Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
- static
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Somewhere on I-5
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
"Can you get Duluth on it?"
- JLT
- Old School!
- Location: Sacramento CA
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
Duluth? You can get Tierra del Fuego!static wrote:"Can you get Duluth on it?"
-- JLT
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
- Randy in Maine
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Old Orchard Beach, Maine
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
Don't we do it in the road here at Ralph Spoilsport Motors.
79 VW Bus
- dtrumbo
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Mill Creek, WA
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
This is a feature!! Usually there's a menu setting that lets YOU set what the "turn-on volume" is. Check the manual or muddle through the menus and see if there is such a setting. This is quite common on newer stereos. The three I've bought in the past five years have all had it.JLT wrote: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.
- Dick
1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.
... as it turns out, it was the coil!
1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.
... as it turns out, it was the coil!
- JLT
- Old School!
- Location: Sacramento CA
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
I would kill for a "Ralph Spoilsport Motors" license plate frame.Randy in Maine wrote:Don't we do it in the road here at Ralph Spoilsport Motors.
-- JLT
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
- Randy in Maine
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Old Orchard Beach, Maine
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
Me too.
If you see one for sale, buy 2 and I will take one.
If you see one for sale, buy 2 and I will take one.
79 VW Bus
- JLT
- Old School!
- Location: Sacramento CA
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
What? Read the manual?dtrumbo wrote: Check the manual or muddle through the menus and see if there is such a setting. This is quite common on newer stereos. The three I've bought in the past five years have all had it.
Seriously, I did, and there was no mention of it. I'll try monkeying with the menus to see if it's an "undocumented feature."
For thirty-seven bucks, I can live with turning the radio up each time.
-- JLT
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
-
- IAC Addict!
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
thats a good feature. park it last night when your rocking to some loud Zep or Zappa or whatever your choice of loud rock is. then a t the crack of dawn you turn it on and it wakes the neighborhood, hurts your ears and possibly damages your speakers.
1/20/2013 end of an error
never owned a gun. have fired a few.
never owned a gun. have fired a few.
- static
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Somewhere on I-5
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
That's why I don't camp next to JLT anymore. The cranked-up Led Zeppelin at dawn was just too much.
- JLT
- Old School!
- Location: Sacramento CA
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
That was just me snoring.static wrote:That's why I don't camp next to JLT anymore. The cranked-up Led Zeppelin at dawn was just too much.
-- JLT
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
- Amskeptic
- IAC "Help Desk"
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
Figure this: that volume reset is a safety feature.JLT wrote: 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.
One, no nasty surprise on Saturday morning that makes the dog piddle in the back seat in terror because of forgotten blasting volume level from drunk Friday night drive home.
Two, no ruptured speaker suspension when warm drunk Friday night drive home volume level meets sub-zero Saturday morning cold snap.
Three, do we need three?
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles
- JLT
- Old School!
- Location: Sacramento CA
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
Remember this thread? I started it back in the day, but the Dual radios I've bought since then have both given up the ghost, and it's time to buy a radio again.
My requirements were (and still are):
--radio pre-sets for AM & FM (not a lot of them)
--an auxiliary input, and maybe 15 watts RMS i..e., real watts, not fake ones) per channel (two channels will do, but four would be better)
-- a nice display that's readable day or night (the last Dual unit I purchased really sucked at this).
--easy controls
--a tuner that can pick up stations well
--relatively painless installation into the standard hole in the early bay-window dash (about 7" x 2" and about 4" deep)
--it would be super nice if the radio kept the station presets even when the battery is disconnected.
I do NOT need a CD player or tape player, nor do I need a PITA detachable face-plate. Nor do I have any use for all that optimizing equalizer bullshit, which adds buttons and reduces display clarity, or Sirius, Bluetooth, or any of that crap.
And I'd like to pay no more than $150 for it, including shipping. Suggestions welcome.
My requirements were (and still are):
--radio pre-sets for AM & FM (not a lot of them)
--an auxiliary input, and maybe 15 watts RMS i..e., real watts, not fake ones) per channel (two channels will do, but four would be better)
-- a nice display that's readable day or night (the last Dual unit I purchased really sucked at this).
--easy controls
--a tuner that can pick up stations well
--relatively painless installation into the standard hole in the early bay-window dash (about 7" x 2" and about 4" deep)
--it would be super nice if the radio kept the station presets even when the battery is disconnected.
I do NOT need a CD player or tape player, nor do I need a PITA detachable face-plate. Nor do I have any use for all that optimizing equalizer bullshit, which adds buttons and reduces display clarity, or Sirius, Bluetooth, or any of that crap.
And I'd like to pay no more than $150 for it, including shipping. Suggestions welcome.
-- JLT
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
- skip
- Getting Hooked!
- Location: Englewood, NJ
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
I have an older Retrosound remote RF tuner/amp in my bus that I used to have in my GS400 convertible.
Anyway they make a good product, but may be more than $150.
https://www.retromanufacturing.com/?cam ... vFEALw_wcB
Check 'em out.
Anyway they make a good product, but may be more than $150.
https://www.retromanufacturing.com/?cam ... vFEALw_wcB
Check 'em out.
Complexity is the enemy of reliability.
76 Westfalia
74 Type 181
RinTinTin in Waldorf Astoria 1956
76 Westfalia
74 Type 181
RinTinTin in Waldorf Astoria 1956
- JLT
- Old School!
- Location: Sacramento CA
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
Thanks for the tip! I looked on their web site and this one may do the trick:skip wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:17 amI have an older Retrosound remote RF tuner/amp in my bus that I used to have in my GS400 convertible.
Anyway they make a good product, but may be more than $150.
https://www.retromanufacturing.com/?cam ... vFEALw_wcB
Check 'em out.
https://www.retromanufacturing.com/prod ... 9772701852
The "Rear auxiliary input for portable devices" isn't clear whether you can leave the connecting cord plugged in when you use the radio, or whether it cuts off the radio when the cord is plugged in. If it's the former, it would probably work fine for me.
Finding radios like this is tough these days, since it isn't a standard size anymore. I've given up looking for radios that are handcrafted by German engineers who work for 3 Euros an hour and guarantee their products for life.
-- JLT
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
- JLT
- Old School!
- Location: Sacramento CA
- Status: Offline
Re: Good inexpensive radio for my '71 -- recommendations?
Well, I shopped around for a while, and came up with this one:
It came well recommended by a few folks on the Samba, and it was pretty much in my price range. (The Retrosound one was also in my price range, but required an adapter to fit it into the DIN slot, which raised the price to over $200.) I bought it from an eBay dealer.
https://www.continental-automotive.com/ ... -Bluetooth
It cost me around $170 with tax. Free shipping. I'll install it tomorrow and give you a report.
It came well recommended by a few folks on the Samba, and it was pretty much in my price range. (The Retrosound one was also in my price range, but required an adapter to fit it into the DIN slot, which raised the price to over $200.) I bought it from an eBay dealer.
https://www.continental-automotive.com/ ... -Bluetooth
It cost me around $170 with tax. Free shipping. I'll install it tomorrow and give you a report.
-- JLT
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"