installing a radio

I’m going to be installing a stereo in my Lund Pro Angler.
What kind of antena should I put in.
One of those little flex ones?
Should I get one that colapese into the floor or something?
And then again, where should I put it so that it doesnt interfere with the cover or fishng.
Thought or ideas are appreciated.

Clarence Chapman
(Chappy342)

Hey Chappy, there might be some better ideas out there…but I use about a foot long rubber flex ant. When I use the boat cover I loosen the screw at the (little) ball at the base and it folds down.
The new lunds have a very small ant. Not sure how well they work or where to get them.

One note about installing radios…I had some professional (car) radio installers put my radio in…they wired the ground wire to the base of my side council (on the inside). Looks like a good ground, but the screws actually go into the wood floor. It was really grounding through the steering cables and would cut out frequently….depending on which way you were turning!

Put in the best antenna you can get that won’t get in the way. If you have a nice place such as in front of yet close to a windshield that wont get tangled in anchor lines from cleats etc the I would recommend a standard telescoping. You could go with a powered telescoping antenna that comes up when the radio does, or a manual that you raise or lower by hand.

If the mounting location is prone to getting beat around a bit, go with something flexible. While it won’t pull in as well as a telescoping, it will take a beating.

I love listening to music or a ballgame when I fish.. unlike 1/2 the guys on the site will now never want to fish with me . When I installed a new radio I went with an XM model. The XM is nice because being satellite you have more than 100 stations of music that is crystal clear digital across the entire country, regardless of body of water, foliage, or terrain. Another bonus is that the XM antenna is only about 3 inches tall and 3 inches round which can certainly be placed out of the way. The downside to XM is that it runs $10/month. I run it only during the summer months and it works great.

Additionally, a few more things about marine audio. If you don’t already have a faceplate with gasket for your radio (head unit) it’s well worth buying one. There are many brands, here’s an example…

Metra Marine Radio Cover

The neat thing about these is not only the water tight protection but also the clear faceplate. If you purchase a radio with a remote control, the remote will shoot through the panel with the radio covered. This is very nice in the rain. Many days, I’ve sat in the back of the boat with the remote in the pocket of my rain gear.

Finally, the last consideration is MP3 compatible radios. Some XM’s are also MP3 players. This means you can make your own CD’s each carrying 100-150 songs per disc and listen to what you want, when you want. I carry about 15 discs in my boat that are loaded by genre… Country, Rock, Motown, etc.. Just an idea.

I know that’s way more that you asked for but you brought up something I love.

Hope that helps,

jon

Radio reception is line of sight so antenna height is a factor. I had a cb shop install a marine/fm filter and 4′ antenna. I can listen to local radio,play fm or cds, and use marine radio. Frankly, marine radio has limited value unless you’re locking through or keeping abreast of the weather. Carry a cell phone. You have unlimited range.

I agree… marine radio has limited value and changes with weather conditions… my brother in law and I both have Raymarine 45’s… Some days we can talk from Prescott to Afton… on other days we have a hard time running from Isle to Garrison.

Btw.. I have a 5 foot fiber whip… he has a 3′ (free from Cabela’s last fall) metal whip.

-jon

Woooo Guys
I considered a VHF radio last year but becouse of the reasons you stated about the reception and stuff I figured it would never get used. I am installing an AM_FM stereo.
Brian: What did they charge you to install the radio? I already have the radio. (x-mas gift)

I had my own radio too. I bought the speakers form them and the rubber ant. came from Checkers Auto.

I don’t recall what the hourly charge was, but the total was $230. I think that was with the $100 speakers….but if you go that route I would HIGHLY recomend that you watch them!
I asked them to connect the hot wire to a specific fuse on the dash…which they did…but instead of using a spade connector and just sliding it on the the fuse…they cut my wiring harness and spliced it in. Also, they put an in line fuse in the power cord (and charged me for it). The idea was to use the fuse on the dash…so if a fuse blew, I didn’t have to go into the council to replace it…then there was this ground problem that I mention earlier….And lastly, I asked them to wire in a 3 line cigarette lighter adaptor…they did, but reversed the polarity…couldn’t figure out why nothing worked in it. My test light came on…but the cell phone and gps would work/charge. But the physical installation of the speakers, radio and ant. was done well.

These are generally young adults that work on cars..not boats. They just need a little direction.

Brian –

I don’t know where you had it installed, but if it was Best Buy or Ultimate, all of the installers are MECP certified (Mobile Electronics Certification Program). I was first certified nearly 10 years ago. It’s not an easy test by any means, very detailed not only on best practices but all electrical specifics including ohm loads, impedance, etc..

The reason they put in an in-line fuse is because that’s “code.” If they didn’t, it would be like installing kitchen outlets without a GFI circuit. Same thing with a spade connector. They don’t want the spade connector to bounce out of the panel and have you upset your radio doesn’t work in the future.

If you want some of the most experienced boat installers (not that a head unit install is tough) take your boat to Ultimate across from Ridgedale in Minnetonka. That store does a ton of boats.

J…Thanks for your insight. I would have never guessed they were certified.
In that case…comunications was the problem. I told the installer where I wanted the power to come from and I wasn’t happy about them cutting into the wiring harness. I would have thought that if there was a code issue, they would have informed me of it. If the spade connector did come off (of the fuse) where I asked them to connect it…well, than it’s my fault and could deal with it. It’s a “goofy” code when everyother piece of electronics..pumps..fish locator ect. is connected to the fuses with a spade. Not questioning you…just don’t make sense.
Then the question comes up about the reversed polarity of the cigarette lighter and the ground that was screwed into wood. It was Best Buy and it seemed to be a lot of amature mistakes.

Just one man’s opinion. If I were to do it over again, I would stay and watch them. Maybe it was just a bad day for them….and me!
Don’t know about Ultimate at all.

But I do know I wouldn’t be without a radio and the fish always seem to bite better when my Pink Floyd CD is playing

Lol — the cigarrette lighter install does kill me. It seems painfully obvious the installer didn’t know about boat construction and assumed they were build like vehicles. I can’t imagine not cleaning (and sanding if painted) all grounds during an install. Not only did he connect it wrong, sounds like he just grabbed a self-tapping screw and just shot it in. That’s poor… really poor.

I never said they were all GOOD… just that they were certified!

Maybe I should do boat installs on the side!!

Ya know? I think a guy could be busy (when I want to go fishing) in the spring with radio installs.

Can you install my Lowrance 480 on May 15th for me? LOL!