Audiovox SPS IM-200 Radio

[dapiglet]

When I purchased this 2002 Daybreak I noticed that the radio didn't work.
Today it warmed up enough for me to venture outside and play with it awhile.
Radio simply doesn't turn "on".

On the rear, the 10-pin electrical connector has mostly speaker wires, along with GND, IGN, & BATT connections.

The IGN-wire is a short pigtail that terminates in a wire-loop that looks like it would connect to an old-style glass fuse.... there is another similar metal loop on one of the main harness wires.

The BATT wire measures 12VDC to GND, and a bulb put across the two lites.

Can anyone confirm that the radio should power-up with just this BATT & GND ? (no need to trace the IGN-pigtail if we don't use it)

thanks, al

[dapiglet]

just a thought ....
if someone with a similar unit could look under the dash with a mirror, at the rear of the radio you should be able to see the IGN-pigtail wire hanging empty (hopefully). At least then I would know that it really isn't needed and I can start to look elsewhere for my trouble.

[dapiglet]

I think I'm getting into this too deeply.....
if I get the inside of the coach as dark as I can you can see the clock displaying the time on the front panel display.... I guess this is why it has a BATT line coming in.
This would also mean that it really needs the IGN line to be +12VDC when the key is on, or when the shorepower is connected... and I get it in neither condition.
Assuming there is supposed to be a glass fuse inline with the IGN wire, there is nothing that indicates what the value of the fuse should be.

I checked the fuse panel and nothing is labeled for "Radio".... pulled all the "instrument cluster" fuses in the passenger compartment fuse panel (10 & 14) and they looked good.

Frustrating that it is going down this rabbit hole.

[dapiglet]

Well, the good news is that I heard back from customer support at THOR.
The bad news is that the information provided : "The wiring diagram for the radio is on the back of the radio as for a power source hook it to a key on hot side of the chassis fuse block" .... doesn't really help me much.... no wiring info and no fuse value..... and I would think that connecting to the "hot side" of the chassis fuse block would leave the radio wiring without fuse protection. Since my OEM "IGN" wire in the harness measures 0 VDC, it makes me think that my radio shorted-out internally somehow and blew it's inline fuse and also took out something else further down-the-line that has caused the loss of 12VDC to the IGN-wire.

[Old Rocker]

This is going to sound really dumb but it worked on my 96 Ultrasport. I couldnt get either of the the radios to power up, dash or outside radio. But my son got them to work one time by throwing a switch on the dash. I thought it was the battery disconnect switch but it wasnt. So I tore the radio out after checking all the fuses also and found no power on the ign wire with the switch on. Started throwing switches and found the one that controls the aisle lights powered up the radios. I am fairly sure this wasn't factory because of all the scotch locks and wire splices in the harnesses. But you might try it! By the way the ignition switch doesnt need to be on.

Good luck!

[dapiglet]

Thanks for the suggestion O'R.

Received another email from Thor:
"Sorry I meant to say hook to a key side hot lead off the chassis fuse block all fuse blocks have accessory feed that are fused you can also add an in line fuse as the radio once had "

My response:
"Since you mentioned the "chassis fuse block" I looked thru the "Motorhome Class A Chassis" owners manual
and I came across an entry under the "Passenger Compartment Fuse Panel" table that lists:
Fuse Location 17, 5A, "Body Builder Radio Feed".
This line is hot when the ignition-key is in the accessory position, but apparently it is not reaching the radio connector.

The wiring harness to the radio comes off the chassis harness under the dash into a 9-pin square plastic connector.
All 9 pins are wired to the radio connector.
A 10th wire labeled 'M.Ant" originates at the radio-connector and hangs unused in a wrapped male spade-lug (not connected).

The IGN-wire (orange) from the radio 10-pin output connector passes thru the 9-pin connector, exiting on a orange & white-stripe wire.
This wire then goes into a larger connector that then disappears into the main wiring harness.

Can you confirm that this Orange & white-striped wire is supposed to have continuity to the 5A fuse in location 17 in the Passenger Compartment Fuse Panel ?"

:::::
I always thought that the radio would run off the chassis-battery when driving, and then run off the converter when camping..... but Thor's comments seem to make the radio "hot" only when the ignition switch is used.

At this point I have a 5A Fuse labeled for a Radio (with switched +12VDC), but no 12VDC to the radio yet.
:::::

[dapiglet]

And YES O'R, you are thinking the same way I am when you mentioned that "By the way the ignition switch doesnt need to be on." .... my owners manual states "The radio can be played without turning the ignition on but the battery disconnect must be turned on."
This is how I thought it should work, and this would make sense (since the switched-12VDC from the fuse box labeled "radio" apparently is not the proper feed for an RV's dash radio).

I don't understand why Thor has me looking on the "key side hot lead off the chassis fuse block" since the "key side" insinuates to me that the power is switched... or maybe I'm confusing terms (being a newbie).... maybe his comment "key side" means the side that is hot without touching the ignition-key .

[Old Rocker]

I am still wondering if I dont have problem with my battery disconnect switch also. I thought it was supposed to kill the 12v circuit to the house, but I cant tell that it does anything. Like I said, my harness has a lot of butt splices and scotch locks in it behind the radio, so I think the previous owner may have done some modification since it doesnt look factory wired (meaning scotch locks). But the aisle light switch does power both radios, so all is good right now.

[dapiglet]

When I picked up the RV it had a problem where it wouldn't turn-off (disconnect) the coach batteries..... come to find out there was a bad fuse on the top of the transfer solenoid assembly under the hood. When I press'd the switch ya didn't hear any lil "CLICK" from up-front so that was a big hint. Replaced the fuse and all has been okay.

Today I wired-in a 12VDC source to the radio off the passenger compartment fuse box. The radio wouldn't turn "on" so I am sure the radio is "dead". I've got a replacement on order and I'll just play around under the hood to see where I can find a +12VDC source off the chassis fuse box.

[dapiglet]

mystery solved ..... finally !
(3) items were "bad" :

(1) radio shorted-out internally
(2) radio in-line glass fuse blown
(3) 15A fuse on Intellitec Battery Control Center blown (OEM source for radio power)