Jeremy's Radio Emporium: Old Radios for the Modern Era

[Goose_XJ88]

Booo

 

let me know what the result is if you do start selling kits that allow the radio phone call.

[Minuit]

Here's a list of the services I offer so far. This chart will be updated monthly.

[Minuit]

Introducing the AD-A1 adapter. Install an AMC radio in your Chrysler era vehicle with no modifications to the vehicle or radio. Splice-free design for high tensile strength, genuine OEM connectors for a perfect fit, and backed by the same great warranty as every other product made by JRE. Supports all 4 speaker channels and power antenna. You will not find a similar product offered by any manufacturer.

 

Price: $30 alone, or $25 with the purchase of any AMC-era radio

Applications: For installing a 1985-1987 AMC radio into:

- 1988-1996 Jeep XJ Cherokee/Wagoneer

- 1988-1992 Jeep MJ Comanche

- 1988-1991 Jeep SJ Grand Wagoneer

- 1988-1992 Eagle Premier

- 1988-1995 Jeep YJ Wrangler

 

 

Wire and connector color may vary. Expected lead time is currently 2 weeks.

[Strokermjcomanche]

I'll take one of those adapters... 

[Minuit]

How to detect a genuine Jeremy's Radio Emporium product.

 

I have been made aware that there are a large number of Jeep radios and radio accessories being sold on eBay and elsewhere under a suspiciously similar listing and description style as what I use on my actual radios. So here goes - as of 12/4/17, if any of the below statements are NOT true of a radio you see for sale somewhere, it is not genuine. For a genuine product, ALL  applicable statements will be true.

 

- All eBay listings begin with "(85-87 or 88-96) Jeep (vehicle models) Stock Factory Radio With (features). AMC radios with bundled AD-A1 adapters will be listed as 85-96.

- Radios are listed with serial number and multiple high resolution pictures on this "Vendor" thread, the JRE facebook page, and eBay. If a serial number is not listed in text somewhere, it is not genuine.

- If any pictures are taken with the radio sitting on a ratty dark red chair, chances are it is genuine.

- No cell phones or media devices will appear in any pictures.

- All radios I sell on eBay have an auxiliary input. It will be mentioned in the title and occasionally in a subtitle. This auxiliary input will ALWAYS have a female cable end and will extend between 2 and 6 inches depending on model from the rear of the radio.

- The female auxiliary connector will be an inline stereo 3.5mm connector with strain relief. I do not and will never include a reel cable or panel mount jack. On radios built November 2017 and after, any edge clamping on the cable will be relieved. The connector itself will read "JAPAN" indicating country of origin. There will be no heat shrink tube or tape applied anywhere on the input cable. As of 12/2017, the standard 3.5mm connector looks like this:

- All listings on any platform will include pictures of the radio powered on in full light and low light. On Chrysler radios, the display will ALWAYS be fully illuminated. As of December 2017 no radios will be sold without fully functioning illumination.

- No added text or signs unless the text reads "radio-emporium.com" will appear in any photographs.

- All products will feature a sticker located on the product in some form. For radios, this sticker will be roughly 2" square and feature the JRE logo and various information. Blanks are always filled in with a black or colored marker and are always handwritten. Beginning 12/2017, all adapters will be serialized.

- On Chrysler radios, the fader knob's "arrow" will point towards the passenger side of the vehicle as is correct.

- On Chrysler radios, no description or instruction will ever recommend or mention using the aux input while playing FM radio.

- A full warranty text will be included in all eBay listings.

 

[Minuit]

I was out of town for three weeks, but I'm back baby!

 

I have a lot of catching up to do...

[Minuit]

Got a 1986 or 1987 Jeep or AMC that has somehow survived all these years without having the radio harness cut out of it? Want to put a 1988-1996 Jeep/Eagle radio in it? I've got just the thing for you. Introducing the AD-C1 Radio Harness Adapter. Seamlessly connect a 1988-1996 Jeep radio in your 1986 or 1987 AMC or Jeep without altering the factory wiring. Supports 4 speaker channels and power antenna.

