by John Haynes aka “Mr. Mobile” published on CNET’s The Car Tech blog

We just completed one of the most interesting installations that we’ve done in awhile. The owner of this brand-new Tesla roadster is a client of the Al & Ed’s Autosound location in West Hollywood. The vehicle was in serious need of some mobile audio goodies, and also an update to the interior and some of the trim. The store has done a number of his vehicles over the years, and when he showed up in this all-electric roadster, nobody knew that there were some challenges ahead.

The Tesla is an all-electric roadster capable of 0-to-60 mph times in less than four seconds, and has a top speed of 125 mph. You’ve got about 240 miles of driving before the vehicle needs charging, which takes under four hours. While it is a pretty technically amazing vehicle, it lacks in the interior appointments for a car of this price ($101,500 base, plus charging equipment) and the sound system is pretty anemic (JVC-branded AVN single-DIN radio plus four 4-inch speakers).

The first challenge in selecting equipment came from Tesla Motors. Because this is an all-electric vehicle, the factory was very concerned about any equipment that would add excessive weight or would draw too much current from the electrical system, both of which could actually reduce performance in the vehicle. Al & Ed’s got around all of this with a clever solution. The entire audio system is powered by its own Stinger (made by Odyssey) battery with its own charging system.

The factory head unit was replaced with a Kenwood KVT514 motorized monitor with the Garmin-based Kenwood navigation system. They also added a Kenwood Bluetooth hands-free system, an XM Radio tuner, and a cable to plug in the client’s iPod. The head unit’s functions and all of the accessories are all controlled by the Kenwood touch screen, which has a very consumer-friendly GUI.

The amplifier is a single Alpine PDX4.100 digital amplifier, which powers the door speakers and the Pioneer shallow-design 10-inch subwoofer. The sub enclosure was constructed from fiberglass in the passenger foot well, and is not visible when the floor mat is in place. The amp is also tucked away, out of sight. The doors went under major reconstruction, and instead of the factory 4-inch speakers, a set of Focal 165KRX2 6.5-inch components were installed. A set of 4-inch Focals were installed in the factory locations, behind the seats.

The entire interior was gutted and recovered in a combination of German premium-grade leather and stitched Alcantara suede. Plastic trim pieces, such as the rocker panels, were hand-constructed in carbon fiber to match the factory carbon pieces. The interior was transformed to a more luxurious cockpit, more appropriate to the vehicle’s design. Carbon fiber was also used to replace some of the factory body pieces, such as the front diffuser and rear wing.

The vehicle also received an Escort 9500ci “ticket avoidance system,” providing the driver with front and rear laser shifters and 360-degree radar detection coverage. This Escort system comes with a GPS system that is preloaded with known speed traps and red light cameras. Current information can be downloaded online and flashed to the unit as desired.

The install came off very well and the owner was completely satisfied. All of the work was done at the Al & Ed’s Autosound, West Hollywood location.

John Haynes, aka Mr. Mobile of Al & Ed’s Autosound, contributes articles from the shop floor about car stereo and electronics to CNET. Al & Ed’s Autosound is a multistore professional installer of car audio systems and electronics.

