Aug/Sept 2003

Hidden Agenda

AT FIRST GLANCE, there's nothing outrageous about this 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe Z-7 1. Both the interior and exterior appear subtle and somewhat sophisticated. Yet lurking within is a high-tech array of audio, video, navigation, se- curity, tracking, and radar-detection gear. This alone would inspire loads of satisfaction for most vehicle owners-and perhaps the temptation to show it off a bit more. But for Isaac Goren, owner of the Tahoe as well as Sounds Good Audio, Security & Marine in Woodland Hills, Cali fornia, the fact that you can't see most of the equipment in the vehicle is a source of pride. Marvels Goren, "It's still a very clean-looking vehicle -just the way I wanted it."

Making the system unobtrusive was important to Goren since he, his wife, and their 11-year-old daughter often take the 4-wheel drive on outdoor adventures. "We do a lot of camping," explains Goren, "and all the interior space is used to the max." But the Tahoe is also Goren's daily driver. "When I leave it at, say, the airport, I don't want it to attract attention," he admits. Focusing on keeping the SUVs appearance low-key and maintaining full functionality, Goren did extensive planning before he and installers Russ Duda and Frank Buchanan plunged into the makeover last August. "There were lots of measurements for locations to make sure things fit precisely," Goren says. "A lot of thought went into the layout."

TAKING THE SHOW ON THE ROAD
Oftentimes, Goren will film his family's outdoor escapades with a camcorder, and the results can be instantly replayed in the Tahoe. "We plug the camcorder into the 110-volt outlet and auxiliary A/V jacks in the back of the center console," details Goren, "then we watch the videos I made on the way home." Since a video lockout feature for the front-mounted monitors engages when the transmission is shifted out of park, the driver can be entertained by any of the music sources-CD, XM Satellite Radio, or regular, terrestrial radio- over the Tahoe's speakers. Meanwhile, the front-seat passenger can listen to a different musical source via wireless headphones. And if any rear-seat passengers tire of the home movies, they can watch a DVD on the rear monitors or plug a videogame console into the auxiliary A/V jacks in place of the camcorder.

The rear screens are two of three Alpine TME-M760 6.5-inch monitors in the vehicle. They're secured in the back of each front-seat headrest with 3/4-inch MDF (medium-density fiberboard) frames. The third monitor is housed in the center of the dash, where the factory cassette and a storage compartment originally were located. Buchanan used 3/4-inch MDF, fiberglass, and auto-body filler to anchor the screen into the dash. Then a texture spray and vinyl paint were used to cosmetically integrate the monitor into the dash. "We made the monitor's bezel part of a new custom panel," Goren explains. "So it blends in with the console nicely."

Another 6.5-inch monitor slides out of an Alpine IVA-C801 Multimedia Station head unit installed in the vehicle's stock- radio opening and trimmed in black Plexiglas. The IVA-C801 is the main control center for the truclCs A/V system, and ifs linked to an Accele WPLC29R rearview camera positioned in the center of the truck's tailgate where the factory rear- window release was located, an Alpine NVE-N852A PowerNav DVD navigation system hidden under the front passenger's seat, and an Alpine DHA-S680 six-disc CD/DVD changer tucked in the dash behind the standalone monitor so that it's not visible. "I change disc cartridges by just reaching behind the dash," reveals Goren. Right above the Tahoe's dash monitor is an Alpine CRA-1667RF controller for the XM Satellite Radio tuner, mounted so it faces up.

The opening for the factory cigarette lighter and two auxiliary 12-volt outlets just below the climate controls was commandeered for a series of LEDs and switches mat accompany a K-40 2000P front/rear radar detector and LD5500 laser defuser, a GuidePoint GPS-4 satellite tracking system, and an Alpine SEC-150 security system. warning LEDs for the radar de-tector glow from inside the dash's center air vent located to the right of the head unit. A top light indicates police radar ahead, and the bottom announces rear radar activity, while two distinct buzzers in the vent audibly warn of either. The diffuser, installed in the Chevy's front grille, is designed to thwart a speed-determining laser fired by police. "The two lights in the vent will flash at the same time if the laser diffuser has been tripped," Goren points out. Just below the vent is a center-channel speaker that occupies the location of the switches for the omitted GM OnStar system. The speaker, an MB Quart RKC 110 4-inch coaxial, sits in a fiberglass enclosure and is concealed by an aluminum-mesh g@ille.

