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Archive for the ‘sporcanm’ Category

After reading about these transmitters, I made sure I purchased one I could program. I live in Los Angeles and some other reviewers had problems in large metropolitan areas. I can program 10 presets into this. I’ve programmed 2 and so far have only used one. I have a 2006 infiniti with a CD player and no line in. I have an aux power output for devices in the center armrest console. I’ve used this anticipating that the device “eats” batteries quickly. (Another common complaint with these units.) The reception is good and strong (maybe because my antenna is on the inside of the back windshield.)

Anyway no major problems. The only reason I don’t give this 5 stars is that it didn’t come with instructions how to program and although the sound is clean and consistent, it seems to lack the crystal clear highs I get when I use the cassette adapter in my other vehicle.

This review is from: Go Power! GP-MH2 Solar Panel Mounting Hardware (Automotive) I use this hardware to mount small solar panels to a metal roof. The hardware is well crafted and works fine. It’s a bit expensive, but it is the perfect answer.

I found out what a throw woofer means…..it means the sound is thrown in your face!

With the right amp these will crack drywall!
I can feel the bass in my chest….recommend the buy!

This review is from: GlobalSat MMCX-SMA Antenna Port Adapter Cable (Electronics) I bought two of these for my GPS/GSM system. The title description is not correct, but the detail description is. This is a MMCX to SMA adapter, not a MCX to SMA adapter as someone else already noted (thanks!).
The quality is o.k. and the price with free shipping of $6 seems fair.
If I need more I would purchase it again.

This review is from: Griffin Technology PowerBlock Universal Micro for USB-Charging Devices (Black) (Electronics) The charger is nice but it is poorly designed/engineered. Most people think they receive the .5 Amp device rather than the 1 Amp and this is because of the poor design of the charger. See, in the USB specification, the data links should be shorted together, so the device (phone) being charged knows it is being charged from AC thereby enabling the device to pull much more juice. (The D+/- should be shorted from my understanding). I learned this through a review on Amazon with subsequent research into the specification. The way I was able to get my phone to recognize this as AC rather than a USB connection, was to purchase a “Charge Only USB Cable”, actually I got 4 of them, one for this Powerblock, three for other chargers. Now my phone charges quickly, even while being used simultaneously for games, navigation and really really being used. I love it. I ordered the Naztech Micro USB Charging Cable.

This review is from: 9000mAh Capacity Portable Back-up Rechargeable Power Supply for iPad 2, iPad, Tablet PC, Cell Phone, iPod, iPhone 4, Digital Camera, Digital Camcorder, PSP, iPod Nano, iPod Touch, MP3, MP4 And More Portable Mobile Devices (Wireless Phone Accessory) I tried several power supply’s here on amazon…… This is by far the best one! I bought the The sCharger-5 to charge it…. what a pair! They work great together if your looking for a power pack to store your solar power or just as a power source. Highly recommend this unit 5 Stars!

Had never heard of MTX, but I bought this amp to drive a Kicker KM-10 subwoofer in our boat. I bridged the two channels to combine the power per the instructions. It’s about half the size of the comparible Clarion marine amp so you have more options for permananent mounting. The one-page instructions made connections a snap. Connections are gold-plated and option switches are sealed with a clear plastic cover to keep water out. Called the company with a question and they were very helpful. Got “thump” in our boat for a modest price. Overall, I feel very good about this purchase.

This review is from: Metra 99-5802 Dash Kit For Ford/Mazda B-Series 95-Up (Electronics) This kit fit my 1999 Ford Ranger perfectly. The only reason I gave it four stars rather than five is the delicacy of the two little upright pieces that connect the large horizontals that have the retaining clips. It would be very easy to break one or both of them. Having said that (and having avoided the issue), I am very pleased with the appearance and tightness of the installation. One thing I did that was not in the instructions is put a 1/2 inch spacer under the body of the radio to keep it from cantilevering from the front bracket. This probably wasn’t necessary, but I didn’t want the body of the radio bouncing at every road imperfection. Be aware that the CD compartment goes above the radio in a Ranger because of interfering hardware at the back of the radio compartment in the dash.

This review is from: Pioneer CD-VM1 Optional Microphone For Avic-F500Bt (Electronics) I can’t really give this mic a bad review since I didn’t use it for one of the listed compatible units, but I wanted to alert any other Kenwood DDX-_18 series owners looking for a better mic to pass on this one. I have a Kenwood DDX-418 car receiver with Bluetooth that came supplied with a wired mic that makes my voice sounds thin, “reedy,” and distant. I purchased the Pioneer CD-VM1 hoping it might provide better sound, but unfortunately, the sound is only marginally better, if at all. I tested it by leaving messages on my home answering machine, comparing it with both the Kenwood mic and my cell phone’s mic. I tried it out at different distances from my mouth and at both the visor and steering wheel positions, but it still had that same thin, “reedy” sound, but maybe slightly louder than the Kenwood – not enough to make it worth the purchase. FYI, it has a 2.5 mm plug on it, so it required an adapter ($3 at my local Radio Shack) to plug into the 3.5 mm jack on my receiver. Also, though I can’t say for sure, the Sony XAMC10 mic appears to be identical to this Pioneer, but with a 3.5 mm plug istead of 2.5 mm, a slighly different mounting bracket, and a higher price tag. I’m planning on trying out the Clarion RCB199 and/or the Olympus ME-52W mics as well, so if you’re in the same boat I’m in, check out those products to see if I’ve posted anything on them.

This review is from: iGrip Universal Phone iPod Holder w/ Windshield Mount (Electronics) I attached this to my windshield and it hasn’t fallen or moved at all. My Samsung Captivate fits in the mount (snugly, but it fits), as does my husband’s Nexus One. The flexibility of the arm on the mount makes it very easy to move to the desired location, but is stiff enough that it will not move if you happen to bump it. Excellent product!

