Wiring in a music radio

[PaulRainbow]

That's true. But I have a nice set of speakers wired through the boat. What's the best way to connect them via Bluetooth? I had considered using a basic car radio with Bluetooth (already have a car radio wired in).

Thread drift I know - all my electrics (and radio) are off at panel switches except Eberspacher and bilge pump.

You could fit a Bluetooth amp.

 

[PaulRainbow]

How far offshore does a soundbar work?

As far as your phone signal if you want live music, unlimited distance if you have stuff saved on a Bluetooth device. A car radio won't, generally, have much more range.

 

[Dellquay13]

As far as your phone signal if you want live music, unlimited distance if you have stuff saved on a Bluetooth device. A car radio won't, generally, have much more range.

Around my bit of the Celtic fringes FM and DAB radio is more reliable than 3G or 4g phone signal, so I still use a tranny radio at sea

 

[steveeasy]

Hello all

I paid a marine electrician to connect a replacement music radio in my Sadler 29. The original radio had a fuse in the fuse board so obviously when I turned off the batteries there could not be any drain of electricity. For some reason the electrician seems to have now bypassed the fuse board because now the radio can be turned on (or left on accidentally) even when the batteries are turned off. Is this an error on his part? My understanding (and I may be wrong) is that the only electrical item that should perhaps work with the batteries turned off is the VHF. All comments welcome.

Its an interesting question that would niggle away for me. Firstly Have you asked him why?. It might be he thought you might like to listen to the radio when everything is off which I dont think it rational. My guess is he may think your switch panel is not suitable so to cover his back he made a independent fused supply. Think you need to ask the question and consider if your existing fuse board is suitable and safe to connect too.

Steveeasy

 

[Refueler]

OK ... seems this subject is going round in circles ....

Question : What radio did you have fitted ? Model and Brand.

Once we know that - then this question of memory wire / main power will be possible to answer .... as not all radios have separate memory wire.

 

[Stemar]

Car radios are so yesterday. A soundbar and the Radioplayer app' gets you pretty much every radio station in the country, as well as Youtube and the like, plus any of your favourite music that you care to store on your phone.

Great if you have a good 4/5G signal and lots of data. I suspect that my 1GB monthly allowance wouldn't go very far.

My DAB radio has a memory feed that draws a tiny current, probably not much more than the self discharge of my battery, everything else apart from the bilge pumps is on the master switch which is within easy reach as we leave the cabin, so we can turn everything off as we leave the boat.

 

[lustyd]

Once we know that - then this question of memory wire / main power will be possible to answer .... as not all radios have separate memory wire.

But that wouldn't change the answer much if at all. If it doesn't have a memory wire then it will still drain the battery if left on so I'd still recommend not to wire direct. If memory is a requirement then either get one that doesn't need power or one with a memory wire that doesn't meaningfully drain the battery.

The OP implied that draining is an issue, hence my assumptions

 

[lustyd]

Great if you have a good 4/5G signal and lots of data. I suspect that my 1GB monthly allowance wouldn't go very far.

My phone has 256GB for caching or downloading music and other audio, no Internet connection required. Spotify allows a month of offline listening, and CDs can still be ripped and downloaded to the device.

 

[ashtead]

Should you be tempted to splash out on a Fusion I would avoid unless you are prepared to pay for a replacement unit every 5 years or so -the screens freeze and that’s it and there is no way to repair it -Garmin are not any help and while you can shell out 400 for a replacement at marine super store etc click and collect I object to having a unit with in built auto destruct. They are fitted as standard kit to many new boats eg Bavaria and Hanse so it’s not a brand thing- look on website if you have fusion for many accounts. Whether they are fitted to HR ,Arcona etc I don’t know but maybe there is something better than fusion out there?

 

[Andrew_Trayfoot]

I love music, and radio would seem an ideal way to find new delights, but I find music on radio almost always unbearable and switch off after a few minutes. The music's usually completely alien to my tastes, and the few programmes I've found that play interesting music are plagued by vast acres of mindless DJ blather.

