Alpine Halo9

Vid?

 

I don't have any problems with my parking sensors when using the Halo9.

 

What exactly do you want a video of? There are a couple on youtube that demo the unit, and crutchfield has a video as well.

 

@TonyWhats Why did you use the Sirius antenna, instead of iDatalink's ST02 adapter to the shark fin? I plan on going that route when my module arrives, and would like to know if it doesn't work.

 

I was under the impression I needed the Sirius adapter as the Alpine did not have a built in tuner. I do have an extra antenna behind the headunit not plugged in. Maybe I'll try hooking that into the Sirius tuner.

 

I'm gonna pull everything out again this week, I'll let you know if that works

 

Ok, my sirius module might get here today and I might have time to try it tonight. Right now I have it connected to the GPS port of the Halo9, but not sure what that's for.

 

Crutchfield didn't recommend that adapter but idatalink does, and it looks like it should work. For $20 I'd rather use the OEM antenna and not have the Sirius one on my dash. I'll give it a shot.

 

I pulled the GPS cable out of the Halo9 and connected it (with a different adapter) to the SiriusXM module. It works well. I'm not sure what the GPS to the Halo9 does.

I also installed the bypass for the parking break and it works perfect. I didn't use the foot brake wire.

Oh and I loosened the screws and installed the radio further back, so it doesn't stick out as far.

Oh this is what the GPS connection to the HU does. It works fine without that and I'd rather not have a GPS puck on the dash.

 

An update after using the Halo 9 for a week or so, the sound, audio presets, and customization produce much better sound than the stock JBL unit. I installed the micro bypass (so you can access settings without the e brake pulled), added the idatalink ST02 antenna adapters, so no longer need the GPS or Sirius pucks mounted anywhere. You can set artist and song alerts with Siruis which pop up on any screen. Something I've had on previous Sirius radios but the entune didint have. Cool feature.

Android auto and google assistant works great. Pretty quick and very responsive to voice commands.

You can access the rear camera at anytime when driving. A feature for guys towing, or if ever you wanna take a look at your rear. You can add extra cameras, and I might look into adding a front camera.

I played around with adjusting the screen further back to make it sit a little more flush, but I got used to it sticking out further and prefer it as it's easier to use the touchscreen when it's closer. Also it would block the lower din compartment which I used to run a USB cable to power an Amazon firestick. I added one to the HDMI input, so now I have access to TV, movies, web, etc. Everything you get with a firestick. The screen is not HD and I was worried how it would look, but honestly it seems fine. I wish it was HD, but the resolution is not terrible.



Things I wish this unit could do...having a multi screen setting , so you can see your audio screen while running android auto, google maps/waze. Entune has it. The google assistant will not direct tune Sirius channels. It will switch to spotify but does not play. You still have to manually switch the source and press play. It's easier to just do that first rather than using your voice.

Overall I'm very happy with this headunit, hopefully there will be updates to android auto and the alpine firmware that allow some of the features I miss.

 

Thanks for the update. How does your backup camera look?

 

@LtPeteMitchell it is a little pixelated, and you have to disable the alpine guidelines because they overlay on the stock ones. I guess going to a bigger display distorts the video a little, but its definitely still functional. I'll upload a pic tomorrow.

 

Thanks so much. Got a quote from a buddy that works at Crutchfield, so may order soon, but want to be sure before I spend that much. Wonder what I can sell the stock 7” Entune for?

 

Yea I was wondering what I could sell my JBL entune for? I've seen them on eBay for like $1000 but that doesn't mean anything.

 

Yeah I don’t know why someone would pay that much. I’d take $500 and be happy about it.

 

Here is what the backup camera looks like. The overall image is not that bad, but its definitely pixelated and more fisheyed.

 

I'm tempted to get an Alpine rear camera to see if it improves the image.

 

Yea me too, depending on how much work it would require to get it setup. I can live with the stock camera, but indeed a better image would be nice. Keep us posted if you do.

Also run a camera to the front, which might be easier then swapping the rear.

 

I'd like a front camera also, but, I'll need to make an RCA switch or get the Alpine one. Wish it came with two camera inputs like the Kenwood.

 

I guess I can live with that. It doesn’t look terrible. The Halo9 must have better resolution than the Entune.