Head unit = junk

[walt7474]

So, our new to us 2011 Jayco Greyhawk 31SS needs a new head unit, stereo, radio, etc. The current unit that I think is original turns off (and on) randomly, dims and then gets brighter at it's own discretion, and sounds like crap. Anyone have any suggestions as to what to look for? When looking for one do I need to look for something w/ 2 camera inputs? Or, do the side and rear cameras share the same input with some type of switch? When installed I think I'd like to have a 3-way switch added so I can power the unit with either the house or truck batteries. Am I crazy?

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by walt7474

When installed I think I'd like to have a 3-way switch added so I can power the unit with either the house or truck batteries. Am I crazy?

The original radio should already work off of both. If it doesn't already do that then someone has changed it. Jayco installs a diode system that allows the radio to operate from the house battery with the key off.

[CAG]

I am not quite sure I understand the three way switch but in my case mine works from the truck battery if I decide to use it that way while parked. I don't use it that way because I play music thru the system in the RV via DISH or Apple play and the smartTv.



I cannot speak for the 2011 but I hated the unit in the 2018 MVP and changed it out with a Kenwood head unit that has Garmin GPS, Apple and what ever that other phone is that I cannot recall. In my case there is a three way camera switch behind the dash that had to be simply plugged into the Kenwood. There are other head units out there but I am partial to Garmin GPS.


If you do this, I strongly recommend you pay some audio car shop $100-200 to have it installed. The dash is a nightmare to get off and on and the very poor, did I say very, let's say disaster of a Jayco wiring job behind the dash is not something you want to tackle on your own. Ask me, I did it fixing their crappy job of camera wiring that caused a mirror and cameras to malfunction due to a wire placed behind the emergency brake that got pinched, also a common screw up of their.

[walt7474]

I just thought I would like the option to power the radio from the house batteries when parked and not run the risk of draining the truck battery.

[CAG]

Originally Posted by walt7474

I just thought I would like the option to power the radio from the house batteries when parked and not run the risk of draining the truck battery.

More trouble than it is worth considering the number of other options for playing music through the system.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by walt7474

I just thought I would like the option to power the radio from the house batteries when parked and not run the risk of draining the truck battery.

That seems to be something people want... but it is really killing your head-unit by leaving it powered up (house power is on) and the summer sun beating on your dash. Even though you think the power to the radio is turned off (the radio is off) the unit still has power to a number of circuits inside.

Consider any 100F day outside and the cab is closed up and sun is shining on the dash - the radio can easily be 140F at the chassis... that is hotter than the typical specifications of a head unit operating temperature.

[bucko]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

The original radio should already work off of both. If it doesn't already do that then someone has changed it. Jayco installs a diode system that allows the radio to operate from the house battery with the key off.

I never understood why Jayco did this, as my class C has an outside radio as well. I never listen to the radio inside when in the camper, only when driving.

As to the OP's question, buy the wiring adaptor that wires into the head unit you buy, then simply plugs into the factory wiring harness. No fuss, no muss.

I will follow the thread though as to see how dual cameras work though. I'm assuming there's a separate dash switch to switch between the two right now?

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by bucko

I never understood why Jayco did this, as my class C has an outside radio as well. I never listen to the radio inside when in the camper, only when driving.

It's been like that for decades. My 2001 and even previous units operate that way and I don't think Jayco is alone. Many people do listen to the radio when at their sites.

[walt7474]

Originally Posted by CAG

More trouble than it is worth considering the number of other options for playing music through the system.

I guess I don't understand what "other options" I have.

[dvspl]

We're one couple that does listen to the radio while we're parked, so I'm grateful that Jayco wired it to draw off the coach battery when we're parked. Some of the places where we stay have no internet, TV, or cell service but our SiriusXM radio still plays whatever music, weather, or sports we choose. Nice to have. Ours is also wired so the TV can play through the overhead speakers using the Aux input on the dash radio. We use this a lot when we're watching a BluRay movie. For the OP, there are lots of threads here about replacements for the Jayco-installed radios. Just choose one that has the functions (GPS, satellite radio, Apple Carplay, or whatever) that you want. I don't know about the older units, but my 2020 has a camera switcher beneath the dash so the head unit only needs one camera input. Also, I agree with CAG that unless you've done this before, it's worth it to pay a car stereo place for the installation.

[craigav]

About ~8 years ago I installed an Android 10.1" radio in the dash on mine. I attached a few images to show what a 10.1" would look like in regards to the the a/c vents and its overall size in the dash. The one I have is no longer made but you could search amazon for "10.1" android radio".

I cannot recommend a particular unit, I suspect some are better than others for sure. The one I have though sounds so much better than what existed from Jayco and has a high power amp along with an equalizer control and the entire back of the radio is one big heat sink so it stays cool (at least I never had any heat issues). Some have a built in fan for cooling, however I didn't want one like that as little fans don't provide me with comfort that it would last for years and years.

