DDuds2k

With summer in full swing- I have been floating the river a few times. I've been wanting to build an inexpensive but good sounding cooler radio.

From what i understand--
basically you need a HU, speakers, car batter, speaker wire, remote power wire.

Am I missing anything?


If anyone has ever made one, i would really appreciate a few pics or instructions on how they set their's up just to get a few ideas for my own.

So here are a few questions.

How long will a battery run a stereo without beeing recharged by the engine of the car?
If I add an amp for good measure-- is that going to drain the battery much faster? Will an amp even work if it is not powered by the car turning on?


Parts suggestions
Im thinking about goig with a cheap alpine cde-9870 off ebay b/c they often offer them without all the parts-- but all i really need is the deck correct? I dont need the wiring harness do I?

Speakers--? would it be best to get 6x9s? What is generally going to produce the loudest sound? B/c its in an open environment i dont need perfect quality- just good noise level.

Battery-- does it really matter?

Thanks!

Mother

I haven't checked in a while... but... did they stop selling boom boxes?

DDuds2k

can't get radio out on the river... plus you can't hook up an ipod to most boom boxes. Im trying to make it loud enough for about 40 yard radius too so.. not many boom boxes can do that either.

MikeyCB

Well years ago when I competed in Karate there were some crazy parents who built their own portable radios to play songs while their kids performed.

The setups were heavy and not something I'd picture in a cooler. Some math nut can figure out the numbers perhaps on power consumption and

How wet is this thing planning to get? If you're planning on protecting components like the HU by putting them inside the cooler, it's going to trap all the heat inside and potentially cause some issues.

Almost any useful amp will likely drastically reduce your audio times. If you're taking a car battery into a wet area where it's possible for it to get submerged or drained completely, I'd say you need a sealed/dry cell battery like an Optoma. Dunno what kind of run times you're looking at.

I think boom-box is the way to go. Search out one that has ipod compatibility or has an auxilliary input. You'll save a ton of money to spend on batteries to power the thing, as opposed to building your own.

MikeyCB

Pick up one of these, looks pretty cool...

http://www.webidz.com/Waterproof-Radio-Coo...auction_details

DDuds2k

How would you get power to the HU? Run a remote wire directly from the battery to the HU? I didnt install my HU, just my amps/speakers/sub so I'm not all that familiar with it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Is a wire harness necessary?

Will

wire harness won't be used; you'll need constant 12v power, ground, and an ACC connection (or you could just connect that to 12v as well if you'd like it to turn on/off when you plug it in). the only other wires to worry about will be speaker wires, or rca cables if you plan to use an amp. battery life will be reduced by the draw from whatever amp you use--either the stereo's internal amp or external amp if you so choose. any external amp will dramatically reduce your run time, and even more so if you use it to power a larger diameter speaker like a sub.

edit: have you thought about connecting it to the boat's electrical system instead of using a self contained battery?

DDuds2k

no boat... its just going to be a car battery in a cooler. so we can throw the cooler in an innertube jam out. I probably will not be using an amp--I dont find it necessary.

I will show a diagram when i get home. but basically - battery, HU, ipod, and wires all contained within the cooler so they dont get wet, and speakers will be set in the cooler lid through holes i cut in the top.

SheDrivesIt

Actually, if I was going to mount speakers into cooler and power them I might skip the head unit all together. Just drive a small stereo amp with the IPOD.

DDuds2k

oh... nice. i have a couple extra stereo receivers at my house... except how would you get power to it?