Finished this DNX9980 installation in my '01 vert early last month. Just in time for a road trip. The trip provided a good opportunity for familiarization and evaluation of the 9980. Now back from the trip and sharing install pix and thoughts on the mod. Wiring instructions available on doubledmods.com were used as a connection guide. Dennis was very helpful, providing not only a good radio and professionally modded bezel, but promptly answering all questions.

Install started off by using an angle dill attachment from Harbor Freight, along with a large supply of their titanium drill bits. Found it helpful to use a pry bar to get enough pressure behind the drill attachment to cut into the rivets satisfactorily. The rivets themselves seem to be made out of diamond impregnated titanium.


It was determined that the HVAC control would need to be moved down slightly. So the tray for it was removed too. The HVAC is very light and doesn’t need a support tray. The front mounting tab holes were slightly elongated with a small round file to allow good fit in the bezel. Personally, I’d consider the task of removing all the tray rivets to be the most disagreeable part of the entire mod.


Decided the best way to get an ideal mounting height for the HU was to make my own tray rather than turning the existing one upside down. Made one out of a piece of 1/8” thick, ¾” wide, flat aluminum stock ‘cause I happened to have that on hand. One inch wide flat would work fine too.


You might notice the small, round clear plastic piece fastened with one screw under the top of the main housing frame. It may be overkill but I was concerned that there needed to be some form of upper retention of the HU. Not that there are plans to travel inverted but we’ve been known to travel some very unimproved roads. The two tabs that usually need to be bent out of the way were easily dealt with using a small Crescent wrench twisted with a screwdriver.


Before carrying out any trial fit of the HU the front of it was covered with painter’s tape to prevent accidental damage.


Below is what the installation looked like before the HVAC control and lastly the bezel, were installed. My main interest in this mod was the Nav function and the bluetooth function which makes it possible to listen to Internet streams via a smart phone. Therefore the existing Bose amp and speaker system is adequate.


I decided to place the GPS antenna underneath the top of the left rear fender. The antenna has a strong magnet built into its’ base. As an option to mount the antenna, Kenwood provides a ferrous metal plate. On the back side of the plate is a peal-off which exposes a sticky film. Once the position of the antenna was decided upon that spot was cleaned with alcohol and the plate installed. The antenna reliably sticks to the plate. It has already been established that GPS antennas work fine when mounted upside down. But there was some concern that having the metal mounting plate above the antenna might reduce satellite signals. This has not been a problem. The receiver’s satellite signal strength bars are extraordinarily high. Signals are good even inside buildings and under dense forest growth within mountainous areas. I shortened the coax quite a bit and that probably helps. In several thousand miles of travel the GPS in the DNX9980 has never lost lock that I’m aware of.


I remain unconvinced that a backup camera will be used very much but nevertheless following the herd and installed one: a BMW X5 type camera bought inexpensively on the auction site. It was painted NB to match the car.


Checking around for a place to put the microphone I found that the mic almost jumped up and fastened itself in the slot for the rear view mirror electrical cable. This was ideal from the standpoint of allowing the voice of both the driver and the passenger to be heard. Use of the voice command function was not desired so the switch was not installed.


Knowing about rain ahead on a road trip can be advantageous. Before the bezel was installed for the last time a video cable was connected to the DNX9980. When the other end is connected to a smart phone it allows weather radar to be conveniently viewed in real time on the Kenwood.


Below is the completed installation. You might be able to see where the video cable is stored under the bezel when not plugged into the phone.

This is the only receiver of its type that I have had any experience with. So I have nothing to compare it to. Over all, the operation of the 9980 mostly meets my expectations. It readily connects via Bluetooth with my Android Incredible smart phone, including display of the phone book and all three categories of calls. It is nice to have the option of leaving the phone in my pocket and still retain use of it via the Kenwood. Most important to me, it reliably connects and plays the A Online Radio app. With this app it is possible to learn more of what is actually happening in the world as opposed to what the corporate media wants us to believe.

My only complaint with the 9980 is how slow it is to respond to commands. I try to overlook this because the unit does everything else reasonably well. The Garmin GPS offers an extraordinary level of information and capabilities. The sound quality offered by the DSP circuitry is excellent even through the stock Bose amp/speaker system. So far, it is reliable and consistent in all its functions. I am glad that I made this mod. It updates the technology of the C5 substantially, making me want a C6 much less than before.

 

I just installed the same kenwood in my C5. I love it but i have the same complaint about the response time when you hit a command. I talked to my local audio shop about it and they said to try and do a software update, i did it and it is still slow.

I would also like to hear more about this video cable to get the weather radar?

Great job on the install!!

 

Regarding the 9980's lag time it seems to me that only if a software change could somehow speed up the processor would we ever see an improvement. Provided your phone does have 'video out' it's easy to get a matching cable and plug it in to the 9980. The one for the Incredible is made by HTC and their part number is 73H00348-00M. Lots of sources on the Internet - around $20 or so. Did your update change anything noteworthy at all? I haven't done one.

 

Nice Install, thanks for the pictures. This is the number one update I would like on my C5.