Caravans and Motor Homes

Fitting a Radio

I tend to fit car radios/ c.d. systems, alarms, cameras, reversing aids, and air conditioning units, although I wouldn't recommend you to fit the last one on your own, as I have had a lot to learn before I was confident to do them.

In this article I will explain how to fit radio/ c.d. systems in caravans and, with the aid of a few photographs, try to show you how I do it.

Before you fit a radio, take some time to check out where it is going to go. This applies even more so in a caravan, as space is at a premium, so you need to take up as little of it as you can.

Do I fit it inside a cupboard out of site of prying eyes, or do I cut a hole in the woodwork somewhere and have it on view?

I fit them mainly inside the cupboard units near to the centre of the caravan on the opposite side to the door.

There is a reason for this, and it is that most caravanners have an awning that they put up on the side where the door is, and, as all radios need an aerial to get any reception, this is fitted behind the radio on the outside of the caravan. It would be impossible to get the aerial up if an awning had to go there. Also, you don't want to have a situation where the aerial needs an extension lead added, just to reach the back of the radio, because that is another wire that you have got to hide - which is why I put it behind the radio and hide the wire.

If you are lucky enough to work on either a new caravan or, at the worst, one that is only a few years old, you will find that the manufacturers may have included power wires inside the cupboards somewhere, making it a lot less of a bother for you to get twelve volts to power them. Also in some cases there may be speaker leads as well. However, finding where they exit the roof compartment is harder than you think.

As a rule, firstly I would normally look around the van for two places to put the speakers. These are normally fitted at the front on each side of the lockers, so that they look symmetrical and "factory fitted". In some vans the cupboards are not symmetrical so you'll just have to choose a compromise.

I find that a four inch speaker is the largest that you can go - ideally three and a half would be better - but as none of the major speaker manufacturers seem to make them this small with grilles, then I have to use what I can get. If you place the grille over the woodwork and find that it interferes with the opening of the lockers, or is larger than the space that you have earmarked for it, then it's time for "thinking caps" on again. To save you the effort, I usually fit them at right angles to the front, by the side lockers. This normally does the trick, but not always as there are sometimes lights put there. You will find somewhere to put them if you persevere but please do make sure that, wherever you end up putting them, they look symmetrical. The main thing to remember when fitting speakers is that stereo reception and playback in the home is something to be worked at to get the best out of your Hi-Fi. But in a caravan with side seats, tables, bunks, cupboards and even the kitchen sink, in the main area, the best that you can achieve is a good quality sound, even though in theory it is in stereo.

Once you have made your decision, the next step is to cut the holes for the speakers. Remember of course that, although the wood that you will be cutting may look like oak or teak, it is only veneered chipboard or fibre-board or, in some instances, block-board and will make a mess, so get your dust sheet out.

Now, over the years that I have been doing this type of thing, I must have tried every way possible, starting with: drawing a circle with a pair of compasses then drilling numerous holes around the inside of it then laboriously cutting between them with a pad saw to get the hole something like circular.

The main problem with this way is that you don't have a lot of room to work in a caravan and, as the hole that you are cutting will be close to the roof, your arms will be aching by the end.

There is another down side to this type of hole making and that is that it makes a mess inside the locker compartment by tearing the wood inside the locker, making rough edges that things can get caught on. You always have to remember that, when you are working inside the van, it will be empty but, when you go on holiday in it, there will be any amount of things crammed inside the lockers. So you won't be first on their Christmas list when the best napkins have been covered in splinters and ripped by your careless fitting!

I have also tried a jigsaw, but there is not enough clearance between the roof and the locker to do the job properly.

The only thing that does the job perfectly is the correct size of hole saw. This is not a cheap thing to purchase, but cuts down the amount of time for you in cutting the hole. It makes a perfectly round hole, doesn't leave ragged edges inside the locker compartment and, when you have completed the hole, you are left with a round off-cut with a central hole in it to make wheels for your kids' toys!

The next step is to fit the speakers, and I always fit them with the connection tags facing upwards, so that it is impossible for the wire connector tags to fall off.

I mentioned earlier on in the article about how important it is to weigh things up first, because you have now to arrange for the speaker wires to get to the radio.

This can take you longer than cutting the holes out, because you can't have wires just hanging loose or they can get tangled up with things. So I look for any wires that the manufacturers have already put there and, if they are going the right way, then I tie-wrap my wires to them or try to squeeze them inside the existing clips.

When you have your speaker wires where you want them, the next step is to get the power wires there as well.

There is sometimes a pair of 12 volt supply wires inside the locker, hanging down from the roof, that have been pre wired for the job, so that all you have to do is check for polarity and join your wires to them, (they will not be long enough to pull through).

If, however, you are not lucky, you will have to find a twelve-volt source to feed the radio. This can be taken from a lighting circuit, but remember to check that you don't need to have the lights on first. The next place would be from an accessory position on the fuse box, if that is conveniently placed, or any other permanently connected twelve-volt source.

Do remember that caravans have 240 volts as well, so make sure, with your multimeter, that you have connected to the right wiring.

Once we have a source of power, the next step is to fit the aerial. I decide where to put it, checking on the outside first that there is not anything in the way, then gently push a sharp, thin spike from inside the van, through the wall. The walls are normally only a thin plywood layer on top of a thick insulating layer then the outside is just thin metal again. This gives me my place to drill for the aerial wire to go through.

I usually fit an amplified electric aerial to the vans that I do, simply for the reason that they are smaller than a conventional one, and I think they look better.

The radio now needs fitting. There are several ways to do this and you must work out which one best suits the look of the van. There is a ready-made unit manufactured from the same wood as the interior, normally factory fitted but can be supplied after sale. This is designed to fit inside the locker and so just needs fixing.

I tend to favour a plastic under-dash car fitting as these are much cheaper and smaller. Literally they are just a black plastic housing for fitting inside a car that doesn't have an opening for a radio. I fit it the wrong way up so that it looks tailor-made for the job.

Most vans don't have room for speakers larger than 4 inches (100mm).

I also have made some wooden bases to fix these under-dash fittings to and pre-stained them to the colour of the van that I am working in. This is of course because most lockers have about an inch of lip to stop things from falling out. My bits of wood lift the radio up enough to clear this lip and make it easy to remove the radio front, if it has one.

You will, at this point, have at least four or more wires surplus to requirement from the radio loom. These are best cut to remove wire sticking out of the end, taped over, and then all of them taped together. Then bundle all of the wires including the ones that you have just taped together, and wrap them in insulating tape, making a nice neat loom.

Finally you should be ready to connect the power and switch on and, if all has gone well you can sit down, admire your work and listen to the radio.

Actually I lied!! Before you sit down, there is all your mess to tidy up, and I find my battery powered vacuum cleaner is ideal for this purpose. Hopefully the dust sheet that you put down at first has done its job, so all you have to do is wrap it up and take it back with you. Going round lastly with a duster, and admiring your work and giving yourself a pat on the back.