Installing Aftermarket Head Units
Are you thinking about installing your own car stereo head unit? Be sure to read this article and figure out what you will need to do to get it done. Upgrading the sound system is usually one of the first modifications attempted when we talk about car customization. The best place to start is with a good head unit. If you plan to install it yourself, read on for some technical tips from our experience installers. You will need a few tools to do the job right, so start by collecting some screwdrivers (flat head and phillips head), a socket set, wire cutters, wire splitters, butt connectors or heat shrinking sleeves, electrical tape, zip ties, solder and a soldering iron, and some patience. The first thing I would do before installing I would suggest buying the stereo wiring harness for your vehicle application. This will make the installation easier for you if you are a beginner, and it allows for easier replacement of the stock radio (if you choose to sell the vehicle in the future) and swapping or upgrading to a different aftermarket head unit. Begin by disconnecting the negative battery cable from the battery. This will ensure that you don’t accidentally cross any wires and burn out a new piece of equipment. Next, remove the old head unit. If you need to see how this is done on your specific vehicle, you can look up your vehicles application on installdr.com. This is a great resource for seeing pictures of how to remove the head unit. Once it is loose, disconnect the wiring harness and the antenna from the head unit and remove it completely. There are two types of wiring harnesses you can get. There is the universal wiring harness that connects to your vehicles existing wiring harness, and has the unfinished wire ends that connect to the color coded wires of your new head unit. There is also a wiring harness that has a harness on both ends, and just clicks in place on both sides. These are the easiest to install, but can be harder ot find to match your vehicle to the head unit. Most wiring harnesses are the universal type, so we will focus on those. If you have obtained the wiring harness, you will notice the color coded wires in the back of the head unit. The wires on the head unit and wiring harness should match. The head unit wires and the wiring harness wires will be partially spliced for easy installation. There are several good ways to connect the wires. One way is to use butt connectors, which crimp the wires within a connector. These can be picked up almost anywhere that sells/installs head units, or at Walmart, etc. My favorite way requires a soldering iron and heat shrinking sleeves. Twist the wires together tightly. Apply just enough solder to weld the two wires together. Now fold them over parallel to one of the wires. Slide the sleeve over the connection and heat it with a heat gun or good hair dryer. I have had to rewire or repair systems where butt connectors were used, but this could be installer error, and not a problem with the connectors themselves. I have never had any of the soldered connections fail. Once all the connections are made, and the sleeves heated and shrunk in place, I like to take a zip tie and tie them all together. Clip the excess zip tie for a clean finished look. Connect the wiring harness of the head unit to the wiring harness connected to the vehicle. Plug in the antenna (you may find you need an antenna adapter in some applications). Now slide the head unit in place, but don’t attach it yet. Reconnect the negative battery cable and turn on the head unit (make sure the key is turned to the ACC position). It should be functioning properly at this point. If you plan on adding an amp, or have purchased one for this setup, turn the unit off and connect the RCA cables. Run them through the dash to the floorboard and to the amp (more on how to successfully do this in future articles). If you encounter problems, you can email <A HREF="mailto:support@majesticmodifications.com">support@majesticmodifications.com</A> for help. Brought to you by <A HREF="http://www.majesticmodifications.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.majesticmodifications.com</A>. Majestic Modifications is your online source for auto parts and accessories, installations advice and technical support.
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Are Radar Detectors Legal in the US and in which States are they Prohibited?
A good number of the people with cars in the United States have their own radar detectors. Their reason is that they feel that the speed limit at present is very low. Most of the American people are not satisfied with moderate speed while driving. They want to be the fastest driver on the road as well as get to the places they re going in record time; they want to be always in the race. The radar detector serves as their alarm whenever there are police near them. Once the radar detector alarm sounds, they can ease on the gas and slow down their speed. Because of the radar detectors being known to every motorist, cops are hiding, in alleyways or behind bridges in order to avoid being detected by the radar detectors. Motorists on the other hand are being clever themselves, they are aware of these techniques from the police, so more enhanced, top-dollar detectors have entered the market. Though the policemen are always improving their chances of catching the radar detector users, they are unable to make the streets of the United States radar detector-free. Radar detectors are legal in many cities and states in the United States. But this does not mean that radar detector units are legal in all of the states in the US. Here are some of the states that deem radar detectors illegal: 1. The usage of radar detectors are prohibited in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They have laws banning the use of radar detectors. Not only are radar detectors illegal to use in Virginia, they are also illegal to have in the vehicle. 2. Radar detectors and radar jammers are illegal in the District of Columbia. The passing of their laws to ban the use of radar detectors was set in 1995. 3. In Illinois, radar detectors are only regulated in commercial vehicles of over 26,001 pounds. 4. On US military bases, they are legal to have but illegal to use. 5. Radar jammers are illegal in the states of Utah, California, Oklahoma, Colorado and Nebraska. 6. Radar detectors are not specifically regulated, but things hanging from windshields are not permitted in the state of Minnesota. 7. For motor vehicles over 18,000 pounds and any other commercial motor vehicles over 10,000 pounds in New York, radar detectors are illegal. And other states that prohibit the use of radar detectors are the following: Alabama Arizona Arkansas Colorado Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Mississippi Missouri Montana Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey Mew Mexico North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Vermont Washington Wisconsin Wyoming The state of Connecticut on the contrary has cancelled its anti-radar detector law in 1998 which make this radar detector now legal in this state.Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news, views and information about <a href="http://www.radar-detecting.info">radar detectors</a> at Radar Detecting Information. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Radar-Detecting.info
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