Advanced Radio features

[WaltP]

I'm planning to upgrade the radio in my TV, and maybe the radio in my trailer as well.
The features on the car radio I'm interested in are:
1.Feeding audio from the cell phone through the radio; especially online radio stations
2. Making hands free phone calls through the radio
3. HD radio
Anything else worthwhile I should consider?
Any recommendations?
And no, I'm not interested in XM or Sirius. I don't need monthly subscription charges.

And what about the trailer cabin radio? are there additional features I might want?

Walt

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by WaltP

...
And no, I'm not interested in XM or Sirius. I don't need monthly subscription charges.
...

Just FYI, I've been paying once every six months for Sat radio (SiriusXM Select plan), instead of monthly.

A year ago it was a total of $38.06 including all fees and taxes (for six months). My last renew it went up to $45.35 total price (works out $7.56 a month), but with that increase they added internet access, so I now have Sirius / XM on my phone, on my Roku streaming TV player, as well as the car and camper (using a docking receiver). Its not unreasonable considering the flexibility and the fact it works about anywhere you can sky (and often when you can't) or you can get online. Audiophiles will (rightfully) be critical of the music quality due to the compression but I prefer news, comedy, etc.

And it looks like they are offering a new or returning customer deal of $5 a month, which is likely around $6.45 a month with taxes, etc. That includes internet access also.

Just don't pay the regular full price whatever you do. I used to have to spend 20 minutes on the phone with them to get the best deal. Now days I know what deal people are getting when I call and it takes only a couple of minutes.

Maybe its not for you but others might want it at these prices.

PS.. its not "XM or Sirius" anymore.. they are now one company, SiriusXM.

[patrick crawford]

walt,
make sure your new unit has bluetooth capability. that will take care of all your connectivity needs. the phone especially since just about every phone i've seen has bluetooth. personally i am not interested in carrying and dealing with cd's on the road or in the trailer...just another pile of small boxes to keep up with. if your new radio has a usb input it's simple to transfer any cd content to memory sticks for easy access. as far as hi def radio is concerned i don't see the point. anything gained signal wise is most likely being offset by all the ambient noise inside your truck on the highway. i have hi def radios in my house and i can't hear the difference there. but then, that could simply be "old ear syndrome". you probably know about crutchfield audio (they're in your neighborhood) but, i will tell you they are the most helpful and nicest online place to get audio equipment. their tech support is really good as are their installation guides. when i was installing the trailer radio i called with issues installing in a trailer. my support guy explained what i needed to do and even sent me a hand drawn connect diagram. oh, and the prices are really good also.

good luck!

p@

[steve dunham]

Have you considered buying a different vehicle versus changing out your radio
We purchased a new 2019 truck and SUV this year and both came with the radio features you listed plus far more electronic garbage that we won’t or don’t know how to use.
Personally I find the bluetooth phone option irritating and wish I knew how to turn it off permanently.
I don’t need a 10 speaker sound system to listen to the news or the ball game
In fact I am not sure of the purpose for FM radio besides listening to NPR

[Rzrbrn]

I have a Jensen JWM70A radio with bluetooth. We bought the Big Foot in Feb 2019 and camped about 100 days late to summer early fall. We did not use the radio 1x other than to turn it on at the dealership. After we got home I decided we needed a better weather radio. I also downloaded the detailed owners manual for the radio. As I was browsing through it I noticed that this Jensen has a weather radio. So this past Wednsday tried to access the weather mode and could not. So I put up help requests on the BF forum and this forum, while also send a message to the BF company and Jensen. This forum responded and the BF company responded. BF company said call their Jensen rep and gave me a number, but Jensen offices are closed until this next Monday. I am telling you this because I really like the Jensen, but and if it does indeed have a Weather Band mode I will recommend it. It also has a DVD player and HDMI input. But if it does not have WB then it is just another radio and not really worth buying.

My trailer has outside speakers. Having never used the radio it took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to turn the outside speakers off. But now that I know, assuming I remember, it is easy to do. I will try to update this post after I get this WB thing sorted out with the manufacturer/distributor.

