PDA

View Full Version : what wires go to what?


10-02-2001, 05:39 AM
??? want to install my new am/fm/cd/weather band radio(radio shack). what is the correct wire connection? my 2720 has a blue and white wire, a black plug type wire and speaker wires. i understand the speaker wire part but what color wires tie into the radio wires?

i know some of you have done this already. appreciate your help.

10-02-2001, 05:14 PM
Hi Paul

I believe you will find that the white wire is the ground, and the blue wire is the 12V power supply. I suggest you check it first tho, just in case. If the black plug-in you are talking about is about as big around as ink pen, that would be your antenna plug in. When you wire it up, I also suggest you pull the radio fuse from you fuse panel til you are finished.

When I installed my radio, it had two power leads, one for the radio's memory, and the other one to power the radio itself. I just tied the two together to the one power lead. If you do, just be sure to shut the radio off before folding up your trailer.


Good Luck

Mack

10-03-2001, 09:05 AM
8) thanks, mack.

Sinclue
10-06-2001, 09:37 AM
I've seen this Radioshack radio mentioned several times on this group, but no model number. I can't find it in the catalog or online at their website. And asking an actual employee at a radio shack is a fool's errand since they never seem to know where the cash register is even. Sounds like an ideal setup if the unit is still available.
Thanks,

10-07-2001, 07:13 AM
I just got a radio as well. I figured out the speaker wires but I couldn't find any documentation on the white and blue. Was the white really a ground wire? If so where are the negative wires? I am so confused I am used to A/C power, which has positive/negative, does a radio not have that? Also if I am plugged in to power will my radio still work? In a car it works off of battery only, is that what the 12v converter simulates? Any help would be greatly appreciative.

10-07-2001, 11:10 AM
just got back this evening from destin florida...annual seafood festival. now, for the raido update. radio shack has discontinued that model. in fact the one i purchased was a close out model and the ##***didn't work anyway. so i never got a chance to determine what wires connected to what.still looking for a sound system to go with my condo on wheels.

10-07-2001, 11:27 AM
for future reference, the blue wire is the 12v, the white is the ground. the wire with the plug goes to the antenna. The speaker wires are pretty self explanatory. I hooked mine up this afternoon. I didn't get the radio shack radio, I got a Sony with a CD player.

10-07-2001, 11:28 AM
The sony with the CD player is at WalMart and was 139$.

arknoah
10-08-2001, 04:49 AM
Here's a question I've been meaning to ask for awhile. How did you get the cover for the prepped hole for the stereo off of the hole? I was just playing with it awhile ago and Ellen asked me to stop before I broke something. I had assumed that the cover was just cosmetic and was attached with only a light adhesive, but sensed as I played with it that it was atached very firmly.

Any ideas? I was trying to remove it to measure the opening so I could buy a stereo for the space. Even though I am not your real handyman RV owner, I think I can attached two or three wires, so long as I don't break something else in the process.

F. J. & Ellen

Sinclue
10-08-2001, 05:30 AM
FJ & Ellen,

Mine was just attached with a light rubber glue. I just used a flat blade (like a knife) and worked it around the edge until I could lift it enough to pull it off. Still haven't found the "ideal" unit to put in there. I'm using an old radio/cassette from one of our cars in the meantime. But I like the idea of the Radio Shack unit mentioned on this forum (now discontinued I understand) with the WeatherBand. I'm trying to find something like that.
Jim

arknoah
10-08-2001, 06:47 AM
Thanks, Jim. We're taking our trailer out this weekend for the last time this season, and I'll give your suggestion a try. Once I know the size, I can start my quest for the perfect unit in earnest. The idea of a Weatherband is definitely a good idea.

Thanks!

F. J. & Ellen

10-08-2001, 07:05 AM
:) just hooked up my sounds this afternoon...miles sound sooo good. check out the am/fm/cd at k-mart $99.00. fits right into the slot and even i was able to connect it.

the slot for your sound system should come out if you use a small pocket knife around the edges.

off to the smokies this weekend.

10-08-2001, 07:49 AM
My cover came right off, no glue.  I have a brand new trailmanor 3023. It pulled right out no tools necessary.

10-08-2001, 12:24 PM
I purchased an inexpensive auto AM/FM CD player from J.C. Whitney and it fit great. The wiring instructions that came with the unit were easy to follow and matched perfectly with the TM wiring. I did take out the fuse that controls the radio from the fuse panel....just in case I connected something incorrectly. I had no problem connecting and testing the unit.
The cover above the refrigerator seemed to be sealed tightly. I took a three inch putty knife and worked it behind the cover to break the seal loose. I think there was a light film of glue holding the cover on the cabinet. Anyway, it did not take much to get the cover lose.

Try this I think it will work for you too.

Good luck and enjoy the TM.

10-09-2001, 01:50 PM
I put my radio in and it was working fine. Now it seems to keep flaking out. It runs fine and then starts blinking and stops working but then comes on again. I had our trailmanor plugged into to the GFI circuit at our house when I did testing. Could this be the reason, maybe the current is off? Has anyone had any issues when installing their radio?

Paul_Heuvelhorst
10-17-2001, 05:57 AM
Hi all,
It's been a while since I've posted here, but this subject seems to puzzle some people, so I'll try to clarify.

DC power (12 volts in cars, trucks and trailers) is "polarized", i.e. you need to correctly connect the positive lead to the positive battery terminal and the negative lead to the negative terminal. If you hook the radio up incorrectly to the battery you will destroy the radio. :-/ To make sure which is which, you should use a volt meter (less than $10 bucks at Radio Shack). When holding the meter probes to the wires correctly (12 volts will not shock you :D) the meter will show a reading on the scale. If you have the leads reversed, the needle will try to move to the left of the scale. (If you have a digital meter, it will read positive or negative.) Once you've determined the positive & negative leads from the battery, the radio or CD player instruction manual will tell you which lead to connect to positive (usually it has a fuse holder in the line).

As to the radio "flaking out" it may be caused by low voltage in the battery. The deep cycle battery may lose its charge if the trailer is stored for extended periods of time. If the radio works OK when plugged into "shore power" but not so well when running alone on the battery, check the water level in the battery to make sure it hasn't been "baked dry." It is important to keep the battery water level up... check and add as necessary on a monthly basis, just as you would in you car.

Best wishes.