Seeking advice. I presently use a portable am-fm-cassette in Adeline and thought it would be nice to install a built-in system. Looking for am-fm-mp3 capability. Recommendations? Also, I would like to listen to my VHF on the new speakers rather than through the tiny one on my Standard Horizon. I assume a simple patch cord from the VHF to the input jack on the stereo is all that's needed. Question; if I'm cruising along listening to music or news or whatever, will an incoming vhf transmission be heard? Will it displace the stereo audio or mix with it? Finally speakers. I assume I'll be using boxes. Will I mount them in the upper aft corners? How are they to be attached? The fiberglass is too thin for screws(I think). Velcro? Also, is there such a thing as wireless speakers or must I run speaker wire? I'm hoping someone has already been down this road.
AM-FM-MP3 Stereo
- Thread starter Adeline
- Start date
Island Ranger
New member
I tried to purchase the unit DaNag recommended in an earlier posting, but had trouble finding it. I wound up purchasing a Pioneer DEH-P3700MP for about $150 and installed it last week on Two Lucky Fish. It can play MP3, and WMA files as well. I also installed the speakers Bill had recommended LS200 from Audio Source (Amazon $30)- they are great. I did tried glueing them to the cabin top, but they fell down so I wound up attaching the included brackets to the front above the windows and through bolted them in.
I also bought the VHF/FM/ splitter from West Marine - expensive I thought, but made for a clean installation.
I hadn't thought of using the Aux input for the VHF - I'll look into it (or wait till someone posts an answer?)
Only problem I have with the Pioneer is the display - it is hard to read. I mounted it on the forward shelf so you have to look up and cover the excess light to read it. Not a sunlight viewable display!. However, the remote control is so handy I figured it doesn't matter.
Mac
I also bought the VHF/FM/ splitter from West Marine - expensive I thought, but made for a clean installation.
I hadn't thought of using the Aux input for the VHF - I'll look into it (or wait till someone posts an answer?)
Only problem I have with the Pioneer is the display - it is hard to read. I mounted it on the forward shelf so you have to look up and cover the excess light to read it. Not a sunlight viewable display!. However, the remote control is so handy I figured it doesn't matter.
Mac
If it were me I would prefer to have the VHF on a different speaker system. In a past life I used to drive an assistance van along the freeways of Seattle helping broken down motorists and motorists that had gotten in accidents. During that sojourn I would often have multiple radios going at once. On board I had 2 scanners, 2 vhf radios, a uhf radio, a CB radio and a multi-band VHF/UHF Ham radio. Plus I was required to listen to KOMO AM radio at all times so that I knew when I could talk on the UHF to the Pilot or to the radio station. I quickly learned that speaker seperation made all the difference in the world. I could easily listen to all the radios and tell you what was going on at any one time.
If you don't like the quality of the speaker on the VHF by all means install a remote speaker, but I would not like having it go through the stereo speakers as it makes it harder to discern where the information is coming from.
Also, if you are planning on using the "input" jacks on a radio system then you will most likely have to switch to that input to hear it. I don't think that is what you are looking for.
If you don't like the quality of the speaker on the VHF by all means install a remote speaker, but I would not like having it go through the stereo speakers as it makes it harder to discern where the information is coming from.
Also, if you are planning on using the "input" jacks on a radio system then you will most likely have to switch to that input to hear it. I don't think that is what you are looking for.
I have a Standard VHF and I use a remote larger speaker. The speaker is plugged into the aux speaker jack on the VHF. The 4" box speaker sits on the dash shelf(on carpet) and is easy to hear. When the aux speaker is plugged in the speaker in the radio is mute.
I think that if you wired the output from a VHF radio aux speaker jack into a stereo input, the stereo might be damaged from too much power.
I think that if you wired the output from a VHF radio aux speaker jack into a stereo input, the stereo might be damaged from too much power.
starcrafttom
Active member
I glued my speakers to the ceiling of the cabin and they have worked just fine. The are small square speakers with thin medal brackets. I detached the brackets from the speakers and glued them with 5200 marine glue. after two days i installed the speaker boxes to the brackets and they are still there 5 months later.
