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Converting the radio of a reimported RV8
We noticed
in an advert Mike Simmonds (Woodcote Green 1504) from Berkshire posted on the
V8 Website offering his car for sale, that he had fitted a "new" UK
market radio rather than the alternative of fitting a frequency band expander
to the original Japan market radio. (Jan 05)
The
popular option for overcoming the mismatch of the FM bands of a Japan market radio
and the frequency band of broadcasts in the UK, is to fit a frequency band expander
or converter as described in RV8NOTE220. So when we saw Mike's advert stating
his RV8 "is fitted with a plug-in replacement UK specification Panasonic
radio which controls the original equipment Panasonic boot-mounted CD player"
we sought details of the new Panasonic radio he had fitted. Mike's reply was "there
are new radios, and there are "new" radios. The one I fitted was spotted
on a table at a car-boot sale a few months after I bought the RV8 - it is a "period"
radio of the mid-nineties, but no RDS, I'm afraid. It is a |
Panasonic R805E Cassette Player and Receiver with Changer Control and
it has a removable front panel. The CD player plug fitted straight in with no
changes and worked well. The only changes I made were to the plugs on the back
of the radio. The original (Japanese market) radio has three multi-way connectors
on the rear of the set for power, speakers and rear "woofer" output".
"The replacement
radio did not have the third woofer connector. I made the choice of not connecting
the woofer, although with a suitable cross-over, I'm sure this could be made to
work. But bleeding ears for me and passers by does not appeal - I must be getting
old!"
"So, in summary, I did not cut any wires, I redirected
a few, and I did not connect the woofers, but apart from that, it works fine".
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reserved by the V8 Register of the MG Car Club, PO Box 251, Abingdon-on-Thames,
Oxfordshire OX14 1FF |
