Out with the old, in with the new (Audio Visual upgrade)

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

There is a blue/white wire from the head unit that signals the sub on/off. So if your head unit is off so is the sub.


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Thanks for this thread as we are also considering a similar upgrade to our Pioneer car radio. Sorry if I missed this, but when your head unit is off, does it still draw any 12-volt power to light up the unit's display, etc.? Our old Pioneer's "disco light show" draws a lot of power even when the unit is off. We just remove the face plate to kill it, like in a car to prevent theft, but that gets old fast, and will probably result in the mechanicals getting sloppy over time.

Thanks,

Peter

PS -- While it is possible to program our radio to turn off the light show, these settings are lost when the trailer batteries are put in the Store mode, and the manual/instructions are a nightmare to follow. [Edit -- Earlier threads cover this FYI, but we want to upgrade the entire unit.]

[Wayne&Sam]

On my Sony holding the off button for a couple of seconds turns off the screen.

[OTRA15]

Not so for our Pioneer thanks.

[KJRitchie]

We never used our Sony radio with the 10 disc changer in our 2008 Classic. Between the faceplate cabinet and the 10 disc changer that locker was useless for storage. I removed it, cut the faceplate down and in one of the existing holes installed a 12v receptacle with USB ports. Purchased thin flexible plywood and painted it a neutral color to patch the hole. Now I have storage up there. We don't listen to AM/FM and ripped all our old CDs. Purchased a BT speaker and have an old Bose Wave radio I inherited from my parents to play back audio from the TV. I can pair our phones or tablets to the BT speaker for music. We didn't like watching movies with the wall speaker next to our heads in our 25fb and prefer the sound coming from the TV. Left the wall speakers in but they are behind the curtains and not visible.

I thought about putting in a Kenwood or Pioneer with the large LED screen but decided to go the route I did. I purchased an Insignia 28" with DVD combo before they were discontinued to add the DVD. I usually rip DVDs to play back from my MacBook Pro or iPad wirelessly via an Apple TV for movies with the TV's built in DVD for backup.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f450...ml#post1801789

Kelvin

[wulfraat]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Thanks for this thread as we are also considering a similar upgrade to our Pioneer car radio. Sorry if I missed this, but when your head unit is off, does it still draw any 12-volt power to light up the unit's display, etc.? Our old Pioneer's "disco light show" draws a lot of power even when the unit is off. We just remove the face plate to kill it, like in a car to prevent theft, but that gets old fast, and will probably result in the mechanicals getting sloppy over time.

Thanks,

Peter

PS -- While it is possible to program our radio to turn off the light show, these settings are lost when the trailer batteries are put in the Store mode, and the manual/instructions are a nightmare to follow. [Edit -- Earlier threads cover this FYI, but we want to upgrade the entire unit.]

With the head unit I installed you can completely shut down the screen so it's completely black.

[waldosgone]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

With the head unit I installed you can completely shut down the screen so it's completely black.

I'm thinking of doing the same thing because I can't stand the Clarion stock unit. Are all of your settings (phone connections, radio stations, etc...) retained when you place the batteries into "store" mode? Looks like Pioneer has come out with an updated version of this radio which means the 3800 is on quite a sale..

[wulfraat]

The default wiring for hot and ACC are toggled via the battery store switch - so you loose some settings (but not all). I think programmed radio stations are maintained but clock/date/color scheme/etc are reset.

If you truly want to retain your settings you would need to figure out how to run a hot lead to the positive/hot bus bar that fees the carbon monoxide detectors, trailer brakes and input side of the battery disconnect switch.

[Troutboy]

Wulfraat,

Did you actually remove that side panel in the upper cabinet for this install? If so, how did you manage that. Was it from the inside of where the head unit is? I can't see any hardware, so it's a bit tricky on my rig.

Thanks!

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

With the head unit I installed you can completely shut down the screen so it's completely black.

Thanks for this reply which I missed earlier this summer.

And thanks Troutboy for posting your questions, thereby bumping the thread.

