Ater install Stereo, In Dash Depth Flasher whys? and Functions of SONY

This topic has 9 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 9 months ago by bigal74848.

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August 22, 2009 at 8:59 am #430537

Flyswatter
Participant

These are not the best pics since it was low light but wanted to share another way to install a stereo into my PIV console. What I did was remove my digital depth finder and replace it with a same size wired remote gauge for my stereo. I had my dealer mount my radio into my driver side rod locker. The wired remote works great. I can power on my unit with the remote and play all my music via a CD/CDMP3’s/Radio/iPod player. Also, my dealer did a nice job installing my speakers too.

Flyswatter

August 22, 2009 at 11:10 am #468096

Bass Cat Boats
Keymaster

You dropped the 1440 and used that bezel on the remote. That would work, you could relocate the touch pad to the upper dash also and then install the stereo face mounted on the left lower panel.

Nice install!

BCB

August 22, 2009 at 6:14 pm #468104

bigal74848
Participant

Can you tell me what brand radio you have. I’m thinking about installing one in my 09 Puma Ftd. I like the looks of yours.

tks
Bigal

August 22, 2009 at 8:29 pm #468097

sgt93
Participant

Tom has the Sony system. I have the Clarion system which sounds great but I hear the Sony is better. If I ordered a syereo for my rig I woudl get the MB Quartz system as they are the Bentley of Marine Stereo Systems

August 22, 2009 at 8:35 pm #468098

Shap from La
Participant

We installed my radio in the Rod Box as well. The only thing is mine doesn’t have the remote like yours so I have to go into the box to change the stations and volume. I do have a remote but it is not a wired remote so for it to work the rod box must be open. I did it this way to get the longest life I could out of the radio but I wish I had mounted it exteriorly now, or did something like you with a wired remote. I am going to check with Clarion to see if they offer something like that. I could put it in place of my Speedometer. It hasn’t worked in 8 years so its just a useless item now. That way I could keep my flasher. I use my flasher a good bit. Your install looks great and I love the way that P4 is set up. I ‘m sure you’ve got a few more tricks up your sleeve for that Cat yet. Keep up the good work.

Chris Coupel
Paulina, La.

August 22, 2009 at 9:51 pm #468099

Flyswatter
Participant

Shap from La wrote:

Your install looks great and I love the way that P4 is set up. I ‘m sure you’ve got a few more tricks up your sleeve for that Cat yet. Keep up the good work.

Chris Coupel
Paulina, La.

I do!

August 22, 2009 at 10:23 pm #468100

Bass Cat Boats
Keymaster

Stereo 101 – The Sony unit does sound better than the JVC, Kenwood and Clarion Marine units we have used in previous years.

This is the same unit BCB mounts as standard. You can buy this unit from electronics stores for bargains due to their volumes on radios. The Sony is a marine unit with splash resistant face. On the Sony, the CD cover flips down and also has a gasket. They come in two units, the upper is as Sirius ready, and Infrared Remote also. The lower level model does not have IR or Sirius. The IR model is the unit BCB uses.

The backlight colors can be changed between blue and red. There is a USB cable out that accepts MP3 formats or iPod harnesses. There is a sleeve on BCB installs for the iPods to slide into that accepts the 120 gb, iPhone and iTouch also. The smaller Nano units do not fit. If you have iPod Shuffle, that unit plugs into the same rear port for MP3’s that have the headphone jacks in the rear of the unit.

Stereo units are a nemesis for marine applications. They are notorious for failure due to the moisture that a boat is always under. Not just on the water, also in storage as water is retained and the humidity in a boat is high, which also leads to mildew and mold. That moisture also causes corrosion on the printed circuit boards and little electronic parts that already have small connection points. We feel the Sony system is above average in that regard.

Otherwise you can pretty much select any unit you feel comforatble with and go from there. If your not going to a high dollar unit, then just squeeze and reduce costs to the least cost on a suitable unit. Pro Spec makes a very efficient marine stereo that competes for the price with Audiovox.

BCB

August 23, 2009 at 10:52 am #468101

NELACAT
Participant

Great job on the stereo. I’m glad someone finally found a useful way to get rid of that idiot flasher and in such a cool way. What is the cost of the wired remote gauge? I could see my flasher disappearing too. Sorry BCB, I just hate those flashers in the dash. I’m sure one day it will save my butt.

Glynn

August 23, 2009 at 8:58 pm #468102

Mark5795
Participant

and temp maybe, I am not at the boat right now so it all escapes me but what other functions does this flasher do? To me it seemed over kill with the GPS and other gauges and then completely when I added the Mercmonitor…..Am I missing something?

Thanks

August 23, 2009 at 9:40 pm #468103

Bass Cat Boats
Keymaster

Often LCR’s loose shallow water readings, which is why the old flashers were so dependable. They gave you the instant signal and ability to monitor depth accurately without averaging, that a digital In Dash does. Though the newer LCD units are conversions and software controlled.

The standard Vexilar in dash is still the preferred unit for many hard core anglers, where as it was the 1240A Lowrance, till it was discontinued. They want that ability to glide through a creek and know while putzing along that they have enough depth and have not run aground on a flat.

There could always be a need for in dash flashers like those Vexilars and those original Lowrance units. Or something similar to those units. In dashes were popular when LCR’s like those original X-3, the first Lowrance (X-3), units were designed in the mid 80’s. They were extremely S L O W and you lost bottom frequently. They were succeeded by X4, X5 and etc. Old anglers were used to the flashers, and they worked well. Eventually the 3000 and 3100 or 3200 small digital only u8nits were tried as depth only readers, and they were designed where they too provided instant details and only converted the reading to digital without averaging. Though eventually they too changed to try and do more, which required software and engineer out designed the need.

The best unit probably ever produced in a flasher was the Lowrance 2330 and those were spot on accurate. Of course the HumminBird Super 6- was extremely popular as were the 2260 Lowrances. Though with a gimbal on the LCR, you now had two gimbals at the dash. Thus the In Dash became popular so serious anglers could retain that instant accuracy signal. And yes even those wonderful In Dash units lost signal at high speeds.

While LCR’s have developed well, they still loose signal in shallow water applications. If they fix that, then a backup of a digital small depth finder would be trick once everyone figures out we still need a simple depth finder that works only for depth.

BCB
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