P38A Should I put a modern touch screen radio in my car? [. . . . and other questions]

MrGorsky said:

If you have the posh stereo, that's the Harmon Kardon speakers and Clarion (early) Alpine (later) stereo install, they operate on balanced line level outputs to separate door speaker amps. It reduced interference, and makes the sound quality brilliant... but it also means it won't play nice with many off the shelf head units. You can get a lot of noise, buzzing and hum if you try and just replace the unit without any modification to the wiring. It's to do with plugging an amplified signal in to another amp. People have made little looms to attenuate the signal (attahced below). But what you really need to do it provide balanced audio to your door amplifiers, or skip the amps all together, and just wire your speakers in to the back of your new head unit.

If you have the standard stereo in your car, then none of this applies!!!

The attached is how @Clarky130 did it. I'm not surer he's on here any more.....

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i tried my head unit as it had front/rear pre-outs but there was still noise. To be fair it was an old head unit i hadn't used in a long time so it could be poorly

kermit_rr said:

i tried my head unit as it had front/rear pre-outs but there was still noise. To be fair it was an old head unit i hadn't used in a long time so it could be poorly

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Needs to be balanced too... That's the key difference. And balanced line outs are normally only available on top end skookum gear.

Unfortunately for us, Land Rover seems to have said "We just want the Best" and Clarion and HK delivered it!

MrGorsky said:

Needs to be balanced too... That's the key difference. And balanced line outs are normally only available on top end skookum gear.

Unfortunately for us, Land Rover seems to have said "We just want the Best" and Clarion and HK delivered it!

Click to expand...

Ah right yes that will be the problem, though the cables shouldn't have been picking up nose and only very short

Datatek said:

Good job everyone is different, I have worked on computers all my life, I detest screens in cars, I don't need the distraction. The fact that all modern cars have them ensures that even if I win the lotto I will never buy one.

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Same here, I would buy something with historic status.

I’m kind-of-sort-of off topic but I plan on installing in my 2001 Disco 2 a 10.4” Android 1-Din head unit with Apple Carplay. It’s all about accepting newer technology and enjoying the simplicity of it. I’m looking forward to having improved clarity for cell phone connectivity and access to my iPhone apps and music via a wired USB connection.
There are also options to add ODB apps to monitor vehicle performance while you drive.

JUKE179r said:

I’m kind-of-sort-of off topic but I plan on installing in my 2001 Disco 2 a 10.4” Android 1-Din head unit with Apple Carplay. It’s all about accepting newer technology and enjoying the simplicity of it. I’m looking forward to having improved clarity for cell phone connectivity and access to my iPhone apps and music via a wired USB connection.
There are also options to add ODB apps to monitor vehicle performance while you drive.

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Nothing simple about modern technology.

JUKE179r said:

I’m kind-of-sort-of off topic but I plan on installing in my 2001 Disco 2 a 10.4” Android 1-Din head unit with Apple Carplay. It’s all about accepting newer technology and enjoying the simplicity of it. I’m looking forward to having improved clarity for cell phone connectivity and access to my iPhone apps and music via a wired USB connection.
There are also options to add ODB apps to monitor vehicle performance while you drive.

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My joying has a CarPlay usb dongle. Works ok ish, but call quality is rubbish. Calls work much better using Bluetooth on the head unit.

Many china CarPlay & Google implementations are not 100%

Datatek said:

Nothing simple about modern technology.

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I am quite happy with CDs and the radio, my TOM TOM stuck in the bottom R/H corner of the screen is fine, as for the phone,
I don't like taking calls when I'm driving, I used to use a bluetooth earpiece, I would use one again if I really Had to take a call
that's if, you can still get them, probably considered obsolete now.

Been there seen it done it have a look at my install on my old posts deciding factor was when my amp finally died

aj1954 said:

I am quite happy with CDs and the radio, my TOM TOM stuck in the bottom R/H corner of the screen is fine, as for the phone,
I don't like taking calls when I'm driving, I used to use a bluetooth earpiece, I would use one again if I really Had to take a call
that's if, you can still get them, probably considered obsolete now.

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I used to enjoy sitting at my kitchen table with Michelin maps plotting the route for my motorcycle tours of Europe taking in the pretty routes and the twisty routes from which I would make a simple route list. I do much the same with the tablet using maps to put in way points.

just about all paper maps are bigger than any tablet or monitor. you can draw/annotate if you wish, they dont run out of battery and easy to read in bright sun. They don't need an internet connection to work and roads dont disappear when you zoom out

biketeacherdave said:

Been there seen it done it have a look at my install on my old posts deciding factor was when my amp finally died

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Linking here as a handy note: https://landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/android-installationinstallation.334009/
Thanks

MrGorsky said:

The attached is how @Clarky130 did it. I'm not sure he's on here any more.....

Click to expand...

Really useful document.

Glad it helps, I do miss that car

kermit_rr said:

I'm old school too. I like actual real buttons you can use without looking.. i have this weird idea that it's safer to look where you're going but apparently it's not true. According to current car design
Will it stick out? I guess it depends on your eye. Some p38 had satnav, so i guess it depends on the colour scheme and style you use for the screen.
Maybe a matte/anti glare screen protector might help it blend in?

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I can't wait until the new cars get the 60" OLED screens

cornishboater said:

I can't wait until the new cars get the 60" OLED screens

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OLED touch windscreen ??

pwood999 said:

OLED touch windscreen ??

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Just ensure not to accidentally select the rear camera whilst, on the motorway.

aj1954 said:

Just ensure not to accidentally select the rear camera whilst, on the motorway.

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HUD would make the commute more fun...

I've just yesterday prototyped connecting a Sony XAV-AX8050D in to my factory Clarion high line radio install. It's the one that requires balanced audio inputs so you need to do a bit of electronics to make the standard line outs balanced line outs.

5 audio transofrmers, some resistors, and other bits and bobs (about £60 for RS components) and you can connect a modern stereo with touch screen to the existing install and it sounded amazing. No buzzing or high pitches squeals or anything like that.

That Sony unit has a screen but fits in a standard 1DIN stereo enclosure so it can all go back to factory standard of you want to. Plus it gives me CarPlay, hands free telephone, and all the other fun stuff. I'm even toying with the idea of drilling a hole in the roof for a DAB antenna so I can have that too....

I need to neaten up my unbalanced/balanced circuit and put it in a little box before I do the final install, but my Clarion head has started playing up, and the Clarion service centre are unable to fix it now, so I think this is the way forward for me.

I'll keep us posted...

I also used transformers for my android install to drive the HK door amps, and agree it works really well. What's the screen angle like on that Sony in the dash ?

For the DAB antenna, I considered the "hole in roof" idea, but ended up getting these magnetic antennas from Amazon. Only time one fell over was hitting it on a car park height bar !!