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USB port in dash

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mraynie

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Does anyone know if the auxillary/usb is standard in all the helms?  We thought that with the stereo upgrade the hole in the dash would not be there but it is.  The model is a 21SFX.   Thanks!
 
Mine is in a little flip up door on the face of the stereo. I have a 2015 21 Slx With the standard stereo.
 
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We had to request one on the build 

I was told it did not come standard

The dealer did throw it in with an upgrade on the stereo 

USB is a necessity , the music you want when you want it 

I have The SL21, dealers SL21 on the Boat Show floor did not have a USB

Like Omike mine has the flip up door but on the helm not the stereo 

pittsburgh1.jpg
 
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Mine has a port on the radio face under helm
 
I thought Bluetooth was the way to go now.  USB is so 2010 :)
 
Bluetooth is it.

But you still need USB or a cigarette lighter to run/charge the Bluetooth device.

Name one teenager that charges his/her phone fully just before going boating. I don't know any.
 
Not to derail OP topic, but has everyone rewired their radios for memory holdup when master switch if off?  I always flip the master switch when done with the boat only to come back the next time with all my settings lost.  Including the bluetooth pairing.  I think the only way to fix it is to wire the radio to the battery side of the master switch.
 
You do need to reroute the memory wire.  When our dealer installed the second battery and switch he had it wired to the battery side.  Since the boat sits unused for long times we had him change the memory so we lose the memory but don't drain the battery. 
 
I had a different stereo, and installed on the right side, as I needed a larger area for my Lowrance HDS-7 to be mounted in the dash.  My radio has a USB, but unfortunately the access is inside the console.  However, I just use the bluetooth for my music.  Charging is no problem, with a 12 volt on my dash.  Most of the time, if my wife is on board she wants NO MUSIC anyway.
 
fastmnstealth said:
Not to derail OP topic, but has everyone rewired their radios for memory holdup when master switch if off?  I always flip the master switch when done with the boat only to come back the next time with all my settings lost.  Including the bluetooth pairing.  I think the only way to fix it is to wire the radio to the battery side of the master switch.
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We had the same problem. R and Q helms have this Master Power Switch on the helm and we rewired it. Here is a picture of the schematic in my Gallery with the change shown and instructions describing what we did:

http://club.benningtonmarine.com/index.php?/gallery/image/5335-rq-electrical-schematic-moved-stereo-memory-wire/

Not sure why Bennington wires it this way but moving it essentially makes the radio memory circuit work like it would on the G series that don't appear to have a Master Power Switch. So maybe just an oversight on Bennington's part? It is such a low power draw, it shouldn't affect the battery and for those that are concerned, would think they would use the battery switch. Unless there's something I'm missing...
 
My G is wired to the acc switch too, radio goes dead with switch off but I do not mind, beats having parasitic draws over time that can leave one with a low or dead battery if it doesn't get used on a regular basis or over long periods of time without disconnecting the battery cables or shutting off a battery disconnect switch if you have one.
 
Wild and Free said:
My G is wired to the acc switch too, radio goes dead with switch off but I do not mind, beats having parasitic draws over time that can leave one with a low or dead battery if it doesn't get used on a regular basis or over long periods of time without disconnecting the battery cables or shutting off a battery disconnect switch if you have one.
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Wild and Free,

Do you have a helm master power switch or are you possibly referring to the radio accessory switch? The R and Qs also have the radio accessory switch (which also powers up our Garmin) but they also have an additional master power switch on the helm that when turned off, kills all source power to all accessory switches. Per the Bennington schematic, it would appear to me that there is no helm master power switch on the G series but maybe it is an old schematic or I am missing something?

When you power off the switch you referred to, do you lose all of your radio settings (clock setting, radio station presets, and such)? Trying to understand this myself as it would appear by the schematic that we just essentially rewired ours to be like a G series.

I understand the concern over parasitic draw but the radio memory wire is typically a pretty low draw and we never had an issue with our old boat that would sit for months at a time. Then again, that understandably could be different from radio to radio, so if someone is concerned about dead batteries over time and they don't maintain them, I would not change it or would make sure you remember to use your main battery switch.
 
mraynie said:
Does anyone know if the auxillary/usb is standard in all the helms?  We thought that with the stereo upgrade the hole in the dash would not be there but it is.  The model is a 21SFX.   Thanks!
Click to expand...
mraynie,

Sorry to hijack your thread. To answer your question regarding our USB port, we have a 2015 R with the Sony Bluetooth stereo and do not have a USB port in the dash. There is a USB port inside a tray within the stereo (where the CD slot would otherwise be) however, on an R the stereo is mounted underneath and behind the helm door (there is a wired remote panel for the stereo on the dash). I wasn't sure if they eliminated the dash USB port due to that configuration/stereo we have or if was the new standard on all boats (due to Bluetooth and prevention of potential issues with water in the dash connector?). From your post, it sounds like the new standard may be no dash USB port but will let others with newer boats chime in as well.

Personally, I would have rather seen a dash USB too (more for charging than stereo connection) but if they had issues with that, I understand why it could have been eliminated as standard offering.
 
Bluetooth??? I don't need blue teeth. I really enjoy my 8 track player!!!

Just saying
 
GNC, No helm master switch on mine, just an accessory switch like you mentioned , I misread and missed that there was a master switch that cut power to all other switches.

Since I boat in different places and a lot of times have no radio service in the remote areas of lake Sakakawea presets do us no good anyhow and always have the cell close by for time and always have an Ipod for the tunes.

Joe funny as it sounds I have a cousin who buys up 8 tracks at garage sales as he has a couple old 70's vehicles with functioning 8 track players yet.
 
My bigger issue isn't using the radio to charge, it is when there are multiple people that need a charge.  As pointed out, many people forget to charge their phones, don't realize what music playing all day drains it, or simply forget their specific cable if different than mine.

I am thinking about adding one of these to either the galley or the helm.... couple different models to choose from of course.

http://www.amazon.com/XYZ-Boat-Supplies-Charger-Motor-home/dp/B00IRJH8D8

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/poly-planar--waterproof-dual-port-usb-charger--15094345

Then, all I want to carry on the boat is my single 5-in-1 cable for the people that don't remember theirs.  Mine is the same as this one but different color:

http://www.guuds.com/product/MA-1021D__5-in-1-Flat-Micro-USB-Mini-5-Pin-Lightning-Apple-Dock-30-Pin-USB-Charging-Cable-for-iPhone-iPad-MP3-etc-Green.html
 
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kaydano said:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0082CXEI8/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I got one of these for Christmas. Blue Sea brand, which is for boats. I would hesitate to put in any other brand.

It will be going in next time I bring the boat home. These were only $10 a month or two ago. Prices fluctuate big time on these for some reason.

The rectangle part does not need to be used and comes off. So it matches what's already on the Bennington.
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Good memory Dan. Seems it is at the highest price now.

http://camelcamelcamel.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-Charger-Socket/product/B0082CXEI8?context=browse
 
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Ha ha. I already have one of those too. Need more. We had 11 teenagers on our boat one time...

Also, my old GPS needs the 12v socket. I'm thinking about putting in two of the Blue Sea USB chargers in addition to the factory socket. I'll see how the one I have works first.
 
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