On my unit, there was (still is) a controller behind the radio for the camera inputs. Going to the controller is a signal wire for the backup lights and left and right turn signals. What it does is allow for 3 camera inputs to one output and the camera chosen is based on if your backup or turn signals are on. I am not sure why that was installed in my RV as I only have a rear-view backup camera. I did not use the controller and just left it in the mass of wires behind the dash in case I needed it later in life. What I did though was wire the rear camera so it has power anytime the key is in the "run" position. This allows for me to turn it on anytime such as when I am driving and want to make sure the toad is still well connected. The downside to what I did is that it doesn't sense the backup lights and automatically turn on, however that was simply my choice as the radio itself does have an input to switch to the camera app when in reverse but again doing that wouldn't allow the camera to be viewed while travelling.

I hesitate to recommend anyone taking on such a project that is not already familiar with installing a new dash radio (or basic understanding of how to do so) as it was a lot more work than I expected it would be. I had to obtain a Ford radio wiring harness and solder all the connections to the android radio harness, and removing the dash itself was a learning experience (not really that hard after I figured it out). Plus I went in twice as I originally wired the camera to turn on when in reverse, but because I have a toad I wanted to be able to see it anytime I desired.

You may see a few wires out of the bottom of the dash, that is for the android auto or carplay connection to your phone. Another cable is for connecting a usb drive which I store music on (actually there is a sd-card slot behind the display I keep my music on now so that cable just sits there). The newer Android head units can do car play (and likely android auto) wirelessly, not a big deal for me though as I keep my phone plugged in anyway to maintain a full battery charge on it.

What I like about the Android head unit is that I can install any android app that you can on a phone. So I can use ODB Fusion and see the transmission temp, fuel economy and many other things (like a trip computer) while listening to my music or radio. I can split the screen between two apps, however I never do that and instead I go full screen between apps. You don't have to be in the music or radio app for it to play in the background.

Let me know if you have any specific questions, again my setup is from around ~2015 and I don't remember all of the challenges I went through in order to install it, other than it was a challenge and took a while to do. Fortunately even the older version of android (older now, it wasn't when I installed it) still allows all the apps I use to work. The unit is a bit slower I suspect than newer units, but any app I choose will open within a 3~4 seconds so the speed to open an app is not a concern for me. ~CA

[craigav]

One other thought to add as Grumpy mentioned earlier, is that the radio will use the house (coach) battery when the key is off and the chassis battery when the key is on. This is already built-in to the power input via a double diode setup. I suspect that they are all that way. One way to know is to see if your radio plays with the chassis battery disconnected and the key off. I left mine setup for power the same as Jayco provided. It is possible to just use the coach battery power if one wanted to do so, and keep in mind the coach battery is charged when the engine is running anyway so not a big deal for me. I don't think my radio ever turns off completely as it always turns on very fast. When I hit the power off button, it says powering off but I suspect it is more like a sleep mode because it turns back on instantly.

One more thought , there were cables for audio and video in the dash that went from the old radio to the tv that allowed for ??? the tv to play audio through the head unit, or perhaps for the head unit to play audio and video to the tv, not sure as I didn't reconnect any of them and instead taped them up and placed them out of the way. I seem to remember the old radio could play dvd's into the tv. They were not HDMI cables, just standard low quality video rca style cables so I didn't care to reconnect them anyway. My radio will play through the 6 speakers in the RV (2x door and 4x ceiling) and there is a switch at the entry door to turn on the outside speakers whenever desired. I had planned to replace the inside speakers with better speakers, but it turned out that they actually sound great with the head unit I installed. ~CA

[bucko]

I'm confused here. If an aftermarket radio is bought, its wiring (aftermarket wire harness) can be soldered to a the factory based harness with factory connector, readily available from Crutchfield or even Walmart. Other than the reverse trigger wire (simple to connect it to the reverse lights), this would make the aftermarket radio a plug and play.

And don't most RV's have an outside (separate) radio? I do use this outside radio from time to time to listen while I sit outside.

On my 2006 Ford F-450, the factory radio unplugged itself from the dash using "horse shoe" looking removal tools, which can be bought at Walmart mart, along with the factory harness/plug to aftermarket head unit.

However, maybe not all RV coaches are not like the Ford's or Chevy's?

[craigav]

Originally Posted by bucko

I'm confused here. If an aftermarket radio is bought, its wiring (aftermarket wire harness) can be soldered to a the factory based harness with factory connector, readily available from Crutchfield or even Walmart. Other than the reverse trigger wire (simple to connect it to the reverse lights), this would make the aftermarket radio a plug and play.

And don't most RV's have an outside (separate) radio? I do use this outside radio from time to time to listen while I sit outside.

On my 2006 Ford F-450, the factory radio unplugged itself from the dash using "horse shoe" looking removal tools, which can be bought at Walmart mart, along with the factory harness/plug to aftermarket head unit.

