Itinerant Air-Cooled

Hi, folks:

After spending many eye-blurring minutes on the internet with Amazon, NewEgg, CarStereos.com, Crutchfield, and god knows how many other sites, I've decided that the best source for advice is you guys.

Here's my problem. I'm looking to replace the wonky 20-year-old Radio Shack radio in my bus. I need radio pre-sets for AM & FM (not a lot of them), a clock, an auxiliary input, and maybe 15 watts RMS (i..e., real watts, not fake ones) per channel (two channels will do). I'd like to have a nice display that's readable day or night, easy controls, a tuner that can pick up stations well, and relatively painless installation. I do NOT need a CD player or tape player, nor do I need a PITA detachable face-plate. And I'd like to pay no more than $100 for it, including shipping.

If anybody has bought such a critter and is happy with it, please let me know.

I have a Sapphire from a 71 Ghia if you default to stock.

Just about any inexpensive stereo these days will fit your needs, I doubt you'll find one without a CD player but you don't have to use it. I'd recommend visiting a store and taking a look at them in person - see what you like visually and how the buttons feel, etc. That's going to be the main differentiator. If you find a model you like you can search the net for a better deal if the in-store price is unreasonable. You should have no trouble finding something in the $80 range, even brand new.

Just my $.02

sped372 wrote:Just about any inexpensive stereo these days will fit your needs, I doubt you'll find one without a CD player but you don't have to use it. I'd recommend visiting a store and taking a look at them in person - see what you like visually and how the buttons feel, etc. That's going to be the main differentiator. If you find a model you like you can search the net for a better deal if the in-store price is unreasonable. You should have no trouble finding something in the $80 range, even brand new.

Just my $.02

I hate the new swoopy-doopy chromy facades. I want mid Eighties Harman Kardon uber-severe simplicity.
ColinIrrelevantInterruptionsRUs

In about a week or so I will be swapping out the pioneer supertuner for the new Alpine unit that is going in the "new bus". If you want it, PM me.

Id look for a nice used one on eBay - Alpine or Nakamichi have both made pretty good products throughout the years.

you can sometimes find nice factory refurbished 80's Nakamichi's for a bit over $100, which would look factory in a 70's bus, but sometimes they are unpowered and require a separate amp to drive the speakers - be sure to double check the description.

Try this.

http://www.midwestelectronics.com/produ ... -SD48.html

I'm partial to Blaupunkt, if only because they were the OEM supplier to VW. Stock enthusiasts like me like stuff like that. I've bought from Midwest Electronics on multiple occasions and have be VERY pleased with their service.

I'm going with Edison Wax Cylinders myself.

hambone wrote:I'm going with Edison Wax Cylinders myself.

Don't leave them on the dashboard in the sun.

sped372 wrote: Don't leave them on the dashboard in the sun.

Reminds me of that John Hartford classic:

Don't leave your records in the suh-hu-hun.
They'll warp and they won't be good for anyone.
Don't leave your records in the suh-hu-hun.
They'll get all wavy and they just won't play just won't play just won't play just won't play ..."

Seriously, thanks for your comments and recommendations. I haven't had a lot of luck with eBay electronics, unless it's with vendors of new stuff. As for making it look like stock, that's really not much of a concern, since PO has already cut a huge motha hole for what must have been an eight-track at one time (since replaced).

And thanks for the offer of your Alpine replacement, Randy. Expect a PM about that.

I've found a boatload of candidates in the $80-$100 range. The problem is that when I look at the user reviews, many of them seem to be crap. That's why I value your comments about real live experiences with real live radios. Nothing like personal testimonials, in my view.

I've always liked Clarion. Back when I was in the car audio biz they were good quality and features for a reasonable price. Alpine has always seemed to be overpriced. Granted this was nearly 20 years ago so things may have changed.

Randy in Maine wrote:In about a week or so I will be swapping out the pioneer supertuner for the new Alpine unit that is going in the "new bus". If you want it, PM me.

Wow I used to have a Pioneer Supertuner I in my 1972 Gremlin! Awesome sound with Crako 10" speakers in back. Had the serial number scratched off, wonder why that was?

Sylvester wrote:

Randy in Maine wrote:In about a week or so I will be swapping out the pioneer supertuner for the new Alpine unit that is going in the "new bus". If you want it, PM me.

Wow I used to have a Pioneer Supertuner I in my 1972 Gremlin! Awesome sound with Crako 10" speakers in back. Had the serial number scratched off, wonder why that was?

Better aerodynamics . . .

Bought a NOS Sanyo with a cassette deck in it off eBay, for two reasons - fits the hole, and has preamp outs.
We have an iPod contraption that plus into the cigar lighter, charges the iPod, and transmits on FM. So we tune in to it's frequency and away we go.
There is nice space behind the passenger seat for the amp. This with Polk Audio marine grade 6x9s all make a very acceptable system for low $.
Finally, it isn't interesting enough for anyone to want to rip off.
Jim

Update:

This is the radio I finally ended up with:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002OMB7FE/ref ... pe_vfe_dt1

I have no real complaints so far. Volume is adequate, tuner sensitivity is very good, and the AUX works as advertised. I haven't tried to use the USB or SD ports yet.

My only quibble is that when the radio is turned off and then turned on again, the volume level always defaults to a low value, requiring me to reset it. But the station presets stay where they are, so go figure.