Also I 'ave a 24" Jensen TV. I got this because it is supposed to be armored for RV travel... Have I mentioned I own the Brooklyn Bridge....

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by WaltP

I'm planning to upgrade the radio in my TV, and maybe the radio in my trailer as well.
The features on the car radio I'm interested in are:
1.Feeding audio from the cell phone through the radio; especially online radio stations
2. Making hands free phone calls through the radio
3. HD radio
Anything else worthwhile I should consider?
Any recommendations?
And no, I'm not interested in XM or Sirius. I don't need monthly subscription charges.

And what about the trailer cabin radio? are there additional features I might want?

Walt

In the trailer you may want to purchase and mount a truckers radio that has the weatherband. We did that in our RV and like having that when threatening weather is around. It doesn't have the warning feature but we can turn it on when we want to see if we need to take shelter or go another direction. We had to buy it at a truck supply place.

[Rzrbrn]

Jann when you wrote "trucker's radio" do you mean a CB radio? Could you please post the make and model of your radio?

[WaltP]

Rzrbrn
What use is a Hdmi input on a vehicle radio?

And thanks for bringing up the idea of weather radio. Just the kind of idea I was looking for.


Walt

[Rzrbrn]

Sorry Walt I was thinking about the TT radio. HDMI connects to Blu ray device. Guess that would not work well in the TV! Although come to think of it movies can be watched on the video screen of the Truck, so I suppose a blu ray could be hooked up...never tried and probably won't however.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Jann when you wrote "trucker's radio" do you mean a CB radio? Could you please post the make and model of your radio?

No I did not mean a CB. It is a AM/FM, weather bands, CD, etc that mounts in the dash. You cannot find a radio in a car place with weather bands. We went to a truck supply that also works on semi's to get it. We cut out the area above the dinette and mounted it in the cabinet making it like a dash mount. I'll try to see if I have the brand on it when I can get to it. We had bought one for the Casita at Camping World but it died real soon and they replaced it for us. When we wanted one for the RV we couldn't hardly find anything.

[Rzrbrn]

Thanks for replying Jann. The Jensen jwM70A that came installed in my TT does not have a Weather Band. I downloaded an owner's manual form the Jensen website and it had a section detailing the WB, but it would not work. I contacted Jensen tech help and they sent me an owner's manual but with the WB section deleted. It certainly would be nice to have a WB in the TT radio. I have been searching on line but cannot find a truck or car radio with WB. I will keep looking. Maybe when it comes time to replace the Jensen I will have something identified.

[WaltP]

I asked at Crutchfield and the guy there did not know of a satisfactory receiver with a built-in weather band.
BTW, I wound up purchasing a Pioneer 2550 at a very good price.

Walt

[cpaharley2008]

Walt, I have installed one of these in my last 4 Escapes and Eggcamper before that campers, really love the weather part https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Rzrbrn]

Jim, would it not be better to install the Cobra 29LX Pro CB with WX? You get the CB plus a very strong receiver for WX. I too am trying to identify a WX band radio but am unsure what to buy. I don't want to replace the Jensen radio and DVD player, at least not yet. I just want to get WX and alerts. But the Cobra gives you something extra.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by WaltP

I'm planning to upgrade the radio in my TV, and maybe the radio in my trailer as well.
The features on the car radio I'm interested in are:
1.Feeding audio from the cell phone through the radio; especially online radio stations
2. Making hands free phone calls through the radio
3. HD radio
Anything else worthwhile I should consider?
Any recommendations?
And no, I'm not interested in XM or Sirius. I don't need monthly subscription charges.

And what about the trailer cabin radio? are there additional features I might want?

Walt

Hi Walt
I did the same exact thing last year. I upgreaded the radio in my TV and installed a new auto stereo system in my BF 19.

I went to a auto stereo shop that was recommended by the owner of my trailer repair service. I had been researching stereo units for my trailer, and know pricing and install costs. This place was very resonable.

