wiring for new radio/cassette/CD unit, Help

[2Slow]

Can I install a regular auto-type radio/cassette/CD unit as replacement? Is this more for Experts rather than DIY? I bought a JVC unit from JC Whitney and now wonder if there is something more appropro.

[LJH]

Hi 2slow, As long as your replacing a 12 volt unit, auto head units are the way to go. I'm parcial to Alpine myself. Crutchfield has great systems and very good over the phone tech help. They saved me a couple of times. Oh, yeah, you should probably ignore the title, we are suposed to be camping! Keep Smilin! LJH

[Zeppelinium]

The only thing you need to be careful about is that all the speaker leads "float," eg, none of them can be ganged together through ground. This is usually clearly shown in the unit's user manual. This shouldn't bea problem, since Airstream provided two wires for each speaker. However, if you install some kind of plug for routing the speakers outside, don't be tempted to do it with three wires, which is the way it's done with home systems and portable systems (left channel, right channel, ground).

I've taken advantage of the remote controls provided with automotive radios so I can turn the radio on and off from the bed in the mid or back of the Airstream. The radio has to be mounted in the eyebrow cabinet above the front window so it's got a "view" toward the rear and can see the remote signal (infrared light beam).

Zep

[2Slow]

Thank U both for your comments. I have lots more ?? but for now, I'll see if my son-in-love will decifer the schematics, etc. Sometimes I bite off more than a person should but that is part of full-timing. I may not check in very often but it's reassuring to know help is just a few clicks away....