OnStar Analog to Digital Fix?

Hi:  We have a 2002 SAAB 9-5 with a $2000 On Star Radio.  Earlier this year we were notified that Analog service was going to be discontinued by the Cellular people and that our On Star service is discontinued effective January 2008.  Contacted GM who denied any assistance as well as On Star.  Can someone tell me if there is going to be a fix forthcoming or how can the system be economically upgraded in order to accept the new On Star digital format?  Thanks for your help.  Any information would be appreciated.

You are in the same position as many other people. Onstar has no plans to offer the digital upgrade to those people who own an older vehicle. It likely comes down to economics. There likely isn't enough older vehicles that still have an active Onstar account to make it worth the cost of creating new units to make them functional. The technology in some of the older vehicles is just too outdated to even try. Onstar modules have undergone many revisions since they came out as well as the vehicles themselves. If you only want one particular feature of the Onstar system, then there are aftermarket options open to you. If you like the voice recognition feature, get a Bluetooth cell phone and an in-car Bluetooth kit. If it is security, then get a tracking system. If you want directions, buy a map or better yet a Navigation system. The issue wasn't caused by Onstar, but by the celluar carriers changing from analog to digital. A similar condition will happen in a number of years, when cable TV will switch from analog to digital, making all very old TV's obsolete.sparky

d-pal wrote: Hi:  We have a 2002 SAAB 9-5 with a $2000 On Star Radio.  Earlier this year we were notified that Analog service was going to be discontinued by the Cellular people and that our On Star service is discontinued effective January 2008.  Contacted GM who denied any assistance as well as On Star.  Can someone tell me if there is going to be a fix forthcoming or how can the system be economically upgraded in order to accept the new On Star digital format?  Thanks for your help.  Any information would be appreciated.

X2... I love my Onstar but am in the same boat as many others. On my 01 Yukon, the tranceiver is mounted behind the speedo cluster. It is an EE3 Kit with the handset port removed. The only thing I can think of is trying to wire in a digital H/F Kit with that wiring. Not sure how to do it though. I will be attempting something in the future to keep my Onstar working. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks. -Dean

Thank you all for your comments. Having worked in the auto industry, I cannot agree that this situation was not created by GM/Onstar.  I am willing to bear the cost of the upgrade or fix in order to have the OnStar feature restored in my SAAB.  However, GM/OnStar knew well in advance of the digital conversion but did little to protect the consumer.  GM/OnStar are not customer focused.  Like I said, I have been part of the automobile industry for well over 10 years.  GM/OnStar want the consumer to buy new cars, period!!  Now this should be a golden opportunity for an aftermarket OnStar carrier or electronics to jump in and supply a quality replacement system to replace the current On Star systems.  But anyway, thank you all for your replies.   By the way, my new car was a Volvo!  Bought it because safety prevails.  I now carry a cell phone in the car.

The fact that there will not be any analog after 2008 was a federal law that was passed.  All carriers need the switch.  If you're worried about the tracking then you can get Viper 210v's and if your interested to make calls through your car speakers you can get adapters for.  A good one that just came out is the motorola t605.  It allows to make calls through your speakers(with proper adapters) and can also play your music from your phone(provided that your phone has stereo bluetooth profiles).

I had made an overture to OnStar about this.  Their reply was a resounding BFlat!  Or in other words it cannot be done!!  If anyone out there says it can be done, by all means let us know!!  Again, my EE buddies says the digital to analog can be done.  Now what we need is for GM OnStar to get off their duffs and do something about other than offering a whole year extra OnStar service when you purchase a new GM Vehicle.  They clearly think that by offering a year's extra service for OnStar, people will flock to GM Dealerships and buy a new car.  Now whatever they are consuming to think this, they should pass it around so all of us can be happy when OnStar is discontinued in our vehicles.  What a lousey 2 grand investment!!

The issue is more about money than anything else. Onstar knows how many active customers are going to be adversley affected by the upgrade from analog to digital. It would make sense from a straight business sense to figure out what it would cost to create digital modules for older technology vehicles and how many they will be able to sell. While $2000.00 is alot of money to pay for a phone, you mustg have thought it was worth it when you paid for it. You got 5 years out of it. Not many people I know still have the same phone for that long. The SAAB phone also offered features that no other system could at that time. Many other manufacturers offered in car phone kits that will also become obsolete soon. If you wan't to blame anyone, blame the cellular carriers. They are the ones that are heading the push to new technology.sparky

Thank you for your comments.  I generally keep my vehicles for about 10-14 years.  I bought the OnStar as an investment, not a marketing gimmick!  GM/OnStar in their business decisions fail again to protect the consumer.  Coupled with the fact that on my SAAB there are two major design defects:  i.e. engine oil sludge and mold in the A/C system.  Instead of correcting it, GM  chose to band-aid it!  I cannot afford to dump this vehicle without taking a major financial loss all due to the incompetence and lack of customer focus by GM/OnStar.  That is why I bought a Volvo to replace my 14 year old Volvo.   I do miss the OnStar security feature, but at least there are no known defects.