Might pick up this head unit.

[koda6966]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10087399

What do you think?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

looks like a cheap head unit...like any other cheap head unit. i had a cheapo sony not so different from that, it made noise...nothing special.

when it comes to mobile electronics you really get what you pay for. cheap head units sound ok...but not great. they will creak and pop when you push the buttons on the front panel. the display will be hard to read in bright daylight, ect ect.

im a huge advocate of panasonic head units. ive had 5 different models of theirs over the years and have been extremely pleased with the quality and performance of all. THIS is the unit im running in the bluescort. it lacks the memory card slot, but it has the usb and aux. inputs. it also beats the RCA unit in power output and has 2 preamp outputs vs the RCA's one. the panasonic also has a digital 3 band equalizer (which functions more like a 9 band EQ), which is a HUGE plus in my eyes; in fact, i wont buy a head unit without a customizable EQ anymore...none of that "rock" "pop" "jazz" preselect crap...something i can actually tune.

just my $.02

 

[koda6966]

The quality doesn't have to be that good which is why I'm buying a cheap one. As long as it sounds better than the stock head unit with an auto reverse going to my mp3 player, I'll be happy.

..does it have a clock? Haha. That's one more thing that angers me about the stock HU. No clock.

But I'll look into that panasonic. Kind of looks like the one my brother had, and might still have. He junked the car it was in (1997 Mitsubishi Mirage.) and I don't think he ever put it in his truck.. the speakers were crap in it. Basically he bought an engine, transmission, and suspension with 50k on them, the body and everything in it rusted to hell or broke within a year. (1997 Nissan Hardbody 4x4)

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

eh, thats what he gets for buying an import

yeah, the panisonic has a clock. im not sure you can buy an aftermarket head unit that doesnt.

the biggest thing you can do to upgrade sound (asside from getting rid of the tape deck ) is get some decent 2 or 3 way speakers. it really is amazing just how muddy and lame the stock speakers are...but you dont realize it untill you install some REAL speakers. its like listening to music with your ears full of peanut butter.

 

[koda6966]

its like listening to music with your ears full of peanut butter.

My ears itch now..

 

[Sunk]

My ears itch now..

They might itch if you get some new speakers too, but for a different reason. I agree on getting new speakers. Even some cheap-ish will sound amazing compared to the stock ones.

As far as head units I have a JVC, but it doesn't have USB or SD input on the front. It's probably 2 years old now though, so I'm sure they've got one with that. I like it since the menus are very easy to figure out and get into, and it has a fat knob for volume that easy to use. I hate tiny knobs that my fingers barely fit on.

This one http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2007/105/h105KDG230-f_dgp.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.crutchfield.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx%3Fi%3D105KDG230&h=245&w=450&sz=21&hl=en&start=2&sig2=_T_NP7OVtkZhrhoYgA1KfA&um=1&usg=__HkHIXj0_3EW8S64gENIjk8xKaVE=&tbnid=pSJcHUsj_o9NkM:&tbnh=69&tbnw=127&ei=nKYPScn-F5-0sQPJiOiICQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djvc%2Bkd%2Bg230%26gbv%3D2%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Discontinued now, but they have similar.

 

[vincedia]

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=300&i=020D185MP&tp=5684

Same price much much better!

 

[DarkBlue03XLT]

I love my pioneer deck and speakers:

Either of these decks will go good with the speakers below:

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=300&i=130DEH2000&tp=5684&avf=N

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=300&i=130P3000IB&tp=5684&avf=N

Speakers
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=16947

 

[koda6966]

Well looks like I wont be buying one at all..

..I'm getting my brothers old one out of his Mitsubishi (Pioneer) for free because his Nissan Hardbody has one stock.

I'll post up which one it is when he brings it over.

 

[gatlin04]

you might as well look on craigslist to find a used one that is waaaaay better for that price.

IMO... i hate the junk car audio they sell at wal-mart.

 

[koda6966]

Pioneer DEH-1600

Last time I heard it going, it sounded pretty good. And it's better than nothing right now.

I'm going to ATTEMPT to install it myself. Any tips/tricks?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

get a wiring adaptor for your truck so you dont have to hack into the factory wiring. i prefer solder and heat shrink connections as it provides the strongest, cleanest looking, and most durable connection. failing that, you can use butt connectors, just make sure you crimp them TIGHT (wiggle and tug on the connection after crimping to make sure there is no movement). twisting wires together and wrapping them in black tape is a no-no.

 

[koda6966]

Well, the Pioneer has a mass of random wires on it. No clue what goes where.

When my brother took it out of his car he just hacked it off with a buck knife.

Yeah.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

yellow is 12v constant, red is 12volt key/acc, black is obviously ground.

the other 8 colored wires are speaker wires. you should have a solid color and the same color with a stripe making 4 pairs. i dont recall what color is which speaker, you could try looking it up...or just hook the power up, turn the stereo on, then use the fader and balance controls to figure out which wires power which speakers.

 

[koda6966]

yellow is 12v constant, red is 12volt key/acc, black is obviously ground.

the other 8 colored wires are speaker wires. you should have a solid color and the same color with a stripe making 4 pairs. i dont recall what color is which speaker, you could try looking it up...or just hook the power up, turn the stereo on, then use the fader and balance controls to figure out which wires power which speakers.

Well I found a pin-out diagram for the Pioneer, and Jim has a Ranger wire diagram posted up on the site.

Only problem is for Ground, he has either black or red down for it, and for the dimmer he has two different ones down.

Black Ground 1990-2006
Red Ground 1990-1993

Lt Blue/Red Illumination 1990-2006
Orange/Black Illumination 1990-1994

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/radio_wiring_diagrams.html
Any ideas?

Also, on the pin-out for the Pioneer it lists a "Power Antenna" do you know where that connects to on a Ranger?


--Edit--

Hmm.. that wire has a tag on it that labels it as a "System Remote Control." Guessing I don't need to bother with it since I don't have one of those, and since there isn't a wire connected to it (sliced from the old car) anyway?