Car radio / GPS recommendations

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Denis
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Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by Denis »

The factory radio/navigation system in my Corolla seems to have given up the ghost - it is showing no antenna input, with the result that the radio is non-functional, and the traffic warning function of the GSP is also out of order.

My trusted Toyota guy tells me this problem is always in the (expensive) radio/gps unit, and not the (cheap) antenna, and counsels me against having it repaired by Toyota ($$$$).

So, it looks like I'm in the market for a new double-DIN size radio/GPS unit. A quick internetting tells me that prices range from upwards of 1500 bucks for a Kenwood or Pioneer, down to 150 for a "Joyous" brand on the slow boat from China. Anybody have any recommendations for decent price/quality units?

Linkage:

http://www.dx.com/s/double+din+car+radio+gps

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HTRN
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Re: Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by HTRN »

Buy aa cheap name brand receiver, and a refurbished GPS. Sony has double din as low as 200 bucks, and you periodically see garmins on soot for around sixty dollars.
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mekender
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Re: Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by mekender »

Is it a standard double-din unit? I have a Highlander and to replace the unit, you also have to replace the face which is in no way standard.
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Odahi
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Re: Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by Odahi »

My Tacoma had a double-din unit, now it sports an aftermarket single-din and a small compartment where I hide the remote. (Who the hell needs a remote for the radio that's in arm's reach on the dash?) The installation kit wasn't expensive, and it looks okay, I guess. The radio works like crap. That's my fault for buying a cheap one. It will be replaced, probably for my birthday next year. The installation wasn't difficult, and only took an hour or so, including the time to pull half the dash apart to get to it. The sub-panels are in like dominoes, each one covers part of the one above. :evil: Not a big deal, it just doesn't have to be that way. Your Corolla may not be as easy to remedy, I don't know. Youtube probably has a dozen videos on the process, though. Good luck.
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blackeagle603
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Re: Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by blackeagle603 »

Does anybody make a unit with a decent analog AM radio anymore?

Put 3 aftermarket units in 3 different vehicles in recent years. Only one with an AM that came anywhere close to the factory unit was a double DIN unit with HD radio. I realize "nobody" listens to AM anymore but being a talk radio junkie it's 99% of what I listen to.
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randy
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Re: Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by randy »

blackeagle603 wrote:Does anybody make a unit with a decent analog AM radio anymore?
Sure!
IC7000.jpg
:twisted:

Course, it's a little pricey if you aren't going to use the transmitter functions (not to mention needing a license)

I use it's older brother in the home radio shack to listen to local AM stations when not otherwise engaged.
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blackeagle603
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Re: Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by blackeagle603 »

/heh/ Guess I walked right into that one. :)


Quiet nights in the IO shifting thru the HF bands looking for the BBC while on the flightdeck working in backend of an E2 with the cooling system up and running. Some of the best almost private moments on the boat. Made good use of the hurry up and wait mode for 15-20 minutes to get thru the radar startup timeouts before testing a fix or waiting on a 10 minute mag tape unit to get to the last file on the tape to boot up the Passive Detection System diagnostic program...
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toad
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Re: Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by toad »

I've read that the US Naval Academy has re-introduced celestial navigation for the cadets. Maybe you could find a used aviation sextant on E-bay for use in a car, since the aviation sextant would give you an artificial horizon. If you get the periscope type you could put a hole in the roof and have your significant other do the navigation if you don't want to pull off the road to check position.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aircraft-Sextan ... 2a5774782e
For an AM radio perhaps:http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=delco+am+radio
Of course you might have to run an antenna out of a vent or window. :twisted:
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Denis
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Re: Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by Denis »

HTRN wrote:Buy aa cheap name brand receiver, and a refurbished GPS. Sony has double din as low as 200 bucks, and you periodically see garmins on soot for around sixty dollars.
Mrs Denis nixed this solution - we already have a decent stand-alone Garmin, with a suction cup for the windshield, but she doesn't like the aesthetics.
Odahi wrote:Youtube probably has a dozen videos on the process, though. Good luck.
Thanks. It is indeed a double-DIN slot, and I found plenty of how-to's on YouTube. There is a small adapter frame that provides a moulded fascia to blend aftermarket flat-box shaped GPS/Radio units to the curvature of the Corolla dash. About 20 bucks on ebay. There also seem to be some ready-moulded units which look like they should fit without an adapter.

Box-shaped unit:
http://www.dx.com/p/joyous-2-din-androi ... ner-376460

Moulded unit:
http://www.dx.com/p/joyous-2-din-androi ... ner-376460
blackeagle603 wrote:Does anybody make a unit with a decent analog AM radio anymore?
I don't know, and don't really mind one way or the other. I though that AM radio was being pretty much phased out, at least in Europe. I was interested to see that the modern car DVD/SP units also feature digital terrestrial TV reception!
toad wrote:If you get the periscope type you could put a hole in the roof and have your significant other do the navigation if you don't want to pull off the road to check position.
Toad, you're not entirely off your meds. I nearly bought one of these, some years ago (but not at that price...)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SWISS-MILITARY- ... 3ab21086b7

That would be just the ticket!
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Steamforger
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Re: Car radio / GPS recommendations

Post by Steamforger »

blackeagle603 wrote:/heh/ Guess I walked right into that one. :)


Quiet nights in the IO shifting thru the HF bands looking for the BBC while on the flightdeck working in backend of an E2 with the cooling system up and running. Some of the best almost private moments on the boat. Made good use of the hurry up and wait mode for 15-20 minutes to get thru the radar startup timeouts before testing a fix or waiting on a 10 minute mag tape unit to get to the last file on the tape to boot up the Passive Detection System diagnostic program...
Spent many a similar night in our helo control tower. It was heavily air conditioned, had a couple of big comfy seats, and had the Beeb. A friend was in Crash and Smash and owned the space. I wrote a ton of letters, played a shitload of D&D, snuck in more than a few naps, and used the place as a semi-private smoking lounge while underway.
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