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Old 06-09-2015, 09:04 PM   #1
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Adding an after market 12v am/fm/sat radio. Ideas?

Anybody put in a radio? We're addicted to XM but tired of running wires and fooling with the antenna with each overnight stop. Anybody install one that can help with placement, exterior antenna, locating 12v power and/or brands

I'm thinking of an under cabinet mount using a car radio and a plastic housing. No exotic speakers but 2 small diameter 3-way speakers recessed in a cabinet face would be good. XM sells a marine style omni antenna that should be ok for the roof (IF I can get the courage to drill thru the shell).

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Old 06-09-2015, 09:19 PM   #2
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I have Sirius Stiletto II satellite radio and the Executive Dock for it. Apparently the radio has achieved collector status.
Anyway, I plug the dock into a 12V outlet and it sits on the counter, along with the antenna it came with. I can run the antenna wire out a window if I need to position the antenna outside ( generally, I don't ).
I also have a dock for the radio in my vehicle.
Take a look at sales@tss-radio.com
I can't remember buying anything from them, but I do get email sales alerts for some reason.
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Old 06-09-2015, 10:16 PM   #3
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That's sort of what we're doing. I use a Roady2 and added an am/fm radio after our dock died. It's ok for a weekender but just back from a month on the road we decided it was time for a permanent setup to eliminate the wires.

I've see under dash housings both with and without spaces for a couple small speakers that look interesting. I'm not interested in butchering my beautiful Escape cabinetry to put in a radio, even for Hank Willliams!

Greg

Ps-missed meeting you at the rally. Good times, see you next year!
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Old 06-09-2015, 10:37 PM   #4
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Got ya. As mentioned on another thread, I don't see much Formica. The Executive Dock comes with a wall mount, but I've not used it because I like to keep the volume down and just move the dock near the bed so I can fall asleep to The Shadow.
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Old 06-09-2015, 10:50 PM   #5
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Got ya. As mentioned on another thread, I don't see much Formica. The Executive Dock comes with a wall mount, but I've not used it because I like to keep the volume down and just move the dock near the bed so I can fall asleep to The Shadow.
I'm a Willies Roadhouse guy but Ann loves Radio Classics: Johnny Dollar, Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, and Phil Harris. The Shadow, too. Good stuff!
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Old 06-10-2015, 07:17 AM   #6
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Since I don't watch TV, I replaced the TV antenna with a Marine XM radio antenna & mounted a XM radio dock at the head of my bed in the 17. I can move the radio from my tow vehicle to the trailer (or a dock in my home).

I feed the output of the trailer dock to a JVC auto radio I mounted in a marine enclosure mounted over the foot of the bed. The JVC has excellent reception on FM, an AUX in for the XM radio, and a USB input for my iPhone. It also has bluetooth, however I was a bit annoyed that it won't connect to my bluetooth speaker. Some photos & discussion at my 2014 Modifications page.
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Old 06-10-2015, 09:36 AM   #7
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Jon, excellent! Do you run a wire from the dock to the radio aux or do they connect wirelessly on an fm channel?

How did you find a 12v source, use the light fixture wires or something else?

What channels do you like?

Greg
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Old 06-22-2015, 11:54 PM   #8
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UPDATE: AM/FM/Sat/CD/Bluetooth/USB/Cheese sandwich/etc deck was installed by my local mafia run stereo installer ($=ouch!). Here's the result. Sounds great, looks great, and seems to be worth the considerable price I paid.


The end result is a very nice multi-media set-up in our trailer.
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Old 06-23-2015, 12:13 AM   #9
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Greg,

I've been looking for a clock like the one in the center photo! Is that part of your multi-media set up the dons did for you, or a separate piece of equipment?

Bob
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Old 06-23-2015, 12:32 AM   #10
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I think Ann found that at Walmart. Velcro and big #'s.
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Old 06-23-2015, 12:41 AM   #11
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That is the first time I ever noticed those rounded cabinet corners. Maybe we do not need to stick up those rubber protectors for the corners except on the stove hood.
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Old 06-23-2015, 05:29 AM   #12
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Greg,
Your roof looks like new, so shiny. I'm going to have to get the ladder out now....
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Old 06-23-2015, 07:56 AM   #13
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I find that keeping the roof clean and waxed (or polished) reduces the amount of black streaking I get on the sides.
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Old 06-23-2015, 08:10 AM   #14
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I'm looking for a ladder now for ease of access.
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Old 06-25-2015, 10:27 AM   #15
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Greg,
Your roof looks like new, so shiny. I'm going to have to get the ladder out now....
Helps that it gets to live in my hangar when it's not on the road. I treat it with UV stuff and after 16k miles, it seems to be holding up nicely.
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Old 06-26-2015, 08:23 AM   #16
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I treat it with UV stuff and after 16k miles, it seems to be holding up nicely.
Tell us about your "UV Stuff"---did ETI recommend it?
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Old 06-26-2015, 10:01 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by Greggo View Post
Jon, excellent! Do you run a wire from the dock to the radio aux or do they connect wirelessly on an fm channel?

How did you find a 12v source, use the light fixture wires or something else?

What channels do you like?

Greg
I ran a wire through the upper cabinets from the dock to the JVC receiver. I could have used the FM wireless link between the two, but prefer a wire.

I also ran a 12V feed to the radio since I needed an "always on" line to keep the radio's settings.

As to channels, I listen to the public radio channel, classical radio, and the CBC. I have a few others programed in, but rarely listen to them.
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Old 06-26-2015, 10:54 AM   #18
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Tell us about your "UV Stuff"---did ETI recommend it?
This was discussed in another thread. Suggest hunting it down, good info.

I don't want to start the UV discussion again here but here's my 2 cents worth. I bought a 5 year old Casita that parked in the same spot most of its life. The sunny side got chalky and the graphics faded and started curling while the shady side stayed shiny. UV treatment IMHO is a worthy chore. I use a product called BTS for the shell and Armorall UV gel on the graphics. Available from Amazon. There are other products to consider and lots of other opinions. Just mine here.

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