Golf Cart Radio
Among the various types of golf cart parts and accessories available, a golf cart radio is essential for anyone who is seeking to modify their vehicle with a great sound system. While you could settle with a regular battery powered radio and take it along with you to the course, these radios won't be able to compete with the quality of those that you can mount to a golf cart. They also are unable to perform well under certain conditions that a mounted golf cart radio could easily best.
For example, a mounted golf cart radio can be built with weather resistant designs that let them to perform during the rainy season. High grade marine speakers are what provide this sort of protection to the sound system. The same waterproof technology isn't going to be found in most of the portable battery powered models that you can purchase.
A golf cart radio also features speaker encasements that are resistant to UV radiation from the sun. This allows for the radio to be used for a long period of time without needing replacement or repair. The molded one piece grills over the speakers compliment the durability of the golf cart radio as well. They keep the player from corroding due to an abundance of dust and dirt that threaten the integrity of the golf cart radio.
Installation of Parts
While they may not be a common sight on the course, the radio system will work in an electric and gas vehicle, providing owners with an impressive audio arrangement no matter what type of model they drive. There are two main areas that a golf cart radio can be mounted depending on the vehicle design. The first option that many carts allow is for dashboard installation. This means that you are going to need to have either a new custom dashboard for the golf cart so that you can fix the radio into it or that you will to need to find a specific radio for the golf cart model that will be supported by the stock design. It is very important to keep potential costs such as these in mind, along with those of other accessories you might have to purchase.
The other option available in terms of where a radio can be installed on a golf cart is purchasing a roof mountable model. Typically, a roof mountable design is much cheaper than the dashboard installable accessories. They don't require any modifications to the frame or interior of the vehicle and take only minutes to attach and detach to the interior roof of the cart. The kit you purchase should have directions about how to mount the golf cart radio speakers which makes it even easier to do. A couple of bolts and silicone is usually all it takes to safely fix the audio system to the vehicle without any worries about it coming loose and being damaged somehow during driving.
However, a receiver is not going to be built as resistant to the elements as the speakers are. This means that you need to place the receiver in an area inside the golf cart that will keep it safe from exposure. There are many different options available in order to do this but it is common to mount them inside of the glove box. Golf carts without a glove box may require alternative methods such as cutting a hole under the seat to place the receiver in or putting a plastic covering over the hinges of the part.
Many also choose to utilize a sliding metal bracket which allows the receiver to be unplugged so that you can remove it when it is not being used. You should be sure that there is a good amount of clearance behind the receiver so that running wires will not be difficult or messy. When you begin running the wires you'll need to run the power lines of the receiver to the terminals of the battery. The red wire needs to connect to a positive terminal while the black should hook up to a negative. After this you'll want to feed the speaker wire from the receiver to the speakers.
Remember to always cut the wires on their long side so that you will have the right amount. Keep the cutting process consistent that way you won't mix up the wires. Since these vehicles have the tendency to bounce on hilly terrain, it is a good idea to solder the wires that you connect to the speaker system so that they won't come loose when you are driving. Also, if you are seeking to not only have a great golf cart radio but to have a vehicle with a flawless appearance then you should drill holes through the shell and feed the wiring underneath the vehicle where it can't be seen.