Thanks for all the great replies,
Mac, neither had I until I saw this http://www.lfburgess.com/prospec_seamini.htm It made me start thinking of different possibilities. Another way http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=TB003LL/A . These options enable a person to forego cds altogether when using an IPOD or Rio flash type player. As to speakers, I'm quite impressed with the value in the LS 200 speakers. Does anyone know if their brackets could be attached to the screws that secure the cockpit grab rails? That would locate them nicely in the rear corners of the house. They are 9 1/8" apart and 1 1/4" away from the sides. There is 4" clearance to the roof.
Island Ranger
New member
I checked my stereo on board today, and learned if I buy the interconnect cable ($35) I can connect anything that has an RCA plug output to the Aux input. I checked my VHF - it doesn't. It only has an external speaker output. And if connected through the stereo, you would have to choose what to listen to - it wouldn't automatically switch. Since I may want to hear both at the same time, I think I'll start looking for a small second speaker for the VHF
The brackets for the LS200 seem too small to span the hand rail bolts. Sorry I didn't measure them when I was down at the boat. I still liked the idea of glue - and maybe Tom has the right idea. The glue failed on the speaker (the smooth painted surface), it was fine on the fiberglass. So if you glue the bracket like Tom, it might work fine. Lately, I've just been glueing a small piece of teak where ever I wanted to mount anything (lights, gear hammock, etc), then screw to it.
Mac
The brackets for the LS200 seem too small to span the hand rail bolts. Sorry I didn't measure them when I was down at the boat. I still liked the idea of glue - and maybe Tom has the right idea. The glue failed on the speaker (the smooth painted surface), it was fine on the fiberglass. So if you glue the bracket like Tom, it might work fine. Lately, I've just been glueing a small piece of teak where ever I wanted to mount anything (lights, gear hammock, etc), then screw to it.
Mac
I see West Marine has they're MXCP50 AM/FM/CD Marine Receiver & 6.5" Speakers regularly $249.99 on sale from 6/30 - 7/10 for $149.99.
NAMSUNG AMERICA
MXCP50 AM/FM/CD Marine Receiver & 6.5" Speakers
Complete marine-grade stereo package brings top-quality sounding tunes to your boat. It's made to withstand the salt, spray, sun and humidity with a rust resistant chassis, UV-resistant face, clear-coated circuit boards and corrosion resistant speakers. Positive green liquid display is easy to read. The CD player has an anti-shock mechanism and eight times over-sampling so you don't have to worry about your CD skipping on rough water.
* The CD player features shuffle/repeat/scan and last position memory
* The radio features 24 station presets, preset scan, one-touch memory and seek
* The 6.5" speakers have a dual cone design and 60 watts power handling
NAMSUNG AMERICA
MXCP50 AM/FM/CD Marine Receiver & 6.5" Speakers
Complete marine-grade stereo package brings top-quality sounding tunes to your boat. It's made to withstand the salt, spray, sun and humidity with a rust resistant chassis, UV-resistant face, clear-coated circuit boards and corrosion resistant speakers. Positive green liquid display is easy to read. The CD player has an anti-shock mechanism and eight times over-sampling so you don't have to worry about your CD skipping on rough water.
* The CD player features shuffle/repeat/scan and last position memory
* The radio features 24 station presets, preset scan, one-touch memory and seek
* The 6.5" speakers have a dual cone design and 60 watts power handling
TwoLuckyFish":4wn1wqjd said:
Well...I think I'm the one who first recommended the glue technique. Here's an update.
Initially, I used 4200. Things were fine until late last summer - one of the speakers fell off.
As Mac noted, the seal was fine on the fiberglass side - it failed on the plastic speaker side. So, I cleaned things up, roughed up the speaker side with some 80 grit, then re-attached with a generous amount of 4200.
Fast forward to this week...went out to the boat, and the other speaker had fallen - same symptom as the first. The other speaker is still holding OK, but if I try to rock it back/forth, I can see it's starting to come loose again.
My guess, given the timing of the failures - heat is killing the bond. We've had a nasty heat wave here for the last couple weeks, and that's when the speaker fell. My guess is, folks in more temperate climates might not have a problem, as it took numerous 100+ degree days to zap the 4200.
I've not given up on adhesives yet...the brackets that come with the LS200's are really cheezy, and I really like how the speakers tuck up out of the way when glued.
I'm going to move up to 5200 fast cure, and rough up the speaker bonding edge even more. We'll see how that holds up...