By John Haynes aka “Mr. Mobile” on CNET’s CarTech blog

RaySat, a global developer and manufacturer of satellite communication systems, officially launched its antenna for consumer digital television at SEMA 2008. The CruiseCast system uses new satellite TV technology along with a content package provided by AT&T. Al & Ed’s has had a test mule for over a year now, but we recently installed the final version.
Most mobile electronics aficionados are familiar with another satellite TV system from KVH, called TracVision. Tracvision brings a DirecTV Mobile package to road-going TV watchers, but the system antenna is very large and retails for about $3,000. Thus, it was limited to SUV installations for the most part, and definitely only for those with gobs of disposable income.
The new CruiseCast is about the size of a bicycle helmet, can be carried in one hand, and retails for $1,299. This makes the unit much more installable as well as affordable, so it will no doubt give the KVH Tracvision a run for its money. The AT&T content is being finalized at the time of this writing, but it is almost locked down. It can best be described as a “Cable TV-type” channel selection.
While it has the staples like Discovery, TLC, CNN, Adult Swim, and more, it does not have local programming or movie channels such as HBO or Cinemax available. The 22 stations should satisfy most viewers, though, and they also have 20 music channels.
All of this content is digitally broadcast from a single geosynchronous satellite. One of the CruiseCast special features is a unique buffering system that stores up to three minutes of broadcast in memory. That means that if the user drives through a tunnel or behind tall buildings that block the satellite feed, they have up to three minutes of nonstop, protected programming. Once the antenna “sees” the satellite again, it begins to rebuild the buffer. Pretty cool stuff, especially since satellite interruptions always seem to happen at the worst possible time.
We installed a CruiseCast in a 2009 Toyota Sequoia with an existing Vizualogic headrest system. The install begins with the antenna, and it proves very easy to install. The system is packaged with a bracket system that attaches to the crossbar of the vehicle’s roof rack. Security-type fasteners make it difficult to “uninstall.” Two brackets attach the front of the antenna to the rack. The rear of the antenna is held down by a magnetic foot that seems weird at first, but actually securely holds the antenna down.
The cable that runs from the antenna to the receiver (mounted inside the vehicle) is very thin and flexible. It carries both signal and power, but is so thin it can easily be fed under rear hatch insulation and is easily tucked behind body panels. The receiver box is plugged into the antenna and then wired for the customary power, ground, and ignition. From that point, it’s an audio/video output using standard RCA type connectors to the existing vehicle’s video system inputs. The remote control for the system is RF, not infrared, so the receiver can be buried anywhere in the vehicle. Everything is pretty straightforward, and an installation tech with average experience should easily be able to knock off the CruiseCast install in well under 2 hours in most vehicles.
The system works well overall, but it is limited to 15-inch monitors for best resolution, and I wouldn’t suggest anything bigger than an 11-inch wide-screen monitor. There is too much pixelation to go bigger, but if you keep the screen size reasonable, it looks fine. The buffering system is a great idea, but it slows down boot-up and channel changes while the buffer begins. It’s nothing too objectionable, but it’s a little annoying if you want to get down to business quickly.
The CruiseCast by RaySat Corp. retails for $1299.99 and must be installed by a certified installer. It’s not that the install is too difficult for the qualified do-it-yourselfer, but you must be authorized with RaySat to actually activate the antenna. Service is $28 per month for 22 channels of television and 20 digital music channels.
John Haynes, aka Mr. Mobile of Al & Ed’s Autosound, contributes articles from the shop floor about car stereo and electronics to CNET. Al & Ed’s Autosound is a multistore professional installer of car audio systems and electronics.

LOS ANGELES (MAY 11, 2009) – Al & Ed’s Autosound, Southern California’s largest electronics specialist, is offering a once in a lifetime chance for all of those Lamborghini owners frustrated with freeway speed limits and pesky stop signs to release their high-performance beauties on a professional race track.

The second annual Ultimate Lamborghini Experience is an automotive enthusiast’s treat sponsored by Lamborghini of Beverly Hills and Al & Ed’s Autosound. The all day event on June 4, 2009 is a chance for Lamborghini owners to be trained by former and current race car drivers on tips and tricks of high-speed driving including safe braking, acceleration and turning techniques, before they are left to test the full capabilities of their cars on the California Speedway.

“Ten current and former race car drivers will be onsite to act as private tutors,” said Gabi Mashal, President, Al & Ed’s Autosound. “Drivers will spend several laps as a passenger while receiving track instruction from the instructor. Then, attendees will take over the wheel with the instructor guiding and helping them. Finally, they’ll solo and see what their Lamborghini is really capable of.”

The Ultimate Lamborghini Experience will be held on the Auto Competition Road Course, a 2.8 mile, 21-turn portion of the California Speedway track. Not just a simple track, the course is highly-varied with several difficult turns and long straight-aways. Speeds can range up to 160 mph and drivers must expertly brake to negotiate the series of hard turns, horse-shoe sweepers and sharply configured switch-backs.

In addition to the track racing, Al & Ed’s Autosound will surprise attendees with the LP560-4 Spyder that will be showcased at the event. There will also be a display of Al & Ed’s prized modified cars including the Ed Hardy Smart Car and a completely upgraded Tesla.

Lamborghini owners interested in attending the event can RSVP at http://www.ultimatelamborghiniexperience.com or call 310-920-5454.

