[FirstToy]

Just installed. It's a great unit for only $250
Pioneer FHP8000BT
*bluetooth phone (required in CA by July)
*iPod (included cable =5th gen or newer iPods)
*tUSB iPod Control on the FH-P800BT is compatible with iPod® (5th generation or later/Firmware Version 1.2 or later/iPod nano Version 1.2 or later). A 3rd or 4th generation iPod® requires CD-IB100II
*aux
*USB flash drive
*CD changer (but I didn't have the plug so I'll do that another time)
*wireless remote



aux & usb inputs for iPod, flash drive & aux (unsupported iPods, etc)


the center knob is like a rotary joystick. it's really cool, kind of iPod & joystick combined


this is a example of the bluetooth phone screen- just push the phone icon to hook up to your phone.


this is the scrolling list of music, you can toggle to just the track as well


nice remote to use the phone, etc


wiring harness options:
I have both aftermarket harness adapters for the LX450-

1. keep factory amp - I tried this as it is the most simple. only connect a couple wires and plug-n-play.
problem:The mid range & highs sound fine but the bass is terribly distorted. I don't know the cause.
I dialed down the bass on the headunit w/ no help. Crutchfield couldn't figure out what was wrong either.
This one did not work. couldn't figure out why
harness #1


2.bypass factory amp - this harness requires alot more hand work connecting wires and running an extension to from the headunit to the connectors over by the amp.
harness #2

this is what I ended up with- making an extension harness to reach the 2 plugs by the amp location.

[smileyboy]

nice, post more pics with it pwred up.
Where did u get the passenger cup holder?

[sundaypunch]

Originally Posted by smileyboy

Where did u get the passenger cup holder?

That is the groovy Land Rover cupholder from Roverconnection.com A bit pricey at $30 but they are about the best option for the passenger

Land Rover Range Discovery Genuine OEM Factory Cup Holders

[TrickyT]

James,
What's the model number on that Pioneer HU? Any trimming of the dash required? How well does it work with the iPod (i.e. navigating menus, etc)? And where did you get it for only $250?

[98 SNAKE EATER]

So was there a dramatic difference between the low level type harness (with amp) and the high level type harness (amp bypass) ?


Also, are you using the factory speakers?





Rick <---soon to be doing this himself

[FirstToy]

*The Discovery cupholder is one I added when I noticed a friend's Disco 2 had it. I experimented and it works great
http://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-te...cupholder.html

*FHP8000BT Pioneer - got it thru amazon.com

*harness #1 didn't work. The bass was terribly distorted. I think it was feeding the sub signal everywhere. too bad, it was the plug n play solution.

harness #2 is just like the one the LC guys use. My center console sub is not working now because of the harness does not have subwoofer wires. but it sounds clean and good anyway.

the pita is that the plugs are all the way over by the glovebox so you have to make a extension harness from the radio to the plugs.

below, you can see the 2 white plugs on the right, (next to the glovebox in the speaker hole).

[FirstToy]

removal of the factory amp behind the dash speaker


no cutting, it's a standard 2DIN opening and looks clean

reuse the brackets on the old radio, they bolt right up.

hands free phone mic is on the a-pillar


usb & aux plugs routed to center console for easy access

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Originally Posted by FirstToy

the pita is that the plugs are all the way over by the glovebox so you have to make a extension harness from the radio to the plugs.

OK, I'm a little confused on this part cause reading through pigbuggy's install thread, it looks like he plugged into the harness behind the HU and just unplugged the OEM amp

[FirstToy]

this is for a LX450. it's different than a LC.

there are 2 plugs behind the radio- one that looks like the connector for harness #1 and a smaller CD changer controller plug.

the LC has 2 connectors like harness #2. The LX450 has those same 2 connectors but they are over on the side as pictured

[uabericm]

Does the power antenna still work correctly (goes down when playing anything but tuner, goes up when tuner is active)?

Do the lights dim when the headlights are turned on?