Yeah, that and soften up the speaker plastic with a little acetone first. I do that to the PVC stuff, and it makes an amazing bond. If the plastic you're gluing is polycarbonate (lexan), then a little 1,1,1 triclorethane will attack it. Of course, you probably can't get that in CA. Then there is that MEK stuff, but I don't know what all it melts. The key is to get the 5200 and the base material to chemically bond, which seems to work with stuff that reacts to acetone (as does the 5200).
Or duct tape.
TyBoo":2z5j6aig said:
Thanks for the tip...me thinks this time they will stay stuck.
I used the acetone to get a good clean surface on the top of the speaker and the cabin top. The acetone cleaned the speaker top up real well, but it was still a little smooth and shiny for my liking.
So...I left a rag, soaked in acetone, on top of the speakers for about 10 minutes. When I returned, the speaker tops were basically munched up, rough and melted - just what I wanted. I immediately stuck them to the cabin top with 5200.
If the day ever comes where I blow a speaker, I'm fine with destroying the pair to replace them - it's only a $35 loss. I'm just not looking forward to removing a big spooge of 5200 off the cabin top...
In retrospect, had I melted the the speaker tops with acetone before, the 4200 would probably have been sufficient. Given how easy 4200 is to remove (about 10 minutes with a scraper and wire wheel), I'd suggest anyone else thinking of doing this try the 4200 with acetone first.
Da Nag":2848eoek said:
I don't want to sound like I think I'm an expert or nothing, but I bet I could win the championship at a 5200 mess making contest. To whittle down your spooge, try one of these (Stanley Surform Shaver #21-115):
The residue cleans off with acetone. These things work great for removing excess sealant from the rough interior surfaces (they aren't needed on gelcoat). They also are handy for prepping surfaces to cut thru paint on the walls and floors, or to smooth those surfaces out. Or for shaping Bondo, which is what they were made for I think. The one I have is over 20 years old, and I have never had to replace the cutter insert (although its about ready).
I ain't no expert on the forums, either. This would be better discussed on some other thread. But hey - it was the nerd who started it!
I have the same speakers from Amazon. I have mine attached with the industrial strength velcro from Costco. The cabin top is not flat so on one side the velcro peices did not make contact everywhere. I stuck a male/female peice back to back and used it to between the peices on the top and speaker. I am in the same heatwave and so far they are holding up.
Steve
Steve
I picked up the MR 1515 from broken leg Dave. Also 6.5 " speakers for under $200. I-pod jacks in through aux. Has wired remote, should come in handy at the helm with a little velcro. I am in the process of installing - pics to come.
http://www.brokenlegdave.com/Manufactur ... R1515B.htm
http://www.brokenlegdave.com/Manufactur ... R1515B.htm
flapbreaker
New member
What do you do for an anteanna?
journey on
New member
I'm in the middle of installing the stereo system on a C-25 (along with a few other things) and offer the following comments:
1. Get any brand you like for a receiver, but make sure it plays MP-3. You can rip a bunch of music CD on your PC and put 200 songs on a single CD. That'll play forever and will not get old. There is free software which will do this. No more changer. You can also set up various MP3 CDs with different music on them, depending on the company.
2. I got the aforementioned speakers and when I went to hang them in the back of the cabin, they were too big. Got some small boxes from Defender. 4"x6"x6" is a good size. If anyone wants the L2000 I'll bring them to San Diego.
3. Looking at the overhead in the C-25 cabin, where the hole for the radio and antenna comes through, that sucker is thick enough to use 1/2" screws, and that's the way to mount them.
4. Antenna splitters work great. Remember to get one that blocks VHF transmissions from the stereo.
Boris
1. Get any brand you like for a receiver, but make sure it plays MP-3. You can rip a bunch of music CD on your PC and put 200 songs on a single CD. That'll play forever and will not get old. There is free software which will do this. No more changer. You can also set up various MP3 CDs with different music on them, depending on the company.
2. I got the aforementioned speakers and when I went to hang them in the back of the cabin, they were too big. Got some small boxes from Defender. 4"x6"x6" is a good size. If anyone wants the L2000 I'll bring them to San Diego.
3. Looking at the overhead in the C-25 cabin, where the hole for the radio and antenna comes through, that sucker is thick enough to use 1/2" screws, and that's the way to mount them.
4. Antenna splitters work great. Remember to get one that blocks VHF transmissions from the stereo.
Boris