Dash Radio's Motor Homes

[egh33]

Has any one else had their dash radio go bad?? Maybe it's just me. My first coach after about 5 years old the dash radio just quit completely. Tried a couple of radio shops, both told me they were not worth fixing,so I replaced it.
Now in this coach, (bought it new)which is a Winnebago Adventurer 06 the off & on button has quit working, plus the remote on the steering wheel has quit also. Do those radio's last about like the car radio's back in the 40's & 50's did ? Some of you might remember they didn't last very long at all.
I wonder what I'm doing wrong.

[Cloud_Dancer]

Newmar picked a good Sony radio, for my'03 Dutch Star,...and pretty good CRT Sony TV's(considered antiques now). The surround sound system is good too. But, the rear-view camera system is truly substandard. But,.....don't get me started on some of the rest.

[Dick_A]

Our Panasonic died in just two years. I replaced it with a Kenwood Exelon.

[Jagtech]

Executive wrote:
We've NEVER used the radio. Don't even know if it works. DW and I talk while we travel so we don't use it..two minutes of song and 20 minutes of drivel....Dennis

Agreed... who wants to listen to random "garbage" while travelling, anyhow?
We do use the CD player for music occasionally, or an audio book on a long trip.
But our radio is really difficult to operate while driving, too. To turn it on, push "mode", then select "band", then scan for a station. Every function is combined with something else on the same tiny button, making it really hard to mess with while concentrating on driving!
I'd really like to replace it with an old-fashioned radio that has an on/off/volume knob, and a tuning knob. But alas, you can't buy those anymore.

[FIRE_UP]

egh33 wrote:
"quote"
( I can't guaranty this will remedy your situation and, I need to know what model of radio you have. If it's a Magnadyne, it may have a reset pin on it. Ours does. The reset button/pin is in between the two rotational dials, on the left side. It's slightly to the right of both of them. Ours did exactly what yours is doing, only about 5 years ago. I pushed that reset button/pin and, it came back to life and, has been working great ever since. Our coach is an '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT.)

Scott
Hey, my reset button is not in the same place as yours. but I did punch it and the radio worked twice then quit again. I will play with it some more and see if it makes any difference.
Thanks for the info.

Well,

You're certainly welcome. Not sure why yours keeps quitting. A little perseverance may reveal the problem. Most of factory radios are not all that good-a quality. So, you can mess with yours 'till you're tired of messing with it and then just change it out. The issue is tying it in to the factory wiring so that you hear what you're supposed to hear, where you're supposed to hear it.
Scott

[egh33]

"quote"
( I can't guaranty this will remedy your situation and, I need to know what model of radio you have. If it's a Magnadyne, it may have a reset pin on it. Ours does. The reset button/pin is in between the two rotational dials, on the left side. It's slightly to the right of both of them. Ours did exactly what yours is doing, only about 5 years ago. I pushed that reset button/pin and, it came back to life and, has been working great ever since. Our coach is an '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT.)

Scott
Hey, my reset button is not in the same place as yours. but I did punch it and the radio worked twice then quit again. I will play with it some more and see if it makes any difference.
Thanks for the info.

[KD4UPL]

I've never encountered a factory stereo that wasn't junk. Even the supposed "premium" factory set-ups. Just about any of the cheapest aftermarket stereos will be much better. I've replaced many factory radios over the years because they quit working for one reason or another. I've rarely ever had an aftermarket stereo fail. Most have been Sony, Kenwood, JVC, Pioneer, etc. They all seem to work equally well.
Talk to Crutchfield and get a good stereo and it should take care of your problems.

[Executive45]

We've NEVER used the radio. Don't even know if it works. DW and I talk while we travel so we don't use it..two minutes of song and 20 minutes of drivel....Dennis

[MrWizard]

I don't remember what this had,
But it was still working when I replaced it with a Sony with CD etc..

[FIRE_UP]

egh33 wrote:
Has any one else had their dash radio go bad?? Maybe it's just me. My first coach after about 5 years old the dash radio just quit completely. Tried a couple of radio shops, both told me they were not worth fixing,so I replaced it.
Now in this coach, (bought it new)which is a Winnebago Adventurer 06 the off & on button has quit working, plus the remote on the steering wheel has quit also. Do those radio's last about like the car radio's back in the 40's & 50's did ? Some of you might remember they didn't last very long at all.
I wonder what I'm doing wrong.

egh33,
I can't guaranty this will remedy your situation and, I need to know what model of radio you have. If it's a Magnadyne, it may have a reset pin on it. Ours does. The reset button/pin is in between the two rotational dials, on the left side. It's slightly to the right of both of them. Ours did exactly what yours is doing, only about 5 years ago. I pushed that reset button/pin and, it came back to life and, has been working great ever since. Our coach is an '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT.

But, if your radio is not similar to ours, then forget everything above.
Scott

[egh33]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Some of the automobiles that I restored still had working tube type radios. With today's electronics I would think that vehicle radios should last forever. I know that the current TV's are much more reliable than those a few decades ago.
I am guessing that most of the failure comes from mechanical issues caused by the constant earthquake environment that our motor homes endure. Components that are shaken loose/damaged are the main causes of failures. I don't think the same quality exists in aftermarket radios that are used in most RV's.

I sure go along with you on the (earth quake environment), Last month I was on a highway that just about shook the coach to prices. But there seems to be so much more traffic than just a few years ago.
Thank y'all for your input.

[wa8yxm]

I have had two dash radios die in cars.. Both modern, and my parent's I had to pull it and take it into a shop for rebuild.

Now back in my parent's day it was a better quality radio

Today a good number of 'em are made you know where or in another country both of which are kind of lacking in quality control.

I do have horror stories.

[rgatijnet1]

Some of the automobiles that I restored still had working tube type radios. With today's electronics I would think that vehicle radios should last forever. I know that the current TV's are much more reliable than those a few decades ago.
I am guessing that most of the failure comes from mechanical issues caused by the constant earthquake environment that our motor homes endure. Components that are shaken loose/damaged are the main causes of failures. I don't think the same quality exists in aftermarket radios that are used in most RV's.

[Mr_Mark1]

The Magnadyne radio in our previous Monaco Dynasty was just junk. It couldn't pick up a good signal 15 ft. out of a major city. The car radio always worked much better.

When I would set the tow vehicle up for towing in the mornings and running through the gears, I would search for a radio station in the car first, about 50% of the time, I could get it on the Magnadyne, sometimes not. What irritated me is that when I would 'scan' for a radio station in the motorhome, it would stop on 'staticiky' stations. ???

The radio in the new coach is much more car-like for reception. I'm not sure of the brand, it does have the Garmin GPS system built-in.

I should have changed the radio in the Dynasty, I would just play CD's in non-signal area's. I never did sign up for Sirius radio, I have this thing about paying for radio. LOL!

MM.