Install DVD radio? Blu-ray?

I just bought a used TM and I'm surprised it doesn't have a radio installed!
The TM has most of the expensive options installed already - A/C,
awing,sway,microwave & drawer,etc.

Found the wiring over the fridge and behind a nice wood cover plate.

On ebay I discovered they have many in-dash DVD/am/fm/CD players for $60-100.
I searched this TM site and "DVD","Blu-ray","Bluray" have never been mentioned!

So my first thought was to get and install one with DVD, extending wires
to a nice new connection plate by the antenna outlet.

DVD or Blu-ray installed should improve resale someday.
But in a few years the new tech may be Z-ray or whatever.

Another thought is DVD players are cheap now - just toss one in a drawer for when you need it.
Also TVs with built in DVD players are getting real cheap - Costco has as 32inch DVD HDTV on sale for $299.


Thinking some about how I will use my new TM...
I'm leaning toward the $29 am/fm/cassette from CheckerAuto because I have about 500 cassettes (from collecting and by the case from various home auctions) which I rarely listen to anymore.
So relaxing to good oldies by the fire sounds like a good idea. The crappy cassettes get thrown into the fire.
The $29 player also has front input for an ipod/mp3/etc.
And I can easily put the unit out and upgrade in future.

I also have cases of 8-tracks - but that's another story.
Hope I'm not rambling too much...


Has anyone already installed a radio with DVD in your TM?
Would it help resale value someday when I sell it?
Opinions and Options invited...


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[Bill]

Wow! Lots to think about. Everything you've said is good.

For quite a while, TM has installed the speakers, wires, and radio opening in their trailers. But they began offering the actual radio as an option only recently, so that's probably why yours doesn't have one. The factory-installed speakers are decent, but certainly not audiophile quality. Some people go to great lengths to add home theater to their TMs. Why? I dunno.

Resale value? Can't hurt, but of course a $60 radio isn't going to add much to resale value. Maybe $30.

DVD and Blu-Ray, with a nice new connector panel? That's a good idea if neatly done. If you plan to watch much TV in the TM, you'll find it handy.

A 32-inch TV? No, probably not. It is simply too big for the TM. You'll have a hard time carrying it, storing it, finding a place to set it up, and getting far enough away from it to see it properly. We have a 15-inch flat panel that hangs on the side of the cabinet above the refrig. Other members have installed slightly bigger sets - maybe 20-inches - that sit a little further back. But 32 just sounds way too big to me.

Cassette player in the radio? Why not? As you say, no one will want it but you, but when you go to sell, you could leave it, or pull it out and replace it with a new but inexpensive thing of whatever standard is popular at the time.

One note that is a bit more important. Whatever you buy, be sure to get something that fits. The size is quite common, and is usually called "single DIN". If you buy anything else, it won't fit. It usually comes with a sheet-metal mounting sleeve - be sure you get that. And unless you buy a mating plug with wires already installed, you'll have a tough wiring job.

Other than that, have a ball, and let us know what you do.

Bill

LiveTicker, I have done what you are talking about with the radio/dvd player. I kinda discussed it here:

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=5676

I'll be glad to post some pics, if you decide to go that route and think it may help you in any way.

We are going thru the radio choice issue right now also.

To us, the AUX input for iPods, etc. is very important. I would think a DVD, CD palyer would be a more usable choice. One that can also read/play MP3 files making transfering music library files fairly easy.

On the cassette, I'd imagine you'll have a big fire :-) I too had a large collection of music that I had recorded to cassettes. The print-thru (common to magnetic tape that is left spooled up for long periods of time) rendered most of them useless. Also, temperatures, etc. would be a contributing issue to problematic operation.

The other option important to us is a remote to be able to control the volume without having to go to the radio. Furnace cycling, being in bed, etc.

Initially I thought a weather band in the unit would be good, but I was only able to find marine units with that feature and that drove the price past how bad I wanted that feature.

