Radios, RDS and Blaupunkt

[Joe Yakubik <75363.2524@compuserve.com>]

I read with interest the posts on buying a euro-spec radio in an attempt to get
the RDS feature in an Audi.  As far as I know, the Delta radios may already have
this feature but it is called ARI in the US.  A european model radio would work
okay with FM, but would not be able to receive AM in the US.  The frequency
increments are different.  FM  0.05 Mhz (I think) and AM 9 Khz in Europe and 0.2
(odd only) Mhz and 10 Khz.  I have my stock Audi Delta, US spec radio over here
in Germany and predictably do not get good reception because I can only tune in
a maximum (theoretically) of one-fourth of the stations.  I also feel the cool
looking angled Fuba antenna doesn't help, but style does come into play a
little.  The euro radio would work okay on FM, but might be slow on search/scan
functions.  As an aside, certain radio manufacturers build for the military
market car radios that have a selectable frequency increment (Pioneer and
Kenwood, probably others too).  If someone were serious about RDS and still
wanted US AM radio stations a special order might be possible from a
knowledgeable dealer.

My personal favorite solution and pet project is to get a nice Blaupunkt deck
with RDS, CD controls, etc, crack that baby open, and run some data wires out to
the very VW/Audi looking socket that sits empty so I get my CD, RDS, etc AND my
frequency display in the dash.  Is this possible? I don't know, but when I get a
little time and energy I'm going to a Blaupunkt factory/office in Augsburg and
ask them direct.  The normal Blaupunkt dealers don't know anything about it, and
the Audi dealers are even more clueless: the frequency display in the self-test
window was a new feature in  Germany in '95.  I say Blaupunkt not because of any
great love of their radios, but because they made my Audi Delta and I don't
think they would develop a nifty, cool feature and only offer it to Audi.  I
hope it lies dormant in every medium/high end Blaupunkt.

Joe Yakubik