Frequently Asked Questions - RetroSound Model Two Installation And Owner's Manual

Frequently Asked Questions

Do your radios work on 6 volt systems or on positive ground systems?
No. Our radios are 12 volt, negative ground only. After-market converters and
inverters are available, but must have at least 8 amps of continuous output.
I have your radio and am having problems getting it to turn on.
RetroSound radios require 12 volts to both power leads. The red lead (+12V
accessory) goes to a switched power source, and the yellow to constant 12 volt
(+12 V) power source. Using a volt meter, check the voltage when the key is
turned from "off" to "on". If there is a significant drop in the voltage, the circuit
to which you have the yellow lead attached cannot handle the additional draw
of the radio. You will need to find another circuit that can handle the additional
draw of the radio, or you will need to go directly to the battery.
What speaker wire do you recommend I use?
We recommend using 16 or 18 gauge wire for the speakers. If it is a longer run,
we recommend using 16 gauge only.
I have all 4 speakers connected to your radio and the display is lit up like it is
working, but there's no sound coming out.
This usually indicates one of two things:
1. Speaker wires touching each other or the vehicle chassis at some point.
Check each speaker lead from radio to speaker.
2. Speaker impedance below 4 Ohms. Older speakers are usually not compat-
ible with modern electronics.
My car originally came with a switch to control my automatic antenna. Can I
use the RetroSound radio's remote antenna wire to do this?
No you cannot, your factory antenna is known as "semi-automatic." It requires
a switch to either extend or retract the antenna. You must retain this switch to
control your antenna; the RetroSound radio's power antenna wire is for more
modern "fully-automatic" antennas not requiring a separate switch.
The sound output is all mid-range, with very little bass and a strangled-sound-
ing upper range. What is wrong?
One of your speaker wires is connected backwards. This is called being "out of
phase." Check to make sure positive is wired to positive and negative to nega-
tive on all your speakers.
Page 36
Model Two Owner's Manual
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