BOSS BE9ACP floating screen radio in my 2009 Ram 1500

[NicksGarage]

My 2009 Ram 1500 came with the basic RES radio without bluetooth connection, no backup camera, no steering wheel controls. This week I installed a Boss Audio BE9ACP floating screen unit I got from Crutchfield. This is a single DIN unit with a 9" floating screen. Wired Android Auto and Apple Carplay. No CD/DVD capacity. Fairly basic functions but planning to use Android Auto for most things. Nice thing about this one over other floating screen units is this allows you to angle the screen side to side so I have it tilted toward the driver side. They make smaller ones and a larger 10" one but the 9" screen is a good fit with the truck and plenty big enough and you save a few bucks. I got the whole setup from Crutchfield for $400 delivered. It came with a adapter mount, wiring harness and antenna adapter. Not cutting or other modifications to the truck required. I also got a tailgate handle backup camera from Amazon and connected that up. You are supposed to tap into the parking brake so that the radio will know that you're in park in order to do some settings but I got around that by connecting a ground wire to that input that I can connect when needed. The radio adapter has a slot below it for storage and this is where I routed the USB cables and microphone into there along with the ground for the parking brake signal.

It was very easy to install except for the Crux harness adapter. There are two wiring setups depending on whether the vehicle has an amplifier or not. I assumed mine didn't and wired it that way. When installed, sound only came out of the front speakers. Then I tried the alternative wiring which has you only connect the front speaker wires from the radio to the rear speakers on the adapter. That caused the sound to only come out of the rear speakers. After several calls to Crux, which didn't inspire confidence in the product, I finally found a review on Crutchfield that solved the issue. They mislabeled one of the connectors that you had to plug in one way for with an amp and the other without an amp. So I had to rewire everything back to the first way and now everything works. I used WAGO connectors in the end just so I wouldn't waste so much time soldering. Made a real mess out of the harness. Fortunately there is plenty of room in the area behind the unit to stuff all this wiring mess in there. I wrapped foam about the plastic control unit and the connections to prevent rattling.

Eventually I'm going to add a front camera to it. I've been using wireless front and rear cameras on the truck since I got it but the license plate mounting of the rear one wasn't ideal, especially at night as the license plate lights would make it hard to see anything.

 

[DAK2]

That's the one I've been looking at for my"11". How do you like it?

 

[NicksGarage]

That's the one I've been looking at for my"11". How do you like it?

It's working well. I'm using Android Auto for navigation on it and have it connected to an aftermarket tailgate handle backup camera. I bought a front camera I'm going to add as well. There is a lot of glare on the screen in the daytime but not enough to stop it from being usable. At night the screen brightness is good. The 9" screen is a good size for the truck. And I really appreciate that you can tilt it toward the driver side. It doesn't tilt much but it does make a difference. You do have to have your phone plugged in to use Android Auto or Apple Car Play.

If there is one negative I've found with it is that the radio tuner isn't very strong. I live in a rural area and the factory radio could pull in my stations better. I can stream them through Tune-in instead.

 

[DAK2]

Thanks for the info. One other ? how easy is it to remove and install the screen?

 

[NicksGarage]

Thanks for the info. One other ? how easy is it to remove and install the screen?

Very easy, reach behind it and push in two buttons and it pulls out. It does seem very secure and doesn't shake on regular roads.

 

[DAK2]

I got it,installed it, I like it. I also got the RP4-CH11 as I have steering wheel controls.

 

[NicksGarage]

I got it,installed it, I like it. I also got the RP4-CH11 as I have steering wheel controls.

I wish I had the steering wheel controls. One thing I do miss but didn't want to go through the work to put them in.

 

[nathan_h]

These floating screen replacement head units are pretty amazing. For a few hundred bucks I was able to have CarPlay, navigation, streaming music, etc etc in my 20 year old Jeep.

The main mistake I made is that for $20 extra Boss sells a backup camera with the head unit……which I didn’t realize until it was too late to exchange my order. So now I’m looking at $50 minimum to get a basic camera.

 

[NicksGarage]

These floating screen replacement head units are pretty amazing. For a few hundred bucks I was able to have CarPlay, navigation, streaming music, etc etc in my 20 year old Jeep.

The main mistake I made is that for $20 extra Boss sells a backup camera with the head unit……which I didn’t realize until it was too late to exchange my order. So now I’m looking at $50 minimum to get a basic camera.

I don't know that the camera they include is that great anyway. I didn't get it because I had already installed a tailgate handle camera in my truck. I got a front camera which I still need to install. The camera quality can vary quite a bit so be sure to look at reviews. And the nice thing about this head unit is that you can turn on the cameras any time and leave them on. I did that the other night when I was towing a trailer I borrowed from a friend. Wanted to make sure nothing was going on at the hitch for a while.

 

[nathan_h]

I don't know that the camera they include is that great anyway. I didn't get it because I had already installed a tailgate handle camera in my truck. I got a front camera which I still need to install. The camera quality can vary quite a bit so be sure to look at reviews. And the nice thing about this head unit is that you can turn on the cameras any time and leave them on. I did that the other night when I was towing a trailer I borrowed from a friend. Wanted to make sure nothing was going on at the hitch for a while.

That’s a fair point. I’ll have to do some research before buying. Thanks.

 

[Dr. Righteous]

Wow, this thread is just in time. My ATOTO unit died on a recent cold winter night. But I was ready to upgrade anyway. There a lot of newer features out there this unit didn't support.
My question is, is that pure ANDROID head unit? In other words can you load apps from the Google Store on there? Does it have WiFi support?

 

[DAK2]

No it is not a pure ANDROID head unit. It is a wired hookup to your android phone. Go to google store and look up android auto apps.

 

[NicksGarage]

No, you can't load apps onto it. Only what apps Android Auto and Apple Car Play have and those stay on your phone. For the price of this unit it's pretty capable but there are way more advanced ones out there. I just used it on a long trip yesterday and the large navigation map was very helpful.

 

[Dr. Righteous]

No it is not a pure ANDROID head unit. It is a wired hookup to your android phone. Go to google store and look up android auto apps.

Yeah I did some reading on those models and it's not for me.
Android Auto isn't the best of everything. Its useful but things like Google Maps for navigation leaves much to be desired since it operates off cell tower triangulation rather than communication with the GPS satellites. So if you pass through and area with poor cell coverage it doesn't work that great.

 

[Dlee079]

It's working well. I'm using Android Auto for navigation on it and have it connected to an aftermarket tailgate handle backup camera. I bought a front camera I'm going to add as well. There is a lot of glare on the screen in the daytime but not enough to stop it from being usable. At night the screen brightness is good. The 9" screen is a good size for the truck. And I really appreciate that you can tilt it toward the driver side. It doesn't tilt much but it does make a difference. You do have to have your phone plugged in to use Android Auto or Apple Car Play.

If there is one negative I've found with it is that the radio tuner isn't very strong. I live in a rural area and the factory radio could pull in my stations better. I can stream them through Tune-in instead.

You mentioned adding a front camera does this give you option for two cameras? I am about to buy the one that comes with the backup camera from cruthfield. Is that the one you bought? Also have you thought about adding steering wheel audio controls. I’ve been trying to find a thread that talks about how to do that with no luck.

 

[NicksGarage]

Yes, this one let's you connect two cameras and you access them through the screen. I haven't gotten around to it yet but the rear camera is working great. I really like being to access it anytime. I like being able to check my hitch any time. I miss not having the steering wheel controls for the radio. They can be added but I'm not planning to do it. Eventually I'm going to upgrade to a newer 2500 and will get one with them.