[Shotimes] Re: CD Changer balking

[MonsieurBoo@aol.com]

Yeah, it DOES say FORD on the outside of it but it also has its very own 
hard-wired remote that is fastened to the dash above the radio with a piece of 
double stick tape.  It's about the size of a pack of gum and has a little LCD in 
the middle, about the size of a digital watch LCD, with "Jog" and "Shuttle" 
switches on the left, an "Off" button next to it, and a joystick-like control 
knob on the right for track and CD switching.  It also has a cable that I assume 
ends up as one of the 3 cables to the CD unit in the trunk.  The controls are 
not integrated into the dash radio.  It was described to me as OEM, but made 
by Sony, and there's even a Ford part number stenciled in white on its trunk 
mounting bracket.  

Guy I got it from was a Ford dealership manager and the car's #2 owner, it 
was returned at the end of a 1-year corporate lease with 10k on the clock and I 
believe he said he had the OEM unit retrofitted at that time because he liked 
how he could load 10 CDs in the trunk at once.

Keep in mind the trunk unit clearly has power to load/unload the CD carrier 
and CDs since the motor part is working fine.  And the radio, antenna, amp and 
speakers are also working just fine.  Thus I doubt it's a fuse UNLESS there is 
a separate one for just the RF modulator.

Now here's an odd thing, he described precisely how it works on RF and 
pointed out the 88.3 FM channel it plays over.  Even wrote it in the owner's manual. 
 And it worked great when he demo'd it like that.  Yet there are two cables 
to the CD unit with a red and a white RCA plug, for all the world like line out 
or speaker connections.  But how could it be those when the unit was 
described and demo'd as an RF type that just sends RF signal to the FM Radio?  Is the 
RF modulator mounted separately?

I still think it might need to be reset after changing the car battery, since 
the more recent Sony changers specify that this has to be done.  But I can't 
find the little termite hole anywhere.  Wish I could locate some docs on this! 
 Wish I could get that LCD on the remote to light up!!

Cheers,
Mark L.
94 ATX 125k



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Sounds like one of those aftermarket add on that will work with any radio.
It hooks into the antenna and works on a set frequency. All factory ones I
have seen use cables to the radio and have controls on the radio. Also if a
Ford unit it would say Ford on it. Sony and others made those kind for
people who did not want to by a new head unit.