4 ohms. To any Fusion shoppers - don't waste your money on the premium sound system. It's just as horrible as all other factory Ford systems (like the Mach 460 POS that WAS in my Mustang). If you do get it, a nice aftermarket receiver really makes those factory speakers rock. The front doors use separates (6x8?? + tweeter in the A-pillar). The Fusion interior is easy to rip apart and put back together. Just don't expect to run an amp power wire easy. I had to drill. If you have an ATX car, there is probably a plastic plug for the missing clutch components on the firewall. You can run the wire through the plug after drilling a hole. Thats what I did for my parents Fukus Wagon. For the Fusion, I ran the wire though the firewall on the passenger side, behind the splash shield and up through the fender. Maybe some day I will finally carpet that sub enclosure (built it in 2003).