2000 Beaver Monterey Dash Radio Issues

[sleonewa]

We just purchased a new to us 2000 Monterey Redondo 36. While driving it home I turned on the radio and......nothing. No sound although the radio display lit up and showed the selected channel. At our 1st stop I looked around and found no dash speakers, not even an indication that there had ever been any. Then I powered up the inverter and flipped a "Stereo" switch above the drivers seat control panel. Out came some radio sound thru the Bose speakers in the bedroom ceiling along with a lot of humming. I then discovered that the Bose speakers above the windshield had been disconnected. A couple of questions if anyone can help. First, I'm wondering if the only way to play the radio is to turn on the inverter and stereo system. Seems like a bad situation because the inverter and stereo switches are high above the drivers side window and require standing up to reach them. Was this the standard layout for the Monterey in 2000? Second, I suspected the amplifier was causing the hum but I cannot locate where it's installed. It's a relatively large unit, over 13" x 9" x 3" thick, Bose Built-IN-visible unit. So far, I only get the invisible part. Anyone familiar with where it may be mounted? Sorry for such a long post, any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[photoadjuster]

On my Patriot Thunder it is in the cabinet above and behind the passenger's seat. The cabinet is blanked out with a board that has slots cut in it to allow heat out. Remove the screws to expose the 88,000 miles of wires and the amp.

Since I have never turned my radio on, I do not know if the amp has to be on for the dash radio to work.

[Robi.1014]

A radio buzz (hum) frequently happens because the Inverter is charging the batteries (as it's supposed to do) but the DC being injected into the battery-bank has a bit of AC "ripple" in it. Audio amps using DC-volts only pick this up and amplify it. Yuk.

Radio output usually goes to its own speakers. Radio runs on DC. The audio-system (surround-sound system) usually has its own speakers and runs on AC power. Injecting the audio-out of the radio into the audio system usually makes for better sound (because the audio system probably has a sub-woofer for better bass tones). Back to your hum problem: A radio that has low-frequency hum as part of its audio output sounds even worse when amplified through an audio-system (and accompanying sub-woofer).

So?
If your audio-system has a Tuner, then that's the way to listen to radio when on shore power or Inverter power (like when dry camping). When driving down the road, insure the Inverter is off, and have the dash radio connected to dedicated speakers. No hum this way.

[sleonewa]

Thanks for the responses. I found the amp in the TV cabinet over the drivers seat, mounted to the drivers sidewall. One of the had come loose and a couple of jumpers have been pulled on one end. Securing the loose wired reduced the hum a lot. I've got to spend some time with the amp installation guide to figure the rest out, but I think I'm at least part way there. I'm going to have to give some thought into rewiring the dash radio and installing dash speakers to avoid having to run the inverter while driving down the road. Installing a separated a/c receiver for the stereo system makes more sense. Thanks again for the help.
Steve