I am very happy with the service of amazon provide and the people who sell me the quality product. Thank again

Just installed this remote start today on my 2007 F250 Powerstroke. I needed something that would work on a diesel (delayed start, turbo timer a bonus). I’m not sure about other vehicles, but this was pretty easy to install on this particular truck. Ended up only having to use maybe half the wires on the low voltage wiring harness. Did not need to spend extra money on a module, although it would require a bit less wiring. My truck, although fully loaded, does not have a chipped key or anti-theft system (not many superduties do), therefore a module is not required. My truck also came standard with a starter anti-grind from Ford, but I’m not sure what year ranges have this feature. This meant I didn’t have to wire in an anti-grind relay or tach/tachless wire. I was able to set the cranking time to 4 seconds and the factory anti-grind takes care of the rest. My door locks were a negative trigger so wiring that in was easy – no need to wire in your own harness with relays. I read online that wiring into the “wait to start” wire on this particular truck can damage your truck, although I’m not sure if this is true or not. However, this remote start allows you to set a delay to allow your glow plugs to cycle, which is the route I took.
Although I haven’t had this installed for more than a day, so far I am extremely happy with it. For the price, it has plenty of options that you can set to your preference, a 2 way lcd key fob (love the fact that it will let you know if your vehicle is running or not), and has very minimal delay between pressing a command on the key fob and your vehicle receiving the command. This allows me to cycle my glow plugs 2-3 times in colder weather if needed (press “start,” wait X amount of seconds to let the glow plugs cycle, press “start” again to cancel the command, and then press “start” again to cycle the glow plugs a second time and have the vehicle start. If you are looking to install a remote starter yourself, I strongly recommend you look over/study the install documents (can be found on crimestopper’s website) and make sure it will suit your vehicle before purchase. Your vehicle may or not require a module to be purchased and installed in conjunction with the remote starter. I also recommend you finding online sources for the necessary wiring diagrams for your truck. Beware though, because not all wiring diagrams that I found online were accurate. Make sure you check every wire with a multimeter first.

This review is from: Metra 99-7605 Specialty Installation Dash Kit for Single DIN Radios in 2005-2007 Infiniti G35 (Electronics) The product does the job. It was made to fit in replacement of the original dash kit to allow an aftermarket head unit to be installed. There are some “glamor” issues with the product, first the color is slightly off (slightly, but noticeable) and second there is a gap on the top of the dash kit, not sure what thats all about, I tried uninstalling and reinstalling it without any luck. Over all though, it gets the job done.

This review is from: Wagan EL2456 Wireless Rear Backup Safety Sensor (Misc.) After extensive online research, I decided to purchase this unit. The idea of installing a bar on my license plate was much more appealing than drilling four holes in my bumper. And I figured an audible beep warning would be better than a camera/video screen that I would have to look at to see if I was going to hit something.

Before I purchased it, I visited the manufacturer’s website (Wagan Tech). I submitted an email asking if the unit would work if mounted only 14 inches above the ground (I have a small, low car and the sensor bar would only fit on the lower side of the license plate). I also asked for a manual for the Model 2456. In two days, someone emailed the manual (pdf) and said they had forwarded my question to the “tech support” department. 2 weeks passed and no reply. I should have then to not purchase the product.

But, alas, I did.

The product arrived, it looked pretty decent. Good wires, good connectors, etc. Instructions were awful – mostly drawings and 3 or 4 word sentences. . . far too simplistic for this type of operation. But I installed it all anyway. I had to drill a large hole (with included bit; about 3/4 inch diameter) not only through my bumper cover (the plastic painted part), but through my license plate and plate frame as well. Note: you should check if your bumper cover has the steel/aluminum bumper just behind/under your license plate because if you do, you will not be able to mount this unit as you will not be able to drill a hole through the metal).

I was able to install the unit (electric, etc) in about 6 hours. Much of that time was determining exactly where to run the wires, where to pick up electricity for the “brains” and the display, and drill all the holes. The installation went okay, and looks okay. I put the brains/transmitting unit in the back wheel well, just under the back up lights. I put the display just behind the passenger seat so that when I turn to look toward the back, I can easily see the display. In total, the Wireless Display is only 3 feet from the transmitter.

How does it work? Well – that’s where the problem comes in.

It will, indeed, go “beep” when you get near something. *Most of the time*. And thus the reason I can’t recommend you buy this product. When I put my car in reverse, the unit powers up (it’s connected to the backup light power wire), the display turns on (with a –|– on the screen), and chirps. It will pick up the sides of my garage as I back out and as I approach the fence, it picks it up, too. But it also picks up the road if on an incline and often time is too slow to respond. If you s-l-o-w-l-y creep back, it will give you warning before you hit anything. But you cannot back up at a normal speed like with our Nissan’s factory-installed radar unit. Plus – the display often goes black while I’m backing up. So in short, I CAN”T RELY on the unit to be accurate. So what’s the point of getting it in the first place??

I did write Wagan Tech and asked a few simple questions such as “should the display ever appear “off/black” when engaged? or is my unit faulty?” and “is there a way to hard-wire the brains to the display (so as to not depend on the slow wireless connection” Wagan never answered. I wrote a week later, then a week after that. Told them I was going to post a review on AmaZon and was waiting to hear from them. Never got answers.

So in all, my advice is don’t buy this (or any other Wagan Tech) product. There is NO support after the purchase. A shame, because I bet there is a good market for this type of product – but only if it works!

This review is from: Eminence Beta 12A Speaker Purchased speaker to replace a cheap speaker in a bass amp. perfect choice, shipped well packaged, received quickly. As advertised.

I got this from ebay for my 2003 Acura TL Type-S with Navigation. It is working very nicely. In particular, you’ll be able to switch between CD and external player (AUX) by pressing the CD button on your stereo. So you’re not going to lose any existing functionality in your car. It works with mp3 players, satellite radio units, and virtually any device with a headphone jack.

Previously I used an FM tuner, where I constantly got static and interference with radio stations and other drivers with FM tuners. I also tried the cassette adapter, but it developed a huge mechanical noise, and the audio quality was like tape.

The Blitzsafe device has the same quality as the factory CD player. If you’re happy with that, you’re going to like this unit — otherwise you need a high-end aftermarket radio/amp solution. Note, however, that this device will not charge your iPod or any other player, which could be a disadvantage to some.