 

[Minuit]

Changes for 2018

 

New products

- Introducing the AUX-C1 Auxiliary Input DIY Kit for RX-171, RX-172, and RX-173 tape deck models. Already have one of these radios, but rather add your aux input yourself? Comes with one auxiliary input cable with high-quality gold-plated wire terminals, one potentiometer, and a 9-page full-color instruction booklet taking you through exactly how to do the work. Warning: some soldering and desoldering skill may be required. For RX-173 models, soldering and desoldering is required.

Price: $35 + shipping.

 

- I have now acquired schematics and repair documentation for the AMC RX-135.

 

- Auxiliary Input is now available on the AMC RX-135. This will require semi-permanently disabling AM reception.

 

- AMC-era Enhanced Radios will now be periodically offered under the "Classic Series" branding. Classic Series Enhanced Radios feature a rear auxiliary input, mounting bracket, and owner's manual. AMC-era radios were previously restricted to custom orders only, but will now occasionally be sold pre-built with a defined design spec. Classic Series radios can be bundled with an AD-A1 adapter for installation in 1988+ vehicles for and additional $25. Color LED Illumination in the same colors offered in Chrysler radios is optional for an additional $15.

Currently, only the RX-161 (with Dolby) (not its nearly identical but inferior 1985 cousin the RX-141) and RX-135 (with DNR) cassette decks will be offered as a Classic Series, with more likely to be rolled out throughout the year.

Price: $125 + options.

 

Revisions to existing products

- All auxiliary cable shielding has been improved. Standard, Special, and Classic Series Enhanced Radios featuring these new cables will be designated "Mark II/C".

 

- All AD-A1 and AD-C1 adapters now bear stickers indicating their part number and serial number.

 

- All products without their own owner's manuals now come with a separate booklet with warranty information.

 

- All booklets have been revised and are now easier to read. Where applicable, pictures are now full color.

 

- A copy of the product's label will now be applied to the owner's manual or booklet because I bought a crap ton of stickers and I want to use them!

 

- Radio chassis stickers are all new, and should no longer fall off at the drop of a pin.

 

Here is an updated service chart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Minuit]

Here is a sound test, conducted with a run of the mill RX-171 in my truck with my exact setup. In fact, it's a broken customer trade-in that I repaired. No external equalization or sound processing has been applied, and no editing to the video has occurred other than to splice clips together.

 

Here's my full setup for all of you who don't read my build thread:

Head unit: JRE Standard Series Enhanced Radio with nothing special done to it other than an aux input

Amplifier: Alpine KTP-445U

Front Speakers: Morel Tempo Ultra 502

Rear Speakers: Polk Audio DB461 

Disclaimer: it sounds far, far better in person. I am playing highly compressed music straight from the browser on my laptop and recording it with the integrated mic on my six year old digital camera that wasn't exactly top of the line to begin with. Compared to what I hear, the recording is lacking in dynamics and may not even be in stereo. The audio was HEAVILY compressed yet again when I uploaded it to Youtube.

 

All audio in this video is royalty-free music from the YouTube Audio Library. The tracks are, in order:

- Spring In My Step - Silent Partner

- Brown Bag - Silent Partner

- Sugar Zone - Silent Partner

[A-man930]

*sigh

I still want one, but I just bought a lathe and I'm broke 

Any progress on the low-level output project?  

[Minuit]

1 hour ago, A-man930 said:

*sigh

I still want one, but I just bought a lathe and I'm broke 

Any progress on the low-level output project?  

I can neither confirm nor deny that I'm working on it, and I can neither confirm nor deny that I've built another prototype using a better radio.

 

(I'm bogged down with some other things right now. I currently have 5 radios not including mine that need to be taken care of before any more work happens. The new prototype has some deficiencies that I want to sort out before going further. I also rebuilt the steering on my 91 last week and will be going back to Cookeville tomorrow for my final semester)

[A-man930]

11 hours ago, Minuit said:

I can neither confirm nor deny that I'm working on it, and I can neither confirm nor deny that I've built another prototype using a better radio.

 

(I'm bogged down with some other things right now. I currently have 5 radios not including mine that need to be taken care of before any more work happens. The new prototype has some deficiencies that I want to sort out before going further. I also rebuilt the steering on my 91 last week and will be going back to Cookeville tomorrow for my final semester)

Life has a way of getting in the way of fun stuff I hear ya.  Just hoping to get one of your radios soon.  Keep up the good work!

