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Resetting/Hacking Sony Car Stereos from Japanese Tuning to US...service manuals?

Resetting/Hacking Sony Car Stereos from Japanese Tuning to
US...service manuals?


Hi there...

I was wondering if someone has any idea if ANY of the Sony "WX" series
of double-din car stereos (japanese or usa models) can be "hacked" so
that their tuners can be changed from japanese fm tuning to us/uk or
world tuning and vice-versa???

I recently purchased a Sony WX-C88REC double-din cd/md recorder from
eBay. This is a japanese market deck and is factory set for japanese
fm tuning. However, the design and physical layout of this deck is
very similar to other US models (such as the WX-4500X and the WX-
C5000, as well as the WX-C55 which looks nearly identical). I'm
nearly convinced that there MUST be some way to hack the japanese
models so that their tuners can be "switched" to us or world frequency
range tuning. I find it difficult to believe that Sony would design
two distinct different tuner hardware modules for japanese and
american versions. Problem is, I have no clue HOW to "hack" this
feature. I don't have a service manual for ANY "WX" series stereos,
but I'm thinking that it may possibly be an option in a service manual
for ANY of the "WX" decks. Again, I find it difficult to believe that
this isn't "set-able" some sort of way.

Does anyone out there have an idea? Does anyone out there have ANY
service manual for ANY "WX" series Sony stereo? Or, for that matter,
does anyone have a service manual for ANY Sony car stereo that
addresses in ANY way setting the tuner for different tuning freqency
bandwidth?

I realize there are adapters available to transpose the FM
frequencies. I've used them before, always with poor results
(stations usually overlap and are weak). I mainly record off the
radio with my MDX-C800REC's in my other cars, but always thought it
would be cool to be able to dub cd's quickly in-dash digitally without
having to mess with a cd changer. But, radio recording is my primary
concern...and the adapters don't provide the quality I want for
recording.

PLEASE help ANYBODY if you can steer me in the right direction or help
in ANY way. If anyone has ANY Sony service manuals for ANY stereo,
please let me know...perhaps if setting the tuner IS an option, maybe
it is a standard procedure to set ANY Sony stereo's tuning in a
similar fashion.


Thank you VERY much!
Jeff
 
N

N Cook

Jan 1, 1970
0
Resetting/Hacking Sony Car Stereos from Japanese Tuning to
US...service manuals?


Hi there...

I was wondering if someone has any idea if ANY of the Sony "WX" series
of double-din car stereos (japanese or usa models) can be "hacked" so
that their tuners can be changed from japanese fm tuning to us/uk or
world tuning and vice-versa???

I recently purchased a Sony WX-C88REC double-din cd/md recorder from
eBay. This is a japanese market deck and is factory set for japanese
fm tuning. However, the design and physical layout of this deck is
very similar to other US models (such as the WX-4500X and the WX-
C5000, as well as the WX-C55 which looks nearly identical). I'm
nearly convinced that there MUST be some way to hack the japanese
models so that their tuners can be "switched" to us or world frequency
range tuning. I find it difficult to believe that Sony would design
two distinct different tuner hardware modules for japanese and
american versions. Problem is, I have no clue HOW to "hack" this
feature. I don't have a service manual for ANY "WX" series stereos,
but I'm thinking that it may possibly be an option in a service manual
for ANY of the "WX" decks. Again, I find it difficult to believe that
this isn't "set-able" some sort of way.

Does anyone out there have an idea? Does anyone out there have ANY
service manual for ANY "WX" series Sony stereo? Or, for that matter,
does anyone have a service manual for ANY Sony car stereo that
addresses in ANY way setting the tuner for different tuning freqency
bandwidth?

I realize there are adapters available to transpose the FM
frequencies. I've used them before, always with poor results
(stations usually overlap and are weak). I mainly record off the
radio with my MDX-C800REC's in my other cars, but always thought it
would be cool to be able to dub cd's quickly in-dash digitally without
having to mess with a cd changer. But, radio recording is my primary
concern...and the adapters don't provide the quality I want for
recording.

PLEASE help ANYBODY if you can steer me in the right direction or help
in ANY way. If anyone has ANY Sony service manuals for ANY stereo,
please let me know...perhaps if setting the tuner IS an option, maybe
it is a standard procedure to set ANY Sony stereo's tuning in a
similar fashion.


Thank you VERY much!
Jeff

You could change the PLL crystal but the displayed f will be wrong and may
loose some stations at top or bottom of the range
 
B

Brittany Martin

Jan 1, 1970
0
Resetting/Hacking Sony Car Stereos from Japanese Tuning to
US...service manuals?

Hi there...

I was wondering if someone has any idea if ANY of the Sony "WX" series
of double-din car stereos (japanese or usa models) can be "hacked" so
that their tuners can be changed from japanese fm tuning to us/uk or
world tuning and vice-versa???

I recently purchased a Sony WX-C88REC double-din cd/md recorder from
eBay. This is a japanese market deck and is factory set for japanese
fm tuning. However, the design and physical layout of this deck is
very similar to other US models (such as the WX-4500X and the WX-
C5000, as well as the WX-C55 which looks nearly identical). I'm
nearly convinced that there MUST be some way to hack the japanese
models so that their tuners can be "switched" to us or world frequency
range tuning. I find it difficult to believe that Sony would design
two distinct different tuner hardware modules for japanese and
american versions. Problem is, I have no clue HOW to "hack" this
feature. I don't have a service manual for ANY "WX" series stereos,
but I'm thinking that it may possibly be an option in a service manual
for ANY of the "WX" decks. Again, I find it difficult to believe that
this isn't "set-able" some sort of way.

Does anyone out there have an idea? Does anyone out there have ANY
service manual for ANY "WX" series Sony stereo? Or, for that matter,
does anyone have a service manual for ANY Sony car stereo that
addresses in ANY way setting the tuner for different tuning freqency
bandwidth?

I realize there are adapters available to transpose the FM
frequencies. I've used them before, always with poor results
(stations usually overlap and are weak). I mainly record off the
radio with my MDX-C800REC's in my other cars, but always thought it
would be cool to be able to dub cd's quickly in-dash digitally without
having to mess with a cd changer. But, radio recording is my primary
concern...and the adapters don't provide the quality I want for
recording.

PLEASE help ANYBODY if you can steer me in the right direction or help
in ANY way. If anyone has ANY Sony service manuals for ANY stereo,
please let me know...perhaps if setting the tuner IS an option, maybe
it is a standard procedure to set ANY Sony stereo's tuning in a
similar fashion.

Thank you VERY much!
Jeff

What are you? Gay???
 
N

Neil J. Harris

Jan 1, 1970
0
"Convertors" are readily available in the UK to enable JDM car radios to
work in the UK, they simply shift the frequency down by 10,12 or 20 MHz.
You can,t get full coverage of the UK FM band with a fixed frequency
convertor,( the one I have switches between two crystals) as the
Japanese band is narrower.The Frequency readout on the radio is wrong of
course, but once you have stored it in the memory its not a problem.
The one I have works well.
Some JDM car radios have diversity receivers so you would need two!
There is no other practical way to do it.
 
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