CDR-220. Wil it work in a 97?
 

I'm on a quest to replace my old, non-functioning CDR-210 from my 97. Anyone know if this one will work in my boxster?

I do know it's not one of the units that has the fiber optics from the MOST system tied into it, or at least that's what I can determine by the back of the unit I'm looking at on Ebay.

Any experience or knoweldge would be greatly appreciated. :cheers:

The 220 will plug into a 210 car without any modifications. Early Boxster owners do this because the 210 did not have an aux-in and the 220 does.

The 23 is the MOST fiber optic which started in 2003.

Jeff (that's your real name, right toolpants?)

Thanks again for being so knowledgeable and willing to share what you know.

I put that CDR23 on Ebay the day I got it and someone bought it for more than I paid. I'm now on the hunt for a CDR220 and wanted to be DOUBLE sure I wasn't doing the same stupid thing over again :cheers:

If anyone has a CDR220 lying around your garage because you upgraded, I sure would like to buy it from you if the price is reasonable! PM me if this is the case.

ToolPants

I want to do the same thing, but I too have a related question.

What is the difference between a CDR22 and a CDR220. From what I can see, the CDR 220 is the US version and the CDR 22 is the rest of world model.

My old CDR21 is on the way out, so I need to replace it, and would like to know if I can get away with sourcing a CDR220 from ebay in the US or a dealership, or if I need to find a european one or Aussie CDR 22 :confused:

thanks in advance
Alex

You might try the wanted section of renntech.org for a 220. Some of the local owners have replace the 220 with Traffic Pro when Crutchfield was selling them for $400. Don't know if they are keeping the old radios, but at least I know their 220s work. You could also try Becker for a refurbished unit.

Except for the frequency the 220 is the same as a 22, as 210 is the same as 21. The steps when it searches are spaced different so you cannot get all the stations. There is a 996 guy in the UK who bought a 220 off of US ebay because it was cheaper than buying a 22 in the UK. The radio works he just can't get all the stations.

There was also a 32 used on the Boxster that had a dot matrix display, but we did not have this in the US.

ToolPants, you're a legend!
 

Thanks Toolpants, much appreciated

Just out of interest, my FM band goes from 87.5 to 108.0 in 0.1 Mhz increments. What is the range in the US? I don't really listen to AM so if it just chops a few bits of either end, then I'd be happy to go with a 220.

I don't think I can use a CDR 32 as this uses MOST technology, and my Boxster is an early '98.

thanks again

I do not remember. It is either half or twice that. No reason for me to remember since I am in the US/North America. You can ask on the Becker board. The question has been covered before. http://members4.boardhost.com/beckerboard/

No clue if 32 is typo. Once in a while on the UK board someones says they have a 32 on a pre-MOST car. I ask if it is a 32 or a 23. They say it is a 32 for a copper wire based, not a 23 for the fiber optic based unit. My parts list does not show a 32.

In your country, as in the UK, you do funny things with the year of the cars. You can take a model year 2004 that was made in 2003 and call it a 2005 based on the registration, or something like that.

I dont have a radio in front of me at the moment but Im pretty sure U.S. FM stations are in .2 MHz steps. And that would explain why that 996 guy couldnt get all the stations. However, can you type in an improper freq on the screen that lets you manually enter the freq?

I have a CR 22 with cd changer & factory amp if someone is interested. I upgraded my whole system with a kenwood system , infinity kappa components & the factory rear speakers. Cost me a pretty penny but now I have a very clear sounding system. With the top down rolling at 60 mph every note is crystal clear.

Found out from my mechanic that a CDR-220 will indeed work in older boxsters, plug and play.

Called Becker USA and was told the following by a sales specialist:

1. A reconditioned unit can be had through the parts department for $250.00. This is cheaper than they go for on Ebay and you get a warranty and they make the faceplate look new too.

2. The display may not be very ledgible in Boxsters as it requires the unit to be angled just so to read the display clearly. For an extra $50, they will sell you an inverted face that's easy to read at any angle. Yes, it's amber like the rest of our guages.

... So, for $300 plus s/h you can upgrade your junky old radio with a much newer one that takes a whopping five minutes to install.

Or, you can call crutchfield and buy a Sony with all the whistles and bells for $250.00 and then spend most of an afternoon figuring out which wires go where.

Compatibility between US Boxster and the CDR-22
 

Hi, I'm new here so I'm sorry to be digging up some old threads.

Few weeks ago I bought a Boxster S from the US (I live in Iceland) but the radio was stolen during shipping or something so I need to buy a new one. The Boxster is manufacured in 2001 so it doesn't have the MOST fiber system. As I can read from previous post the difference between CDR-220 and CDR-22 is the frequency increments are 0.1 mhz in the 22 but 0.2 in the 220. So my question is: Can I buy the CDR-22 (Because we have the 0.1 mhz increments for radiostations here in Iceland) and put it in my US Bosxter S without any [hassle]? edit :)

Thanks,
Jon Helgi

John, I don't know for sure, but I think you can. The wiring is identical.

By the way, it's "hassle", not "hustle"... they both have a very different meaning! :)

Ooooppsss... :) Fixed it...

Thanks for your answer, it should be the same but you can never be sure until sombody tries it...

Hi Jelonet - I wish I was smart enough to communicate in more than one language. Try contacting this company:

http://www.swstereo.com/

I called there once and the owner is a great guy. He talked with me for over an hour and all I had was a two minute question. I bet he will be able to answer your question.

I can only comment from my experience.
I have successfully swapped from a CDR21 to a CDR220. I bought the CDR220 from the US, and the wiring was plug and play. The only difference was that I had to remove a holding bracket to make the CDR220 fit into the hole (I learned that from Toolpants - see separate post).

In Australia, radio stations work on .2 increments, so no issue. What is really interesting is that if I select Australia as the country in the menu, then the RDS function is turned off. So I simply selected USA, and it all works wonderully.

BTW, I noticed a big improvement in quality from the CDR21 to the CDR220.

FYI, My Boxster is a 1998 model with Sound Package.