Installed my Pioneer 7900BT and CB Radio

[moabxj01]

Well the plan from the beginning was to go aftermarket and get something that was bluetooth capable and also had great ipod control. In the past I have mainly stayed with Eclipse decks but I'm not a big fan of the new ones plus when you look at features/price the Pioneer 7900BT beats anything hands down. Most other decks have bluetooth or ipod control built in but you have to buy an extra "controller" to add the one its missing which ends up being another $100-$200.

Pioneer has never been at the top of my list but because of the relative great deal that can be had on these I decided to give it a try. The install was simple, only hang up I had was the company I ordered it from sent me the wrong wiring harness to integrate into the H3's stock setup. For the record my 2008 Alpha w/ Monsoon required the Metra GMOS-04 kit which is usually about $100. After that I was able to get it all wrapped up pretty quick thanks to some tips from reading other threads on dash removal and what not.

I don't have a lot of seat time with the deck but from what I have seen so far it is great! Ipod control is real-time, there is no lag at all! Also the bluetooth has worked perfectly so far...You can even transfer your phone book onto it and it will hold around 700(i think) names/numbers! It will also let you play music through bluetooth off your phone or other device, which I don't really see myself using because of the ipod, but it seems like an interesting feature. I will try to update this post if I find some things I don't like.

Also I installed my Cobra 18 WX ST ii CB Radio. While looking for cd players I wanted to get a double din but couldn't find any that had the features I wanted for a decent price(pioneer has one coming out but no one knows when it will arrive.) Since I had to go with a single din unit I figured I would try to find a CB that would fit in the dash rather than have a plain pocket or flat surface in the other din slot. There are really only 2 radios that are din sized, Uniden(sp?) makes one and then the other one obviously is this Cobra. Most of the diehard CBers aren't big fans of this Cobra but the price is right, the size is right, and since its main purpose will be for on the trail I am sure it will be just fine for my application.

I am still working on getting the antenna mounted on the spare tire mount so I will post pics of that as soon as its done. I meant to take pictures of the installation process but I was sick of waiting and just wanted to get everything in so I just skipped that part. Here is the finished product:

[Crash ?]

Great looking install... Looks kinda familiar although yours looks like it fit a bit better..

I had a good bit of playing with a cut off wheel to get the CB to fit the dash kit as well as some cutting on the tab on the cross bar behind the dash in order to get the CB to fit in the dash with the coax connected to the back of the CB..

What dash install kit dd you use..?? Apparantly is wasn't a Scosche

Kinda like you in respect to not making pics during the install..

[moabxj01]

The kit I bought was an American International GM-K382. When I ordered the CD player they sent me a scosche kit but I really didn't like the looks of it. The main difference is the scosche uses a front mount system which means you slide the cd player in from the front and use the trim ring that comes with it. The American International is a rear mount kit which makes flush mounting look a lot better in my opinion. Especially because the CB doesn't come with a trim ring.

Most car audio shops around here had the kit in stock but if you can't find one you can order it from here:

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...l+GM-K382.html

I was scared to use a cut off wheel or anything like that because I didn't want to cut too much off and wanted it to stay level. So I took my time and filed the sides down. It probably took me 30 minutes or so but I really am happy with the end result. In my pictures it kind looks out of place but in real life it almost looks factory.

By the way, how do you like your CB? How long is your antenna and what brand is it?

[wpage]

Nice looking install!
Any issues with onstar operation thru the interface?

[moabxj01]

I don't really use onstar and don't plan on it in the future so I wasn't too concerned but for the little bit that I talked to them while testing it seemed fine.

[Agriv8r]

looks good...

[Sewie]

Nice clean install.

[Crash ?]

Originally Posted by moabxj01

The kit I bought was an American International GM-K382.

By the way, how do you like your CB? How long is your antenna and what brand is it?

Thx for the info.. Love the CB.. It's been tweaked a bit.. Clay's CB..

My antenna is a 102" whip mounted on the rear bumper with a barrel spring.. It's got a bit of reach out and grab to it..

[Crash ?]

Didn't quite come together the way I had invisioned it, but I'm diggin' it.. I'd jacked up and was holding the part upside down when I started carving the hole out a little larger for the CB to slip through, so I ended up with it on top rather than the CD player.. Had it all back in the dash with the CD on top and the dash trim wouldn't pop back on.. Was sitting there banging my head thinking it was the wrong part, then it occured to me what I'd done.. D'oh..

Thanks again for the info on the part..!!!

[moabxj01]

Looks good man. I think it cleaned it up a lot. I almost made the same mistake but for some reason I decided to test it before I started sanding and figured it out. Still looks great with the cb on top.

I am in moab right now... Just got done with Hell's Revenge. Tons of fun... Trying to figure out what trails to do tomorrow... Anyone have any opinions?

[Crash ?]

Hey, just noticed you were from Utah..

Gonna be a couple of folks from the MidSouth (self included) that'll be over in Moab the first week of June if ya wanna make your way back down to Moab and run a few trails with us.. Or even show us where to go for that matter...

[moabxj01]

Yeah I might take you up on that. I don't know how good of a guide I'd be but I would definitely run with ya. I think the local Hummer dealer is planning a run for sometime in June. I'll find out some dates and let you know.