Well at the risk of everyone claiming WPS on electronics now here are my opinions based on several years as an electronics installer and my own personal experience on my Chirs.
1. Should I just replace the existing radio with another Jensen? (This is probably the cheapest / easiest solution) You can, do you like the unit? I dont bother with marine radios anymore not worth it unless you are in a salt water environment mine is 4 seasons old and stays on the boat during the winter. a. There is already a remote for the FLY and the remotes can get pricy. where is the head unit? in the salon? move it to the bridge in my opinion thats where you are when running.
2. Should I put in an A/B switch for the FLY speakers? Absolutely not most modern units are high powered and have 4 seperate channels and need the speaker impedance load on all 4 channels use the fade control to switch between speakers unless it is a straight 2 channel output with no fader control. Or you need a custom built switch with loads.
3. Should I have separate Head units for the Fly and the salon? This will allow me to listen to what I want up top and the salon can watch TV (next topic) or listen to separate tunes. (Disney Radio) Sounds like a good idea to me but I would opt for one of those inexpensive surround sound systems you talk about later for the tv and tunes down below especially if spend alot of time at the dock hanging out instead of on the hook.
4. I am also considering a 120 Volt system in the salon. This would be something like a home theatre system with surround sound etc. I know this is overkill but WE are just brainstorming. thats what is going in my boat this year I have a Koss unit in my basement I dont use so it is going to the boat for the tv and it has radio cd etc...
5. What about VIDEO, my admiral will want to watch TV, so I would like to have a nice setup with nice sound as well. I see that there are some 12 volt TVs out there, and there are a lot of interesting options for cars. question how much reception will you get out on the water? do you have cable at the dock like I do go with the 120v system if practical for you. forget the 12v tv outdated technology for the most part the mobile systems for cars are very expensive go buy a nice lcd screen and mount it.
6. Should I stay 12volt or move to 110v systems, 12v for the exterior of the boat is the only way to go but I would seriously consider the 120v system for the salon etc....
My current system is a JVC head unit in a marine enclosure with an amp for the subwoofer and the unit itself puts out 45w per channel and 4 KLH outdoor speaker boxes. Trust me it sounds real good at cruise. But I have no fly bridge and all 4 speakers and sub are up top with captain and crew. Also have Sirius radio and I figure I can use it up or down sending thru the fm radio.
My plans for this year include the surround sound system for the salon and moving the tv dvd/vcr and the surround sound system to the aft wall of the boat should be interesting as I will mount them vertically which means I may need mirrors for the remotes to work on the dvd/vcr and surround sound. Or there is a locker back there and a screen for ventilation from the salon to the locker hmmmm I might have an idea here.
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