I do suggest that you ask some trailer shops if they know of a good auto stereo dealer to contact. You can discuss your needs and see who is the most reasonable price wise, and who has the best customer references.

I also realized that i needed to upgrade the stereo on our TV and was extremely happy with what I got. The best thing about the TV system was the backup camera. Most systems include Sirius but you can ignore.

We have iphones, so it was important to me that this integreted with my phone - no problems. Like most recent systems, it does allow me to do hands free calling by integrating with my TV's bluetooth system.

One of those things you need to discuss with the auto stereo shop. I needed the Chevy Service Dept to help integrate the system into my steering wheel - don't remember this involving significant cost.

if your interested, I'll get the make/model of this system for you.

Regarding my BF 19, I got a different auto stereo system. I did not need the large backup screen, so it does look more like a traditional head radio unit.

I had the speakers custom installed, which does cost $$$, but they did a good job. I did work with the Stereo shop to locate the speakers, so that I get good audio wherever I may be situation in the cabin. Via my experience, I do believe that you will want to get great audio directed at your bed as I like reading in bed and listening to music.

What was good about this system is that I could integrate my digital library via bluetooth or plugging my iPhone into the head unit (better audio). But seriously, the difference in audio wasn't dramatic enough, so I did the bluetooth approch.

I did spend extra bucks for a transmitter, which was great when I wanted to turn off the radio from my bunk. And I would encourage you to look for this feature.

We loved using the stereo radio system. We listened to the weather reports, news, talk programs, and music. I really prefer having a stereo radio system in the trailer that allows me to use my digital library, rather than a dedicated bluetooth speaker.

Regarding hands free phone calls inside your trailer, there is a problem in that the car microphones are close to you. Not so in your trailer. They are not designed to be placed too far from the speaker. You will have to use your phone when speaking with someone.

Once again, I'll look for the name of the unit I bought last year.

You won't regret either purchase.

Good luck.

[WaltP]

Thanks Jane. Fortunately my upgrades are quite a bit easier. In the TV I don't have stearing wheel controls, so I don't need to deal with that additional complexity.
And I ordered my Escape with the stereo radio option so I already have good speakers installed. The added features wanted there are bluetooth to connect to the phone and hdmi in case I ever want to add a television.
Good tip on the microphone in the trailer. I wonder if an upgrade is possible there.

Walt

[Jane P.]

An older auto I owned did not have bluetooth capabilities. So I bought a JABRA Bluetooth Car Speakerphone. This gave me hands free capabilities while driving. It wasn't the best quality sound, but I was thinking of setting it up in the trailer by the Dinette. There are several other manufacturers on Amazon that may offer more features and better quality.
Mine is a 12 volt plug-in. I believe it had a rechargable battery.

Just a thought.

[Rzrbrn]

Jane P, thank you for suggesting the JABRA Bluetooth Car Speakerphone. I had no idea such a thing existed. I just ordered one from Amazon. Now if I can just find a radio with a WX band...The best thing to turn up so far on this thread, is the Jensen HHD 910 but I am hesitant to buy that, at least at this time. I am still toying with the idea of the Cobra CB with WX, but am hesitant to buy that also.

[SamMoore]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

In the trailer you may want to purchase and mount a truckers radio that has the weatherband. We did that in our RV and like having that when threatening weather is around. It doesn't have the warning feature but we can turn it on when we want to see if we need to take shelter or go another direction. We had to buy it at a truck supply place.

I installed a used Subaru Outback radio in my Scamp. It's from a '98, and has weather band.
Sam Moore '85 S13

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Jane P, thank you for suggesting the JABRA Bluetooth Car Speakerphone. I had no idea such a thing existed. I just ordered one from Amazon. Now if I can just find a radio with a WX band...The best thing to turn up so far on this thread, is the Jensen HHD 910 but I am hesitant to buy that, at least at this time. I am still toying with the idea of the Cobra CB with WX, but am hesitant to buy that also.

That Jensen also comes with a blue tooth model for blue tooth speakers...