stereo location

[Tequilasun]

Glove Box

I am a big fan of keeping my stereo out of eyesight. But at the helm is nice, so we have the Clarion unit with a wired remote to helm, and transom. The remote lacks a bunch of functions, but it is nice to have the ability to raise/lower the volume, change songs/stations etc.

[talltigeguy]

I prefer the stereo in the glove box. My 2002 didn't have the spring lid and was a pain in the rear to change CD's or anything. My 2005 has the spring lid and works great, but does limit how much junk I pile into the glove box, because I can't get to the stereo when it is too full.

I think it's mostly a non-issue when you have remotes both in the driver's side and the transom. I have plenty of control when I want to change volume or track number, and I probably shouldn't be trying to change the CD when driving anyway.

[jsz]

I've got a Clarion with a remote. So far it has worked fine but I really dont use it that much. Any word on their success rate.

Last year I looked at a guys boat that had a waterproof cover over the radio. It was so hard to close I just left it up. It felt cheap and I thought I would break it if I pushed any harder.

[Gardyloo03]

I had my clarion xmd3 fail and the remote fail. I think the remote failed because of poor install which may have contributed to the head unit failure. But i love the output and the sound quality of that unit. Probably the most comprehensive marine unit around for adjustability and sub controls/crossovers etc. Maybe alpines is on par but ive never used it, but i use there stuff in all my cars.

[blr]

Stereo in the glove box - remotes at helm and transom - ipod hard wired to the pouch next to the drivers chair. Since all my cd's are on my Ipod, I very rarely ope the glove box to get tp the stereo. more just to pile junk in there.

[Tige M.D.]

someone please clue me in on this ipod. i know what it is and i know what it does, i have no idea how it does what it does.

how does it wire into the stereo? does it adapt to any head unit? does it power up through the stereo or its own batteries?

more of a engine guy than a computer guy

[TigeDuner]

Our ipod is not hard wired. We select a frequency on the head unit and the ipod sends a signal to match that frequency. No wires needed. We can actually transmit a signal up to 50 yards. Its great if you have several boats together-just set them on the same frequency. My son has about 2,700 songs on his ipod with room to spare. The ipod has a rechargable battery, but we usually keep it plugged into the cig lighter to keep the battery charged.

[Tige M.D.]

so, does it read through a fm channel? if so, how is the sound quality. is it as good as digital?

[Tip]

Greg,
There are three ways to hook it up. 1)Some folks use an inline FM Modulator, which plugs into the back of the FM Receiver (the FM antenna then plugs into the modulator so you can still receive regular FM channels when not using the ipod). An FM Modulator costs around $45 and is available from circuit city or on the internet. You then plug your ipod into the FM Modulator and the ipod music comes in over a FM station (usually 89.9 or 90.1 MHZ)

2) You can buy a little transmitter for your ipod that transmits your ipod tunes to any FM receiver. These are easy to use and not very expensive (30-$50), but the sound quality can easily be comphromised by other FM stations in the area.

3) If you have a Clarion head you can make a cable that connects directly to the CD changer jack on the back of the receiver unit. This method provides the best sound quality because there is no FM broadcasting involved. I built my cable for about $6.

I also use my direct connect cable for my XM radio receiver.

Hope this helps.

-Tip

[TigeDuner]

You are correct. Usually in the 87 to 89 mhz range that does not have a station assigned to the frequency. The ipod controls the volume as well as the head unit. I perfer to keep the ipod level low and crank up the main unit. The sound is as clear as can be as long as you are in range. There is a small antenna you have to purchase for your ipod to transmit the signal for about $30. Can't beat it.

[Tip]

TigeDuner,
I was just out in Tucson last week, I loved the scenery, very nice.

I did not see any lakes though. How far do you have to drive for water?

-Tip

[TigeDuner]

The nearest lake to Tucson is Canyon Lake which is the third of 4 lakes that make up the Salt River Project. It is about two hours from Tucson and maybe an hour from Phoenix, depending on where you live. We perfer Lake Roosevelt which is the main lake that feeds Apache Lake that feeds Canyon Lake that feeds Saguaro Lake. Roosevelt is about 2 1/2 hours from Tucson. The drive is not bad but took a little getting use to from living in Houston with water in my back yard. We spend every other weekend at the lake from May through October. Then its dune season til May.
This will be a different year for Roosevelt as the water level is up 85 feet since December 04. The SRP expects the level to hit max capacity in a month or so. Should be a great summer on the board. Martin

[Tip]

I'll have to keep that in mind if my company transfers me to Tucson. 2.5 hours is not that bad. I drive 1.75 hours every weekend May through Oct, but I don't have to tow my boat, I keep in on a lift at the lake. Do they allow houses on those lakes?

-Tip

[TigeDuner]

There are not any lake front homes on Roosevelt. We leave our motorhome in an RV park about 5 miles from the lake. Our boat is kept in covered storage behind the RV park during the summer. Pulling the boat back and forth through the hills would get old fast.
We really like Roosevelt for its size. Apache and Canyon are both beautiful lakes with high rock canyon walls but get very crowded. Both of those lakes combined are about 25% of Roosevelt. The road to Apache is dirt for about 5 miles winding along the side of a hill with steep sides. Its not a fun ride but once a summer during the week makes for a nice change without the crowds.
Thr RV park is home to 4 Tiges now and after the Phoenix boat show I am sure we will meet a few more. Hope to meet you at Roosevelt some time. Martin

[Tip]

Thanks, sounds like you have a pretty good setup.