Colleagues,

Its cold here already, but my Rx8 doing well even with this freezeng temperatures! Cool, fashionable car, very attractive, I always see people staring at me. Its nice to be in center of road attraction!

One disappointing thing: does anybody can advise me the way to change radio US odd frequency steps for Europe ones, - even and odds tunings?

Sure, its easy to peplace the whole unit for the Europe one, but, new, 6CD changer/tuner cost here 950$!

Thank you in advance, hope some of you can find solution for me.

With kindest regards from another side of planet!

 

Hey, congrats on getting a cool car! Your english is very good. I may sound dumb, but aren't radio waves the same everywhere? Can't you just tune it with the manual tune **** to the frequency and station you want? Do you use AM and FM in Russia? Maybe you just need a different antennae. Good luck and welcome!

 

Thanks for your warm welcoming in your RX8' cool family!

European(and us) FM works in this pattern for example:101,0; 101,1;101,2 etc, yours is you know: 101,1;101,3;101,5 etc, you see, yours is only odd numbers! But many cool FM stations here has even numbers, that is why I want to change it.
AM is useless- poor quality.
Antenna won't help.
There are two ways only: either Mazda's secret button' combination, or change firmware.

Nowhere in Internet I can find this info, hope some of Rx8 club know-it-all owners knows something to make this car as perfect as it should be!

 

Well, if replacement is not an option (which would obviously be the cleanest solution), then maybe you can find someone who can 'fool' the radio for you.
What I mean is this: back when in Eastern Europe the radio frequencies were different than in the West (OIRT vs. CCIR), I purchased a nice receiver in West Germany. Brought it home (I'm from Hungary) but the radio was not able to bring in any of the Hungarian stations, being on lower frequencies than the receiver was built for.
A classmate of mine (this was during high school) built a little panel for me which he built into the radio. What it did was to somehow 'shift' the OIRT frequencies to those that the radio was built for. With that, everything was working perfectly, but the displayed frequency on the LCD was bogus, because it didn't show the frequency the station was broadcasting on, but the one it was 'shifted' to.
Maybe it is possible to build a similar device that 'shifts' the even frequency stations to an odd frequency so that your radio will be able to receive them. Ask some buddies whose hobby is electronics and someone may help you.

Don't ask me how this was done because I'm pretty clueless about electronics. But the receiver still works fine and now that all stations in Hungary use the western frequencies, the module is unnecessary

 

I doubt there's a secret button combination. It's probably the firmware programming, the hardware is probably the same.

I know that Mazdaparts here (thew?) can reflash headunits to have the latest firmware. Maybe he has the European software?

Alternatively, search eBay for a European model's head unit. Notice that you don't need to replace everything. The RX-8 radio is modular:

1) main unit/amplifier
2) CD player unit (can be 6-CD or MP3 player)
3) [optional] cassette, satellite, or MD

The faceplate is also separated.

So all you need to do is replace the main unit. You can probably keep your CD player unit and anything else you have.

Look at this illustration from this thread. You can see the "Audio Unit AM/FM radio" below there. That's all that you need to replace.

 

Also, the US-spec radio unit is only $270.75 MSRP (216.60 here) and even cheaper for Bose systems ($245.83 MSRP), so you may be able to find that same unit from a European Mazda parts dealer, and that's a lot less than $950 to replace everything.

 

Thanks Astral,

That its the very, very useful info for me! I thought its one, the whole unit! Tomorrow I ask a dealer for the price of radio unit only.

You know, there is a problem for me to buy something on EBAY, you can't believe but I its true. Russia is not registered country to make a payment through Paypal, so its useless for to find smth, if only selling company accept credit cards.

That is the only friend of mine who lives in US bought for me 6CD changer on EBAY, now I'm awaiting for it to install, and now I know that I can work with radio unit independently, either to change firmware or replace the whole unit.

