You need to leave the power on for an hour then the word safe will reappear again.
This is in my VW radio manual. If you enter the code incorrectly twice it will not
allow you to enter again until an hour later. When it is disconnected for too long
it will be in the safety mode. So I think you need to leave the power on for an hour.

MJ in sunny California

--- On Sun, 9/26/10, John Reynolds <transporterjr@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

From: John Reynolds <transporterjr@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Trying to get radio to safe mode
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Sunday, September 26, 2010, 7:28 AM

I have a VW factory radio with a CD input on the front that I want to install in the my 86 Vanagon. (I don't what year/type VW this came out of.)

I am trying to fire it up using my power supply on the bench and a radio harness I got out of a parts van. The anti-theft light blinks, but I get nothing in the display, even after holding the SCAN and MODE buttons down.

I have speakers hooked up and power to the pin that is indicated with a sun icon as well as the main power and ground.� You can see pics of the radio, harness and sticker of connections at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/transporterjr/

Any help appreciated!!!! I was hoping that the "1111" code would get this working, but I can;t even get to that point.

John Reynolds
LiMBO