Installation is not exactly simple, but if you can build a computer from parts, you can do it. If you’ve never took your car’s dash apart, it could take hours. Just follow these instructions for Acura TL or CL:
[...]

My car had a very tight screw and I couldn’t get the radio out, but I could still reach in through the bottom and connect it blindly to the back of the receiver. So you don’t necessarily have to take the stereo out. If you don’t have the repair skills, Best Buy can install this for $50 in about an hour, or you might be able to find other installers as well. This unit does not work with Acura TL 2004+. There’s another version for those cars. So be sure to do your research, especially if you plan to self-install this.

To connect an mp3 player or satellite receiver, you’ll obviously need an additional cable — typically a headphone-to-RCA one. Note that the iPhone has a special recessed jack, so chances are you need a special jack for that, but it’s still widely available.

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 541s 5-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter (Without Transducer) (Electronics) I replaced an older, monochrome Garmin GPS/Sounder with this unit and at first was dubious because the screen size was smaller, but the clarity, color and brightness of the display have quickly dispelled that concern. The refresh rate, clarity of symbols and ease of use have made the retirement of my old navigator a pleasure. The only downside to the conversion was the need to also replace the wiring. I could have done without that pain, and don’t understand why the plug size change was all that necessary.

This review is from: Coby Dual Position Cd/md/mp3 Cassette Adapter Ca-747 (Electronics) So at first, my iTouch sounded horrible on my ’04 Toyota Sienna’s stereo. After reading the instructions, it was obvious. I had the volume at 100% on the iTouch. When I lowered it to half-way or so, then turned up the stereo, the sound was fine. Also worked with with my BlackBerry Tour.

The sound isn’t perfect, but on a long drive it beats continually having to search for new FM radio stations.

Got exactly what I ordered and at a great price. Fast shipping. Received it in four days. Easy to install. Thank you.

This review is from: Focal Polyglass 165 CVX 6.5-Inch Coaxial Speaker Kit (Electronics) I didn’t find many reviews when researching these speakers, so I thought I’d write one after having them about a month. I highly recommend them, and I’m not sure they’re burned-in yet! I like the pivoting tweeter, as it does send the highs up to my ears. The tweeter’s angle is set and rotates one full turn around the pole. The clarity, detail and separation of these speakers is great! Caution though-Crutchfield said they’d fit my car w/o adapters, etc, but only 2 (opposing) screws fit, but I think that’s fine, as the basket is strong plastic. There are plenty of holes to chose from on the basket’s edge. The small manual lists them as 165mm/6.5″. They suggest “a few weeks’ run-in”(burn in) period. Nominal power is listed as 70W, max is 140W and response is 60-20kHz(+/-?) at 4 ohms w/93db sensitivity. They come with hardware, grills and even 1 small Focal window decal, which I proudly sport.

This review is from: PYLE PLWCH10D 10-Inch 1000 Watt Ultra Slim DVC Subwoofer (Electronics) PYLE PLWCH10D 10-Inch 1000 Watt Ultra Slim DVC Subwoofer

I have 2 of these subs and they hit so hard my hair moves and i cant see anything out of my rear view mirror. PLEASE READ

this sub is a mirror image of the kicker comp vr sub. everything from the relation of magnet and coil to the rigid support cone is absolutely congruent, it only suffers one fatal flaw. that popping sound is NOT the sub bottoming out. it is the sound of the inside ridge hitting the wires that run inside the sub basket. there is an easy fix:

nessisary supplies:
1)solder and solder gun
2)wood bbq skewrs
3)jb weld(jb kwick preferred)

all you need to do is solder the end of the wire were it contacts the terminals. be very careful not to melt the exhisting glue. then you can pin the wire down onto the spider and sparingly apply the jb weld with the wooden skewers to the point of contact to the spider. do not jb weld the whole wire down. it still needs some flexability. repeat for all 4 wires. this turns a 40 dollar off brand sub into a functional kicker comp vr.

This review is from: Uniden SM81 Speaker Microphone (Electronics) I bought this speaker microphone for use with my Uniden MHS125 handheld marine VHF radio. It attaches quickly and securely to the handheld radio and includes a clip on the back of the speaker microphone which allows you to wear it closer to your ear for enhanced monitoring while underway. The speaker in the microphone is clear and offers more volume than I had expected.

This review is from: Black Cassette Tape Adapter for any CD, iPod or MP3 Player (Electronics) I purchased this item as a cheap solution to connect my mp3 player to my car’s stereo through it’s cassette player. I figured that I would give this solution a try using this very low cost item. In theory, it worked. The mp3 player could play its music through the adapter. However, this adapter made for horrible sound quality (e.g. garbled sound) and its cheap construction is evident just by looking at it. It’s not even worth the $2 (pluse S&H) that I paid for it. At least it proved the theory. It’s in my garbage can and I’m now ordering an adapter from a better brand of electronics. Hopefully, the next one will work out better!

This review is from: Motorola MOTONAV TN20 TN30 GPS USB Vehicle Power Car Charger Adapter (Electronics) I RECEIVED MY CHARGER WITHIN TWO DAYS WHICH WAS WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE..I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THIS. I USED THE PRODUCT ON TIME AND IT WORKED GREAT. WHEN I WAS DONE WITH IT I REMOVED THE CHARGER FROM MY GPS AND THE CONNECTOR PRONG GOT STUCK INSIDE OF MY GPS. I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE PIECE FROM MY GPS BUT ONCE AGAIN I AM NOT ABLE TO USE MY GPS DUE TO NOT HAVING A CHARGER. NOT TO UPSET ABOUT DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS ONLY $4.00 SO I GUSS I GOT WHAT I PAID FOR!!!

I bought a small car – no real ‘frills’. One of the major ‘frills’ it did not have, was a cd player. So, my daughter turned me on to a ‘cassette adapter’. I searched AMAZON, and of course AMAZON had the best price – so, I ordered: PHILIPS Cassette Adapter Kit/PH2051W. IT IS a WONDERFUL little item !! My music is clear, and using the Philips cassette adapter has resurrected my Ipod Nano – which was in my closet, collecting dust. Now I load-up my music and up the road I go, bopping to Motown or any other sound I like. I have put aside my want [and un-necessary expense] of getting an upgraded stereo for my Beetle ! I AM HAPPY, thanks Philips and thanks Amazon !

