Car Radio for Boat ?

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STATUE

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I have seen a good review, via Halfords, for a Pioneer car radio.

But the review said I would need a 'DAB ariel'.


If it is DAB, is there any problem picking up Radio 4 Shipping Forecasts.

Any one know of a radio for a yacht that has remote control - saves me struggling out of my quarter berth for the 05.20 forecast ?

Looking forward to your good guidance.

Thanks.
 
Probably no use to you, but I fitted an android head unit from ebay.
It comes with a remote, also connects via bluetooth to my phone so I can control it from that.
On top of those functions, it has a large fold out screen and GPS so happily runs navionics, outputs to DVD as well as being capable of showing video images etc, basically anything that an android device can do.
I don't know about your radio 4 requirement, it certainly picks up radio stations quite happily, but don't know if it's DAB or not (maybe everything is now?) but the aerial just seems to be a standard FM type.
 
I use a Fusion head unit designed for boats. It has FM and AM radio (don't think it has Long Wave, though, which might be an issue for your shipping forecasts way offshore), an aux input, iPod (more usually a phone or iPad these days) input and control, and also has a VHF receiver in it. Nowadays I would look for one with Bluetooth so that I can play music off my phone without needing to leave it in the trash-tray where it can be plugged in.

The Fusion unit I used has a fixed remote control which I installed in the cockpit. The volume controls are set up so that the cockpit remote controls the cockpit speakers and the main unit controls the cabin speakers.

I'm not pointing to a specific model because I'm sure their range has changed since I bought it, but Fusion in general make good well-thought-out stuff.

Personally I'd listen to the Coastguard's VHF broadcasts rather than haul myself out of bed at 0520 :). In practice I look at the forecast via the Internet on my phone when I wake up :D

Pete
 
Depends where you are, but if in poor reception areas, Long Wave reception can be useful for the Shipping Forecast.

Our primary sources form the SF and Inshore Forecast are usually coastguard radio and Navtex, but if not available LW is good for backup.
 
Check the power consumption, I had one that consumed more juice than expected, possibly because this is not really an issue in a car, plus note that it will require a continuous feed from the battery unless you are happy to re-tuned it each time you use it.
 
Do you need/want DAB? If not, get a unit without it. I've got a Sony on the narrowboat, (bluetooth is handy).

Not sure you need a different aerial for DAB to FM?? I'd have a google and see what info is out there.
 
In 1992 I bought a top of the range Saab 9000 CSE and it came with an amazing radio, I think it might have been Alpine. It has LW/MW/SW and VHF. We found the SW really useful as we used to listen to the BBC world service on SW when we were touring on the continent. There was no internet in those days!

I have looked around since owning a boat and have never seen a SW car radio for sale which is a pity.
 
STATUE said:
I have seen a good review, via Halfords, for a Pioneer car radio.

But the review said I would need a 'DAB ariel'.


If it is DAB, is there any problem picking up Radio 4 Shipping Forecasts.

Any one know of a radio for a yacht that has remote control - saves me struggling out of my quarter berth for the 05.20 forecast ?

Looking forward to your good guidance.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I fitted this Pioneer last year http://www.halfords.com/technology/car-audio/car-stereos/pioneer-mvh-390bt-bluetooth-car-stereo Works fine. I can control music playback with bluetooth and I understand you can wire in a steering wheel remote. There is also an App according to the website

TS
 
Seven Spades said:
In 1992 I bought a top of the range Saab 9000 CSE and it came with an amazing radio, I think it might have been Alpine. It has LW/MW/SW and VHF. We found the SW really useful as we used to listen to the BBC world service on SW when we were touring on the continent. There was no internet in those days!

I have looked around since owning a boat and have never seen a SW car radio for sale which is a pity.
Click to expand...

They are still out there:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-D...800580?hash=item3ab3a15f84:g:~pIAAOSw14xWG0CL

tracking one down might be a challenge
 
Most Halfords have a clearance cabinet in their audio section. From said cabinet I picked up a high-end Kenwood unit with Bluetooth connectivity, USB connection, AUX connection, a wired remote supplied, an IR remote available separately, remote control via Bluetooth, and a few other features I can't remember and probably haven't used, such as I think perhaps an SD card slot. It has receiver for both FM and AM, the latter covering both MW and LW bands. All for the princely sum of £50 just because it was a superceded model.
 
On FM and DAB aerials... from:

http://www.aerialsandtv.com/fmanddabradio.html#BasicRadioAerialFacts

"It doesn`t take much study of the results table to discover that if you want FM and DAB (from one aerial) the best all round antenna is the Half Wave FM open dipole, preferably installed vertically so it will work omni directionally and will also pick up DAB pretty well too. FM gain is about 0dBd.
The vast majority of sites in this country will get a perfectly acceptable FM signal with one of these aerials, and the great majority a decent DAB signal as well.
The model we sell will mount both horizontally and vertically, but it is also possible to use it diagonally. If you are struggling with a particular frequency then utilising the latter polarity may help bring it in, it`s rare but at least it`s another option. On the other hand horizontally it has a bit of a null off each end (and thus a bit of directivity) so this may be useful to decrease a bit of interference if required. It is also quite acceptable (and easy) to shorten the elements in order to improve the DAB (at the expense of FM) if you decide in the future that DAB is more important to you. I`m not an expert in antenna design but we cut down the elements from 75cm to 38cm and DAB performance improved to just behind that of a DAB dipole, though the FM dropped off markedly."
 
We have a Pure Highway H260dbi. Does everything we want, but the buttons are a bit small. If you have room I would look for a double height car radio just to make operations easier.
 
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