New Radio

JanandDave

Hi. In another 'for sale' post, the interior pics of a 2018 320 S show a different radio. Anyone have any info on this newer update to the T@B? Thx

dhauf

The later 2018 and 19's come with the Jensen JWM70A unit.  Here is a link to it with all of its features.  I currently have this one in my T@b unit.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-VrqlkfMQCp5/p_522JWM70A/Jensen-JWM70A.html

brayan_merc

Great, thanks for sharing the link as I the previous owner removed the radio due to some reason, so I need to figure something out at this point...

napjerk

Our the Jensen in our 2018 320 S will not read a DVD at all. We have tried several attempts to reset and no luck. Honestly, not looking forward to the hour drive to the dealer to have it checked then back again to get a new if it can’t be fixed. Very disappointing. 

dhauf

napjerk said:

Our the Jensen in our 2018 320 S will not read a DVD at all. We have tried several attempts to reset and no luck. Honestly, not looking forward to the hour drive to the dealer to have it checked then back again to get a new if it can’t be fixed. Very disappointing. 

I had two units that did the same thing.  Seems like a pretty common issue with these units.  I also had another problem of the volume going up by itself.  The only thing that solved both issues was replacing the head unit twice.  You can alternatively reach out to Jensen and they can also send you a new unit as well if it’s still under warranty and skip the dealer visit.  The side plastic clips pull out and then there are just a couple of square bit screws holding it in.  A few wire disconnects and it will come right out.  Honestly it’s about a 5-10min swap max.

WilliamA

I replaced the Jensen radio in my T@G with an Android tablet Head Unit.  The H/U offers:
Internet
GPS
Radio (FM/AM/Internet)
Web
DVD (if you so desire)
Screen mirroring to the television
Video in
etc
Pretty much anything you can do on your tablet can be done on the radio.  The options are pretty much unlimited.
I've used 2 of these units now and love them both.  They come in many variations.  Mine are both 10 screen size with no exposed knobs.  Both have multiple usb inputs (music dongles etc) I've got 266 CD's on the usb stick in my trailer and over 700 in my Jeep.

I paid $400 for the Jeep radio (Dash-specific mount) and $189 for the one shown here in my trailer.  It's a generic, double-din mount and came complete with wiring harness, usb harness and gps antenna.  

I'm currently using "Car Launcher AGAMA" for my launcher.  It comes with a generic one or there are dozens available for download in the Play Store.  I use this one so the layout closely matches my Jeep for ease of going back and forth.  On both of my units, I can (within reason) set the screen background color and brightness.  There is a "sleep" mode that dims or blacks the display or displays a clock-time face on black background.  Options are limitless.  You can also set your "desktop photo" with any you desire.  


My Head Unit has Screen Mirroring, so anything I can see on the radio head can be displayed on the television.  Nice...


Keep in mind, the install is easy but you might need to fab some brackets.  Sorting out the software.....Not for the faint of heart, although there are tons of websites to troll and get some info.  That's how I did it.

Both of my units are from "Seicane" but there are many brands out there.  You can even get them with Apple Ipad front ends if you want to toss the ching for them....

I did a complete write-up on the T@G forum.  If you're interested, you can find that here:
http://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/429/an-interesting-radio-upgrade-perhaps#latest
WilliamA

Cbusguy

Honestly this the tablet head end makes a lot of sense to me.     With all of the smart tech being dumped into these trailers it makes sense for a tablet to be used for this.   

Victron,  propane monitors, bluetooth leveling systems, weather radios,  on and on.....   It would be nice to bundle it all into one device, not my phone.

jkjenn

I prefer it on my phone. I do not need another device to keep track of.

WilliamA

Cbusguy said:

Honestly this the tablet head end makes a lot of sense to me.     With all of the smart tech being dumped into these trailers it makes sense for a tablet to be used for this.   

Victron,  propane monitors, bluetooth leveling systems, weather radios,  on and on.....   It would be nice to bundle it all into one device, not my phone.

