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seanurban
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:17 am    Post subject: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

Hi - New owner of a 1970 T2 Westy and I am looking for a radio. When I purchased it, a JVC stereo was installed but no longer works. I was looking at retro radios with USB and bluetooth. What are you using in yours?
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richparker
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:59 am    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

https://www.retromanufacturing.com/
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:17 am    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

I recently installed a headless Bluetooth amp behind the dash. It has a small controller for volume, etc. I use my phone as the head unit now.


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aeromech
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:59 am    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

Sounds to me like your dash has previously been cut to accept the modern single DIN style slide in head units. If it has the the retrosound wouldn’t probably work for you since their whole intention is to use the shaft style mounting system.

This is what I’ve been installing for the last few years in buses with previously altered dashes. It has no tape or dvd moving parts. It’s strictly usb or Bluetooth. Personally I use a very tiny thumb drive with roughly 400 songs. It plugs into the stereo face and is hardly visible.

Alpine Electronics UTE-200BT Bluetooth Car Radio 1 DIN https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CJKRXFC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_26PJ2CMPAEKX31KZPWPY
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Brian
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 11:04 am    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

Retrosound should fit it as the mounting method is just clamping the face plate to sandwich the dash. I love and hate those radios at the same time, they look great and when they work the just work. When they don't work, its annoying and I think everyone has some sort of quirky story about them.
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raygreenwood
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 11:24 am    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

seanurban wrote:
Hi - New owner of a 1970 T2 Westy and I am looking for a radio. When I purchased it, a JVC stereo was installed but no longer works. I was looking at retro radios with USB and bluetooth. What are you using in yours?


Show us what you have please.

Also....what one might suggest...really depends on what you want for sound quality and functions.

The sound environment in a bus while driving...is not the greatest....so many will state that they do not want too many sound related bells and whistles (like useful internal amp, pre-amp connections, equalizer, sound scape adjustment etc.) Others want better sound quality for when they are parked.

Still others want options like HD radio and satellite as well as blue tooth options.

My take on it......I want excellent sound quality, blue tooth, satellite, phone control etc. Then again I drive a 412 and it has good enough noise control and very good acoustic shape. It does well wit ha good sound system. But thats just me.

If you can fit a single DIN chassis...my choice was this:

https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon/kdc-x998/

Ray
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plywoodkid
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

I have been struggling with this as well.

I currently use (2) JBL Blue Tooth Speakers and sync them straight to my phone. The JBLs sound phenomenal and the only draw back is pulling them out to charge them. I can even talk through them, which is not optimal fielding a phone call while in a bus...... but I’ve done it.
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sunfishsail
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

I bought a kit from Crutchfield, cut it up quite a bit, and installed it in a new plastic glovebox. I close the door and it is gone. I should have purchased a remote as it is a stretch to change anything on it.
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JLT
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

aeromech wrote:

This is what I’ve been installing for the last few years in buses with previously altered dashes. It has no tape or dvd moving parts. It’s strictly usb or Bluetooth. Personally I use a very tiny thumb drive with roughly 400 songs. It plugs into the stereo face and is hardly visible.

Alpine Electronics UTE-200BT Bluetooth Car Radio 1 DIN https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CJKRXFC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_26PJ2CMPAEKX31KZPWPY


This might do the job for me, too, but I have a question: how visible is the display in the daytime? The last unit I put in (a cheap Dual) has a blue LED display that is impossible to read in the daytime and damn difficult even at night.
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OB Bus
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:26 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

We also have a blue display in our Eurovan and it is impossible to see in the daylight. (And no, the color cannot be changed.)
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aeromech
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

JLT wrote:
aeromech wrote:

This is what I’ve been installing for the last few years in buses with previously altered dashes. It has no tape or dvd moving parts. It’s strictly usb or Bluetooth. Personally I use a very tiny thumb drive with roughly 400 songs. It plugs into the stereo face and is hardly visible.

