# FORTE EX (Old Spectra5) **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** radio, spectra5, kia\ **Created:** [May 2, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239 "2010-05-02T02:53:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RAYThOM](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/raythom/32/45_2.png) [@RAYThOM](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RAYThOM)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/1 "2010-05-02T02:53:37Z")
My '10 Forte EX came standard with satellite radio. Sirius… a nice concept but who needs the extra cost? Anyway, can anyone tell me if this radio can be rechipped/reprogrammed to receive HD radio or would that require full replacement? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ad7895/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan2)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/2 "2010-05-02T03:34:09Z")
Best buy or a stereo shop should know something. Satellite radio is just a nuisance to the thrifty. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/3 "2010-05-02T03:48:44Z")
What is HD radio? No, the satellite radio can’t be reprogrammed. We really like our satellite receiver…It’s a god-send if you travel a lot. The music you want to hear with no commercials…Ours is portable so we can take it anyplace. A built-in one is not as good… ---
**Author:** ![RAYThOM](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/raythom/32/45_2.png) [@RAYThOM](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RAYThOM)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/4 "2010-05-02T04:11:40Z")
HD Radio? That’s digital transmission technology which allows increased listening options with multicasting abilities. Three, four, five or more programs on the same radio frequency. With my iPod, and Sony Walkman, and other USB digital media integration, plus my CDs, and NPR programs on the FM band I found that Sirius/XM was only good for Howard Stern and then I was only listening for maybe two hours tops per day. Even when S/XM said they’d only charge me $7 a month I still couldn’t see it as a reason to keep it. HD is now standard in all KIA Fortes and they are dropping the satellite radio. Ergo my question about the reprogramming. See ya’ ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/5 "2010-05-02T15:52:06Z")
Only a moron would listen to Howard Stern… ---
**Author:** ![RAYThOM](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/raythom/32/45_2.png) [@RAYThOM](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RAYThOM)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/6 "2010-05-02T16:21:25Z")
Make that an educated moron… thank you very much. Now go poop in your tinfoil helmet and pull it over your ears. ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/7 "2010-05-02T19:23:01Z")
You could just not subscribe to Sirius and used just the standard AM/FM radio. ---
**Author:** ![RAYThOM](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/raythom/32/45_2.png) [@RAYThOM](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RAYThOM)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/8 "2010-05-02T20:29:26Z")
Genius! Actually that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I knew I came to the right place. Anyway, I just wanted to know if the KIA Forte radios were reprogrammable. I’ll ask around in some of the other tech forums. ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/9 "2010-05-02T23:09:54Z")
I would think that it would be fundamentally impossible to add a “chip” to a radio that had no provisions for such feature in the first place. Typical car radios (like the one in your kia) do have have any on board RAM other than a small amount used for a buffer for the CD player. So it’s unlikely it would be possible to even load a new feature onto an existing radio in the first place. Curiously, I can find no mention of HD radio being availible in the Forte. The only Hyundai/Kia vehicles that currently offers HD radio compatibility are the Genesis and Sonata ---
**Author:** ![RAYThOM](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/raythom/32/45_2.png) [@RAYThOM](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RAYThOM)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/forte-ex-old-spectra5/48239/10 "2010-05-03T01:12:26Z")
There has been a steady buzz within KIA for quite some time. Here are a few links: “[http://www.hdradioreview.com/html/kia\_offers\_hd\_radio.html](http://www.hdradioreview.com/html/kia_offers_hd_radio.html)” “[http://www.ibiquity.com/press\_room/news\_releases/2010/1455](http://www.ibiquity.com/press_room/news_releases/2010/1455)” This news will break wide during the announcement for the 2011 models sometime in mid-July beginning in KIA’s ‘Open Road’ magazine. I’ll post a follow-up once I have the link.