That's one of the main reasons I made the switch.  Too many gadgets!  I am finding out that many of the onboard devices have controller apps that can be downloaded to the head unit.  I am also finding out that a few of the apps I've tried require portrait orientation and either work poorly or not at all in landscape mode.  I quickly found that the best method is to download the app, install it, try it, erase it, try another etc. It sounds daunting but in reality takes less than a minute to put one on and try it.  On the upside, as a consequence of all the fiddling I've learned a lot mor about my phone operating system (Android) in the bargain.  There is much yet for me to learn and there's no guarantee I will keep it in there, but I have (mostly) enjoyed the process.  I bought the least expensive ($189) head unit I could find so its capabilities are not nearly as robust as the one I put in the Jeep, which I absolutely love and wouldn't be without.  I may yet swap this one out for a more expensive one.  If anyone is considering this sort of swap, I'd not recommend one that costs less than $300 or so. I'd also highly recommend one that comes loaded with the most current platform operating system and the most available RAM.  Both of my head units came with Android 8.1 installed. I could have gotten the identical system with Android 7.1 but my research told me they are much slower and weren't capable of accessing more than 16 gig memory sticks.  As one of my primary goals was to put my ENTIRE music collection on a usb stick, I needed one that could map at least 32 gigs on a usb drive.  I have read that it's possible to access 64 gig usb sticks by partitioning, but I wanted to have all of my music available just as it is on my iMac desktop at home. Both of my head units seem to be able to chew the large usb music dongles I have on them, so that bar is cleared.  As far as capabilities go, everything else they will do is just more gravy on the potatoes.
Keep in mind folks, that a lot of my enjoyment is nested in my simple (relative term) joy of random fiddling, so it's a win to me even if it gets swapped out down the road.
So far, I've been happy with the results.  It does what I want (mostly) and looks great in there.  It also has much higher output to the speakers which a few folks have said has been a foible of the Jensen.  I briefly considered adding a power amp to boost output from the Jensen but quickly abandoned that idea when I saw how much power they use when on at ANY volume!  I boondock a lot and any device that draws more than an amp or so is a serious bummer.  If it uses more than that, it better come equipped with dancing girls.

If you've read this far, I'll assume that you aren't yet put off by the pro's/con's and may want to do more research.  To that event, I'll include a couple of links to products that I've been using.  
--------------------
Disclaimer:
I don't work for these guys, or anyone else.  I don't advocate any brand.  Do your homework and let your own needs (and availability of cash) be your guide.  I'm simply adding links to stuff I've been using and can make comment on.  There are lots of radio's out there in this category.  Some are Android and others are Mac-based. Do your research...
--------------------
This is the one I stuffed in my trailer and have been putzing with. 
https://www.seicane.com/hd-rotatable-touchscreen-android-universal-gps-navigation-bluetooth-car-audio-system-support-mirror-link-4g-wifi-backup-camera-dvr-dab-steering-wheel-control-s181016
If you were to look closely at the literature on the Seicane website, you'd find that this one is supposed to be for a Toyota Corolla or some other car.  Keep in mind that, all other things aside, it's just a radio.  It won't care what it's mounted into.  This one does come with the universal wiring harness just like a Jensen or other aftermarket radio does.    
It's a nice unit and has done exactly what they said it would do.  Would I get another one of these?  No.  I'd put another $100 bucks toward the project and get one of the next link.  To be sure, this one works.  What it doesn't do that I'd like it to do is:
1. Come with a remote (this one doesn't)
2. Have seamless video out for mirroring to the television.  I've been able to get that to work with this one, but it requires a separate device such as comcast or similar dongle.  The higher end units have better video-out and screen matching.
3. Internal DVD player.  This one doesn't have that and I would like to get one that does.  I had originally written about how players, whether DVD, CD or whatever, are low on my list because of the fact that if the player mechanically fails, it's boots to the entire unit.  I'm now edging toward getting another with onboard DVD simply because it's much more simple and compact than an external usb powered DVD drive.  If it goes boots up, Oh well.  Nature of the beast.  Besides, I seldom use the DVD player and chances of actually wearing it out are pretty slim.  My kids like it though and I carry a few DVD's for them.  If it were only me, I'd not care one way or the other.