This review is from: Polk Audio Mobile,6.5″ 2-way 180w Db651 (Electronics) For the price these speakers are great. I needed the slim mounts so they could fit in my 89 Camaro. But if I had the room i would have bought the Regular Polk Audio db651. These speakers are loud and have good highs but not much bass. But other than that overall great speakers.

This review is from: 2005 05 Chevrolet Suburban Keyless Entry Remote – 3 Button This product worked just like it was from the dealer. Installation went off without a problem except it is worth mentioning
that if you want to use this product as a 2nd fob for the same vehicle you have to program both 1 right after the other during
while the vehicle is in program mode. So after you hold the fob buttons and hear the doors cycle, grab the other remote and do it again.
THEN cycle the key off and back on to complete. Otherwise it will disable the old one and enable only the new one. Would be nice if this
was in the directions but a friendly local Chevy dealer helped me out for free on this one.

I initially was going to buy the similarly-priced SONY competitor unit. But then I started looking closely at the iPod navigation procedure on the SONY, compared to the Alpine, and quickly realized that there was absolutely no contest. The Alpine system is INFINITELY superior, in terms of ease of iPod navigation, than anything else I’ve seen (SONY, Pioneer, and others). Between the intelligent Menu/Submenu hierarchy system (very intuitive, very similar in nature to the navigation on the iPod itself), and the “percentage search” feature utilizing the #1-6 radio preset buttons for fast-forwarding along your song list, you can find an individual song in VERY little time, with a minimum of button-pushing or button-holding. Other manufacturers, who think that consumers will actually want to push a button hundreds of times (or hold it for hundreds of seconds), to find a desired song, are absolutely living on another planet. Buy the Alpine — it looks cool, it sounds great, and most importantly, it makes iPod integration and navigation an absolute joy.

This review is from: GTMax White USB Home Travel Charger for Apple iPod Touch 4th Generation (Electronics) I ordered this charger for my son to use with his iPod Touch (4G) when needing to charge in the house. It hooks up to his USB that came with the iPod. I paid more than double the price for my daughter’s at our local store but they serve the same purpose so I would definitely recommend it.

This review is from: Cobra XRS-9930 12-Band Radar/Laser Detector (Electronics) purchased this detector for 12 hour drives through 4 states I make about 5 times a year. Amazon’s price was great and I did not expect this unit to compete with others costing 3x or 4x more. When mounted high on the front windshield, it has “OK” range – not great – but OK. It receives all the most common law enforcement radars in use today, but when it sounds off the transmitter is not all that far away – trust it and slow down for anything other than an “X Band” alert (I will probably turn that off in the menu ) I really like the auto volume control where it will turn down the alert volume after the first alarm – you don’t need to listen to the beeping alarm at full volume. The voice announce of the type of radar is good also, you don’t even need to look at the unit display to know what type of radar is being used. I hate the short curley power cord….made my own out of straight wire (Cobra sells one, but I’m too cheap). Good unit for the price !

This review is from: RAM Mounts U-Bolt Base for 1″ to 1 1/4″ Round Bar I am mounting a Garmin Nuvi 760 on my ’02 Lowrider, and this mount works perfectly with the RAM cradle.

This review is from: Pyle PLBKA60BK 300 Watts Waterproof Portable Bicycle/Scooter MP3/Ipod Music Player (Black) (Electronics) This is supposedly an amplified speaker set with mp3 for a bicycle rated at 300W RMS (meaning Root Mean Square). I was baffled to find that the amplifier is powered by 2 size AAA 1.5V batteries when I opened the package. Basic calculations can tell you that 2 size AAA 1.5 alkaline batteries and 300W RMS power do not go together, not even enough to play one full length music. My PC speakers powered through USB that is rated at 5W per channel (that is 10W RMS total) which costed me about $20 sounds much louder and richer than this Pyle speaker set. What is more surprising is the list price on Amazon. It says $175.99 but on sale for $71.87 which sounded like a great deal making me save over a hundred bucks. Usually, list price should be a loose reference to what kind of product quality I should expect. Not this time. This product is worth far less than my $20 PC speaker set when it comes to sound reproduction. What really bothers me most is that the manufacturer was bold enough to lie about the output power of this speaker set. We all know manufacturers love to make huge claims about their products but they have definately crossed the red line this time. I wish I could sue the manufacturer for fraud for having wasted my money and time. This product is not worth the money. The sound will be barely audible if you take the speakers outdoor which is where i is intended to be played (on a cruising bicycle). Very very disappointed!!!

This review is from: Pyle PL12V3US Plug In Car 1 TO 3 Cigarette Lighter Multiplier with USB Charger (Electronics) We got two of these adapters and neither one works…..the lights go on but nothing works when you plug something into it.

This review is from: Skque Universal Hard Pouch Shell Case for Garmin Nuvi 4.3 for Garmin Nuvi 1690 4.3-inch Nuvi 1300 Nuvi 1350 Nuvi 1350t Nuvi 1370t Nuvi 1390t 205w 255w 265wt 755t 785t 855 855t (Electronics) This case seems to be built from decent materials though the zipper always binds. The only complaint that I have (other than the faulty zipper) is that the item pictured is not what you get. There are no straps inside the case to hold in the GPS unit. In addition, the bottom of the case is rounded making the case thicker than is necessary for the Garmin GPS units. One good thing is that it is sized large enough to hold any 4.3″ Garmin with a silicon cover installed.

This review is from: Metra GMOS-07 GMOS Interface Chevy Pontiac 05-06 (Electronics) Worked great-no issues at installation-product was much less on line through Amazon then it would have been through car installation shop

I purchased this Nanuk 945 case with padded dividers recently and was definitely impressed!
Being a professional photographer for over 10 years I own many other cases like Pelican, Lightware, Domke, etc…
The beauty of this case is the excellent build quality and the locking latches. While traveling, finding my pelican case open and exposed at the baggage claim because the latches popped open during flight was not a good thing.
The latches have a safety lock that needs to be pressed before opening the latch which solves the latch failure problem.
With the padded dividers I can fit my whole arsenal of medium format and dslr equipment in one case.