[Minuit]

Bluetooth, and some other stuff

 

Jeremy's Radio Emporium - where your ancient radio is serviced with equally ancient test equipment.

I've been looking for a real oscilloscope recently (to replace my very underwhelming scope-meter) and last week I scored this sweet Tektronix 2236 100MHz oscilloscope with an integrated multimeter. It was advertised much cheaper than market value as partially working - turns out the volts/div switches just needed a good cleaning. The calibration is even in the ballpark!

(this is a taken directly from the speaker output of an RX-161)

It's period correct too - this particular model was made from 1984 to 1989. In 1984 this scope cost $2,650 - in 2017 dollars, that's $6,300! Crazy, considering the kind of specs you can get for barely $400 these days. The integrated multimeter was a $1,000 option back then.

 

Anyway - Bluetooth. You've all been asking about it, and I've disappointed you once so I guess I better try not to do that again. Here's the deal: A $14 Bluetooth dongle plugged into the aux jack of a basic Enhanced Radio will give you comparable results to the prototype I tested. Some of them even have microphones for phone use. The market is completely saturated with these things, and you can get them with plenty of different feature sets. So, for those of you with Bluetooth on the mind, buy with confidence. Here's the one I have in my truck:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013QJ0W8Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I've had it for a few weeks now and yes - you do lose some sound quality versus an aux cable like all Bluetooth stuff, but it works.

[A-man930]

I dig that scope!

Here's the Bluetooth dongle I've been eyeballing; it's more expensive but it won't pretend to be able to hear anything in our noisy trucks and it could be hidden behind the dash.  

[youngfred]

22 hours ago, Minuit said:

Bluetooth, and some other stuff

 

Jeremy's Radio Emporium - where your ancient radio is serviced with equally ancient test equipment.

I've been looking for a real oscilloscope recently (to replace my very underwhelming scope-meter) and last week I scored this sweet Tektronix 2236 100MHz oscilloscope with an integrated multimeter. It was advertised as partially working - turns out the volts/div switches just needed a good cleaning. The calibration is even in the ballpark!

(this is a taken directly from the speaker output of an RX-161)

It's period correct too - this particular model was made from 1984 to 1989. In 1984 this scope cost $2,650 - in 2017 dollars, that's $6,300! Crazy, considering the kind of specs you can get for barely $400 these days. The integrated multimeter was a $1,000 option back then.

 

Anyway - Bluetooth. You've all been asking about it, and I've disappointed you once so I guess I better try not to do that again. Here's the deal: A $14 Bluetooth dongle plugged into the aux jack of a basic Enhanced Radio will give you comparable results to the prototype I tested. Some of them even have microphones for phone use. The market is completely saturated with these things, and you can get them with plenty of different feature sets. So, for those of you with Bluetooth on the mind, buy with confidence. Here's the one I have in my truck:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013QJ0W8Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I've had it for a few weeks now and yes - you do lose some sound quality versus an aux cable like all Bluetooth stuff, but it works.

...

 

 

Yea, I remember those from another time and

from another place.

 

We had these same Tektronix O-scopes

that rolled around on four-wheel blue carts and the

probe-ends had a spring-loaded circular clip that attached

to the test point, in order to stay connected without

having to hold the probe.

 

 

youngfred

 

 

 

 

 

[Minuit]

3 hours ago, A-man930 said:

I dig that scope!

Here's the Bluetooth dongle I've been eyeballing; it's more expensive but it won't pretend to be able to hear anything in our noisy trucks and it could be hidden behind the dash.  

I dunno, it seems like you could do better for the money. For one, it's only Bluetooth 3.0 and I think one of the reviews said that it doesn't automatically shut off when it loses Bluetooth connection. Sure, you could just wire up a switch, but I'm lazy and hate extra switches. The one upside I see is that it takes 12V out of the box, but if you're set on hardwiring one, 12V-5V converters are dirt cheap if you trust your dongle to Chinese technology. Pete recently hardwired a Bluetooth receiver using one of those cheap 12v-5v converters and had good results. Those converters (and many USB car chargers in my experience) have a habit of introducing lots of noise, but there are ways of fixing that.

 

Or you can take the easy way out like I did and not even hardwire the dongle. I just take it out after a few hours of driving and throw it on the charger. If I have the option of not adding more electrical stuff to my truck, I'll take it 

2 hours ago, youngfred said:

...

