Topic: Has anyone installed a Solstice OEM in their SKY?????

[Johny125]

Has anyone installed a used Solstice stereo in their Sky?  I am planning on installing one in my Sky (to get the blue display and 6 CD capability), but am concerned about the compatibility when I take the car in to have the Solstice radio "unlocked".  I know the radios will fit in both cars, but wonder if the GM scan tool will reject the Solstice radio since it will have to learn a Sky VIN#.  Any input would surely help me.  Thanks,

John

[ChrisPrice]

Yes, it has been done. Yes, it will work fine. For best results, you'll want to match a Monsoon to a Monsoon, or a non-Monsoon to a non-Monsoon, so the calibrations flashed into the radio for those speaker sets stay the same. Otherwise you'll have to do manual adjusting to the bass and other EQ settings to get a good balance.

Note that if you do not have a Monsoon amp, you may want to stick with the US8 or base stereos. The US9 (6-disc) radio is calibrated for the Monsoon speaker system. Bass and other things might be weaker on your system.

Unfortunately changing calibrations is a royal pain and I still (after all these years) don't have a solid way. Chris White was willing to look into it - but we never really moved it forward. It requires TIS2Web and that system matches part numbers and VINs - very complicated and probably won't do it.

[DeepBlueGXP]

Scan tool won't reject radio, it is required to register the radio to the car.

[Johny125]

Yes, it has been done. Yes, it will work fine. For best results, you'll want to match a Monsoon to a Monsoon, or a non-Monsoon to a non-Monsoon, so the calibrations flashed into the radio for those speaker sets stay the same. Otherwise you'll have to do manual adjusting to the bass and other EQ settings to get a good balance.

Note that if you do not have a Monsoon amp, you may want to stick with the US8 or base stereos. The US9 (6-disc) radio is calibrated for the Monsoon speaker system. Bass and other things might be weaker on your system.

Unfortunately changing calibrations is a royal pain and I still (after all these years) don't have a solid way. Chris White was willing to look into it - but we never really moved it forward. It requires TIS2Web and that system matches part numbers and VINs - very complicated and probably won't do it.

[Johny125]

Thanks Chris,  I do currently have a monsoon radio and the Solstice replacement is monsoon as well.  Thanks for the input.

John

[ChrisPrice]

Okay, then I would go with either the Solstice USB radio or the Saturn Aura USB radio. Both are calibrated very well for Kappa's with Monsoon stereos. I believe the Solstice USB radio is still in stock at GM - not sure on the Aura. I have the part numbers somewhere - just make sure the dealership doesn't interchange with another radio part number if you go that route!

The USB radio firmware is a lot newer, and you can plug in an old iPod nano if you're on a budget - store many more songs than the 6-disc route, with much better MP3 tag support (rapid scroll vs having to re-index each disc when you change it).

See this for more detail: https://www.christopherprice.net/upgrading-your-mid-2000s-general-motors-radio-with-a-usb-port-2773.html

The Saturn Aura USB radio has the added benefit of color matching the Saturn colors - it's not piano black, but it has the same Saturn silver as the logos and other trim bits. And amber LEDs.

[TomatoSoup]

I did it the other way round, installed a Sky USB radio in my Sol. 

You can even swap your faceplate to retain cosmetics - though I know you don't want to do that: http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f61/migrated-my-old-solstice-radio-faceplate-my-new-sky-usb-radio-62652/

[Johny125]

WOW!!!!  The cheapest dealer I could find in Mobile, AL to unlock the radio is $115.00 plus tax.  Ouch.

[Sol Asylum]

How much is it to buy one of those knock off Tech Tool 2?

[elff]

I went back and read T.S.'s post.  The most amazing part of that thread was that it showed that someone actually bought a Zune!!

[Johny125]

What is a Zune????

[TomatoSoup]

I went back and read T.S.'s post.  The most amazing part of that thread was that it showed that someone actually bought a Zune!!

Yeah... probably a brown one   

[Sly Bob]

What is a Zune????

 
Microsoft Zune, an attempt by Microsoft to get into the MP3 player market many years ago...