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Topic: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio  (Read 1082 times) previous topic - next topic

Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Hello;
I am looking to upgrade my 94 Sony in dash am/fm cassette pull out radio with an am/fm with auxiliary input for MP3 player.
Has anyone done this before?
David in VA
1994 Unihome Grand Villa U280

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #1 –
Quote from: David Smith –
Hello;
I am looking to upgrade my 94 Sony in dash am/fm cassette pull out radio with an am/fm with auxiliary input for MP3 player.
Has anyone done this before?

Yes.
 Pretty simple swap. There is a slide in sub chassis that you release the radio from and pull it out. the sub chassis is common to many other radios. The release mechanisms are released by sliding a thin blade along the side of the unit. I replaced mine with another Sony and it slid right into the old mount. See link for info and research. I am not advocating to buy from the people in the link as I have no experience with them, it is just for your reference. Good luck.

http://www.techronics.com/caraudio_14113_Sony-CDX-GT35U-In-Dash-Single-DIN-MP3-CD-USB-Reciver-w-Front-USBandAUX.html?aff=72182
Rick

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #2 –
Quote from: Rick –
Quote from: David Smith –
Hello;
I am looking to upgrade my 94 Sony in dash am/fm cassette pull out radio with an am/fm with auxiliary input for MP3 player.
Has anyone done this before?

Yes.
I replaced mine with another Sony and it slid right into the old mount. See link for info and research. I am not advocating to buy from the people in the link as I have no experience with them, it is just for your reference. Good luck.

www.techronics.com/caraudio_14113_Sony-CDX-GT35U-In-Dash-Single-DIN-MP3-CD-USB-Reciver-w-Front-USBandAUX.html?aff=72182

Some of the older Grand Villas have a proprietary radio chassis with a plug attached in the back. Replacing with a newer Sony requires removal of the entire chassis. Removal is very easy. As I recall on my 93, I had one nut and bolt to remove in the back and then just bend up the metal ears on the chassis to slid the chassis out of the hole. Total time for swap out, excluding wiring, 15 minutes.
The selected media item is not currently available.Kent Speers
Locust Grove, OK
1993 U300 SSE 40' (Restored at FOT 2009) Build 4323
720 watts Solar
6V92TA DDEC Silver Engine
2014 Subaru Outback

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #3 –
I had mine traded out at FOT in June. Went to Walmart picked out a unit brought it back to FOT. They installed for about $70 IIRC. Well worth it to me. :)

see ya
ken
The selected media item is not currently available.ken & dori hathaway & Big Agnes
🍺1992 U300 GrandVilla WTBI #4150 FOT FBP 2011
✨6V-92TA DDEC Parlor Coach 350HP Series 92
🏁2011 Nissan XTerra Pro-4X

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #4 –
Quote from: David Smith –
Hello;
I am looking to upgrade my 94 Sony in dash am/fm cassette pull out radio with an am/fm with auxiliary input for MP3 player.
Has anyone done this before?


David,

Open your dash top and you should see a Sony Audio Selector. You can plug most anything into it including USB, iphone, etc. even a laptop audio out.  If your MP3 player (or any kind of player) is turned on, it will appear in the menu on the radio as soon as you hit the selector/source switch. You could run a short extension out a few inches to the slide out tray in the middle and plug in the player. We should have the same Sony radio. You can also replace with another later Sony that has the same aux. plug on the back. Do you have the CD player under the dash on the passenger's side? Plugging into the selector is a little neater (in my opinion) than going into the face of the radio.
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #5 –
The release tabs are Ford, so if you can remove a Ford radio, you have it covered, have swapped different radios, simple, just keep your head clear. If you have any experience with radios, it is  simple.

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #6 –
Replaced mine with a Pioneer Supertuner 2 year back. No drama.
The selected media item is not currently available. Dave Head & Megan Westbrook
Titusville, FL - The Great Outdoors
'98 270 buying this month
Toad is a 2018 F150 XLT

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #7 –
I just did this a couple of months ago. I picked up a Pioneer AM/FM CD player with front aux input for $79. Went in without a fuss, even used the same wiring to connect everything.