DH

This review is from: New Pair Gray 7″ Zipper Cover Car Headrest Dvd Monitors, Wireless Dual Channel Headphones, 32 & 8 Bit Games and Controllers, and inc. 2 Cigarette Power Adapters Free! (Electronics) I ordered these to replace some portable units that had been in use and were ready to be retired. I specifically ordered this bundle because they were supposed to come with the cigarette lighter adapters for the power connections to allow easier installation and to prevent having to splice wiring. Unfortunately, the units shipped without the adapters and as I’d read, the install instructions are pretty near worthless. It took several hours to get the wiring sorted out and not before I’d blown one of the fuses in the unit (there are no spare fuses provided for just such an occasion so it meant a trip to the auto parts store late in the evening). The quality of the units are pretty low but that’s to be expected at this price point. Again the most painful and concerning thing here is that they don’t take the time to make the installation much easier on these by including the adapters and as I said, an extra fuse or two wouldn’t hurt since just touching the power to ground will blow one (they are 2amp fuses).

as far as customer service goes, I had really no luck getting Amazon to contact the company and get the adapters shipped out. My options were, Return them and get a full refund, install them and get a partial refund for the missing adapters, but they would not or could not contact the seller and see if they could send the promised and missing parts. That was pretty frustrating and the partial refund was less than expected for the units.

Overall, i rated these neutral as they do seem to work well, but they look/feel cheaper than expected and were not fun to install. I gave a lower overall rating to my shopping experience with amazon due to the above-mentioned issues contacting the seller.

I don’t know why amazon has this listed for the Rino 5xx series radios – they require more power and use a lithium ion recharable pack to get it. This adapter is for the 1xx series radios designed around disposable batteries. YOU NEED A DIFFERENT ADAPTER FOR THE 5XX SERIES – THIS IS A WASTE OF MONEY FOR THOSE RADIOS. Amazon should know better.

This review is from: Lap Timer (Electronics) This is a great little timer for a fraction of the cost of any others I could find. A friend and I ordered two timers and four beacons and use them to get sector and lap times at the local track. They’ve proved to be reliable and durable (we’ve dropped them numerous times). The batteries in the timers have lasted many days, the beacons didn’t include batteries so I bought rechargeable AA’s and they keep the beacon going all day.

The Timers record plenty of lap times and have features to check what the fastest, slowest, average and total lap times are. They don’t have as many features as some other times, like back lighting, but at a quarter of the cost I wouldn’t expect them to.

Overall I give them top marks as I wouldn’t have paid $200 for a lap timer, and we’ve learned a huge amount from being able to check our times against various lines and techniques through the course.

This review is from: Keyless Entry Remote Fob Clicker for 2002 Cadillac Escalade With Do-It-Yourself Programming This arrived in about a week by parcel post. Instructions were included and it took about ten minutes to gather all remotes and program them all including the new one. It works as advertised and was a reasonable price.

One of he BEST on the market. Holds a LOT of power and works great. Good value for the money. Bought a second one just to have around for my power hog electronics.

When evaluating this product for distribution I beat the crap out of it (and all its brothers), trying to make it fail and blow up. The mfr of this design outdid themselves. This one performs almost flawlessly. I had the mfr change the case work to match their other smaller units and added the terminal block for “permanent” installation, along with a heavy duty remote start cable for customers who want durability in demanding applications (fire trucks, ambulance, police, etc). The industry standard for remote cables is a flimsy plastic phone type connector, notorious for breaking with age.

All the Solar model inverters deliver the full rated power specified. That was one of the conditions of acceptance.

BTW, I don’t work for the company who markets them anymore, so there’s no vested interest in a positive review here. But I know what it is like when a customer expects to get something of value for their money. These WILL deliver, but you absolutely MUST follow the installation guide explicitly in the manual or they will die.

This review is from: Round Speaker Terminal 2-7/8″ Gold Binding Post (Electronics) I am in the process of upgrading the subs in my car (Alpine SWR-1023Ds) and needed a better quality pair of speaker terminal cups to handle the larger speaker wire I’d need. My sub box was drilled for 2-inch terminal cups and these are the only ones I could find that would handle 8ga speaker wire.

I am only going to use 12ga wire, but since I need to externally wire the speakers in parallel, I need the extra room to be able to stick 2 sets of wire in the binding posts on one of the cups.

I’m not using banana terminal ends on my wires although these terminal cups provide for them, I prefer the extra security of screwing down the wire ends good and tight in the binding post, not worry about a banana terminal being shaken out when the subs start hitting hard.

The cup fits quite snugly in the 2″ hole in my sub-box, and comes pre-gasketed. Unfortunately no mounting screws are provided, although in my case I may be able to reuse the screws from the old terminal cups.

The internal side of the cup has your standard spade terminal tabs that can of course accept spade terminals 1/4″ in size I believe, or if you want the job done right, you can solder your speaker wire leads to them as I intend to do. I also recommend using some sort of sealant such as caulk or silicone around the cup when installing, to be certain it seals well and stays put, a good seal can make or break a good sealed speaker box.

BTW, I am replacing a set of those chintzy spring-loaded terminal cup that barely accept 16ga wire and seem like a hard sneeze would make them fall apart.

If you are making a custom box, and wanna keep things compact, these are the way to go, same if your current box need replacements and the hole is only two inches and you don’t want to increase the hole size to fit bigger cups.

This review is from: ASX02 – Audiobahn 12dB/octave AS-Q Series Crossover Pair Set (Electronics) My original component front speakers were pretty much swapped out for better speakers. The original crossover wasn’t up to the task so I had made my own using parts from Partsexpress. They never sounded really good though. Out of desperation I bought these from Amazon. Once I had them installed my system sounded so much better. Are these the best crossovers you can buy? Of course not but for the price they are amazing. I couldn’t be happier.

This review is from: NAXA NX-769 1000 Watt 6×9″ 6-Way Car Audio Stereo Replacement Speakers (Electronics) I had a set for 3 years had no problems till my amp shorted and they blew. I just got a new set and still the same. Great quality and sound especially for the price. Cheaper than Walmart speakers and ten times better.