Originally Posted by Jim&Joan

The other option important to us is a remote to be able to control the volume without having to go to the radio. Furnace cycling, being in bed, etc.

Jim&Joan, cause of the way the radio faces (straight out from the cabinet toward the wall), it would help for your radio to have a RF (radio frequency) remote instead of the more common IR (infrared) one, which works on line-of-sight.

My player has an IR remote and I have to hold it in front of the unit to make it work. It wouldn't work from the side couch by the fridge, or back bed.

Although I don't have experience with them, I have seen some sort of RF extenders that will turn your IR into a RF.

Just more food for thought while you are deciding on a radio for your trailer.

As far as a weather band, a few years back, Sam's Club had a self-powered or dynamo lantern...that had a AM/FM and weatherband radio, LED lights, along with a 12Volt cord to plug into the outlet, if you wanted power without hand-cranking it. It is real handy, and I keep it in the trailer all the time. The weather-band works great on it.

You don't ever have to worry about batteries because it is self-powered with the crank handle. You always have a light and can listen to the weather, should you lose power due to inclement weather. It seems like it was around $40 bucks at the time.

Bobby

Originally Posted by LiveTicker

I just bought a used TM and I'm surprised it doesn't have a radio installed!

As Bill has said, TMs didn't come with radios originally. They only started putting them in recently.
Honestly though, music, tv, phones, and all that noise we are bombarded with daily is the reason I go camping... to get away from it all.
The last thing I want to do is intentionally bring it with me.
I can fully understand why someone would not have installed a radio.
You can listen to music anywhere...why do it in the middle of nature when there are so many other great natural sounds to listen to.
Just me.

Originally Posted by ED-n-KEL

...
You can listen to music anywhere...why do it in the middle of nature when there are so many other great natural sounds to listen to.
Just me.

Perhaps because you're not ALWAYS out in the middle of nature. Radio is much better than freeway/traffic/jackhammer/etc.

Originally Posted by lnussbau

Perhaps because you're not ALWAYS out in the middle of nature. Radio is much better than freeway/traffic/jackhammer/etc.

I guess I can see your point Larry. I guess it depends on where you're at at the time.
We had a Boy Scout group at the park where we were a few weeks ago and I guess it would have been nice to have something to drown them out... but we were enjoying the sound of the fire and nature and certainly wouldn't play a radio outside only to make the situation even worse. Luckily the troop master shut them up early enough.
I've always had the attitude when I'm camping, hiking, etc, that I want to soak the sounds up, not add to them.
All I'm saying is that I'm not shocked that a radio wasn't installed.

CAUTION!!!:
Under the radio slot is the fridge. Exposed on the top of the fridge is the sparker wire and other controls wires.
I pushed the insulation down and popped the sparker wire off it's connector.
So check yours before your final radio install.

Thanks for the great responses so far!

My old business adviser frequently reminded me to use to KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid!).
So I bought the $29 am/fm/cassette and will install it this weekend.

If I need to watch my latest Netflix DVDs I can bring my laptop. It has a
large screen, 12v, and I also have an antenna-to-usb device to watch TV thru the computer.


I agree with ED-n-KEL that the sight, sound, and smells of nature are why we go.

But there are times I just get bored. So a hour or so of music and a weather report is nice.
Also when the TM is in the driveway for cleaning & maintance.
Or when we take a 2 week cross country trip next summer, I will want national
& local news/weather and maybe some brainless TV shows if we have to land in a crowded RV park.


If you want to go fancy:
My idea was to install the DVD player/radio combo in the slot.
Then use Leviton Quickports and make a nice connection plate around the corner.
The plates can have upto 6 snap-in connectors such as coaxial,RCA speakers, Data ,etc.
Install outdoor/marine speakers under TM near the door.
Use front/rear speaker controll to choose inside/outside speakers.



See Also...
HomeDepot.com search for: quickport
RadioShack.com: Cables/ Parts & Connectors/ Connectors & connectivity/ Modular connectivity


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