Magnadyne M4-LCD questions

[Herk7769]

Always be careful about the word "READY" Too many folks bought High Def TVs in the beginning that were marketed as "Digital Ready" only to find out they were no such thing.

The "ready" part meant that there was a place to plug in the 300 dollar (initially) digital tuner that the expensive set lacked.

XM/Sirius READY means that the remote will control the XM/Sirius radio tuner if you buy one.

[jamiller45]

Taxbuster - once you hook up your movie box to the switch box...the tv is connected to the radio via rca audio plugs just like the dvd is connected to the switch box...by putting the Magnadyne to input AV2, you will connect the TV audio to the surround speakers. I found this works best if you also go into the TV setup menu and turn off its front speaker, and also then in TV audio menu change from variable output to fixed.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Always be careful about the word "READY" Too many folks bought High Def TVs in the beginning that were marketed as "Digital Ready" only to find out they were no such thing.

The "ready" part meant that there was a place to plug in the 300 dollar (initially) digital tuner that the expensive set lacked.

XM/Sirius READY means that the remote will control the XM/Sirius radio tuner if you buy one.

Got it -- still think it's "cheesy". I guess I'm old school that way. I dislike advertising that makes one think one is getting something - only to discover that it ain't so. When I buy an $80,000 piece of equipment I expect it to be DONE. Not kinda-sorta ready to add more stuff.

I also own a BMW; it too had Sirius and a one-year package. The tuner was in it and ready to go. Not 'ready' to be installed. Even my wife's Prius included the tuner (XM though - no Canadian content!)

I'd rather they tacked the $300 onto the sales price and just included it, personally.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by jamiller45

Taxbuster - once you hook up your movie box to the switch box...the tv is connected to the radio via rca audio plugs just like the dvd is connected to the switch box...by putting the Magnadyne to input AV2, you will connect the TV audio to the surround speakers. I found this works best if you also go into the TV setup menu and turn off its front speaker, and also then in TV audio menu change from variable output to fixed.

Oh, that's very good news indeed! Easy peasy then. Now I've just got to figure out a way to mount the movie box and get a bit of power to it, though I can just sneak it out the cupboard door for the time being.

Thanks for letting me know that!!

[jamiller45]

we set it up that way so you could listen to the TV through the ss speakers, allowing for higher volume in loud situations, such as AC running. If TV is left in variable mode and TV speaker left on, the radio needs to be set at about 25 on volume, and then it will fluctuate as you turn the tv up and down. When TV is set to fixed, the radio will control the volume.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by jamiller45

we set it up that way so you could listen to the TV through the ss speakers, allowing for higher volume in loud situations, such as AC running. If TV is left in variable mode and TV speaker left on, the radio needs to be set at about 25 on volume, and then it will fluctuate as you turn the tv up and down. When TV is set to fixed, the radio will control the volume.

That totally makes sense. Can't wait to try it out!

[gerrym51]

I know this seems picky but it seems that 90 percent of questions/issues on forest river products especially motorhomes derives from lack of an accuratte manual/documentation from forest river.

I know they have a lot of product lines-but if they finally did a manual for C's
only-then just updared this for new info-that would be an improvement.

I don't know how many times i've read "what is this button for" or how do i do this.

oh well

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

I know this seems picky but it seems that 90 percent of questions/issues on forest river products especially motorhomes derives from lack of an accuratte manual/documentation from forest river.

I know they have a lot of product lines-but if they finally did a manual for C's
only-then just updared this for new info-that would be an improvement.

I don't know how many times i've read "what is this button for" or how do i do this.

oh well

To be fair, my issues are almost exclusively with the electronics, which is only partly FR. I see them rather like a house builder. They are responsible for the frame, the structure, the interior and its integrity. The individual parts, though, are the responsibility of the various manufacturers: Ford, Magnadyne; Dometic; Bigfoot; Jensen etc. On the other hand, they are selling the MHs as a unit, and have a duty of care to ensure that they operate that way.

FR should, however absolutely ensure that the manuals provided are accurate for the units supplied and that the description of what is included is both complete and appropriate and free of "advertising" language (e.g. Sirius being "ready" and not "installed").

As far as the coach part goes, I've had no issue at all other than a squeak fixed by the dealer and a small plastic problem with a drawer latch. All the manuals seem reasonably OK, though I've not been through each with a fine-toothed comb. That's what summer holidays are for....?

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by taxbuster

To be fair, my issues are almost exclusively with the electronics, which is only partly FR. I see them rather like a house builder. They are responsible for the frame, the structure, the interior and its integrity. The individual parts, though, are the responsibility of the various manufacturers: Ford, Magnadyne; Dometic; Bigfoot; Jensen etc. On the other hand, they are selling the MHs as a unit, and have a duty of care to ensure that they operate that way.

FR should, however absolutely ensure that the manuals provided are accurate for the units supplied and that the description of what is included is both complete and appropriate and free of "advertising" language (e.g. Sirius being "ready" and not "installed").