Bought these to replace Bose powered 6.5 speakers in front & rear. New HU and 4 ch. Kenwood to drive. Wired with Knukonceptz 4ga kit. Dampened front doors, rear doors, rear shelf, rear wheel wells and under back seat with Fatmat. Got all installed and cranked up and from first note they absolutely scream and sound incredible!!!! Read about these on Best recovery website about all kind of audio and other stuff. These CDT speakers help bring out things I didn’t know was there in a song. Can’t beat these speakers. Tried JBL, Polk, MB Quart & these are heads above any of these for the price. I am sure you can buy Morel, Focal,Rainbow or JL for 2 or 3 times more money, but why? I am going to buy the comp. system for my next car and can’t wait to do so.

This review is from: New 3 Buttons Remote Keyless Shell Case for 2000 20001 20002 Gm GMC Sierra 1500 /Sierra 2500 /Yukon / Yukon Denali /Yukon XL 1500 / Yukon XL 2500 No Chips Inside(FCCID: KOBLEAR1XT GM 15042968 15732803) (Electronics) Great service, product is exactly what I’d hoped it would be. They went out of their way to make me happy and get what I needed. Thanks!

this amp is a monster, i have 2 rockford fosgate p3 12s and it pushes them with no problem that’s if you have everything installed correctly, only thing is i think this amp does about 1400 watts rms instead of 2000 atleast that’s what i was told ,besides that it’s a great solid , bass producing amp.

This review is from: Kenwood DNX7120 6.95in Wide Double DIN in-Dash DVD GPS Navigation Receiver (Electronics) OK, my wife got a new car with the Honda Nav system, which has consolidated the tuner, CD changer, XM radio, bluetooth, and GPS with a nice size screen (about 7″) and I immediately fell in love with it. Only, it’s her car. So when I traded in my car for a new one, I started thinking about getting my own setup.

Enter the Kenwood DNX7120. It does not have all the features I wanted, specifically it was lacking satellite radio and bluetooth, but they are available as optional add-on components. With the add-ons, everything appears and functions as one consolidated unit. Great! The price is decent enough, the unit that is closer to being fully consolidated is priced at slightly over $1500 at this time, while this unit is just slightly over $900. The add-on componenents are roughly $200 extra, so the cost savings seemed to justify going this route.

Quality: from my perspective, great. The unit takes maybe 30 seconds to boot into a usable screen, but while it is booting up it automatically starts playing whatever you left it at. So if you were last listing to FM radio, about 5 – 10 seconds after you start you will at least have music. Sound is great, although my car is not an audiophile’s high-end, but I enjoy it. The unit has a large number of potential interfaces, to include USB, I-pod, and A/V RCA connectors. Video display is nice and sharp. Favorites seems to be limited to 6 of each area (FM, XM), but that limitation might be because I haven’t fully read the manuals yet. (I’d like to have more than 6 XM favorites).

This unit comes with a remote. The remote has a lot of buttons making it more complex than I care for, so I can’t see myself using it while I drive. But maybe your passenger will want to use it.

Drawback: lack of data interfaces. The built-in Garmin would have a good source of updates if it had an SD card reader, but it doesn’t. The manual says that updates are either through the SD or the DVD player, so I guess I’m stuck with ordering a DVD when it’s time to update. I’ll try the USB, but I had read another review that said the USB won’t update the Garmin’s database.

GPS: It’s Garmin (love it or not). I love my portable Garmin Nuvi, and this acts very similar to it, so I feel comfortable with the nav programming. One bad thing (maybe should have put under drawbacks), if I’m running the GPS for a route and the phone rings and I take it, the GPS will not be displayed at all during the phone call. So either you’re on a stretch of road that you won’t miss a turn, or you’d better make the call short.

Last thoughts: This particular model is now, I believe, out of production and superceded by the DNX 81xx series. So obviously prices will be going down. If you can get this unit at $700 or under, it will be an exceptional bargain. It’s still a good deal at current prices. Get all your optional components at one time and install everything together. You probably won’t want to take it apart later just to add an add-on component.

UPDATE: After using this for a few days, reading the manual, and playing around with it, I have found that you can talk via bluetooth and still watch the GPS map. The unit will not automatically revert back to your screen, but all you have to do is press the NAV button and you will get the map back. So at this point, I wish I had given it 5 stars, but it seems that you cannot edit your initial star rating.

This review is from: DB Link PW4R100Z 4-Gauge 100 Feet Power Wire (Red) (Electronics) This wire may not be cheap, but when it comes to melting your car down, is using cheap wire really saving you any money??

I had intended to unwrap the wire and see what the actual measurement was (length if it really was 250′) but… I didn’t. Regardless, the wire is used on multiple wiring projects on my vehicle, NONE of which are for a clean install (wire ran inside the vehicle) amp project. I have wire ran to the battery from an air compressor mounted in the bed and a project is ongoing for wiring up a power inverter in the rear cab of a crew cab (2009) GMC. I’m currently living in Alaska, and even with weather -40ish and colder, the wire has not failed, it remains flexible enough with the high quality coating, the very fine strands allow flex, and the high voltages to flow through without any heating issues. If this wire can handle what I’m doing with it, a simple Amp install and such will be easy!

This review will also be posted for more DB Link wire I’m currently using.

Corey

I received this as a Christmas gift. Installed the next day. Loved the idea of all the features (DVD, navigation, iPod connectivity, Bluetooth) as this replaced an existing GPS and iPod FM transmitter. Even better was the fact that it looked like a cheap in-dash CD player to potential thieves. All the features worked as expected. The DVD feature is nice for long trips but the built-in screen can’t be used while the car is in motion (there’s a connection for an external monitor). The navigation feature is nice, but the user interface is a bit ‘clunky’ in my opinion. The main reason for choosing this unit was the built-in iPod connectivity as I spend about 3 hours commuting daily. The on-screen iPod controls are much easier (and safer) to use than the iPod controls. However, don’t expect it to mimic the controls from the iPod exactly. It’s great for basic playback but is best used with playlists. Bluetooth phone connectivity is a great feature but the built-in mic makes it difficult for callers to hear you (even sitting still with the engine off). An external clip-on microphone would have been a much better choice and sadly there’s no option to add one. Otherwise the phone book and caller display works well. After my initial impressions I would give this unit 4 of 5 stars.