Here's the one that I'm on the edge of ordering:
https://www.seicane.com/2-din-universal-touchscreen-android-radio-gps-navigation-system-with-wifi-bluetooth-music-usb-obd2-aux-radio-backup-camera-steering-wheel-control-s181015e
Underneath the skin of all of these units is pretty much the same basic motherboard with the same features.  This one happens to brag about having plug-n-play steering wheel control functions and lots of other bits you probably would never use in a travel trailer.  Don't be put off by all of that.  Most of the head units I've looked at mount and hook up in the same way.  
For example, if you look at the wiring harnesses that come with these two example head units, you'll notice that the first one comes with a universal wiring harness for power and speakers, etc.  The second one comes with a modular plug at the end of the harness.  What's the difference?  Nothing, once you take your wire cutter and whack off the modular plug.  Many come with modular plugs on the end of the harness because the companies offer an additional harness that will plug into your wiring harness on the Mercedes AMG or your HUMVEE or Rolls Royce etc.  The modular plug is just for adding an adapter if you happen to be stuffing it into a dash.  Whack off the plug and you'll have the same basic setup as the universal wiring harness.  
In addition, lots of head units brag about being compatible with steering wheel controls.  Unless you are intent upon putting in a steering column, that's not really a useful selling point.  Not to worry.  They don't need that and you can simply put the radio in without using that feature.  Generally speaking, any radio/head unit that has the capability to interface with steering wheel controls uses a "CANBUS" for the job.  Now as they pointed out to me on the T@G website, that's very different than "cannibus".  Not the same thing at all.  For those inclined, the latter might be helpful in programming the former, but I have no experience with that.  I prefer a good gin myself.
"CANBUS" simply translates to: that gray thingy that plugs into the other thingy that makes steering wheel controls run the radio.  It's short for "Collision Avoidance Network Bus" or, for those of us who speak english and not engineer, it's a router.  It's a small box with a bunch of wires and plug that take steering wheel control input and translate that into some sort of signal the head unit understands to run the radio.  It's not needed for RV installs and you can simply ignore it.  
If you look at the wiring harness of pretty much any aftermarket head unit, you'll see a boatload of wires.  Don't panic.  There are a few wires you need and a lot you don't.  What you WILL need is pretty much just exactly as you'd see in the back of the Jensen.  You'll need 2 power wires, a ground wire, several speaker wires (2 for each speaker or a maximum of 8 if you are using 4 speakers), some video in's and out's and, additionally, for aftermarket stuff, you'll get one or more usb plugs and perhaps a gps antenna plug.  Here are a few of the wires that most come with and can be ignored:

Anything that says: "Key".  For example, "Key 1-5" or "Key 4-7" etc.  These are for specific steering wheel control or dash inputs from various cars and you can simply ignore them.  Just cap them off and forget about them. Most head units come with things like "brake in" or "reverse in", "amp-con" (for signal to an amplifier or sub-woofer) etc.  That's all stuff you don't need and can simply cap off.  They do things you don't need like turn on the backup camera when the car goes into reverse or turn off the DVD player when the car isn't in park and those sort of things.  You simply don't need them and can just insulate the wire end and forget about it.  It'll work just fine without it. 

Things they (head units) offer that you might find handy are gps antenna's or microphones.  I use my gps in the trailer for planning the next days' travel and like to be able to access maps on the larger screen.  It's handy.  I also like to use my head unit instead of my phone for a couple of reasons: it gets much better reception than my phone simply because it has more power to do it.  I also like the hands-free for yacking to my kids.  Whether you use those sort of things, it's available.  If you're "sure" you'd never want them, simply ignore the additional wiring.  It'll work fine without it.  

So what I'm saying is that once you sort out all the stuff head units come with that you don't want or need, the wiring is no more difficult than putting in the Jensen or any other "dumb" radio.  It's just a variation on a theme.  If you'd be comfortable putting in another Jensen, you can almost surely handle a head-unit.  Same cat, just a different color....