Peter

[wulfraat]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

Wulfraat,

Did you actually remove that side panel in the upper cabinet for this install? If so, how did you manage that. Was it from the inside of where the head unit is? I can't see any hardware, so it's a bit tricky on my rig.

Thanks!

I've done this install twice now (just upgraded my current trailer).

In the first install I removed the side panel as there was a ton of mess to clean up. There are 3 screws that hold it on. In newer trailers you need to removed the DVD player cabinetry.

In my new trailer I didn't bother removing the side panel. If you need some extra access just remove the speakers installed in the overhead bin below the radio).

The easiest thing for your unit (2017) is to just pull the current radio and re-wire to the new harness on the new radio in place....

[Troutboy]

Thanks Peter!

[pcskier]

OK, hate to ask but I'm lost. This Brake Bypass thing...what's that all about? What does the emergency brake have to do with a car stereo and locking you out of some functions as shown in the video you posted? I've done a few car and boat audio upgrades in my day and I've never heard of this?

Also...why did you need a Clarion bracket if you installed a Pioneer head unit?

Nice install BTW. It's on my list.

[wulfraat]

All modern video display units (double DIN or single DIN with a flip-out screen) for mobile entertainment will lockout certain functions unless it believes you are stopped and parked, and have the parking brake deployed.

In-motion video on the main screen is a good example of a feature that is locked out - this is due to Legal restrictions on viewing video in the front seats in the US.

Various manufacturers will lockout other features such as manually entering an address, adjusting detailed settings, etc, that could be construed as diverting a driver's attention while driving.

To fool the system so that all functions are available at all times in the coach, one must install a bypass that toggles the hand brake circuit to tell the head unit that the "hand brake" is engaged and it is safe to unlock all features.

Re the clarion bracket - it's a simple / universal double din bracket that works with head units that abide by the international ISO sizing standard (180mm x 100mm). Any standard / non vehicle-specific bracket will work. On my most recent install I ordered a generic no name generic bracket from eBay, which worked fine as well...

[DBinSD]

Excuse the ignorance.

How do I know if the head unit will be able to play sound from the TV/DVD unit?

We have a 2016 Int. Signature 28'

To the OP, are you still satisfied with the speakers? Did you need to cut out for them?

[wulfraat]

Audio from the TV is delivered to the head unit via left and right RCA stereo cables. So your head unit needs to have AUX input female RCA receptacles in the rear of the unit. Your 2016 has these - just get a head unit with rca inputs for aux audio and you are good.

Yes speakers are great. No cutting necessary, drop-in replacement.

Note that I have since sold the trailer in this thread and now have a 2017 30’ international. There is another thread on the forum where I updated my 2017 with a different pioneer head unit (app radio with Apple CarPlay) and higher end Polk speakers..... stock stereo systems in Airstream’s are the pits!

[DBinSD]

Sweet thanks !

What is the new thread name please?

[DBinSD]

Wulfraat, is there an easier way to find units with a l/r audio input instead of searching the spec sheets?

[wulfraat]

Almost all head units out there on the market these days have rca aux inputs. If you use a site like crutchfield I believe you can search for head units based on features such as auxiliary input. But at the end of the day yeah, you need to check the specs

[wulfraat]

Originally Posted by DBinSD

Sweet thanks !

What is the new thread name please?

Hmmmm can’t seem to find it maybe I added onto someone else’s thread.... in any case here are a couple photos from the install I did in my 2017....

This time around I used a Pioneer AppRadio 4 and Polk Audio MM1 speakers. I didn’t need a built-in CD / DVD in the head unit because my 2017 has a separate blue ray player that I kept. I’ll replace the stock subwoofer this spring just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/P...o+4+(SPH-DA120)

https://www.polkaudio.com/collection...oat/mm1-series

[DBinSD]

Thanks,
Your 2017 should be similar to my 2016 28’ signature.
How long did this take you?
Why are you partial to the 2din vs 1din Pioneer?
I like Polk audio, I don’t know much about Pioneer units.