Now for the long-term review…

After using this unit for nearly a year, I’d like to report how I feel about it, what I’ve experienced, and why I wouldn’t recommend this product now.

The DVD feature is nice but I noticed that the unit has a tendency to overheat after a few hours of use. I’ve read on other sites that adequate ventilation was necessary for this unit. There’s a small rear-facing fan that must be clear of any obstructions. I ensured that it wasn’t blocked (my 2002 Intrepid has plenty of room behind the head unit). While the ‘overheating’ didn’t affect playing the iPod, the Bluetooth, or the navigation, it did severely affect DVD playback. After about 45 minutes of playing a DVD the video would get blocky and studder, or the sound would cut out, as if the DVD was scratched. I tried several including a couple of brand new discs and had the same issue. Haven’t used the DVD in a while now.

The navigation worked well until suddenly it just stopped one day. After getting the ‘press here to accept’ message I began getting some kind of error indicating that the GPS software couldn’t load. On a side note, it appears that this unit uses an embedded version of Windows CE, as the dialog box from the error looked very much (read exactly) like error messages I’d seen before of CE-based devices. I tried restoring the navigation data from the DVD included with the unit but that didn’t help. After exchanging e-mail with Dual’s technical support I was told that I needed to send the CF card back and they’d check it. Would’ve been easier if they’d included the application software on the DVD instead of just the navigation data so that I could try a different card myself. Still haven’t sent the card in but guess I will have to if I want my navigation back.

The main reason I wanted this unit was for the iPod connectivity. It works OK but the on-screen user interface is buggy. For whatever reason, when using my iPod Video and the on-screen pause, it locks the head unit up. For example, if you press pause while playing a song, the unit will pause the song but I can’t resume it. I have to switch to the radio tuner and then back again to get it to play. And it skips to the next song, it doesn’t resume the song I was listening to. I don’t have these problems with my iPod Nano. Since I use it to listen to audiobooks and podcasts I don’t pause that much. I’ve learned to use the mode button to switch to the tuner if I need to pause the audio. As I have the audiobook feature turned on on the iPod, it resumes where I left off when I switch back to it.

My biggest complaint, though, is when shutting off the car. If the radio, or iPod, is playing when I turn off the ignition there’s no audio when I re-start the car! If I turn off the radio before shutting the car off this isn’t a problem. To get audio back, I have to turn the radio off and back on again. And, no, it’s not a wiring problem (I’ve checked and had it checked by a professional).

As I noted earlier, it appears this unit is running an embedded version of Windows CE. Dual has promised updates on their website since I bought the unit but as of this writing they haven’t made updates available. I can only hope that sometime soon they will update the software and fix what is otherwise a great product for the price. Until they do, however, I’m sticking by my 2 star rating.

Basically all absolute boxes are very poorly glued together. There are no staples or screws or anyting to hold the boxes together. If the box gets bounced around in shipping, and most likely it will, all of the joints will be easily broken and will leak and will sound like total garbage. I no longer buy Absolute boxes for my business and I have completely switched over to R/T enterprise boxes which are sold here on Amazon. Their joints are dado grooved, glued, stapled, and caulked. Extremely strong and best box I have found. Oh, also stay away from Atrend. They are also garbage.

This review is from: Black Billet (14″ inch) ANTENNA – 2002 thru 2007 Jeep Liberty KJ The atenna works great and was easy to install. The height of the antenna work fine for the Jeep Liberty.

This review is from: Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics) I’ve been using GPS systems for several years, and I’m always asked “what’s the best GPS?” Unfortunately, that’s not an easy question to answer. Just like there’s no “best” car for everyone, there’s no such thing as the “best” GPS.

That being said, this is a very fine GPS system, and one well worth checking out. I’ve owned two other Magellan systems in the past (a Roadmate 500 and a 750M), and the improvements in this system are wonderful. Excellent screen, clear even in full sun, easy to use – truly a “turn it on and go” setup. I’ve always been especially fond of the way Magellan announces upcoming turns – they are the only GPS that offers a incredibly accurate “bing-bong” sound right before the turn. The key word there is ACCURATE. Yes, Garmin has an upcoming turn tone, but more often than not, it’s too early or too late to be effective. Magellan gets it right every time. That, and their split screen turn view is what makes this a must-own for me. The AAA guidebook is icing on the cake, and I’m finding that to be a real time saver – much better than the typical POI database since the places have been vetted by AAA. If you’re a fan of the AAA paper guidebooks, you will absolutely love having it accessible through a GPS.

I also currently have a Garmin 2610 and have found that the Magellan/Garmin combo is what works best for me. The Garmins have some advantages over the Magellans and vice versa. Together, they make a great combo.

But, if you want to buy just one GPS, the Magellan 4040 is a great choice. The Garmin Nuvi line is also quite nice, but their wide-screen versions are considerably more expensive than the 4040. If it came down to the Nuvi 3XX model or the Magellan 40XX models, I feel the Magellan gives you more for your money. On the other hand, Garmin offers better support, more frequent map/firmware updates, and is an easier company to deal with by far. See – I told you that there’s no such thing as the “best” GPS! Everything’s a trade off.

I’ve also been impressed with the user interface of the Tom Tom units but, in my area, the TeleAtlas maps they use are rather poor. Both Garmin and Magellan use Navtec maps, which (on the East Coast, at least) are much better.

Some people comment on the U turn issue. For me, it’s never happened to any extent. My Garmin, in fact, tends to be far more insistent on U turns than the Magellan when you go off-route. I’ve also found that the Magellan (this plus all the others I’ve used) tend to give either the same or better routes than the Garmins (I’m on my third Garmin as well). Not all the time — once in a while you’ll get a more roundabout route on the Magellan than the Garmin, but those cases are rare.