WilliamA

WilliamA

Continuing on with the How's and why's, let's talk for a bit about the big banana of head units.  That, of course, would be the internet.  The be-all, know-all of information systems.  
When I started to putz with the idea of adding a better radio, my primary reasons were simple.  I wanted access to a very large library of music.  I also wanted to rid my trailer of the Fibber McGee's closet of devices I was using to access my music library.  It's easy to plug an iPod or tablet or whatever to play music through the stock sound system but I quickly tired of having more devices to charge, more cables to hook up and mess with and arcane requirements of how to power it all up.  It was a pain no matter how I did it.  I often had access to the music files but no way of finding any specific selection except the tiny screen my devices offered.  I solved all of that with the head unit.  Now, it was time to see how much more function I could squeeze out of it.  I thought next that it would be nice to have some sort of weather app to keep track of local hurricane's and so forth.  It might also be nice to have access to gps for planning routes and finding waypoints I might need to check out.  As Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park II, "OOOOOOH, AHHHH....That's always how it starts.  Then later, there's running and screaming...."
Internet!  AHAA!  Now, the running and screaming part.  Making it work....

For internet, you'll need access to, well, the internet.  For that, you'll need WiFi or Cellular signal.  No problem, I said.  I'll just bluetooth my phone and use it for a hotspot.  That works fine, but I quickly discovered that they don't call it "hotspot" for nothing.  My phone quickly got up to about 300 degrees right before the battery went dead while streaming movies and things.  Even the best phone won't last long if you dedicate it to the chore of routing internet into your head unit.  There had to be a better way.  There is:  Use a dedicated Hotspot.  I happened to have one that I had used with my laptop.  It was from Verizon and worked very well.  The problem with it was that it was the older, battery-powered style that still needed to be charged to work.  To be fair, the battery lasted a long time between charges, but there was still the unplugging, turning on, pairing nonsense.  I searched for a bit and discovered the USB dongle cellular modem.  These are offered by many manufacturers and come in a lot of flavors.  The one I ultimately picked up happened to be from Verizon and is just a USB dongle similar to a usb flash drive in design and function. 
https://www.verizonwireless.com/internet-devices/verizon-global-modem-usb730l/?sku=sku2540056&cmp=CSE-C-HQ-NON-R-AC-NONE-NONE-2C0PX0-PX-PLA-USB730L&gclid=COCz19GdouECFWSPxQIdVtoHoQ
It works great.....sort of.....  Actually, it works incredibly well with the caveat that there is no downloadable software driver for Android.  You don't need the software to make it work.  You need the software to instruct it on when to work.  As a result, whenever I need or want internet, I have to pull down the settings menu and tell it to hook up.  Once hooked up, it will stay hooked up for as long as the radio is on and it has signal.  If I turn the radio off, I'll need to repeat the process of pulling down the menu and telling it to hook up.  Now this takes only a few seconds and works every time, but it's just another of those steps I've been working to eliminate.  I don't doubt that Motorolla will come out with the drivers for it soon (if they already haven't.  Need to check that) but in the meantime, I need to connect manually every time.  The software simply tells the hotspot what frequency you want it to hook up, as in, "every time", only when not roaming, etc.  As I said, the modem works fine without the driver, it just needs to be told to do so.  The software saves your roaming preferences to make that automatic.  It's a small thing and I have no problem with it now, but will continue to search for the drivers to make it seamless.  
Signal Strength:
I am quite impressed with my signal strength.  I had originally thought I'd need an external antenna to use this thing, but that's not been the case.  I did a test early on by taking a usb extension cable and plugging in the modem, then setting it on top of the trailer with the cord running out the window and to be sure, it gets much better signal up there.  But I also found that in most circumstances, it also works just fine inside the trailer.  In the event that you find yourself needing signal, this modem does have a plug-in antenna port so an external cellular antenna can be used.  You'd just have to route the wiring for it to the roof of the trailer.  I'd have already done that except I checked and didn't find the extra $70 bucks laying around.  I'll probably get to it eventually, but not right away as it seems to work pretty well inside the trailer. 

So my advice based upon fumbling around with various techniques to hook up to cellular:
Get a dedicated hotspot modem, either powered or battery.  Don't use your phone for streaming.  It will not end well for you or the phone.  Also, if you can justify the use, get a dedicated line for it.  Verizon requires that anyway for me but in any case, you can get unlimited internet as an add-on to your phone and be done with it.  Keep in mind that if you acquire such a device, you'll be able to use it with your tablet, laptop or any other thing that needs but doesn't have internet.  I share my single usb modem between my Jeep and trailer.  Just plug it in to the usb plug in the car or the trailer and tell it to phone home.  Boom.....

WilliamA