AAR 892201BT User manual
CONGRATULATIONS! You have one of the most unique and sophisticated radios ever built! It is designed to preserve the original fit,
functions and appearance of your radio while providing the best of the latest digital technology. The modern features that were not
available when your vehicle was new are cleverly disguised so that they are functional and easily accessible, but are not visible. The face,
knobs and pushbuttons are designed and manufactured to look and feel just like the original. The dial scale looks like the original. In the
M mode there is a red stereo indicator in the center of the dial. In the Bluetooth® mode this indicator has multiple uses. Please take a few
minutes to read this manual and familiarize yourself with all of the features of this radio. Although this radio is considerably smaller than
the original, it will fit in the dash without any alterations. The radio is designed to work well with the original antenna. Do not use the
original speakers. They will not handle the power or the frequency range of this radio.
Before ou begin installation: Be Safe! Disconnect one battery terminal and leave it disconnected until installation is complete. Make sure
you are familiar with the options and features programmed into this radio. Locate the antenna jack, the auxiliary input, line outputs and
other options you may need before you mount the radio. If you want to “bench test” the radio use a fully charged battery. DO NOT operate
this radio directly from a battery charger. Serious damage may result! This radio has several protection circuits to help prevent serious
damage from wiring errors and power faults in the vehicle electrical system. Never use a fuse rated for more than 10 Amps!
Speakers: See our new line of Dual Voice Coil speakers designed specifically for this radio. Use only 4 ohm speakers. A quality full range
speaker with 30 or 40 watt RMS ratings should be sufficient. The higher the SPL rating of the speaker, the better it sounds. Look for an SPL
of 88 or better. A good full range speaker should have a frequency range from less than 40 Hz to at least 18 kHz. Pay attention to polarity!
Speaker terminals will be marked with a + and - , or a red dot on the + terminal. If all speakers are connected to the proper polarity, they
will operate in harmony. If they are not properly phased, you will not hear the full fidelity of the radio. This is especially important when
using dual voice coil speakers. Note: - does not mean ground! This is a high power radio in which both speaker lines are driven with high
currents! Never allow any speaker lead to become grounded when the radio is on!
Operating Your Radio
Band selection: Push the button marked AM and the dial window will show the AM dial. The AM button and the three un-marked buttons
will be AM presets. Push the button marked M and the dial window will show the M dial. The M button and the 3 un-marked buttons
will be M presets.
Tuning: The dial scale is made to look like the original. It is illuminated when the dash lights are on. Turning the tuning knob will move the
dial pointer up or down the dial scale. The radio is digitally tuned for stability, but has the look and feel of an analog radio. The dial pointer
is positioned with a stepper motor. Note: the dial pointer will onl move when the radio is turned on.
Tone: The tone control (behind the volume control) provides full bass and treble near the center position. Turning the control clockwise
reduces treble, and counter-clockwise reduces bass. When streaming music in Bluetooth mode an equalizer is also available.
Balance: Your radio has a balance control behind the tuning control. Turning the balance knob will shift the audio between the left
speaker(s) and the right speaker(s). In a stereo system, the audio information sent to the right channel is often different than the left channel.
When you set the balance to the extreme left or right, the radio will automatically switch out of the stereo mode and all of the information
for both channels will be present in the speaker that is selected (Mono mode).Note: The balance control is not operational in a 1 speaker
setup.
Fader: In order to allow adjusting the front/rear speakers without adding visible controls, your radio has a software control that is shared
with the balance control. To access the fader, tune to an M station and set the balance control for the best sound. After you’ve listened for
a few seconds, tune to the top of the dial. The last station you were listening to will start playing again. Use the balance control to adjust
the front/rear fader. When you tune away from the top of the dial, the radio will resume normal operation, and the balance control will no
longer affect the fader function. Once you readjust the balance control, the fader settings are permanently stored (until you change them).
Every time you turn on the radio, the fader values you last set will be re-loaded. Note: The fader is onl operational in a 3 or4 speaker
setup.
Setting pushbuttons: Your radio has 4 presets for M and 4 presets for AM. A major difference between the original radio and this one is
the way the pushbuttons are set. Never attempt to pull out on the buttons! When you push a button, the radio will start playing the selected
station, and the dial pointer will move to the selected location. To set a button to a different station: (1) Tune in the desired station. (2) Press
and hold the button you want to set. The tuner will move to the previous setting. (3) After about 2 seconds, the radio will begin playing the
newly selected station. The dial pointer may cycle a few times to locate the correct position. This is a normal procedure. The dial pointer
will stop at the new station. (4) Release the button. Be aware it takes a couple of seconds to write the new pushbutton data to permanent
memory. You can continue to set other buttons or tune other stations, but if the radio is turned off before the write cycle is completed, the
new stations may not be saved. Pushing a button marked “AM” or “ M” will switch bands so those buttons can only be set to stations
within their respective bands. Note: If the band is changed when the power is off, the dial scale will change, but the radio will not. If
the radio powers up in the AM band but the dial face is showing FM, simpl press the outer pushbutton for the band ou want to
listen to. In the Bluetooth® mode these buttons have several different functions and will not change the dial pointer position.
