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Old 12-01-2016, 09:27 AM   #41
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How hard was it to run the new speaker wires from the back of the trailer to the front? Did you have to use the old wires to pull the new wires?
In general, Escape uses lots of clamps on their wiring, making it difficult to use the old wiring to pull new. I have managed to run new wiring along the inside front edge of the cabinets...
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Old 12-01-2016, 11:44 AM   #42
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I saw the NOAA radio in post #32 which would work. However I boondock pretty far off the grid sometimes so reception is an issue.

I wanted to ask if anyone has found a decent portable rechargeable AM/FM radio that has an exterior antenna plug-in so I can attach a mast mounted radio antenna? I've seen the C-Crane radios but need to do more research to see if any will work.
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Old 12-01-2016, 12:27 PM   #43
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How hard was it to run the new speaker wires from the back of the trailer to the front? Did you have to use the old wires to pull the new wires?
I agree with Jon that using the existing wires was not an option. It was not that hard but did require removing some corner vinyl trim pieces, I did "pop" out the end plates inside the upper cabinets to access the top corners, and used a long fish tape to pull the wires behind the bathroom wall. In total I used almost 100' of speaker wire. Everything mounted back and refastened with no evidence it was taken apart
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Old 12-03-2016, 09:45 AM   #44
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In general, Escape uses lots of clamps on their wiring, making it difficult to use the old wiring to pull new. I have managed to run new wiring along the inside front edge of the cabinets...
Jon, are you going to be asking Reace to put in larger speaker wire in your new trailer? I was wondering if this was a mod he would approve.
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:05 AM   #45
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Jon, are you going to be asking Reace to put in larger speaker wire in your new trailer? I was wondering if this was a mod he would approve.
I will ask ETI about using 14 gauge speaker wires, however they are closed until Tuesday (I'm not sure why).
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:12 AM   #46
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I will ask ETI about using 14 gauge speaker wires, however they are closed until Tuesday (I'm not sure why).
Someone posted earlier in the week ETI was closing for several days for an Employee Team Building event... or something like that.
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:15 AM   #47
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Perhaps it is "moving day" in Chilliwack.....
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:25 AM   #48
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Someone posted earlier in the week ETI was closing for several days for an Employee Team Building event... or something like that.
I think there has been lots of stressful stuff happening did the last few months. A bit of fun to boost moral might just be in order.
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:35 AM   #49
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A good team building event is a great way for Reece & Tammy to integrate new employees into the Escape culture along with the "older" employees. I think this is very smart of them!
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:49 AM   #50
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I think there has been lots of stressful stuff happening did the last few months. A bit of fun to boost moral might just be in order.
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:53 AM   #51
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I just went with a good quality blue tooth speaker, the Bose Mini link. It can fill the trailer with as much sound as we want, or keep the volume down very low and have the speaker next to us on the table. It gives us the option to put it outside when at campsites as well. I tend to use it as much or more when at home. It follows me whether I am puttering around in the garage, the workshop, or just lounging on the back deck. You can't beat it for sound quality, price point, and versatility. Best part, no additional holes, no wiring, and as time goes on and the technology changes we can upgrade without having to patch holes or re-wire.
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Old 12-03-2016, 11:20 AM   #52
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Someone posted earlier in the week ETI was closing for several days for an Employee Team Building event... or something like that.
Hi: Donna D... You're right... I think they're "Wait lifting". Alf
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Old 12-14-2016, 04:37 AM   #53
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Jon, are you going to be asking Reace to put in larger speaker wire in your new trailer? I was wondering if this was a mod he would approve.
I discussed doing a stereo prewire for my 5.0 TA with Sarah at ETI. She said "We only have 16 gauge wire available at our facility. We can run this wire to all of the locations you have requested for $100. If you wish to send us 14 gauge ribbon wire, we can run it for $75. The speaker prewire charge of $75 also includes the 12V drop for Stereo power." ETI provides the wire for the 12V drop which they earlier told me is 14 gauge. FYI, the "ribbon wire" that Sarah mention is just two conduct wire commonly used for speakers.

Here are my requirements for the $75 stereo prewire in a 5.0 TA:
  • 4 speakers in the normal locations (2 in the dinette, 2 in the bedroom)
  • Stereo unit in the normal location (under the cabinet by the exterior door)
  • 2 pairs of wires from the stereo to under the passenger dinette bench for a sub-woofer
  • 100 ft of 14 gauge wire provided by me
So, if your requirements are different, the $75 fee might be different.

It is interesting that Sarah said they have 16 gauge wire available for the prewire, however Ian G mentioned earlier that he saw much smaller speaker wire in his factory installed stereo system. Perhaps you get bigger wire when you are only doing a stereo prewire. I didn't follow-up on this to get clarification.

I sent this 14 gauge speaker wire to ETI: http://a.co/bZiZP5W
In the future I will decide what stereo components I want to use and install them myself. It is worth $103 CDN (ETI labor + wire) for me to have ETI install the wire.

This discussion of wire gauge with Sarah brought up something I wasn't aware of regarding trailer wiring. I was confused why they had 14 gauge wire for 12V prewire drops, but not for speakers. They use one conductor wire for the 12V circuits (positive), and two conductor wire for the speakers. The negative 12V connection goes to the trailer frame. That reminds me to put on my future trailer improvements list to tie all the 12V wiring grounds together under the trailer (I've seen this previously mentioned).
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Old 12-14-2016, 02:37 PM   #54
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This discussion of wire gauge with Sarah brought up something I wasn't aware of regarding trailer wiring. I was confused why they had 14 gauge wire for 12V prewire drops, but not for speakers. They use one conductor wire for the 12V circuits (positive), and two conductor wire for the speakers. The negative 12V connection goes to the trailer frame. That reminds me to put on my future trailer improvements list to tie all the 12V wiring grounds together under the trailer (I've seen this previously mentioned).
Separate wires for the two sides of power circuits is normal in any vehicle, even for coach wiring in an RV. The positive wires run back to the distribution (fuse) panel - one wire per circuit - but the negative wires are routinely gathered together into larger common conductors. In a car a moderate number of well-planned body connections are routinely used to make the body the common negative conductor, and this can be done with an RV as well. Speaker wiring is different, because the pair of conductors need to be kept as a pair.

Given that there is a moulded fiberglass and plywood floor between any interior location and the frame, this idea of tying the negative side of individual circuits into the frame makes no sense to me. It seems more difficult and problematic to make holes in the body and connections to the frame than to just run a negative wire (conventionally with white insulation) along with the positive wires. Sorry, I recall the discussion of battery and inverter connections to the frame, but I don't have a link to a forum discussion with details about frame-grounding individual DC circuits - can you describe where these frame connections are?
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Old 12-15-2016, 02:25 AM   #55
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In a car a moderate number of well-planned body connections are routinely used to make the body the common negative conductor, and this can be done with an RV as well.
I bet you are right about the negative 12V conductor. I made a bad assumption. Sorry about that.
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