New radio won't switch on without ignition being on

Received my new Sony radio today went to test fit/try today as I need to order a DAB aerial before I fit it properly.

But I noticed that my ignition has to be on for the radio to be on? This wasn't the case with the stock radio.

I've tried doing a little search but I couldn't find an answer nor could I find a radio wiring diagram.

Any help much appreciated

Do you have a red power cable and a yellow memory cable on the back? I'm sure you plug red to yellow or maybe that's just so it doesn't lose all its settings when u switch off I can't quite remember it's been so long

Yellow should be live full time and red via key switch if I remember correctly.

Which dab aerial are you fitting

Fit a Roof DAB aerial mine is Hershmann Auta ' good reception' , had a window aerial first but it was crap.

Got mine from Dabonwheels

pete1987RRC said:

Yellow should be live full time and red via key switch if I remember correctly.

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pete198RRC you are correct, Yellow is constant live, Red is for accessory (ignition)

Foxyred said:

Fit a Roof DAB aerial mine is Hershmann Auta ' good reception' , had a window aerial first but it was crap.

Got mine from Dabonwheels

Click to expand...

Have you had any issues hitting things with it being on your roof? I always find I'm incredibly close to barriers etc anyway, without risking damaging a DAB aerial...

I've not had any problems, but would not like to reverse under branches. A sharks fin one would be less of a problem for off road use

If you want the radio to be able to work with the ignition off, join the red and yellow wires on the stereo together and connect to the permanent live feed on the vehicle.

Spent sometime fitting the DAB aerial and hands free microphone this afternoon. I've used a window mount aerial and fitted it to the passenger side alpine window. I've a friend who had never lost DAB signal with his window mounted one.

But back the topic in hand, I've tried multiple red to yellow combinations and haven't quite got the functionality I want.

Currently both red and yellow are plugged into the red and I've got power without the ignition on. But I can't get it to "auto-off"??

Maybe this is beyond a defender issue and more a radio problem?

lightning said:

If you want the radio to be able to work with the ignition off, join the red and yellow wires on the stereo together and connect to the permanent live feed on the vehicle.

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Tis what I said
im sure most radios come with the connections to do that straight from the box and you don't actually have to cut anything

The radio uses the ignition switched live (yellow) to detect turning off the ignition and shut itself down.

So if you want the radio to work with the ignition off, you have to connect this to a permanent live.
But then it can't "auto off" as it does not know you turned off the ignition!

It depends on the radio how it works. My old fiesta with the standard Ford radio would work with the ignition off, but only for an hour after which it would turn itself off.
The current system in my 90 is a Sony, and that only works with the key on. If your key switch has an 'accessory' position, then the radio should work with it in that position.

Radios that tent to do fancy things like work for an hour after and turn on when the ignition is off and auto off are usually linked into some form of cambus.

In a defender with out going that fancy stuff stuff the only way I can think of doing it is a 5 pin relay and a manual power switch for it, and/or a timer relay.

But having your radio linked up to perment live could bite you if you forget to knock it off.