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Radio wiring and control

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sailors35

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Radio wiring and control
« on: January 11, 2017, 03:19:02 pm »
Ok going to try make myself clear.  On my sailboat I had a Pioneer AM-FM radio with CD player,iPod USB connection and Sirius Satellite radio which worked all the way to Grenada about 100 miles from South America.  this was wired to the 12v power panel with its own breaker and was powered by the house batteries. If I understand correctly the only radio in the PC is the in-dash unit which runs off the engine start battery.  So what does one do if camped and wants to listen to radio but run off the house batteries?  I am originally from Indiana and listened to March Madness while anchored in various places and would like to do the same!
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gandalf42

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2017, 04:29:45 pm »
While recently I was at the factory and going over a list of changes I hoped to add to a new 2552, one of which was to add a switch to switch the cab radio from the chassis battery to house battery power. Don, who I believe is the manufacturing manager, was adamant that this was not an option as the radio is controlled by the ford computer and they were concerned this would cause problems.

It is not clear to me why the computer would care about the power line but it was clear PC wasn't about to change their position.

You can get around this a bit, possibly, by using the battery boost switch to supply power to the chassis battery if you are concerned about running down the chassis battery and/or get a volt meter to plug into a lighter plug to periodically check on the state of charge of the chassis battery,

..Mike

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jfcaramagno

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2017, 06:12:41 pm »
Does the Ford radio use enough current to be a problem? We listen to it a lot while camping, and have never had a problem.
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Dave R

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2017, 09:16:55 pm »
Howdy,
We installed an amplifier and separate speakers in the coach to run off the inverter.  It sounds way better than the cab radio.  Also eliminated the TV, and added a cell phone booster so we can stream internet to a phone, tablet or computer.  Pandora radio works great and there are many other radio options available.

Dave
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sailors35

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2017, 09:36:54 pm »
Perhaps this is just my sailing background, but why would one power their radio off of their starting battery or an inverter when they have most of their "house' power in their big battery bank.  On cruising boats we always thought it was essential to save the starting battery for that sole function and run everything else off of the big battery bank.  I personally would not want to have to turn my ignition key to accessory to power  my radio for any length of time.  the staring battery is not a deep cycle battery and IMHO I would like to reserve it for those times when I need its starting capacity.  Perhaps a switch to select which battery is an option.  Boats and boondocking rv's seem very similar, but perhaps I am missing something.
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Ron Dittmer

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2017, 12:02:11 am »
We have FM band inside our old Executive head unit inside the house of our PC, the one with the DVD player and surround sound.  I believe you with the more recent Samsung have the same FM radio band.

But like others mentioned, the radio in the dash board can be used for a very long time before affecting the starting of the PC.  We carry jumper cables to stretch between house and chassis batteries.  If we get into a pickle over it, we have a simple resolve.
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2 Frazzled

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2017, 07:17:54 am »
I suspect the resistance to changing the wiring in the Ford cutaway has to do with Ford warranties. If Phoenix messes with the Ford parts, the finger pointing can start and Ford may deny future warranty claims by stating that Phoenix did something that caused this, then that, then the other thing and it's not their problem anymore. This is not an attempt to ding Ford. It's the way it works. Especially with an RV.

We have had several warranty issues with systems that are not built by Phoenix and most of them tried to first dump the repair on the Phoenix when it was 100% their equipment. Once it is determined that Phoenix installed things correctly (which in every case they did), we fought the claim back to the manufacturer. If Phoenix had modified these items, they would not be covered under the original manufacturer's warranty.

Think of all the things that interact with that Ford wiring harness. I'd hate to have Ford question every item that might go wrong.
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Pax

Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2017, 08:03:16 am »
Regarding whether the cab radio is the only radio in the PC......it depends.  In mine, we have a factory installed Blueray player that has radio functions (and obviously runs off the house batteries). The antenna in the unit is not optimized for radio functions initially, but I don't think it would be all that difficult to run/locate the antenna to a better location.  If I really wanted to use an existing radio unit I already have, I would run the audio output through the Blueray in order to take advantage of the surround sound and speaker controls.

  - Mike
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gandalf42

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2017, 09:16:15 am »
Quote from: 2 Frazzled on January 12, 2017, 07:17:54 am
I suspect the resistance to changing the wiring in the Ford cutaway has to do with Ford warranties. If Phoenix messes with the Ford parts, the finger pointing can start and Ford may deny future warranty claims by stating that Phoenix did something that caused this, then that, then the other thing and it's not their problem anymore. This is not an attempt to ding Ford. It's the way it works. Especially with an RV.

Think of all the things that interact with that Ford wiring harness. I'd hate to have Ford question every item that might go wrong.

I can understand the concern but have some difficulty reconciling it with the standard option of replacing the radio with the gps/monitor/radio. i believe that's a PC installed option not a Ford one.
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TheLuvShack

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2017, 05:16:03 pm »
I have Bose Bluetooth speaker that I use to listen to Pandora inside and outside the coach. Sounds great. Works great. About $80.
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2 Frazzled

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #10 on: January 13, 2017, 06:46:52 am »
Quote from: gandalf42 on January 12, 2017, 09:16:15 am
Quote from: 2 Frazzled on January 12, 2017, 07:17:54 am
I suspect the resistance to changing the wiring in the Ford cutaway has to do with Ford warranties. If Phoenix messes with the Ford parts, the finger pointing can start and Ford may deny future warranty claims by stating that Phoenix did something that caused this, then that, then the other thing and it's not their problem anymore. This is not an attempt to ding Ford. It's the way it works. Especially with an RV.

Think of all the things that interact with that Ford wiring harness. I'd hate to have Ford question every item that might go wrong.

I can understand the concern but have some difficulty reconciling it with the standard option of replacing the radio with the gps/monitor/radio. i believe that's a PC installed option not a Ford one.

Swapping radio systems is more of a plug and play and the Ford is pre-wired for that. Swapping power sources is a different animal.
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John, Holly, and sometimes Chloe.
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gandalf42

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #11 on: January 13, 2017, 12:33:55 pm »
Quote from: 2 Frazzled on January 13, 2017, 06:46:52 am
Swapping radio systems is more of a plug and play and the Ford is pre-wired for that. Swapping power sources is a different animal.

Sorry but I don't understand the statement. Swapping radio systems often requires a go between wiring harness to match between different connections. Changing power supplies is just one wire..from the chassis 12V to the house 12V (as typically the ground is common).
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HenryJ

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2017, 02:04:20 am »
SAILORS35 Your logic sounds great.. with the class A there was a rocker switch on the dash panel that allowed the radio and the camera's on even with the ignition off. That meant Sat radio was  available
at times when you were not driving.  Well we found in the pc NOT ONLY IS RADIO NOT AVAILABLE in non running mode there is not even an Aux mode on the ignition.  Have had no satisfactory answers at the plant. I know you can get it reworked at Ford with an expert on the electronics who can figure what on earth they did for a pretty good price. So far my fix its    to make it so  I can live with it have been out of my pocket. Have not lived in it enough to see what else is kind of off the wall. Does not even have 3000 miles. So I hope when I crank the engine it will indeed run. will find out soon. PWS
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jfcaramagno

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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2017, 05:28:05 pm »
We have an AUX key position in our 2014 E450. It works the radio too.
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Re: Radio wiring and control
« Reply #14 on: January 23, 2017, 07:49:02 am »
first click on the ignition is auxiliary and activates power to your radio, back up monitor and more. The charging outlets work with the ignition totally off. Check your Ford manual. It should explain.
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