About Al & Ed’s Autosound
Founded in 1954, Al & Ed’s Autosound has grown to become the largest mobile electronics specialist with more than 20 Southern California stores. As a recognized leader in the mobile electronics industry, Al & Ed’s Autosound has been an instrumental partner in the pioneering of innovations such as FM radio for cars, cassette players for cars and the first car alarms, and is viewed within the mobile electronics industry as a barometer for the industry in Southern California.  For more information, visit http://www.al-eds.com

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May 4, 2009 1:00 PM PDT
Azentek puts a GPS in your rear-view
by John Haynes aka “Mr. Mobile” posted on CNET.

In-dash navigation continues to be one of the hottest categories in the Al & Ed’s stores, and adding a Bluetooth hands-free device is almost automatic with each install. There are a number of vehicles, though, that don’t lend themselves well to radio removal, or perhaps the client wants the benefits of navigation and Bluetooth, but likes the factory radio just the way it is. A portable navigation device works, but then one has to deal with suction cups, wires, plugs and that add-on feeling. The SmartMirror from Azentek is a good solution.

The SM450 is a replacement rear-view mirror that also has built-in navigation and Bluetooth. Unlike the “behind the glass” screens available, Azentek wisely provides a separate 4-inch color touch-screen that takes up about 1/3 of the mirror’s area. The rest is a standard rear-view with very good optics. It’s not much bigger than a factory mirror, but has plenty of usable real estate. The front of the mirror is simply laid out with five buttons. There are Power and Main Menu buttons, and the rest are for the Bluetooth hands-free. Answer, Hang-Up, and Pairing buttons are all easy to use and intuitive.

The screen itself has good brightness, color, and contrast, although it can wash out in bright sunlight. My wife’s car is a convertible, so this is more of an issue for her than in most cars, where the mirror lives in relatively shaded surroundings. The touch screen operates easily and the menu system requires little getting used to. There is a built-in speaker for navigation commands and for the hands-free operations. The mirror has a flip-out antenna for acquiring GPS satellites, but also has an external antenna (included) if the vehicle has metalized tint or if the mirror is set back too far to get signal. Two nice features of the nav are a Lane Assistant view, which gives you a good idea about what’s happening in freeway merges and turns, and a Text to Speech feature usually found only on the “better” navs. This calls out street names for you, making it easier to get your turns right, especially where street blocks are close together.

The Bluetooth paired easily with her Motorola Razor, and works very well. The SM450 was a snap to pair up and can be instantly connected or disconnected with a touch of the button. Incoming and outgoing number info is displayed on the screen.

I installed the SM450 on my wife’s Chrysler Sebring in about an hour, including adding a Boyo backup camera. The mirror unit is very well made and feels very OEM. All of the necessary harnesses and plugs are included, and they even throw in an allen wrench to attach their base to the vehicle’s window mount. This is not one of those clip-over mirrors. It is a true OEM-style replacement mirror and looks like it came from the factory.

This OEM mirror uses a tombstone mount, making an easy replacement with the SM450.

The wife’s car has the standard tombstone-type mirror mount found on most cars. Azentek includes a spare mount in the kit in case the vehicle uses a hanging post-type mounting, and they can provide optional bases for other mounting types. It took about twenty seconds to remove her factory mirror and to begin the installation. The SM450 mounted up in about the same time. Then the system was wired up for power and camera connection. The harness is well thought out and is wrapped in seamless vinyl covering for a real OEM feel. I had plenty of wire to get down the A-pillar of the car and make the simple connections. The backup camera has a dedicated input, and there are two more if you want to bring in an interior camera or other video input.

I have nothing but positives to say about the Azentek SM450 so far. It has a great fit and finish, and the kit is quite complete with plenty of loomed wire, the external antenna, additional mount and more. If I have any complaint, it is that the mirror optics are not 100 percent; there is a little distortion, but nothing that would cause me not to keep the mirror, plus one has to think of what might go missing when the factory mirror disappears. On some cars, there is compass and temperature info, OnStar, security, and in some cases radio functions all wired up through the mirror. Other than that, it’s a no-brainer. The SM450 is a great solution when leaving the radio in the dash is the best choice.

John Haynes, aka Mr. Mobile of Al & Ed’s Autosound, contributes articles from the shop floor about car stereo and electronics to CNET. Al & Ed’s Autosound is a multistore professional installer of car audio systems and electronics.