I asked guys on mazdaparts.com about this issue, they supposed to change firmware as well. Now I ordered through them some cool things to install in my car.

 

One more thing: do I need to change faceplate if I change for 6CD changer?
Please advise!

 

Yusik: you do not need to change the faceplate. I recently changed my CD player to the one that can play MP3 cd's.
Do you have the minidisc player or just the 6 disc?

 

Yes, freguencies possible different, I ask some technician here.

I heard there are some devices on radio-flee market to change or shift frequencies, mainly it used to for the cars from Japan market, cars from there has similar problems, but its not the right way for me, as you know LCD won't display proper freq, spoiled receiving etc. Now I know at least one way for me, thanks to Astral, to change only one unit, - radio, not the whole kit.

 

All I have now is one CD player, (bad one, as I can say) I ordered 6CD changer on EBAY thanks to one friend in US who helped me, soon it comes, but can I install as well MP3 with 6CD?

I ordered as well on mazdaparts.com a device to hook up DVD player and rear camera.

Also looking for solution to use navigation system, Navteq doesn't have CD maps of Moscow.

Distant barbarian world, doesn't it?

 

Sorry guys, its the middle of the night, go to bed, I answer to all of you tomorrow if any, have a nice day!

 

Yuik: you can only have mp3 OR 6 disc, not both. (unfortunatly)

 

Thank you Jedi54!

I will use dvd player for MP3 CD discs.

 

Astral,

You can see here the price for Europe spec radio, if I order it:
http://www.japancats.ru/mazda/detail...&imid=A870005A

As you can see 600$(in reality when you come to office it would be 650-700$) its little bit more than 245!

I'm not ready to pay so much!

I'm so unhappy!

 

i cant view that web site... and it's in russian.

my russian is a little shakey, but i do know how to say two thing: my russian friends decided the most important thing to teach me to say was "look! the car is on fire!"

"взгляд! автомобиль находится в огне"

and of course, "hello":
"привет"

anyway, what about finding a european dealer that has the same product for cheaper, or do they not follow the same frequency tradition as russia does?

 

Sorry to hear that! The japancats.ru site is blocking all non-Russian IPs, so I can't see the page.

Maybe try calling a European Mazda dealership? (Or one in Finland?)

 

I've been to moscow!! It's LOVELY - well, in places....the women were beautiful, anyway...Very cold when I was there.



I figured Drivers in Moscow were among the bravest people on the planet.

 

Ok, I just copy the price from site:

Производитель Код детали Инф Название Нал Ожидаемый
срок, дн. Цена

Mazda FE15-66-AS0 Тюнер Со склада поставщика 769,64 $

I will try to find the way to contact to Mazda Finland, but suppose its no chances, I know Finland "comrades", they doesn't like Russian in soul (old historical controversy for territories.

 

Yes its beautifull here but f... cold!

Its snowing now!

Women really cute and are brought up to be nice with her man, do many things on kitchen and stay beatufull right from the morning. Non feminism ideological yet, in short!

 

:D That's why I say my next wife will be Russian.



I stayed right near St Basil's - from where the picture was taken in your avatar, one would turn exactly around, and walk out of red square. First Building they'd see? Hotel Moscow. Was a VERY cool 10 days. I hope to go back someday.

 

Don't know why you need exactly phrase "look! the car is on fire!", which situation you think you will use it? I will clear it up for you. There are much more expression to attract attention of somebody!

Привет is something so formal expression, there a lot more words for different situations, russian lang. offer so many versions.

You must know from your Russian friends our famous swearing words, one do use it since tried once!

 

Also, what about your Moscow Mazda dealers?

 

It would be right decision. I mean wife. A spill to live long and happily.

Hotel Moscow is in reconstruction now.

Yes, come to Moscow one day(better in Summer). your new wife will wait you right on Red Square, I promise.

 

Call tomorrow to any and let you know results. 100% it would be even more in price and delivery takes a month or so.

Not first day here....