windguy Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 I spend a fair amount of time in the back of my cargo van while at the beach with the barn doors open. The thought crossed my feeble mind yesterday when I was putting gear away after a sailing session that it would be nice to have some music. I'm pretty green when it comes to anything high tech and audio systems. I wouldn't need anything fancy or high end. I'm not looking to draw any attention to my van. Just basic radio station music or perhaps off of a thumb drive if reception is poor and adding an antenna would be too difficult. Obviously a portable radio would probably work okay but I'm adverse to using batteries and having something floating around and not mounted. My thought was to mount some type of radio in the back (not sure where) and add a pair of speakers either on the upper grey side panels above the wire baskets (see pic below) or in the rear door inserts if it's easy to put speaker wires through the door conduit. The only hitch with mounting on the rear doors is that the speaker could get wet because I shower off in this area and the wind often sprays the water towards the van doors. I've got 12VDC power in the back that I can tap off of. The doors and side panels already have sound proofing (two layers) so that should reduce any vibration or tinny sound from the speakers. Has anyone else thought about doing this or added one themselves? If I put a radio in, I'm assuming I would need some type of antenna? Appreciate any thoughts or advice from the audio gurus. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Nickels Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 Build a overhead shelf right in front of the the rear door. Single din deck with 6x9 speakers. While you are running wires, add 12V power ports and USB ports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 I always carry one of these , I have lots of batteries and a 12 volt charger in my truck. Very handy and lasts 6 hours on a charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidparker Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 i agree with @G B L. Construction workers love their industrial strength boom boxes. They are tough, relatively water resistant and really don't sound too bad. Any home improvement store will have them Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. You could simply make a holder to sit it in and attach it to a wall and run a 12v plug to your outlet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 Thanks guys. A portable radio is definitely an option that could have expanded uses outside the van, around the yard, so that would maximize its use for sure. I'll keep that in mind if mounting a radio doesn't work out. @doublenickles - good idea for mounting but I have to keep that area clear due to the hanging shelf I use for gear storage. See pic below. What would be optimal is to have a remote control that turns a radio on that is tucked away behind a panel out of sight. Cool if the radio doesn't draw any power when it's off or I guess I could add a rocker switch to control power to it if it does draw power. The remote would make it easy to operate. That would be an ideal setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Aftermarket entertainment units come with remote controls. So that is the easy part. If you replace your OEM stereo with an aftermarket, you will get a remote control with it. Most aftermarket radios today don't have CD slots. SD cars and USB drives are the norm. A lot of people just use them as bluetooth receivers for their phones. You stream music from your phone to the deck, and take your calls over the speaker system. Pretty cool to have the back doors open, and be able to talk on the phone or play music from your phone while working. If you really want to install a second stereo, I think you have enough room under the plastic interior panels above the wheel wells. It would take a little bit of work to self engineer the mounting brackets. Speakers could be set in those panels also. Or you could wire the speakers into your rear doors. The boom box sounds like a good idea. But those things aren't small, and you already have a lot of stuff. The benefit is that the boom box is portable, away from the van, if you want to light a fire, or roast some chicken on a hibachi, down on the beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 A high end portable Bluetooth speaker would be the best option. Doesn't drain your battery and the best ones sound really great. We have ## 3 and 6 of the bunch in the house and both are awesome. I have also one rugged Jawbone speaker to drag around in the garage but it sounds crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Nickels Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Hat speaker is the best suggestion. No install necessary. Much smaller than a boom box. It will also work for hands free calling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 10 hours ago, mrtn said: We have ## 3 and 6 of the bunch in the house and both are awesome. Misplaced the link https://www.techradar.com/news/audio/portable-audio/10-best-portable-speakers-1069079 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 (edited) Thanks for all the great ideas. Lots of choices to consider. I would have never considered using my smart phone to drive a BT speaker. That's how far behind the times I am. I do stash my phone