As far as the coach part goes, I've had no issue at all other than a squeak fixed by the dealer and a small plastic problem with a drawer latch. All the manuals seem reasonably OK, though I've not been through each with a fine-toothed comb. That's what summer holidays are for....?

taxbuster,let me put it another ways,

1.magnadyne is wired to both house battery and chassis battery.
2.were is the override for slide and how do you do.
3.magnadyne will run from house battery first.
4.where and how to use battery cut of switch.
5.how do you make water heater electric if no switch in coach.


these are all examples of things that should be said in a forest river manual
instead the only place to get answer is by looking on this forum or asking bclemens.

I see it in the business i am in. you've done it so often it seems"obvious"
but a person new to a coach has no clue.

[taxbuster]

I see where you're coming from....and as the "person new to a coach" I am the one who "has no clue".

I do know that most of what I've learned has been from others like you on the forums. As a forum rat (not just for this one) I expect so little from manufacturers, I guess I just go to the net first. They do, however, often set the bar pretty low for themselves.

I will give FR credit for participating (or allowing their people to) on here - a lot of organizations won't do that.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by taxbuster

I see where you're coming from....and as the "person new to a coach" I am the one who "has no clue".

I do know that most of what I've learned has been from others like you on the forums. As a forum rat (not just for this one) I expect so little from manufacturers, I guess I just go to the net first. They do, however, often set the bar pretty low for themselves.

I will give FR credit for participating (or allowing their people to) on here - a lot of organizations won't do that.

i won't say all but most manufacturers have brand specific manuals that you can download from their websites and are very specific.

I like the forest river models best but they give you no info relatively speaking

[Swing Dangler]

We just purchased a 2013 Sunseeker 3170 DS that has this LCD unit. Since we have purchased the unit about a month ago, during GPS operation and navigation, the unit spontaneously rebooted as described in an earlier post. Twice so far. When we first started the unit two error boxes popped up that looked like windows errors on the pc, including the red X close box. Two boxes flashed as if the gps unit wanted to load something that wasn't there. The addendum in the manual states no manual update is needed in the M4 unit. This maybe part of the problem.

I'm also disappointed in the Sirius (NOT) ready package. FR should at least let dealers now about the additional expense needed to set up XM radio. This option was used as part of the sales pitch and we feel misled.
To those who instructed us newbies on how to push the video from the M4 to the rest of the coach, thank you!

[digger47]

Jamiller - Do all FRs have this distro box for playing DVDs or was that just the 3010 that Taxpayer has? I have a 2860DSC.

[RvBill3]

The navigation on our M4 has been randomly rebooting about once a day. When we get back from the 2 week trip we are currently on, I am going to pursue this with Magnadyne and FR. When I mentioned it in a phone call to Magnadyne 10 days ago, they said they had heard a report or two and were looking onto it.

What say ye? Are others having this problem? It would be great to know if this is a widespread software issue or isolated and maybe a hardware issue for a couple of us.

[digger47]

Mine has done the same, although I had thought it was due to a loss of signal. I'll pay more attention on the next trip.

[jamiller45]

UPDATE: Magnadyne believes they have solved the issue of rebooting. I am waiting on a final word, which should come today.

[jamiller45]

Digger - Any unit that left our production facility with more than one TV is supposed to have and be wired for the AV switch box. The 2013 2860/1 has the outside kitchen with a 2nd TV always, so it should always have a switch box. If you have the front TV on a swing arm, the box should be in the cabinet directly to the right. If you have the entertainment center option, it should be up in the ec behind one of the cabinet doors.
-This is of course depending on the idea that production hasn't bypassed myself and made a change on their own...which never* happens.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by jamiller45

UPDATE: Magnadyne believes they have solved the issue of rebooting. I am waiting on a final word, which should come today.

jamiller45 -- please let us know if you get a 'usable' solution (probably a software update I'd guess and how to apply it). Mine rebooted about 20-30 times during a 3-day trip! Annoying, though each time it 'remembered' the map and its nav settings. Lost the radio settings entirely however.

The other issue with the nav that I can see (well, it's just that - I *can't* see it) is driving with headlights on. This dims the nav to a useless state, particularly if wearing sunglasses. Has anyone found a solution for that?

In Canada, headlights are required to be "on" automatically with the engine. Apparently this is not the case in the US, so in order to drive with them on, one must actually turn them on - which, in turn, makes the unit think that it should be in "night" mode.

Don

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by Swing Dangler

To those who instructed us newbies on how to push the video from the M4 to the rest of the coach, thank you!

Yep, agreed on that! The DVD works fine.

I still am unable to get an alternate source to work from the distribution unit to the TV. I have a 'movie box' with composite cables out, attached them to the appropriate second set of connectors on the distribution box but was unable to get signal to the TV. I also disconnected the DVD cables - also composite - from their connection location and substituted those from my movie box, but no joy in any combination of input/output/source/whatever I tried.

Actually, that is not 100% true - I did, at one point, with "TV" selected see an almost unreadably fuzzy screen from the box.

(Finally, I just direct-connected to the TV which of course worked fine - without the surround sound however, or the ability to push the signal to the back TV.)

Any hints on how to make a second input work?

And, just for the record, can one get those boxes with HDMI in/out?

[digger47]

jamiller45 - I have the swing arm over the bunk, but no switch box anywhere I can find.