 

 

Yea, I remember those from another time and

from another place.

 

We had these same Tektronix O-scopes

that rolled around on four-wheel blue carts and the

probe-ends had a spring-loaded circular clip that attached

to the test point, in order to stay connected without

having to hold the probe.

 

 

youngfred

 

 

 

 

 

Those spring loaded clips are a life saver. It took an embarrassingly long time for me to realize that's what the spring action in the probe was for 

[Pete M]

these are the parts I'm using.  nothing fancy, but I am very, very happy with the results.    

 

 

on the left is the 12v-5v converter with 2 usb outputs (one for my phone, one for the bluetooth), on the right is the noise canceler

 

 

and this is the end result.  nothing sticks of the dash but my phone charging cable.    

 

[Minuit]

Got a question, since I know there are some more people with 97+ Jeeps and other Chrysler vehicles out there. Would there be any interest in a kit to adapt one of my radios to 1.5 DIN Chrysler openings as Pete has done here?

[Minuit]

Time for some mid-year changes!

 

- Soft-Touch Button Foam has been dropped as an option on Special Series radios due to low take rate. Color LED Illumination is still available in all 5 colors. A much more interesting replacement for Soft-Touch Button Foam is in the works.

 

- All owner's manuals and warranty information booklets will be distributed digitally rather than on paper, unless specifically requested by the customer.

 

- 82300392, 82300393, and 82300394 Mopar Accessory CD Players with quiet FM radio output will be repaired for a flat rate of $75 plus return shipping.

 

- I continue to recommend the TaoTronics TT-BR05 for your Bluetooth needs. One of mine has now cleared 6 months of trouble-free use, and I guarantee it to work perfectly alongside your Enhanced Radio.

 

- Auxiliary Input is now available on many single-DIN Ford digital radios. Jeep folks are not likely to care. Functionality is similar to Jeep radios, with the auxiliary input replacing "AM" mode.

 

Unless mentioned above, there will be no changes to any service. Lead time for a new radio order is approximately two weeks at the moment, but may decrease further as I clear my backlog of orders. Thanks for a great 2018 so far, and especially for May 2018, my best month yet!

 

 

[Crash]

Read through thread, and apologies if I missed what I am asking. Is rca preamp output working? I don't see myself going back to stock power.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Minuit]

On 6/24/2018 at 11:51 PM, Crash said:

Read through thread, and apologies if I missed what I am asking. Is rca preamp output working? I don't see myself going back to stock power.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

Not yet ready for production, but fairly soon. I have a few orders to clear out, and then I will be focusing my efforts on that project.

 

Once you have an amplified system, you can't go back :)

[Minuit]

Starting on August 1, 2018, all domestic orders of Enhanced Radios (which previously included free shipping) will be subject to an additional shipping charge of $13.60. This represents fully insured (I will eat insurance costs) shipping in a USPS medium flat rate box. This is a flat price to all locations within the contiguous United States and is not variable based on your location. International shipping, as well as shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, will continue to be an extra charge as before.

 

This does not affect repair orders, nor does it affect orders of adapters - on repairs and adapters, shipping was always an extra charge.

 

All currently open orders and all orders placed before August 1, 2018 will not be subject to this added shipping charge.

 

Furthermore, Soft-Touch Button Foam will return as an option, since it seems that some of you actually do want your buttons to feel softer. For all current customers who have purchased a radio before, it can still be retrofitted to the radio for an extra cost of $15. Starting on August 1, 2018, Soft-Touch Button Foam will return as an option, at a price of $25. At its old price, it was not cost effective to install on radios. As stated before, the old price will be honored on all older Enhanced Radios ordered before August 1, 2018.

[Pete M]

Found an oldie out in Colorado (but was unable to get it into my luggage so it remains out there).  not sure what I'd do with it, but thought maybe it'd be really cool as a faceplate with upgraded guts behind it.    I dunno.  

 

 

[Minuit]

You found one of the rare ones that have the Chrysler connector. Not much to write home about, though - Mono (yuck, even in 1987), AM only. A conversation piece at best, and they're hard to find anyway.

[Pete M]

truly the base-est of the base model radios