On Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 11:53 AM, Daryl Christensen
<daryl@aatransaxle.com>wrote:

> Don. Are you sure the radio is wired correctly..Obvious question, but have
> seen it numerous times. There is a battery hot lead and a switched (only
> when key is on) lead and if the keyed lead is hooked to power all the time,
> it will drain the battery in about a week depending on the radio's draw...
> The hot(battery) lead only draws 40 to 80 ma or so and keeps the presets
> where they are, and the switched lead will draw a few amps typically as it
> runs the radio's amplifier.
>  That and I listen to my Ipod or CD books on tape when driving...Better
> than
> trying to find a station on the road.
>
> Daryl of AA Transaxle
> 425-788-4070
> "On the cutting edge of Old technology"
> 86 Syncro Westy w/Turbo Zetec in the trunk
>

  I have my radio hooked up to play (off the main vehicle battery) without
the key being involved....just hooked in to a wire that is always hot.  The
unit has a bigger draw than seems right....it IS really cool looking with
green backlighting and stuff...It actually was too bright (on it's dimest
setting) to even sleep without draping something over it, before I put in
the switch.  Yes, I do turn it off....So with the extra battery saving
switch, I lose the pre-settings...but the van starts.

  I am not so much on listening to media when I  drive.   I kind of prefer
to  'zen-out' on the sounds of the vehicle, think about things, etc etc...
Unless I get snookered into having to take an interstate....
But I do try to keep up on the news and camping 'off the grid' for extended
periods, especially in Baja,  I liked listening to the BBC or radio Canada
or other new sources....and even those are smothered in ads now...NPR is
coming in over the air in our present location, so that's what we listen to
for now.