away when I get to the beach because of smash and grab break-ins but I can figure something out if I go this route. Thanks again! Edited August 3, 2019 by windguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 I've still got a sneaker phone from Sports Illustrated. Maybe I should put it on my dashboard. That will make those smash & grab thieves pause when they look into my car. I can see why they do it on the beach. You're in the water. Your wallet is in your car. No brainer. Almost makes you think that you need a pit bull in the car to guard your phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted August 9, 2019 Author Share Posted August 9, 2019 Need a favor from a Cargo Van owner. I need to know the recess dimension of the rear side upper cavity. See pic below. Mine are covered up with panels and it's not a quickie to remove so I'd appreciate someone taking a measurement for me. I realize the side wall is curved but just a ballpark on the depth. I found a few surface mount radios I like but need to make sure they'll fit okay. Much appreciated! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted August 9, 2019 Share Posted August 9, 2019 Marked point: 70 mm from inner plane to the spot welded edge, +10 mm to the outer shell in the middle. Same spot on the right (towards front of the vehicle) is 10 more mm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted August 9, 2019 Share Posted August 9, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted August 10, 2019 Author Share Posted August 10, 2019 @MRTN - Many thanks. Exactly what I needed. The sound unit I'm considering is 68MM deep, so it should fit but might be snug with the wiring harness coming out the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 I need to mount a 4" round speaker on each rear barn door and run the speaker wires through the door conduit. Has anyone removed the black plastic cover over the wiper motors, as shown below? I'm assuming you use a socket and remove the three nuts and the cover slips off the studs. Figured it's best to ask first before creating any collateral damage. Another question about wiring to the speakers. The Pyle speaker set I got came with 10ft of speaker wire for each speaker. One end of the cable has a small spade connector to mate to the lug on the speakers. The problem is that the spade connector doesn't sit very tightly on the speaker lug. It can get knocked off very easily with the movement of the door. Looking for suggestions on how to best to lock that in. My first thought is to take needle nose pliers and crimp it a bit but don't want to distort the connector either since it looks pretty thin and flimsy. I guess I can also use some type of adhesive like loctite to keep it on place. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Ridley Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 1. Crimp the connector closed 2. Solder the connection 3. Use better wire and crimp connectors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 Thanks Don. Appreciate the advice. Removing the spade connectors and soldering the wire directly to the speaker lug would be a sure thing. The speaker lug even has a hole in it to loop the wire through. I really like this idea. Regarding better wire, I've been waffling on doing this but considering the amount of time I'll be spending to snake the wire from the doors to the side jack area, upgrading the speaker wire is probably a good idea. The speaker wire that came with the speakers is, I'm guessing, 20awg. The speaker wire pigtails coming off the amp/control unit also seems to be around 20awg. Is there any penalty for going with a heavier gauge wire, like 16awg or 14awg? The speakers are rated at 4 Ohm - 100w max (50w RMS) Any suggestions on speaker wire to get (copper, CCA)? I found this 14awg roll of CCA linked below at Amazon. It says 30ft but it's actually 15ft x 2 strands. Would something like this work? https://www.amazon.com/InstallGear-Gauge-Speaker-Touch-Cable/dp/B01CSZUSLA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Ridley Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 Yes, that wire will work. But 14 ga is overkill and I personally have a problem with aluminum (copper clad aluminum:CCA) wire. I would buy real copper wire. The leftover wire will be high quality and can be used on future projects without reservation. Something like this 16 ga wire by Monoprice https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Choice-Gauge-Conductor-Speaker/dp/B001UNLTVK/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1PIW5WCAU30NF&keywords=monoprice+speaker+wire+16+gauge&qid=1568169616&s=wireless&sprefix=monoprice+speaker+wire+16%2Cmobile%2C184&sr=1-4 windguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 Crutchfield has some information about choosing speaker wire. Thick wire (12 or 14 gauge) is recommended for long wire runs, high power applications, and low-impedance speakers (4 or 6 ohms). For relatively short runs (less than 50 feet) to 8 ohm speakers, 16 gauge wire will usually do just fine. Speaker Wire: How to Choose the Right Gauge and Type https://www.crutchfield.com › ISEO-rgbtcspd › learn › learningcenter › home windguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted September 11, 2019 Author Share Posted September 11, 2019 Thanks Guys. Appreciate the help. I will source a roll of 16awg copper wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.