[Rant Mode/off]
[Thread Drift/off]

Try BBC r6 music...
Probably the most 'grown up' music station in the UK.
Good rage of music.
Intelligent presenters.
No adverts.

 

[Sandy]

As far as your phone signal if you want live music, unlimited distance if you have stuff saved on a Bluetooth device. A car radio won't, generally, have much more range.

It was a loaded question Paul. I do a lot of sailing over 10 nm offshore and theoretically you won't have a 3 or 4G signal, but I can get FM radio on my mobile phone.

 

[TheBomber]

Bit surprised that a constant power supply is required to remember radio presets. I swapped the manufacture installed model in my first car - when I put it back in to sell the car 5 years later it had remembered all the settings. What’s more, for a blissful few seconds it still seemed to be able to pick up BBC GLR, despite it having been off air for most of those five years. Unfortunately it soon updated to ‘London Live’ and that was the end of my reverie.

 

[lustyd]

but I can get FM radio on my mobile phone.

Which you can play through the soundbar over Bluetooth

 

[PaulRainbow]

Great if you have a good 4/5G signal and lots of data. I suspect that my 1GB monthly allowance wouldn't go very far.

My DAB radio has a memory feed that draws a tiny current, probably not much more than the self discharge of my battery, everything else apart from the bilge pumps is on the master switch which is within easy reach as we leave the cabin, so we can turn everything off as we leave the boat.

On our home berth we get a full 5G signal, more like 4G at sea. My SIM only contract is unlimited calls/text/data, costs £20 a month and it's my only phone, no landline or wired broadband etc.

 

[Refueler]

It was a loaded question Paul. I do a lot of sailing over 10 nm offshore and theoretically you won't have a 3 or 4G signal, but I can get FM radio on my mobile phone.

I still have one of the last non smart phones by Nokia .... its connection range is near 2x that of a smart phone offshore ... when I used to go on ships - it spent most of its time having ships crews SIM's in it - calling home ..... because all the iPhones and other Smart they had just didn't connect.

 

[Sandy]

Which you can play through the soundbar over Bluetooth

I think not. The FM app only plays through the headphones and the speaker.

I use a Blackview, a ruggedised, waterproof phone, not one of the overpriced fashion items.

 

[KompetentKrew]

That's true. But I have a nice set of speakers wired through the boat. What's the best way to connect them via Bluetooth? I had considered using a basic car radio with Bluetooth (already have a car radio wired in).

I'm pretty sure most modern car radios from Halfords will have a mode where they operate as a bluetooth speaker which you can stream to from your phone. I plan to upgrade the current radio in this way, but haven't researched an exact model yet as I have lots of other priorities.

I have no objection to a rechargeable bluetooth speaker, except that removing the current radio would leave a load of holes in the woodwork and, on my boat, there's no way to fill them.

 

[Refueler]

When it comes to radios ... I am fast turning against todays Car radios .... gone are the days of simple press a button xxx happens .... example - my latest boat came with an expensive Panasonic head unit ... it drives me nuts because every button leads to a sub menu - then another sub menu - then another ... Yes it has sd .. usb ... BT ... can even be controlled by linked smartphone ... but its SHITE !!

My other boat has a much easier to use head unit ... cheap - but very good ....

5208E Single DIN Car Radio Audio MP3 Player Bluetooth AUX-in TF USB Auto Stereo | eBay

Price does not always mean best.

 

[Stemar]

I got something similar. It was dreadful. Very poor sound which I blamed on the speakers, but two or three sets of speakers were the same, so I splashed out on a Kenwood DAB job, which is a totally different beast - great sound and good reception from a tiny DAB antenna, but it does want a permanent 12v feed to maintain the memory.

 

[jac]

interesting thread. I’m one of those that likes to have music on a lot and am happy to stream it from an iPhone via Bluetooth ( or play music stored on the phone if out of decent 4G / 5G range) At present I just have a hole where one of previous owners removed the standard fit radio and no speakers so starting from scratch.

I quite like the fusion range but they do look pricey for what they are. Any thoughts or alternatives?