However, maybe not all RV coaches are not like the Ford's or Chevy's?

The original radio had a wiring harness adapter that took what Ford provided and adapted that to the radio Jayco provided. I could have cut that cable\adapter and soldered in the harness that came with the new radio but I chose not to in case my install or setup failed and I wanted to go back to what I had already. So instead I just purchased a Ford connecter and install kit which had little tags and instructions identifying what each wire went to and soldered that into the harness connecter that the new radio provided.

My RV only has one radio and it is in the dash which powers all of the RV speakers interior and exterior (which I can turn on or off any of them).

I used something similar to what is in the link below. I don't recall exactly what or why, but what was needed was different than just sliding the old radio out and sliding in a new but again, I don't recall why that was (perhaps the larger display screen on the new radio and I needed access to the wires for the camera) but the install definitely required I remove the dash bezel.

The Android radio I purchased used a different style connecter than what already existed and there was no plug and play adapter cable already made up and available for me to purchase. That would have been nice to have, but wasn't an issue for me as I am pretty good and soldering and wiring things. ~CA

One more thought to share, the android radio picks up radio stations so much better like a night and day difference, originally I though I would need to replace the antenna or fix something but it was the old radio that for whatever reason had poor reception.

https://www.amazon.com/Install-Centr...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[craigav]

I had viewed a Youtube years back that I watched prior to installing the radio. This isn't it, however it is similar to what I had to go through which I would encourage anyone planning to install a new radio to watch. Pre 2009 and post 2014 are likely similar, but I would suggest to view one that matches the correct year range in case there are significant differences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5PRt-76h-4&t=172s

[bucko]

Thanks craigav for the explanation. When I installed my aftermarket radio (in order to get a rear camera view on the radio screen), I was lucky enough to find a radio that slid into the existing stock radio hole, without any adaptors; remove factory radio, and after soldering the Ford wiring adaptor to the radio wiring, I connected that plug to the factory harness, plugged the camera harness along with camera trigger wire, and badda bing, badda boom, it all worked! I guess there are/were a lot of F-450 chassis out there on the road for an aftermarket radio manufacturer to make one to just slide in.

Now my 2007 Ford F-150 required that I buy a double DIN bracket assembly to install the aftermarket radio. Interesting that most newer Ford F series now use the same radios, yet you need a double DIN bracket!

That was still a breeze to do, as well as simply soldering the aftermarket wiring harness to Ford's factory wiring plug to make it a neat and simple install.

I've seen folks use wire crimps or the "twist wires and tape" method to install wiring....I don't recommend this, as it just begs for a wiring short to happen. Solder and heat shrink tubing, the only way to safely wire an electric component in an auto.

[bucko]

Another suggestion to consider.

I'd refrain from buying an aftermarket radio with GPS capability for an RV install, as the maps can be costly to update, and I'm betting that they don't consider the height requirements of an RV when it comes to routes to reach your inputted destination. Instead, use an RV GPS app on your cell phone for GPS routes.

Most auto manufacturers are steering away from GPS included radios for the reasons of map updates; they are costly, and consumers balk at the price they pay to obtain these updates. Instead, auto manufacturers are planning to go the way of using Bluetooth to allow a cell phone GPS app to display onto a auto radio screen. That's a win win for both cars and RV's, as a cell phone GPS is up to date on maps, plus the RV friendly GPS will allow the same Bluetooth connectivity to the radio screen.

To the OP, I suggest a call or email to Crutchfield (https://www.crutchfield.com/S-u5T73vZ2dId/) to get suggestions to a radio and required wiring harness and install kit for your RV (have your and make of chassis ready). They are very good in helping out.

Or, perhaps there is an auto stereo install shop in your area. Just make sure if you have it done by them, they have a facility that can handle the size of your RV (shop wise).

[RetiredLEO]

Check out CRUTCHFIELDS
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-Ypa9p4Vd4lM/

[walt7474]

So, finally got the Greyhawk into the stereo shop for a new head unit and door speakers. It's a big improvement over the original radio and speakers.

Only problem is that they wired the head unit to a receive power only when key is on. Rather that deal with taking it back to them I looked under the dash into the hornets nest of wires. I would like to tap into a wire that's powered by the house battery. Any suggestions? Would I be OK tapping into line going from the house battery to the auxillary start button?

[bucko]

Originally Posted by walt7474

I just thought I would like the option to power the radio from the house batteries when parked and not run the risk of draining the truck battery.

Near the house battery(s), locate the solenoid that controls the house 12v system. On one of the solenoid posts is a small gauge 12V lead that allows the house battery to run the radio if the solenoid is operated to disconnect the house 12V. Someone (like myself) may have disconnected this lead, making the radio not work if the house battery switch has been operated to disconnect/connect the 12V circuit.