# Yet Another Radio Change Out Mod



## K. Smith (May 25, 2009)

*The back-story*:
I wanted a radio with DVD capability and three zones: living room, bedroom, and outside. I wanted rid of the radio in the "black vacuum formed ABS plastic" thing. I also wanted the replacement to look (somewhat) factory. Last summer I bought a Jensen MP5000 on eBay from some guy in Elkhart. It was a refurb unit. It sat around forever because i was too busy camping to tear apart our Outback. When I finally got around to putting it in this Spring, I found that it didn't work. It might not have been faulty when it was shipped because there was a short period of time a month ago when it wasn't in my possession. Regardless, I ordered a new (but overpriced even with the 15% discount they gave me) Jensen AWM970 from Jensen direct. It has three zones, DVD/CD player, and can handle an iPod or MP3 player via USB.

*The mod:*
I removed the cabinet that surrounds the furnace. I then cut out enough material from it for the radio to fit. There really wasn't enough room, so I lowered the shelf slightly (rather than raising the top). There is still room between this shelf and the furnace, so it should be safe. I added some wood as a divider on the VCR shelf and painted it to match

I removed the old radio and the microwave. I fished the wires from the radio location to the area behind the microwave. From this point, I spliced on electrical and speaker wire extensions and an extra long antenna extension. I ran them behind the microwave and dropped down behind the refrigerator. I then ran them behind the stove, over the plastic "outside sink", behind the drawers and into the VCR area above the furnace.

I ran the A/V outputs from the radio to a wall jack I installed beside the Winegard TV jack. I considered using wireless speakers outside, but ended up going with banana plug/binding posts that I installed in a weatherproof GFCI receptacle.

*The results:*
So far, we are pleased with the radio. It works well with CD's and DVD's and my daughter's MP3 player (which she thinks is pretty cool







). I think it looks like our Outback came from the factory this way, which was one of my goals.

*Left to do?*
Get new speakers. I never knew how bad the factory speakers were. I will add an external IR remote signal sensor outside (the AWM970 accommodates this) and convert the "Zone C" banana plug jacks outside to Red/White RCA jacks and add a Yellow video-out jack out there. The DVD audio plays through the speakers (in stereo) and it would be neat to watch a movie under the awning. Besides, the MP3 controls are easier to navigate with the on-screen menu if you have a TV connected.

*The pics:*

Here's the Jensen AWM970:









Here's the finished installation:









Here's the inside A/V jacks:









Here's the outside banana plug / binding posts:


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## jasonrebecca (Oct 30, 2007)

wow, that stereo is a beast! Looks good where you put it though!


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## Rob_G (Feb 16, 2006)

Great installation! I love the professionalism there.









You went with the real A/V wall mount jack which is nice. (I've seen people cheap out!) Are those connectors on the wall-mount F/F connectors and then you have the M/M wire from the wall to the rear of the radio?

Also. I love the factory look of the banana clip case outside. VERY SHARP! Go banana clips go!!!


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Nice Job!! Wish our radio had a dvd player built into it....we use our ipod classic with a video cable to the TV to watch movies - works pretty well, but, lots of hanging wires. I really like your setup - looks professional!


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## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

K. Smith said:


> It has three zones, DVD/CD player, and can handle an iPod or MP3 player via USB.


We have the same model and my iPod does NOT work on the stereo, just a normal MP3 player. If yours is working, I'll have to do more investigation.


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## hottubwilly (May 3, 2008)

Looks great! Like Texan above I have the same stereo in my 2010 Outback and it won't play the ipod either. I sent Jensen tech support an email to see if maybe it's just the ipod itself that doesn't work vs. just a regular mp3 player. I know the files are coded differently by itunes so that may be the reason. I will post a response once I get it.


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## K. Smith (May 25, 2009)

Thanks for the complements. The wall jack plate is actually a rear solder style, so it was cheaper, but a bit of a pain. In retrospect, I would have spent the extra $ and bought the one with F/F connectors.

No, I don't use a real iPod. We have cheap (but adequate) Creative Zen players.

I can't take a picture, but on the back of the radio is a female plug that is labeled "iPod". You have to buy this cable and plug it into that, I believe. How you get that cable out from behind the unit, I don't know.

Kevin


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## Resqtool844 (Feb 3, 2007)

Cool mod dude! Looks really good!


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## hottubwilly (May 3, 2008)

Here is the response from the Jensen website:

Thank you for contacting ASA Electronics. You will not be able to play your iPod through the USB on the AWM970 because iPods do not support mass storage mode (will not act as a portable hard drive). There is a specific for iPods, requires adaptor JIPDCBL12, at the back of the radio. You can also use the auxiliary input jack located on the front face of the radio for your iPod, but you will need to control playback with the iPod itself.


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