Before doing this, especially in low humidity, watch for high static on your person.  Ground yourself, before starting !!!  I prefer to walk around in bare-feet, when on carpet, etc.
   

   Relay  Radio Shack 275-249 mini-relay DPDT 12v. 5 amp   Totally sealed a must!
   Switch Radio Shack 275-324   Or, anything that works on the outside of radio, like a simple spst switch, (ShowChrome, etc.)
   Solder Radio Shack 64-009 .032 diameter
   30 AWG Wire   Radio Shack 278-503, 278-502, 278-501  
                                             This mod is mainly for the RM-30PAG  (SE) radio
Read first
UPDATE    Another way to do this mod, is to run a durable, tough wire out of the radio, from relay coil neg., and use a switch mounted at one's preferred location, and use that switch to ground the wire. Yet another way is this.  I just did one for a friend that has the ShowChrome reservoir switches, and I used one of those switches.  Of course, those switches have ignition switch keyed +, so, I wired the relay to an internal ground, soldered to the center shield box, and fed the reservoir switch to the other side of relay coil.  It's actually quite nice, and eliminates the need to drill a hole in radio cover.   He can't believe the difference with his XM radio, which he was using it's wireless FM modulator.  The XM was always cutting out, and picking up other stations.   And, he said, it sounds much better.   He's liking it.



                                                                            Start here

    This switch version, eliminates the jack, which was a concern for some.  There isn't a good quality jack available, for one.  The other concern is water getting in. So, ignore the 1st 1500 radio method (no mutes), and look at the 2nd, and preferably, 3rd methods.  Those can be done without pulling the board, btw. I had the board out, so I pulled the cap. leads out, and added the 2 short leads, to solder to. Cuts down on the time required by doing the method below.  

  Using very small wire (30 ga., or smaller, wind a piece at very bottom of + capacitor lead,  Solder quickly, thinking of the solder joint below.  Leave enough room below wrapped wire, to grip the capacitor lead close to board(for heatsink) using electronic sized needle-point pliers. Then snip the lead just above the soldered on wire, and move the capacitor away from lead still in board, and glue the caps to the blue FM chip, with sensor safe silicone, or contact cement, or even hot glue.  

   Then, from there, you can wire it up however you want. I ended up with the mini-DPDT 12V. relay, run by SPST mini (or micro) switch, to operate the relay.  Then the input wires  (headphone extension cord) with one end cut off, are soldered to one end of that glued in relay. (End farthest from coil pins)   The 2 center pins go to the + leads of relay, and the 2 pins closest to the relay coil pins, they go to the holes (cut off stubs of capacitors) in the board.  The wire I used was from a mouse cord, and the insulation melted back at an alarming rate, so try some wire from an old vcr, unless you have a good sourse of electronic wire.   Another alternative, is to wire the relay, so that the aux is always on, and requires actuating the relay to get the radio back.  Your call.
 

  The input cord I used was the Radio Shack  gold plated series. 42-2482. (expensive). I chose not to cut it up, for mine, so I added a stub, off an old headphone to the input of relay, and put heatshrink around  my ext cord, then plugged it onto the short headphone cord. You can see the connection in one of the pictures, with the yellow heat shrink. I ended up with female end at LH Wing pocket, but now I think I would've preferred the male end, at that pocket.  I have to use a 1 foot male-male, to hook-up. Short male-male cord   came with a DVD decoder card, for computer.  Your call.

  You will have to remove the connector board, there in the neck of radio, to fish your aux cord, in, under the board. And you will have to cut a section of the radio cover off the cornewr of cover. You would also run the extra wire out through there, in the event one decides to do the separate switch idea.   See picture. I filed the edges with jewelers file, to smooth up.
 

   The 12 v. lead to the switch, comes from # 125 jumper wire, if using the internal switch. If using an external switch that's not powered, but grounded on one side, hook this #125 wire directly to one side of relay coil.  If using an external switch with battery +, such as supplied from acc, or ignition switch, this #125 connection isn't needed at all.   Scrape that jumper with an X-acto knife, or similar. Need to solder quickly.  Pre-tin, let cool, then tin wire,  then quickly solder to jumper.  Run to switch, then the other side of switch goes to the upper coil pin of relay.        The lower pin of relay, goes to that jumper (J106) along side of that large electrolytic cap., laying on it's side.  Solder it there, scraping first, tinning, and solder on quickly. IGNORE this previous lite blue sentence.  Do as follows.  On the RM1500A radio (GL1500 six, Aspencade), solder the ground wire to the shield box in the center of board.  We could do the ground the same way on this RM-30PAG radio, also. That's the SE radio.

It works very well.  The CB, intercom mute, and l.h. mute switch all work, as desired.  Sounds really good.  I'm using R. Shack Titanium ear-pieces, in my new Shoei flip helmet.  Really good bass, and very clear highs.  I do have a wind noise issue, at free-way speeds, so I use roll-up foam plugs, and it comes through surprisingly good ! 

UPDATE!!!   Now using the Koss UR-40 drivers. Real good bass, using the ear plugs.    WOOOOAH-HOOOOO!!!  $50.00 at R.S.    7-27-07


A device with low sound output, will be a bit anemic in the sound level department, such as my Sandisk E130 (getting old).  My HP iPAQ RX5915, and my Creative Zen xtra drive it very loud.  The Sandisk may need a driver upgrade.  I haven't pursued that.  But, I just love that thing, to the point, that I build an extra booster box, just so I can use it.  Google "Headbanger amplifier"  The booster does add just a bit of hiss. I run the Sandisk quite low on the volume, and that makes the little AAA battery last quite a bit longer.  We listened 3 days straight, on our last trip, before the battery died.

 
Disclaimer.
  I can't be responsible for anyone "clobbering" their unit, due to lack of skill, or other causes. This requires a bit of electronic knowledge, patience, a really good eye, and a fairly steady hand, so do so at your own risk.
 

 

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