CRANK IT UP!

I got a little tired of trying to hear my radar detector while at highway speeds (65
mph - 70+ mph) so I decided that it was time to do something about it.

It just so happened that as I was cleaning my workbench the other day, I came
across a pair of small, 2" diameter dome speakers that I had used for another half-
baked project, oops, I mean't potential tech-tip. Anyway, I thought that one of
these speakers might just do the trick for increasing the volume of my radar
detector. I removed the detector from the bike and held the speaker in place on
the bottom of the unit. Surprise, it fit nicely! Away we go!

The detector is a Uniden Model LRD 6299SW, with Laser, X, K, & KA Detection.
The speakers were a cheap set of 2" domes that I had purchased from Radio
Shack some months earlier.

With no regard to impedance matching or Ohm's Law (or Murphy's) for that matter,
I set off on my quest.  Time to play amateur electronics technician.

The basic steps,  with accompanying popup photos, were as follows:

	01. Procure the radar detector and speakers, if not previously owned. Pre-mount the radar detector on a windshield-mounted bracket, nestling the unit between the gauges. See here for an example. It works pretty well in this location! Your mounting methods, location or power options may vary. My detector is powered from a switched hot wire located in the headlight shell. Check your owners manual for wiring options. 02. Open up the detector case. Locate the existing speaker or piezo-type buzzer. 03. Determine the best position for the external speaker, based upon your detector. My speaker fit best on the bottom of the detector. Mark and drill a hole in the detectors case to accomodate the new speaker wires.  They should be hidden inside the speaker base when the unit is fully assembled. In other words, be careful where you drill the hole. The speakers I purchased had a mounting ring base plate that enabled me to precisely locate the proper hole position. 04. Run your speaker wires through the newly drilled hole, paying close attention which side of the drilled detector case is out. You don't want to have to resolder the speaker wires twice. Don't ask... 05. Minimize the length of the speaker wire, yet leave it long enough for future disassembly if necessary. There is usually very little room for a lot of wire anyway. 06. Heat up your soldering iron and tin the trimmed ends of your new speaker wire. Next, quickly solder the first (new) speaker wire lead onto one of the legs or terminals of the existing speaker inside of the detector. Then take the second (new) speaker wire lead and quickly solder it onto the opposite leg or terminal of the existing speaker. See photo. Both speakers are now wired for simultaneous operation. You may opt to eliminate the internal speaker, but I did not. 07. Your unit is now ready for reassembly. Now you must mount the speaker to the detector case. I first attempted to hot glue the base plate ring onto the detector body. This didn't work too well. I finally settled on supergluing the ring to the detector case. This worked. Your methods may vary based upon your detector and speaker selection. 08. You'll know quickly whether you inserted the wire properly, either from the inside or outside of the detector case. Test fit the case back together, paying careful attention to the routing of the new speaker wire inside of the case. Don't allow it to pinch or to lay across any if the integrated circuit chips located inside of the unit 09. Fully reassemble the unit by reinstalling all of the case covers, windows and assembly screws. 10. Here's the final product: Top View, Right Side View, and Left Side View.     DISCLAIMER: This worked for me, using the items listed above. The author assumes no responsibility if you burn up your Valentine One or other detector. Attempt this at your own risk and own expense. But, it does work! I can definitely hear the detector better now!

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