In short, you will be happy with this unit. If you’re on the fence, buy this and a Garmin, and do a head to head comparison to see which one works best for your needs and send back the loser. Chances are, however, you’ll end up like me with two (or sometimes three) GPS systems on your dash.

UPDATE 5/6/07: Just took the Maestro for a 450 mile trip — continue to be very impressed with the unit. In a side-by-side test, it routinely beat the Garmin 2610 in determining that I was off route and recalculated the new route before the Garmin even realized I was not where I should be! (Off-route situations were due to me making an unplanned side trip, and not due to bad directions from either GPS). There’s also a firmware update available from Magellan that allows you to use the preview turn function at any time (just like with past Magellan units). Very easy to install and, although it warns that you should backup your address book prior to the upgrade, it did not delete any of my addresses. It’s always a good idea to backup your data, but the firmware upgrade does not seem to affect it.

Update 5/18: Another trip, this one nearly 1,000 in length and the Maestro once again performed very well. My sister was so impressed with the unit that immediately upon our return she placed an order for one as well. Given that she’s always shunned GPS units (even though her sense of direction is as bad as mine), that’s quite an endorsement for the Maestro. She had tried a Garmin Nuvi 350 that she borrowed from a friend, and found the Magellan to be more to her style. The features in particular she liked were the fact that the direction of the next turn is always visible in the lower left corner regardless of how far away the turn is. I like that feature as well – sometimes you need a lot of advance notice of what lane you should be in when the traffic is heavy. Also, she appreciated that the Magellan gave more frequent voice prompts than the Nuvi — it will voice “stay on the current road” when you come to a major intersection or juncture on the freeway. The Garmin does not offer that. Some people find it to be nagging, but I like all the help a GPS can give.

This review is from: Rain Tracker Rain Sensing Windshield Wiper Controls (Electronics) This is great addition to my vehicle. Installation was a little tricky but I was able to get it done with the included instructions. The Rain Tracker website did not have my vehicle in the database, but as the site says, if I get them a diagram of the wiper system for my vehicle they would take a look at it. I sent them my diagram and received and answer the following day with instructions on installation. It took me a few hours to install. If your are at all technical, DIY installation should be just fine.

The Rain Tracker works as described, comes on when it raining and shuts off when it’s done. It moves to the different speeds as I would want it to. It was intermittent at first then moved to slow and fast.

This review is from: Power Acoustik MID-65 6.5-Inch 300-Watt Midrange/Bass Driver (Electronics) So I am quite pleased with this purchase and seller. My package arrived a day early and you could see that the box was not treated gently by FedEx but all the contents where unscathed so no prob. the sound of the speakers is GREAT they are being powered by Stax 1600/4 and it is set @3/4 gain HPF set to 80 hertz they sound better than the MB-Quarts that they replaced. SO already thinking about another pair for the rear deck to replace some alpine 6×9′s Mmmm… will probably be dealing with this seller again soon. Get-um ready!

I purchased this mount to put on my 2010 Harley Ultra Classic Electra Glide. I mounted it on the left side near my mirror. It is very sturdy and holds my Tom Tom One XL GPS unit in a death grip. I’ve used it now for a couple of months and I really am pleased with it.

This review is from: XM Sportscaster Satellite Radio Receiver (Electronics) The XM Sportscaster is an excellent product. Clear display … small footprint … easily installed, with one caveat. If you have an external radio antenna or one in your rear window, you will need to use the SureConnect Installation. This involves running a supplied cable from the radio to the antenna. This installation is necessitated by the fact that newer model XM/Sirius radios have a FM modulator whose signal strength has been reduced due to FCC regulations. (Older models were reported as interferring with other car radios in traffic, especially stalled rush hour traffic, so XM/Sirius was required to reduce the signal strength.) I had no trouble running the cable to the rear window on my car and am getting excellent reception. However, I don’t know that I would want to have to run it to an outside antenna or in a car where it is hard to put the cable under carpet or other parts of the car (so the wire is not lying around). THis is the reason that my wife got my old Roadie (her car has an external radio antenna) and I took the Sportscaster.

A feature I appreciate on this receiver is that it has unlimited FM modulation settings. Older XM/Sirius receivers had a limited number of settings (I believe five) which were a problem for someone like me who travels up and down the east coast. The unlimited settings means I can always get a clear connection.

This review is from: Boss MR1560DI Marine MP3-Compatible Digital Media Receiver (Electronics) We always use an Ipod when we are on the boat, so this sounded great! Installation was easy, I have two amps and this has pre amp outputs for front, rear and sub woofer so I just had to plug them in. Great sound, doesn’t have any different sound features, just bass and treble adjustments along with bass boost if you have a sub woofer, but it sounds great. When you put your Ipod inside, which is pretty easy, it is secure so you don’t have to worry about it getting wet or bouncing all over you dash. It also charges when it is docked inside. Won’t support the Iphone, but I have had just about every Ipod docked in it and they all worked. The “touch pad” controls are not as sensitive or fast as you would think, sometime you have to touch them a few time to get it to work. The wireless remote is great. My stereo is mounted at an angle (2001 Ski Centurion)and if you are sitting down in the back set you need to hold the remote up high to work, not a big deal. The only real negative thing that I have with the stereo is that if you find a specific song, playlist or whatever it is time consuming and you will need the directions until you have done it a few time. The great thing is though, it has an aux input so you can always plug another Ipod in that way.

This review is from: Stinger SGJ91 0-300hz Bass Blockers for 6-Inch x 9-Inch Speakers, 2 blue (Electronics) THEY ARE PART OF A CUSTOM SETUP FOR 2002 TOYOTA GTS. 8 SPEAKER CONFIG. I WASN’T LOOKING FOR BLAST JUST TOTAL SPECTRUM SOUND. A X-OVER/ SMALL 1KW 4WAY AMP/ 10′, 8′, AND (FOUR 6.5 ROUNDIES) W STOCK STEREO. CHECKED AN ONLINE HERTZ CHART FOR INSTRUMENT AND VOICE RANGES, ADDED 4 STINGERS. THANKS TO AMAZON SALES AND THESE BABES I CAME IT AT MY $300 BUDGET.