Alpine Electronics UTE-200BT Bluetooth Car Radio 1 DIN https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CJKRXFC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_26PJ2CMPAEKX31KZPWPY


This might do the job for me, too, but I have a question: how visible is the display in the daytime? The last unit I put in (a cheap Dual) has a blue LED display that is impossible to read in the daytime and damn difficult even at night.


I can’t swear if it’s visible or not. I use a usb mini stick so it’s always canned music and all I need to do is skip forward or back on the songs. If I think about it I’ll try and take a look for you tomorrow
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lovine
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

I couldn't give up the warm orange glow of 80s/early 90s tape decks, so I bought a NOS shaft radio on fleabay, and wired in a bluetooth receiver. I cut off power to the cassette motor to minimize the noise, but kept the cassette loading mechanism so it will "switch" over to bluetooth when you insert a dummy tape. I really like the visceral chunk when the tape drops in, and the best (and longest) mixtape starts playing. Definitely a lot more work than buying something off the shelf, but am very happy with how it looks, and functions.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:59 am    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

I have Retrosound radios in both of my Buses. Work and sound just fine to me, though I'm no audiophile.

Only "quirks" I guess is that I have to scroll past the 2 AUX input selections to switch from radio to bluetooth (I wish it could sense if there was something plugged into the AUX ports and if not, skip them.) But almost all radios are that way. And the display is a little dim for daytime.
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raygreenwood
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:19 am    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

lovine wrote:
I couldn't give up the warm orange glow of 80s/early 90s tape decks, so I bought a NOS shaft radio on fleabay, and wired in a bluetooth receiver. I cut off power to the cassette motor to minimize the noise, but kept the cassette loading mechanism so it will "switch" over to bluetooth when you insert a dummy tape. I really like the visceral chunk when the tape drops in, and the best (and longest) mixtape starts playing. Definitely a lot more work than buying something off the shelf, but am very happy with how it looks, and functions.

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I know exactly what you mean by liking the lighting colors and styling.

I only went with a much more mkdern stereo that I listed at the top of this thread.....because I NEED the up to date functions more. But.....the one ai bought has "vario-color" so I can tune the lighting color.

But......you should check these out"

https://www.continental-automotive.com/en-gl/Truck...-Bluetooth

https://www.amazon.com/VDO-Continental-CD7416UB-Eu...&psc=1

The Continental and VDO car stereos are high quality....80s style. I think VDO owns continental. They are the same stereos.

https://www.continental-automotive.com/en-gl/Trucks-Buses/Interior-Cabin/Infotainment/Radios

https://www.vdo.com/special-vehicles/audio-products/audio-products/

Ray
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JLT
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 12:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

I ended up buying the Continental TR7412UB-OR and it looks like it will work. But here's a snag: the antenna socket looks like it wants some sort of coaxial plug rather than the "banana" style plug used on just about every radio I installed. Is there an adapter for them? Do you have a model number and source for them?

UPDATE: I found out that I didn't need the adapter. In fact, I already had one that I didn't need. A guy I met at Best Buy (not a Geek Squad guy) took a look at the connector and... pulled it out. The connecter was itself an adapter, and what was left was the hole that the antenna plugged into. I would have felt worse if I hadn't been to two auto parts stores and a company specializing in car stereo, for Chrissakes, and they didn't know anything about it.
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Last edited by JLT on Sat Sep 04, 2021 3:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
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TrollFromDownBelow
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 2:51 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio Reply with quote

lovine wrote:
I couldn't give up the warm orange glow of 80s/early 90s tape decks, so I bought a NOS shaft radio on fleabay, and wired in a bluetooth receiver. I cut off power to the cassette motor to minimize the noise, but kept the cassette loading mechanism so it will "switch" over to bluetooth when you insert a dummy tape. I really like the visceral chunk when the tape drops in, and the best (and longest) mixtape starts playing. Definitely a lot more work than buying something off the shelf, but am very happy with how it looks, and functions.


I had the EXACT same radio when I was in H.S....was in 4 or 5 of my cars before I finally let it go w/ the sale of a car.

I did the same as you, - I got one off of evilbay, mine was used, not NOS but in decent condition. I left the tape mechanism alone...gotta listen to my Arlo Guthrie,. Smile
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