GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello, I'm in the process of replacing my OEM base radio/CD player with an Alpine 9856. I have a few questions based on what I learned in prior postings here and from MatrixOwners.com:1. I'm using the Metra (metraonline.com) Wire Harness 70-2003, and My question has to do with a warning in the wiring instructions stating that there is no switched 12 volt accessory lead in the stock wiring for 2003's. Is this also true for the 2005 Vibe? This would mean that I would need to find a place to splice the red wire from the radio to a 12 volt source that is switched on and off with the ignition key. Did you, the owners of 2003-2005 Vibes do this?2. Antenna Power: Ahhh...yes...if it weren't for these forums, I probably would have concluded that it was a bum radio. Alas, I find out that the antenna on the Vibes/Matrix's have built in power amplifiers. Which means they need to be powered via +12v???The Alpine CD-9856 has two blue wires, one is labelled "Power Antenna", and the other is labelled "REMO" (its actually grayish blue and white). According to the manual "REMO" wire is for an external audio amplifer. My question is this, can I use this REMO to power the antenna? Now, from Matrixowners.com I find out that oem wire harness has pin B3 assigned for powering the antenna, and this lines up exactly on the Alpine with the REMO wire. Can I use it?Thanks!

1. All of the Vibes have 12v switched power in the harness. You can ignore those instructions and use the red wire coming out of the 70-2003 harness2. No, use the power antenna wire to power the antenna. Technically it doesn't matter, but if you want to add an amplifier down the line it'll be easier to wire the antenna with the antenna power wire.

"1. All of the Vibes have 12v switched power in the harness. You can ignore those instructions and use the red wire coming out of the 70-2003 harness"Thank You! these forms are wicked