Author |
Message |
seanurban Samba Member
Joined: April 19, 2021 Posts: 1 Location: NY
|
Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:17 am Post subject: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
richparker Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2011 Posts: 6932 Location: Durango, CO
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Mberglo Samba Member
Joined: January 13, 2020 Posts: 381 Location: Huntsville, AL
|
Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:17 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
aeromech Samba Member
Joined: January 24, 2006 Posts: 16922 Location: San Diego, California
|
Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:59 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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 _________________ Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Brian Samba Moderator
Joined: May 28, 2012 Posts: 8340 Location: Oceanside
|
Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 11:04 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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. _________________ Wash your hands
'69 Bug
'68 Baja Truck
'71 Bug
'68 Camper
Only losers litter |
|
Back to top |
|
|
raygreenwood Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008 Posts: 21474 Location: Oklahoma City
|
Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 11:24 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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 |
|
Back to top |
|
|
plywoodkid Samba Member
Joined: April 17, 2018 Posts: 217 Location: Ventura County, CA
|
Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:41 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
sunfishsail Samba Member
Joined: May 25, 2009 Posts: 28 Location: Alexandria VA
|
Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:40 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
JLT Samba Member
Joined: September 23, 2008 Posts: 162 Location: Sacramento CA
|
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:16 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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. _________________ -- JLT
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie
with an Allstate single-wheel trailer
Past buses: '61 17-window
'70 Frankenwestie
'71 Frankenwestie |
|
Back to top |
|
|
OB Bus Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2003 Posts: 2531 Location: Ocean Beach in Beautiful BLUE California
|
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:26 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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.) _________________ Larry in OB
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
69 Westfalia and 2002 Eurovan Camper. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
aeromech Samba Member
Joined: January 24, 2006 Posts: 16922 Location: San Diego, California
|
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:46 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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 _________________ Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound |
|
Back to top |
|
|
lovine Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2011 Posts: 11 Location: Tarzana, CA
|
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:16 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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.
_________________ 1979 Bay Window 2.0 FI
1990 Adventurewagen GWM 1.8T
lovine.com |
|
Back to top |
|
|
vwwestyman Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2004 Posts: 5680 Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
|
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:59 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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. _________________ Dave Cook
President, Wild Westerner Club
1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing |
|
Back to top |
|
|
raygreenwood Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008 Posts: 21474 Location: Oklahoma City
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
JLT Samba Member
Joined: September 23, 2008 Posts: 162 Location: Sacramento CA
|
Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 12:38 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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. _________________ -- JLT
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie
with an Allstate single-wheel trailer
Past buses: '61 17-window
'70 Frankenwestie
'71 Frankenwestie
Last edited by JLT on Sat Sep 04, 2021 3:42 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
TrollFromDownBelow Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2005 Posts: 414 Location: Metro Detroit
|
Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 2:51 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Radio |
|
|
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,. _________________ 1976 Westy (aka Tripod)
2.0 liter FI solid lifters
212k miles |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|