Bluetooth®: To connect your phone, it must first be “paired” to this radio. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone. Search for
available devices. Turn your radio on. “AARInc.BTvx.x” should be visible for a few minutes after the radio is turned on. Select it to pair.
You can pair up to 4 devices with this radio. The radio will attempt to connect with the last paired device every time the radio is turned on.
To activate Bluetooth®, tune to the low end of the dial in any band (we suggest you set the leftmost pushbutton to this position). If your
phone is paired, it will connect automatically. The stereo indicator in the dial will turn bright blue. To exit Bluetooth® mode manually tune
the radio away from the low end of the dial. When listening to the radio (AM or M band) an incoming call will switch the radio into
Bluetooth® mode to allow you to answer by briefly pressing the center button. To reject the call press the rightmost button. See the
illustration on the cover for all of the alternate button functions. To end the call, press and hold the center button. If the radio was not in
Bluetooth® mode when the call began, the radio will return to the station you were listening to when the call is ended. If another call comes
in during an active call, you may put the current caller on hold and answer the 2 nd one, or reject it. During an active call you can raise or
lower the caller's volume by pressing the <VOL or VOL> buttons. When the call is ended, the volume will return to the normal setting. or
detailed Bluetooth® instructions go to www.radiosforoldcars.com/bluetooth.
(1)
Your radio has a 12 pin connector for the speakers, power, and options. See illustration below for more details. There is one red
(fused) wire. This is the main power input. It should be connected to the 12 volt ccessory circuit. There is a green wire that is used
for the dial light. It should be wired to the dash light circuit ahead of the dimmer rheostat so that the radio lights come on when the
other gauge lights are turned on. The wiring for the front speakers includes a blue (+) and violet (-) pair for the left front speaker, and
a gray (+) and white (-) pair for the right front speaker. Each front pair will have a yellow band around it. The rear speaker wiring
also has a blue (+) and violet (-) pair for the left rear speaker and a gray (+) and white (-) pair for the right rear speaker. Each rear
pair will have a green band around it. Your system may not use all of the speaker connections. Be careful to tape up any unused wires
where they can not touch anything. The orange wire is a switched 12 volt output used to provide power for options like remote turn-
on for power amplifiers, power antennas, etc. Do not use it to power loads greater than 4 amps. The black wire is the system ground.
This wire should be connected to a solid chassis ground. The Bluetooth® microphone is built in. No external wiring is required.
The ANTENNA jack is located beneath the wiring harness exit. It will accept your original antenna plug.
The AUX. NPUT jack in the upper right is a standard 3.5 mm stereo jack. It is provided to allow accessories like MP3 players to be
active when not using Bluetooth®. To switch to the auxiliary input mode, tune the radio to the extreme low end of the dial in either
band. (Hint: Set a pushbutton at this point to allow rapid switching). The radio will resume playing when you tune towards the middle
of the dial. The volume, tone, and balance controls will be functional in the UX mode, but the alternate fader control will not be
accessible. The UX Input is shared with Bluetooth® connected devices. Bluetooth® always has priority and will override any ux
input. If an accessory is powered by the orange wire the accessory will turn off when the radio is turned off. You should adjust the
accessory audio level to match the level of the radio. Check the option instruction manual for how to set the audio level.
When you receive your radio it is setup for North merican channel spacing. You can change the frequency by holding down the
middle pushbutton while the power is off and while continuing to hold down the middle pushbutton turn the radio on. You will notice a
green light in the center of the dial. The radio will scan through the local stations and determine which frequency to use for M and
FM. These changes will be permanently stored until they are changed again by repeating the steps above. The M broadcast band in
the mericas is 530 to 1710 kHz in 10 kHz steps, and for all of Europe, the UK and Japan it is 531 to 1629 kHz in 9 kHz steps. The
FM broadcast band in the mericas is 87.5 to 107.9 MHz in 200 kHz steps, and for Western Europe and the UK it is 87.5 to 108.0
MHz in 100 kHz steps. Japan and Eastern Europe FM frequencies are not compatible with this receiver.
Each time the radio is powered on it will perform speaker diagnostics to determine the number of speakers that are connected. In a 3 or
4 speaker set up the balance and fader controls work as described. In the 2 speaker position the 2 front or 2 rear speakers will work
with the balance control but there is no fader. In the 1 speaker position neither the balance or fader controls have any effect. In this
setting the receiver and the aux inputs operate in mono mode so that the information from both the right and left channels will be heard
in the single speaker. The stereo indicator will not function.