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Originally Posted by FirstToy

this is for a LX450. it's different than a LC.

there are 2 plugs behind the radio- one that looks like the connector for harness #1 and a smaller CD changer controller plug.

the LC has 2 connectors like harness #2. The LX450 has those same 2 connectors but they are over on the side as pictured

Ahh, didn't know that


Would this be the correct harness set?

70-1761 Toyota/Scion 87-07; Plugs into Car Harness at radio, (Power/4-Speaker);




When I search for 97 TLC on that site, it only shows the low level type harness (uses factory amps)

[FirstToy]

that looks like the right harness.

I was brainstorming and figured out how to get my subwoofer operational again (does not apply to LC owners). I'll have to do that another time b/c I don't want to take it apart again!

[Inverness]

How is the sound quality of bluetooth phone?

[FirstToy]

BT phone sounds clear. The caller comes thru the speakers so no problem hearing them. They don't seem to notice the diff between normal phone use. It's pretty cool, just start the car and your phone pairs up automatically.

Note there is a 'noise filter' -lo/med/hi. I have to play with that once the truck is at full noise w/ tires humming & exhaust booming at freeway speed I am not sure if you want less filter (or more) to keep from having your voice cut-out.

It also can download your phonebook, so you can dial & answer by name on the radio.

also, I think the BT Audio means that any BT music device can be paired and you can listen to music/books that way. I have not played w/ that yet.

[Romer]

Thats a sweet setup James.

One important note after looking up the specs is it plays mp3 CD's You can get 10 hours of music on a MP3 CD.

[FirstToy]

Originally Posted by Romer

Thats a sweet setup James.

One important note after looking up the specs is it plays mp3 CD's You can get 10 hours of music on a MP3 CD.

Good point, I forgot to mention it has a CD player!

I am thinking of buying a small USB 2.0 portable HD. They are pretty cheap and I could hold my entire library on it. I assume it would work like just like a flash drive.

[speyrod]

Hmmm got me thinking with this one, I have about 330 Gigs of mp3's.

How does the menuing work, my music is catolog , genre, musician, album/disk (depends on age), track. Would I be able to work thru that type of menu?

[FirstToy]

330gigs?! wow man

well the menu goes from folder (you can scroll thru all your folders) ---click to-->song (scroll thru songs in that folder)
it's similar to using a iPod.

also, display options so you can show folder/song, artist/song, artist/album, etc

I have some weird extra folders in my flash drive, not sure why.

I would think with that much music, you would be better off w/ a touch screen-based unit...

[FirstToy]

thought this was an important update-

my Flash drives would work fine but w/ I tried a portable 320G HD, it would not. Thru some research I found that is too large to be powered by the head unit. It seems that around 100-200G is the limit (I don't know the actual, just approx.) If you want to go bigger, you have to hook up seperate power for the HD (there are 12v adapters but I didn't want all the wiring mess)

So, I got this great little 20 gig HD. It's the size of a Zippo and only $32

works great and holds all my music (my iPod was 20gig so this works perfect)
It comes in larger sizes so you can experiment what the max size the Pioneer can power
good luck!

[ERG80]

Awesome. Thanks for the write up. That may be my next radio.

[barCruiser]

Can you give some more details on how you got the factory lx sub to work again with this unit.

[FirstToy]

no time to get to it yet

but if you take your time and look at the wiring harness diagram and radio pinouts, you can see where you splice in a rca for the pioneer to keep it working

thats the theory anyway. i have to take it out and mess w/ it... #1000 on the list..

[uabericm]

Now that Christmas has passed, it might be time to drop some cash. Is the head unit still a good addition? Any problems?

[sdnative]

Originally Posted by uabericm

Any problems?

I have been running this unit for about 4-5 months. It works pretty well, but I do have some issues.

The blue illumination is very distracting. So much so, I considered taking it back out. The dimmer feature is worthless.

The BT telephone connection is really bad with my LG VX-8100. It is probably just my phone, because most of the reviews I have read said very good BT performance. I am about to buy a new phone (probably the ENV2), so I will report back on how that one works.

The mic quality could be a little better, but it's not that bad.

