IBeHeWhoIsJoshua
New member
Ummm subscribing to this...a lot of great info. Thanks for taking the time to type out all the info you gathered in your search. I started looking in to this a couple times and it can be overwhelming. :drinks:
Jeep JK Wrangler 730N/RHR Radio Installation Write-Up
- Thread starter WxNerd2015
- Start date
WxNerd2015
New member
Yeah! No problemo buddy! Oh yeah, overwhelming might even be an understatement, but I put a lot of research into it and I learned a whole lot and really wished that there was something like this when I was looking, so I wanted to help some of the people out and share my knowledge and not let all the searching be forgotten now that it's done on my Jeep! Glad I could be of help!
WxNerd2015
New member
Yes, if you get a 730 RHR, this setup should work with the most minimum amount of work! However, if you have the base 130 radio which has no satellite option, then you most likely do not have a satellite antenna and will have to running a GPS antenna or a combo Satellite Radio/GPS antenna. I do not know 100% what is involved in running this wire, as mine had factory satellite radio installed and from 2011 on up, Chrysler made the Satellite antenna a dual purpose for GPS also, therefore only one wire to the radio instead of 2 for those functions! If you get a GPS antenna, I recommend the dual as you can then have the satellite radio option also if you desire, but it is also possible to simply run a GPS antenna and plug into the outlet and your GPS will work fine, just with no Satellite radio input! As for factory location of that antenna, it is located on top of the passenger side of the sound bar, I do not have any pictures though as I did not dive into this! The Uconnect features are a separate module on all model radios except the 730 series which has the "module" contained inside of it, eliminating the need for extra modules and wiring! If you are looking to add steering wheel controls, then I recommend the 730 also, as the 430 model, if you did not get the steering wheel uconnect controls, it is much harder to add in and get them functioning/working properly! With the 730, it should just be plug and play! Make sure if you get the 730 as well, that you verify if it came from a '12+ vehicle, it will most likely need a security code to unlock it and allow it to connect to it's new vehicle! I believe that I provided the link in a previous post in this thread for if you need a code but you were not given one with the radio!
In regards to the steering wheel controls...in my research, if you have the volume buttons and seek buttons on the back side of the steering wheel, then the clock spring is wired for full audio controls. There is not change in wiring, just what wires are being used by the installed buttons on the steering wheel. It would be either fully wired, or not wired at all, so wiring wise, you should be just fine! However, it should work perfectly plug and play with the 730, but in my research about the 430, there is a tougher time with the separate Uconnect module needed integrating those functions with the steering wheel controls, so if you want the closest to plug and play, then go with the 730! With options, make sure that you verify the part number of the buttons, as some may look the same, but are meant for other Chrysler and Dodge vehicles, and they changed the back lighting color from that teal color which are in the JK's to white or red or...i don't know if there is another color option, but be careful on your choice of steering wheel controls! If it is 2011 or prior, then all Chrysler vehicles used the same color, but 2012+ they began changing some of the colors, so be aware that this is something to consider. Also, there are a few options that I have been researching and this is why have have not swapped mine yet! The only other option that is technically meant for the Jeeps is the Premium EVIC switch set, which gives Uconnect controls, as well as the buttons for controlling the premium EVIC, which I am sure you do not have if you did not have the steering wheel buttons to begin with! If you just had the "step" and "reset" buttons like I do, these will still function properly with your Information center, the pictures on the buttons will just be different and you will have two dummy switches then! My other option is to try and integrate the steering wheel button from the Dodge Avenger or Caravan/Town and Country, which one of the options was a 4 button switch with "step" and "reset" in the same location and then the two Uconnect buttons up top, and no extra dummy switches and all the buttons will read correctly for what they do! I however have been unable to verify the 100% correct part number which has this 4 button layout, but I am fairly certain this button should also work! I also am looking into upgrading my instrument cluster to a premium EVIC, so I did not want to commit to one option of a switch before I decided on that, and I would like to only do the install/upgrade once!
How this information helps ya out! Let me know if I can answer anything more thoroughly, or if you have any other questions! I am happy to help wherever I can!
Goldeneagle1LC
Member
Will this function with a rear view camera and a manual transmission or do I need to get one with a automatic? I'm planning on ordering mine with the stock radio and then buying one like you did to save some money.
WxNerd2015
New member
It will function with a rearview camera, however you will have to get a flash from the dealer to activate the camera on your radio. You will also need the proper OEM plug that goes to the back of the radio or a NAV TV module or Lockpick module to make the connection to the radio. As for if it will work on a manual, I have an automatic, so I personally have not tested with a manual, but from my research, for these functions, there should be no difference between auto or stick! For the camera, it is still the switch to reverse gear that activates the camera, so that should still work, but I can not give you a 100% answer on that as I haven't tried it, but I am 99% sure that it will! (Sorry, thats my meteorology degree coming out, rarely would I say 0% or 100% without absolutely certainty, cuz technically, then you are never wrong! Haha! Sorry, weather humor from me, I am a weather nerd!)
