FM Radio Set (car stereo)

ctva

ctva

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One of the things I was wanting to check out at the SIBS was the Fusion range of stereo's for use in the boat. Two things leant me towards their RA50 unit was that it kept its programmed stations when power was disconnected and its size due to no CD player. Unfortunately the staff on the stand were more interested in talking to other exibitors or checking their phones for the latest tweets about whatever, to talk to an interested customer. I tried in vain to get more than one word answers heavily laced with 'go away' underneath. So can anyone recommend a stereo that keeps it preset stations when power is lost? Waterproof is not a requirement.

Thanks
 
Car Stereo units have two positive wires going to the set. One of these is permanently live so the stations are retained in memory. The other only goes live when the ignition is on. I hadn't realised the Fusion sets were any different.
 
Personally, I wouldn't worry. I've had a radio with a (fused) memory wire that bypasses the master switch for years and, even on a small boat with limited battery capacity, it's never been a problem. I don't know the figures, but I'd guess the draw is less than the self-discharge rate for a 100AH battery.
 
Talulah said:
I hadn't realised the Fusion sets were any different.
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Well, they are. Despite their rude UK salesmen (presumably not Fusion themselves, but some kind of agent) they are really quite good and well-designed for the typical yacht environment. They know about the issue with fixed versus switched supplies, so the stereo is perfectly happy to be turned off at the switch panel without losing any settings.

Pete
 
ctva said:
So can anyone recommend a stereo that keeps it preset stations when power is lost? Waterproof is not a requirement.
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London_120_09.jpg

http://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/products/car-multimedia/car-radio/products/single/5181/

Blaupunkt London
"Permanent storage after car battery disconnect: Yes"
 
Kenwood KMM157 - keeps stations, no CD drive but as I was replacing an old radio cassette I didn't have any CDs. Takes a USB stick so I now have about 70 albums 'on tap'. Only disadvantage is that when power is restored, it needs to be told not to enter 'Demo' mode - but this is a fairly minor problem.
 
Beware this is not true of all Kenwoods models - recently bought a Kenwood KDC-DAB361U and it forgets stations when powered off (as well as having the irritating 'Demo mode' feature).
 
chrisbitz said:
I've always wondered if a 9v battery would be enough to keep the stations in memory...
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The trouble is, many radios draw the heavy current from the permanent live, the switched live is more or less a control line.
Otherwise a 9V battery would work fine.
 
You could fit a small 12v gel battery to supply the permanent wire, then fit a relay so that it would get charged when the engine is running.
 
Barleycorn said:
You could fit a small 12v gel battery to supply the permanent wire, then fit a relay so that it would get charged when the engine is running.
Click to expand...

You could.
That small battery can also power the GPS to avoid it browning out during engine starts.
But if you keep sailing a decent distance, you get used to the station presets not working when you arrive anyway.....
 
I have a total of 7 fusion units on our boat. They are very good and sound excellent.

The only thing that slightly irks me is that the only one that has a nice rubber cover is the 700 series, but the 200 series - two of which are outside - have no cover, and you can't get one (I asked at SIBS).

They are a quality unit and waterproof. A car stereo will work fine, but if there is any possibility of it getting wet I would buy a fusion. The fusion sound is better than most car stereos and the ability to connect blue tooth is useful
 
what you are looking for is an Aldi deckless unit ,

BLUE TOOTH HANDS FREE
AM/FM RADIO WITH RDS
NO CD DECK MECHANISM
USB IMPUT.SD CARD READER.FRONT AUX-IN
MP3/WMA PLAYBACK WITH IDG TAG DISPLAY
4X25 WATTS
REMOTE CONTROL AND AUX CABLE

usual price under 40 quid
 
jimmcgee said:
what you are looking for is an Aldi deckless unit ,

BLUE TOOTH HANDS FREE
AM/FM RADIO WITH RDS
NO CD DECK MECHANISM
USB IMPUT.SD CARD READER.FRONT AUX-IN
MP3/WMA PLAYBACK WITH IDG TAG DISPLAY
4X25 WATTS
REMOTE CONTROL AND AUX CABLE

usual price under 40 quid
Click to expand...

I have the decked version in my car. It works OK, but forgets everything if you disconnect it, or even if you let the battery get a bit low.
 
VicMallows said:
Very odd that for more years than I can remember household 230v radios have been able to retain station settings for months, if not years, with no power whatsoever. Lazy designers?
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Was that the kind with Long Wave and Medium Wave, and a funny rotary turny-thing on the front, to find the station you wanted?

002357_1.jpg
 
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