Below the auxiliary jack are 5 color-coded RC jacks. These are line outputs for an external power amplifier. The Left (white) and
Right (red) jacks are stereo line outs, and the black one is for a sub-woofer amp input. To add an amplifier to your setup: With the
radio turned off hold down the center pushbutton. Turn the radio on and release the pushbutton. You will notice a green light in the
middle of the dial, after 7 seconds it will turn red. Once it begins to blink red if you would like to add an amplifier press the second
pushbutton. The light will flash green to show an amp has been added. To deselect an amplifier from the setup press the 4 th pushbutton
and the light will flash red. Once you have made your selection press the first pushbutton to return to the radio. You must make a
selection within a few seconds or these setting will not be saved.
Note: f you program the radio to have an amplifier the fade and balance controls will be active.
Specifications
11-16 Volts DC Negative ground only
Output: 180 W. RMS (45 W x 4 speakers @ 4Ω 14.4 V, 1 kHz)
8 Presets (4 M, 4 FM) Digitally tuned w/analog display
Dimensions: 8.3” W x 2.6” H x 3.25” D (behind dash)
3.5mm stereo input jack, Standard (Motorola) antenna jack
Left, right and sub-woofer outputs use standard RC jacks
Bluetooth® 3.0+EDR, Built in microphone for HFP, HSP, 2DP
Memory retention (presets and user settings) more than 40 years
Visit www.radiosforoldcars.com/bluetooth for more information on how to use all of the Bluetooth® options
in this radio or click on the QR code. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned
by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by ntique utomobile Radio, Inc. is under license.
Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.
(2)
INSTALLATION
The drawing below shows the correct mounting method for all Firebird dashes. Even though the radio is much smaller and lighter than the
original, It will go into the dash the same way that the old one came out. To remove the original radio, remove six Phillips screws from the
glove box and remove the glove box. Remove the right lower /C duct by removing two Phillips screws under the glove box opening and the
5/16” screw at the right upper corner of the duct. Remove the control knobs and backrings by pulling straight off. Remove the outer hex nuts
and trimplate from the control shafts. Disconnect the speaker, antenna and power leads. Remove the screw from the radio bracket on the
driver's side and remove the radio from the passenger side. To remove the old speaker, remove the /C duct under the speaker and remove the
5/16” screw from the speaker bracket. Secure the new radio with the 9” Backstrap and the 7/16” mounting nut provided. Plug the antenna
into the jack on the lower rear of the radio near the mounting stud.
DIAGNOSTICS
No Sound: Check for a good fuse with proper rating. When the radio is turned on, the orange wire should have 12 volts present. Every
speaker lead should measure about 6 volts to ground with the radio on and volume low. During start up diagnostics if the radio detects a
shorted speaker wire the radio will shut off that speaker lead until the issue is resolved. Radio will mute when no station is received.
Make sure antenna is plugged into the proper jack. If an accessory is not connected there will be no audio in auxiliary mode.
Weak or No Reception: Check continuity between the center pin of the antenna plug and the antenna mast. It should read 0 ohms (like a
short) Next, check continuity between the center pin of the antenna plug and the car body. It should not read (like an open circuit). If
you’re in a metal building, reception may be limited. Try it outside.
Ignition Noise: Usually caused by an ungrounded antenna shield. The base of the antenna must make good contact with the car body.
This problem often shows up after a good paint job! Make sure the engine grounding straps are in place, clean and tightly bonded to the
frame.
Distortion: Check to see if your speakers can handle at least 45 watts RMS. Small speakers that can only reproduce high frequency will
distort on bass notes. Make sure speakers are properly installed. Make sure that no speaker is grounded. Every speaker lead should
measure about 6 volts to ground with the radio on and volume low. Resistance in the DC power input wiring can cause the amplifiers to
“starve”. If distortion seems to increase with volume, measure the voltage on the orange wire. If the voltage drops when the volume is
raised, it is an indication of resistance between the battery and the radio – usually at the fuse block, but sometimes in the ignition switch.
If the backstrap is not bolted to a clean metal ground, try running a heavy ground wire from the ground lug on the radio directly to the
firewall.
Radio shuts off after a few inutes: The radio has thermal protection built in to prevent damage from excessive heat. Possible causes
are shorted or grounded speaker wires. See if any unused wires can touch anything. Make sure the heater or defroster duct isn’t blowing
directly on the radio.
Dial pointer issues: If the dial pointer gets stuck at one end or if it is misaligned, hold down one of the preset buttons for 5-10 seconds to
realign or free dial pointer. If the dial pointer is stuck at one end of the dial, turn the tuning knob. The dial pointer should try to move
while you're turning the knob. Continue to turn the tuning knob until the pointer resets itself.
BE SAFE: Make sure you are familiar with the way this radio works before you go out on the road. Driving demands your full attention.
Texting while driving is dangerous and it is illegal in many states. Remember: not all drivers have hands free phones, so the guy next to
you may be driving while distracted.
The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by ntique utomobile Radio, Inc. is under
license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.
3 (end)
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