Re-Wired Radio/Audio system

[Pura Vida]

Got my boat with two separate car radios, one in the salon for speakers on the main level - cockpit & interior, and another complete system on the fly bridge with 4 speakers above. Of course, by early season, both radios crapped out.
I bought a new JVC car radio for the salon. Had to solder new connector of course. While doing this, i split each of the 4 speaker outputs using a standard ethernet cable (the ethernet cable has 8 conductors, perfect!).
I ran the ethernet to the flybridge switch - a 4 throw switch at about $1 each. From the switch to the 4 speakers upstairs.
The radio is BT, we usually control via phone - pandora...etc. I have a switch to cut the flybridge audio (in case of an emergency, bad song..whatever).
So now, one radio for the vessel, with captain's kill switch. Easy peasy.

[g36]

best wishes for a super boating season.

[Viper]

I back into my slip blind, can't see a thing back there. My thoughts for a cheap solution since I need a new stereo anyway is to get a 10" unit and hook up a small backup camera to it. I'm hoping the 10" screen will be big enough to see the dock as I back in.

Ethernet cable seems like an awfully small gauge wire to be using for speaker wire. Curious to see how that works out for you.

[Midnightsun]

Ethernet cable seems like an awfully small gauge wire to be using for speaker wire. Curious to see how that works out for you.

Agreed, much too small, 23 or 24 gauge is what is found in cat 5 or 6 cable. Typically the smallest gauge one uses is for automotive speakers is 18 and 16 for subs. On really powerful units you want to go even bigger.

[Pura Vida]

Yep...Would get a C- grade for electrical & audio engineers considering impedance matching, small gauge wire, switched & split circuits - all would be frowned upon in the audio engineering scene...etc. BUT, i will say it works perfectly fine, sounds good on all 8 speakers. Of course we are not blasting 100W of punk rock. No detectable distortion with reasonably volumes of classic rock, and even when Bohemian Rhapsody comes up & the volume is turned up.
The setup is still worth sharing for project ideas & methodology.