Goldeneagle1LC
Member
lol I fully understand hedging the your bets. Thanks for the info.
TXlineguy
New member
Wow that is awesome information... Thank you
Mine is a 2015 manual I do satellite radio but I do not have the phone button or the talk button on the radio or the steering well. So it sounds like the 730n would be my best bet I would be able to have navigation keep my satellite radio correct?
Mine is a 2015 manual I do satellite radio but I do not have the phone button or the talk button on the radio or the steering well. So it sounds like the 730n would be my best bet I would be able to have navigation keep my satellite radio correct?
WxNerd2015
New member
Correct! If you have satellite radio then your Jeep is already wired for navigation! The antenna is dual function, so you will just have to unplug from your current radio and plug into your new one with that! Make sure for that function though that the 730 is an RHR code, as the RER code was pre 2011, but also 730, and you would have to split the antenna for two separate connections on the back of the radio. You don't want that, you will want the RHR code! And make sure it is meant for High Speed CAN Bus systems as that is what your Wrangler has! And as long as you have the volume and seek controls at 3 and 9 on the back side of the steering wheel, you are all good and wired for everything! Most of the "brains" of the radio system are contained inside each radio module themselves, therefore there is usually not too much that has to be added for these radios (speaking for this type of Chrysler radio), and the RHR will be your best bet for a simple plug and play installation! I do not know why, but Chrysler took the RHR out as an option for new Jeeps, the highest you can get is a 430 model, but in my opinion, the RHR is so much better, and has some other nice functions that the lower models don't offer, plus a nicely contained system!
Goldeneagle1LC
Member
They are all the same size right? So even in a new Jeep the 730 will fit the hole?
WxNerd2015
New member
Correct, they are all the same size from 2007-current!
Goldeneagle1LC
Member
Ok thanks that just confirms my decision to buy the stock radio and save money. The 730 seems to be the much better head unit.
WxNerd2015
New member
No problem! Glad I could be of help to ya!
What's the latest Gracenotes update for the 730 unit? 4-5 years ago there was a website (Chrysler) that allowed you to enter your VIN and they would send a free DVD update out to owners. There were sites out there to download the files, but they were very temper mental and rarely worked. I tried to find the Chrysler site to see if they were still offering updates to no avail.
WxNerd2015
New member
This is a bit of a tricky question as 730 is used for multiple radios. What you will need to be certain is the 3 letter code on the front of the radio in the bottom passenger side corner. Most likely it will either be RER or RHR. Mine is an RHR. As for the latest updates, for the RHR, Gracenotes is 6168 and the firmware itself is 2.600. If you are going to update the Gracenotes, I recommend first updating the Firmware to the most current version so you can be sure that you are working with the most recent and compatible software. You can go to navrepair.com and they have all you need to do the update yourself. The link to the exact page with all of the Chrysler radios and the most recent updates to all can be found here: https://navrepair.com/pages/downloads. Just scroll down until you find your correct radio with the correct 3 letter sales code. This page also has instructions on how to install it the updated to make sure all goes ok. And by the way...THIS IS ALL FREE! :yup: Which is definitely nice, as I checked at my dealer, and they were going to charge me $100+ for the service time, and $75 each update, which I did not want to pay.
What I did was get a DVD-RW, download these files, and following the instructions listed on the navrepair.com downloads page, burn them to the DVD. For this, you cannot use the built in burning software on the windows computers because for some reason, it just does not format the burn properly for the radio to read it. What I used which worked perfectly was ExpressBurn software for this page: http://mygig-disk.com/download-rhr.php. And you just have to make sure you close the DVD burn, not leave it open for more file editing, which is explained in the directions. Once this is done, take your DVD, insert in the radio, and the radio will understand and ask if you want to update the radio and you just let the radio do the rest of the work!
I hope this helps and is what you are looking for! Let me know if you have any other questions! I believe earlier in this thread (Post #13) I also posted the video of what will happen once the disc is inserted into the radio! So check that out too!
WxNerd2015
New member
Hey Milrich, yeah, no way to get the map update for free! It does suck! If you want, you can look into the lockpick Air for your current radio which would allow you to mirror an iPhone I believe to the screen! Might be a good option, but the Uconnect head units for the current model Wranglers are a bit lacking in compatability! I myself have an Android which has even less compatability! But overall, I gain more than I lose for my purposes! But if u want better compatibility and OE fit, maybe look into the Raxiom head unit as well! Hope that helps some!
WxNerd2015
New member
JK_BUB, to be honest, I have not gotten to this yet myself so I cannot speak to first hand experience, however, the flash from the dealer I believe it to the computer in the Jeep with adding a sales code, while the update is on the radio itself, so there should be no issue from all the research I have done, but like I said, no first hand experience from me but I would say do it and you should be fine! Let me know if you have any other questions!
JK_BUB
New member
Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll give it a shot.