If you're thinking about speakers as well, there are a number that will fit in place of the Sony's. I installed 4 new Kickers in the same opening with the same hardware. These are mid-range priced, and sound excellent. Major improvement in sound quality along with a very tight and powerful bottom end, using just the onboard amp of the Pioneer CD player.

Of course, in the end, your own ears are the best judge of what works for you.

Steve
1991 U225 Grand Villa

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #8 –
Consider a replacement that is XM ready. We added XM years ago and listen to it all the time.
John Duld
1995 U320C SE 40'

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #9 –
Best Buy sells Pioneer radios that have MP3, Bluetooth, and an XM tuner (sold separately) that plugs in the back of the radio. I had one installed last spring and use the XM 95% of the time. The Pioneer fit right into the existing slot, once the Sony frame was removed. It has an audio input in the front that enabled me to use a mini-plug mated to RCA plugs into my Sony LCD TV. Thus, the radio's amplifier sends the TV sound to all the speakers in the front of the coach, almost a necessity when the front roof A/C is running..
Don Hay
'92 Grandvilla, U-280
The Hayfever Express
Build #4055
'97 GEO Tracker
Life is like licking honey off a thorn.

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #10 –
Thank you for all the great responses, I appreciate it and now have direction.
David in VA
1994 Unihome Grand Villa U280

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #11 –
I swapped mine for a blaupunkt and ran my tv output to sound input on radio, not true surround sound but stereo.
Mitch
'93 U300 40' Grand Villa, 6V92 w/retarder

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #12 –
Update:
After much research I replaced the old Sony slide in with the Sony DSX-S100 XPLOD AM/FM/MP3/sat Radio Car Stereo.  This radio is Ipod ready.  You just hit a button and a compartment opens where you attach your Ipod, then close the door and your ipod is out of the way and controlled by the radio.  It also has the auxiliary out so that you can play your TV through the Foretravels speaker system if you want.  This radio is satellite radio ready.  It is $78.55 which includes shipping.  Sony DSX-S100 XPLOD AM/FM/MP3/sat Radio Car Stereo | eBay  This unit does not have a CD player.
In my case this was not a plug and play as I had to cut and reconnect the wires.
David in VA
1994 Unihome Grand Villa U280

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #13 –
Such a deal! Good photos of all the connections, functions on ebay. I like my OEM but unless I use it all time, I forget what some of the buttons do. Looks like a good replacement. Has the Sony plug in the back so the remote audio selector and the remote CD changer will still work fine.
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #14 –
Way cool radio!  Didn't know anyone was offering this kind of IPOD solutions, but makes sense!
Benjie, Ashley, Zoey, Fallon, and Lake
Round Rock, TX
In search of our next monster...

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #15 –
That's pretty cool setup with the iPod accommodation. It's basically the same unit I put in my 93 except mine has the CD player and not the iPod connection. I bought mine at Walmart for roughly the same price. Its nothing fancy but serves our use well. We also run the TV sound through it with a patch cord that plugs in to the front of the unit.

Pierce, the plug in back does not mate up with the original Sony plug so it requires installation of the new metal mounting and has to be rewired.

The selected media item is not currently available.Kent Speers
Locust Grove, OK
1993 U300 SSE 40' (Restored at FOT 2009) Build 4323
720 watts Solar
6V92TA DDEC Silver Engine
2014 Subaru Outback

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #16 –
Quote from: Kent Speers –
That's pretty cool setup with the iPod accommodation. It's basically the same unit I put in my 93 except mine has the CD player and not the iPod connection. I bought mine at Walmart for roughly the same price. Its nothing fancy but serves our use well. We also run the TV sound through it with a patch cord that plugs in to the front of the unit.

Pierce, the plug in back does not mate up with the original Sony plug so it requires installation of the new metal mounting and has to be rewired.



Kent,

Was thinking of the round accessory plug not the wiring plug. Does yours have the accessory plug?

P
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)
 

Re: Looking to upgrade "Sony" in dash radio

Reply #17 –
Pierce, if you mean a plug for hooking up a iPod or other device, yes it has one on the front. It is considered the Aux input. I use it for my iPhone and for the TV input.
The selected media item is not currently available.Kent Speers
Locust Grove, OK
1993 U300 SSE 40' (Restored at FOT 2009) Build 4323
720 watts Solar
6V92TA DDEC Silver Engine
2014 Subaru Outback