Stock Radio Swap and Setup

uxwbill · May 6, 2013

Hello all. I recently replaced my 2003 Chevrolet S10 with a 2007 Silverado Classic 1500 4x4. The 2007 has taken some getting used to, mostly in the area of the electronic throttle that it has. (I miss the feedback of the cruise control actuator "sucking down" the accelerator in my S10.) I'm quite happy with the 2007 truck so far.

The "new" truck is equipped with a UB0 AM/FM/CD radio and UQ3 "enhanced performance" speakers. I want to trade the UB0 out for a UB1 tape/CD model, as I much prefer listening to cassettes instead of having my expensive CDs in the vehicle. Stock audio equipment is completely fine with me, and it seems that the UB1 radio is pretty much the only game in town if you want both cassette playback and RDS capability, as I do.

I know that I will need to get the radio reprogrammed to learn the new VIN and that is not a problem. I have access to a GM Tech II tool. I tested the UB1 radio and while it works, it would appear to be set up for use with a different speaker system. In particular, the sound output level is low and all but two of the Auto EQ profiles are missing. The UB1 came from an '05 Silverado. I was told it too had UQ3 speakers, but I don't think the people who had the radio knew that for sure and it would seem that I was correct.

I read some posts here and elsewhere, and if I understand them correctly, the radio can be reprogrammed to match the speaker system I have. I am curious to know what if anything besides the Tech II will be required to do this, and what the general procedure would be.

Chris · May 6, 2013

Does the person with the tech 2 know how to unlock a radio? If not a dealer trip is required. The radios I know of are Bose and non Bose. If you are swapping non Bose to non Bose all that will need to be done is a radio unlock

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uxwbill · May 6, 2013

Does the person with the tech 2 know how to unlock a radio? If not a dealer trip is required. The radios I know of are Bose and non Bose. If you are swapping non Bose to non Bose all that will need to be done is a radio unlock

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Yes, he has done a radio unlock in the past (and my factory service manual contains a procedure for the VIN learn process).

I was just able to confirm that the donor truck had the Bose sound system installed (UQ7/U2K RPOs).

The service manual seems to imply that the Tech II will ask what kind of speakers the truck has after doing the unlock. That's the part I want to be sure about.

I forgot to mention that my truck does NOT have OnStar. The donor truck did.

montyss · May 6, 2013

the speaker setup is on the rpo sticker in the glove box it will be something like UQ3 UQ8...

uxwbill · May 9, 2013

the speaker setup is on the rpo sticker in the glove box it will be something like UQ3 UQ8...

I appreciate the information, although it's not what I'm trying to find out. I already know which speaker system is in use on my truck, and I recently found out what system was present on the donor truck.

Unlocking the radio is not a problem.

My only concern is what will be needed or should be done to tell the donor radio that it is working with a different speaker system. My service manual seems to imply that the Tech II will ask what system is in use after performing a VIN learn/relearn procedure. I want to know if this is true. If it is not true, I want to know what else is required.

If this is something that will end up being a total pain or fairly expensive mess just because I want a cassette player and RDS functionality at the same time, I would certainly like to be warned of that. I can simply throw in my old Pioneer KEH-1900 cassette player from my previous truck and get on with my life.

NitroCherokee · May 9, 2013

You will need to have the radio programed at the Dealer to make this change. It can be done but will require programming through a GM terminal via SPS programming

MikeNH · May 9, 2013

You can still find tapes to listen to?

montyss · May 9, 2013

You will need to have the radio programed at the Dealer to make this change. It can be done but will require programming through a GM terminal via SPS programming

I agree ...

uxwbill · May 13, 2013

You will need to have the radio programed at the Dealer to make this change. It can be done but will require programming through a GM terminal via SPS programming

I decided to make an appointment with the dealership I bought the truck from to have them perform the VIN relearn and programming tasks. They were more than willing to do the VIN relearn/programming, but when I mentioned that the radio came from a truck with a different speaker system, the lead technician said "you can't do that because the output levels are different for Bose and non-Bose". I mentioned that radios had been swapped between different speaker systems by others with good results, and (surprisingly!) he was willing to entertain the idea. He wants to see complete RPO lists for each truck, which I have. Although they will make no promises, the technician is willing to try it.

Is there anything else I should be prepared to say, do or offer? It sounded to me like this person was not familiar with the process.

You can still find tapes to listen to?

Cassette tapes are everywhere. Pre-recorded tapes are dirt-cheap in thrift stores, at garage sales, etc. You can still buy new, blank cassettes in many stores. I still make mixtapes regularly. Plus, having a cassette player in your vehicle provides a VERY convienient line level input with much better fidelity than any low power FM transmitter will have. There's also no risk that a strong radio station will cut in and blow your ears off.

Cassette tapes are also much tougher and forgiving of abuse than CDs. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a $0.25 cassette in my truck than a $5 or more CD.

MikeNH · May 13, 2013

Cassette tapes are everywhere. Pre-recorded tapes are dirt-cheap in thrift stores, at garage sales, etc. You can still buy new, blank cassettes in many stores. I still make mixtapes regularly. Plus, having a cassette player in your vehicle provides a VERY convienient line level input with much better fidelity than any low power FM transmitter will have. There's also no risk that a strong radio station will cut in and blow your ears off.

Cassette tapes are also much tougher and forgiving of abuse than CDs. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a $0.25 cassette in my truck than a $5 or more CD.

I'm not sure that a majority of what I listen to is or ever was on tape.

Regardless I have not bought a CD since 2007. All iTunes/MP3. 1800+ songs is more than 4 days of music on something a little bigger than a ketchup packet. ;)

Seriously, I've never put a CD in this truck other than the OnStar promo CD it came with.

uxwbill · May 14, 2013

My appointment with the dealership came up this morning. They worked on the truck for about an hour.

I believe the best way to sum up the outcome would be to say...awww yeah! It's sad the stuff I get excited about...

I brought with me the donor truck's VIN and RPO code listing. The dealership staff told me that they were glad I'd brought that information, as the radio couldn't have been reprogrammed without it. (I'd already provided proof of ownership for the radio.) I think they were a little surprised that the whole thing worked out.

I'm just glad to have a tape player at last. I'm a little surprised I found one available for a reasonable price, as they seem "unusual" to say the least.

Many thanks to those here who helped out, including chawkins6789, montyss, NitroCherokee and MikeNH.

NitroCherokee · May 14, 2013

Anytime, radio's are what I do all day for GM. I knew they would be able to get it

uxwbill · May 15, 2013

Anytime, radio's are what I do all day for GM. I knew they would be able to get it

Pardon me if this sounds dumb, but am I right in taking this to mean that you work for GM?

If so, and if it's OK, I'd like to ask another question. Is it possible for mere mortals to obtain service literature (specifically, detailed service manuals and/or schematics) for GM radios? I'd really like to find the service literature for the old Delco UX1 AM stereo/FM stereo/cassette/EQ radio. Purchasing such a manual is not a problem for me, I just don't have any idea who to talk to or if it's even possible.