Kenwood Excelon DDX9907XR 6.8 Inch DVD Receiver with Bluetooth & HD Radio (Certified Refurbished)

It took me a while to figure out what is the source of the problems. I originally installed the factory refurbished Kenwood DDX9907XR in a 2011 Ford Escape, using an iDatalink Maestro RR interface adapter. I had previously installed a new Kenwood DMX907S head unit with iDatalink Maestro RR interface adapter in a 2012 Ford F150, which was working well.Immediately, the DDX9907XR seemed to be insensitive compared to the performance of Ford factory radio that I removed from the Escape. I received advice from a friend that had problems with the Metra 40-CR10 antenna coax adapter that marries the existing Ford antenna to the Motorola type connector on the Kenwood unit. I bought another coax adapter locally, but I did not have time to take the dash panel apart to replace the questionable adapter. After about two weeks, the installation developed a new problem. I was driving while listening to an iPod that was connected to one of the Kenwood's USB ports. Suddenly, the head unit's screen went blank, followed by a restart (Excelon flash screen, then the annoying "Keep your eyes on the road" (why are you reading this screen?) message. When I touched the screen to dismiss the annoying message, it triggers another restart. If I let the message time out (another 10 seconds of my life gone), I would touch any button on the head unit panel. This triggered yet another restart. When I ignored the message and did nothing, the head unit tossed another restart after about 30 seconds. Turning off the power (stop the engine and open the driver side door), then restarting did not kill the restarts.I removed the DDX9907XR from the Escape and reinstalled the Ford factory radio. I acquired a Metra 40-CR20 adapter to use in conjunction with the 40-CR10 unit (Escape antenna to 40-CR10 to 40-CR-20 to factory radio. This allowed me to test the 40-CR10 in circuit, and proved there was no problem with the coax adapter. The factory radio performed fine.I put the DDX9907XR and the wire harness (iDatalink HRN-RR-FO1/Kenwood wire harness that came with radio) on a workbench and powered it with the Maestro adapter out of circuit. I ran this on the bench for 10 days. For this test I connected a 14-inch 'rubber duck' antenna hanging from a hook in the ceiling. The radio reception was poor, but I did not have anything to compare it with. The restarting problem did not occur during the 10 day bench test.Knowing that the ACC bus to the radio is actually applied by the Maestro adapter, which I could not test on the bench, I decided to install the DDX9907XR into the F150. I re-flashed the F150's Maestro adapter for the head unit's model and serial number change. The only part on the F150 installation that changed was the DDX9907XR.The radio reception is lousy. I can park the F150 on my driveway and park the Escape in the garage with the steel garage door closed. Excluding a local FM station (1000 watts, antenna @ >200 feet, 3 miles away) that is received by either vehicle with full quieting, the Escape beats the F150 on every channel except one. This station is 60 miles away and is blocked by garage door. When the garage door is opened, the Escape receives this station at full quieting and the F150 reception is unacceptable.I put the DMX907S (new) in the Escape and it has worked very well with the Escape's re-flashed Maestro adapter. The same results were seen as in the previous paragraph, which had the Ford factory radio in the Escape.I left the refurbished DDX9907XR in the F150 for the time being. I bought the DMX90S just before Container Ship Flotilla/ supply chain problem hit the fan. The reason I bought the DMX907S was to replace the factory radio on the F150, which was messing up (a lot). I was impressed with the DMX907S that I wanted to do the same for the Escape. By that time there were no new Kenwood 9000 series head units to be had, so I bought the refurbished DDX9907XR. It has CD/DVD player, which I do not use (don't want to take my eyes off the road like the annoying message warns against). The 'refurbished' unit cost as much a new unit did, before the supply chain crisis made new units unavailable. I'm sure that the price of new units will get their share of inflation once the Container Ship Flotilla is dissolved.Today I was driving F150 back home, when the DDX9907XR tossed a single reset. After the reset, the unit continued to work (except lousy radio reception) without any more glitches.I have less than a month before the 90 day warranty expires. There are no Kenwood Excelon new or refurbished head units for exchange to be had. I do not want a gaping hole in my dashboard while this unit is getting refurbished again. Moreover, once I take it out, I never want to reinstall this clinker again, double refurbished or not.Assuming the resetting doesn't become a more frequent feature, I am going to wait until it is warmer, then reinstall the factory radio into the Escape. Then I will put the DMX907S back in the F150. It has been hard, expensive lessons:1) Do not buy somebody else's problems. The resetting problem is intermittent, which is difficult to find in the short amount of time Kenwood has to check a returned unit. Receiver insensitivity on the other hand is not intermittent and I do not understand how this unit went out the door in this condition. One does not get to see the reasons that a unit is returned for refurbishment - Did someone return this for either of the problems?2) I am an Amateur Radio Operator. I own Kenwood transceivers that would cost several time more to replace than what this refurbished problem cost, excluding the aggravation. I was attracted to Kenwood car stereo equipment because of my satisfaction with Kenwood equipment that I own. It was foolish of me to think that my satisfaction with the equipment that I bought 20 years ago has any bearing on the junk that they send out today.22 DEC 2022 I have replaced the DDX9907XR (DDX) with a new DMX907S, which is working well. I set up the DDX, without the Maestro adapter, on the bench again. I covered the DDX with a folded towel, leaving the back panel of the DDX uncovered.The FM receiver is still lousy at any temperature. I could receive only one very local station while using an indoor dipole antenna. I used the same antenna and a 1:4 unbalanced transformer (additional 3dB loss) with a Sony all-in-one stereo. I was able to receive all but one of the 15 stations that I preset in the Kenwood head units. Normally I can receive all 15 stations with both DMX907S units when their respective vehicle is parked in my driveway.After about 38 minutes of operation with the towel draped over the DDX, it started tossing resets. Reminder: The ACC power line was tied to the +13.8 V power supply, not an output of the Maestro adapter (not used on the bench setup). The ventilation fan on the back panel of the DDX never turns on.One final complaint on the Kenwood 'Factory Refurbished' DDX9907XR, that I forgot to mention in my original review: They did not include the packet of screws (M5 x 6mm) to be used for bolting the DDX to side brackets. I was reminded of that error when I unpacked the new DMX907S and found the packet, just like the packet that came with the first DMX907S.

Works great