Other that that it works great. It would be really nice if there was a way to change out the blue lighting for green or something.

[sdnative]

Originally Posted by FirstToy

BT phone sounds clear. The caller comes thru the speakers so no problem hearing them. They don't seem to notice the diff between normal phone use. It's pretty cool, just start the car and your phone pairs up automatically.

Note there is a 'noise filter' -lo/med/hi. I have to play with that once the truck is at full noise w/ tires humming & exhaust booming at freeway speed I am not sure if you want less filter (or more) to keep from having your voice cut-out.

It also can download your phonebook, so you can dial & answer by name on the radio.

What phone do you have? My BT telephone sounds horrible, and when I try to download the phonebook, it errors out every time.

[SeanAndHis80]

Originally Posted by sundaypunch

That is the groovy Land Rover cupholder from Roverconnection.com A bit pricey at $30 but they are about the best option for the passenger

Land Rover Range Discovery Genuine OEM Factory Cup Holders

Another site stuck in the 80s - including an "order form" that you must copy and paste items into. Oh well, thanks for the link.

[FirstToy]

I have the EnV2 and everyone says it is clear and easy to hear me. I had a Razr before and it was also clear.
pairing the phone can be tricky but if you follow the instructions (download or included on disk) it should be pretty simple.

i had the same problem w/ downloading addressbook on the Razr but havn't felt the need on the EnV
for $250, i really can't find anything to complain about.

[uabericm]

FirstToy,
Have you experienced the same issues as sdnative?

Originally Posted by sdnative

1. The blue illumination is very distracting. So much so, I considered taking it back out. The dimmer feature is worthless.

2. The mic quality could be a little better, but it's not that bad.

3. It would be really nice if there was a way to change out the blue lighting for green or something.

About to pull the trigger on either this 8000bt or an Alpine CDA-9884.

Eric

[FirstToy]

the thing w/ the Alpine is the BT, AUX, USB all are optional it seems from the specs. Add all that and you might as well get a better headunit at the higher price.

the blue is bright but you can put an in-line dimmer or something pretty easy I would think. just plan ahead so you don't have to tear it apart later. it doesn't really bother me though. I didn't even know there was a dimmer feature on the radio

i think the green lighting is pretty mundane so i don't care that the radio is blue. I think it helps that the radio is down low on the console and in it's own compartment.
my audi is all-red which is awesome, I love that.

[sdnative]

Originally Posted by FirstToy

I have the EnV2 and everyone says it is clear and easy to hear me. I had a Razr before and it was also clear.
pairing the phone can be tricky but if you follow the instructions (download or included on disk) it should be pretty simple.

i had the same problem w/ downloading addressbook on the Razr but havn't felt the need on the EnV
for $250, i really can't find anything to complain about.

I have the EnV2 also. Mine is more of an RF problem. It sounds clear one minute, and the next it fades and gets really scratchy and cuts in and out. Hard to explain. had several people comment on it. I think I'll pull it back out and isolate it from the dash using nylon washers or something. I thought it was my phone at first (had an LG VX-8100 that was a few years old and an early implementation of BT), but now I have the VX-9100 and have the same problem. It may be a function of the feedback circuitry in the phone. Maybe I should play around with mic placement. Right now I have the mic on the grab bar on the A pillar.

Pairing the phone isn't bad, it's just when I try to download the address book, it disconnects the phone automatically for some reason and wont download. Once I cancel the download process, it connects again.

Originally Posted by uabericm

FirstToy,
Have you experienced the same issues as sdnative?


About to pull the trigger on either this 8000bt or an Alpine CDA-9884.

Eric

Eric,

it is a good radio. I looked for awhile for a good stereo. I first bought the Dual single DIN from crutchfield (forget the model #). It was pretty bad. Returned it and bought the Pioneer. Some of the things that sold me were the external mic (most of the other have a built in mic), BT, USB, and mp3 capability. You are probably not going to find the perfect unit without paying big bucks, so you just have determine what you can deal with and what you cant. I paid over $300, so if you can get it for $250, I think thats a good deal.