SPEAKER TWEAKER
The rest of the front speaker array in the Tahoe consists of MB Quart PSD 316 components in each front door: a 61h-inch mid- bass, a 4-inch midrange, and a 1- inch tweeter. Each rear door holds speakers from an MB Quart PSD 216 component set (which consists of a 61h-inch midrange and 1-inch tweeter) mounted in a 3/4-inch MDF baffle so that the speakers point toward the driver and front passenger to enhance 5.1 surround. Way back in each D pillar flanking the tailgate are Eclipse 89440 4-inch coaxials in the rear-most stock speaker locations. 'We fiberglassed and sealed that area, which previously housed factory 3 1/2-inch speakers," Goren says. "The most difficult part was getting the speakers to point toward the front of the vehicle because it was a tight space." These speakers primarily provide rear surround channels. "When the system is in 5.1 mode, everything is geared toward the front-seat passengers," Goren notes.

In the driver's-side wall of the rear cargo area, an Alpine SWR-1241D 12-inch subwoofer was built into a fiberglass and 3/4-inch MDF enclosure that replaced the box for the factory 8-inch sub."we had to modify the metal surrounding the back of the fuel-tank refill tube in order to build a new enclosure with 0.8 cubic feet of air- space," Goren details. @We also used the outer metal wall of the vehicle as the back of the enclosure. We just fiberglassed onto it." Below the rear seats is a rack for a trio of Alpine amplifiers-an MRV-F540, MRV-F340, and MRD-M500-that was built out of 3/4-inch MDF, smoothed with fiberglass, and covered with ash-colored vinyl that matches the interior upholstery.

Tucked below the amps are several hide away components: the "brain" for the Alpine IVA-C801, an Alpine XMA-T200- RF XM Satellite Radio tuner, and the Alpine PXA-H5 10 processor. (The processor's controller is stashed in the center- console storage compartment.) "Every-thing had to be positioned very accurately so that it would all fit, and so the seats would be able to fold up and down," remarks Goren.

HEIGHTENED SECURITY
The Tahoe obviously doesn't advertise its electronic goodies. Still, Goren took no chances and beefed up the Alpine SEC-150 security system with several options. Blue LED mounted above the rearview mirror and attached to the bottom of the passenger's and driver's-side exterior mirror flash faster when the SEC-150's motion sensor detects someone getting too close. If someone does manage to breach the alarm and the vehicle is stolen, the GuidePoint satellite tracking system comes into play. Even though he ditched the OnStar system, Goren retained its antenna and used it for the GuidePoint, which has its own battery in case the main one in the engine compartment, which was replaced by an Optima Yellow Top, is disconnected. The GuidePoint has a "geofence" function that notifies Goren by phone if the Tahoe travels beyond a half-mile radius. "If someone steals it or takes it on a joyride, the geofence function will alert GuidePoint, and they'll call me on my cell phone, at home, or at the shop," he says.

The alarm also makes life easier by remotely turning on the PIRA lights on the roof rack. The lights can also be activated by one of the controls for the Tahoe's HomeLink garage-door opener. Another convenience feature that was important to Goren was having what he calls a "show switch." "Instead of putting the key in the ignition and turning it to `accessory' to listen to the system," he details, "I just press a switch installed with the radar detectors and security controls in the dash that turns on all the aftermarket audio/video gear." A similar factory feature of the Tahoe was also incorporated into the aftermarket system. "If you drove somewhere while playing the factory system and you turned the key off," says Goren, "the music stays on until you open the door. We wired the new audio system so that we didn't lose that feature."

MAKEOVERHAULED
The Tahoe received quite an extensive makeover, even though it's not as bling-bling as a lowered SUV with 22-inch wheels, 15-inch subs, and 10 monitors. Although it boasts quite an array of audio, video, navigation, security, and radar-detection gear, it was all integrated in a way that keeps the truck's look clean, the cockpit comfortable, and doesn't jeopardize the interior room in anyway. Concludes Goren, "I just wanted a very stealth installation, one that would keep the integrity of the vehicle intact. And I wanted to maintain the interior space for personal use." Looks like Goren has accomplished his goals with a system in which less is truly more.

THE SIGNAL PATH
The audio signal in Isaac Goren's 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe Z-71 be-gins at the Alpine IVA-C801 Multimedia Station head unit, the DHA-S680 CD/DVD changer, or the XMA-T20ORF XM Satellite Radio tuner. From there, it travels to the Alpine PXA-H510 signal processor, and then to the three Alpine amplifiers. One output of the PXA-HS10 travels to the Alpine MRV-F540 amp (50 watts x 4 into 4 ohms), which powers the MB Quart PSID 316 component speakers in the front door as well as the MB Quart PSID 216 components in the rear doors, feeding each 61/2- and 4-inch driver and 1-inch tweeter with 50 watts. The PXA-H510, which performs all active crossover duties, routes signals from 100 Hz and up for the front-door speakers; their passive crossovers then split the signal at 350 Hz between the 61/2- and 4-inchers and at 2,500 Hz between the 4's and the tweets. The rear speakers are sent 120 Hz and up, and their passive crossovers split the signal at 2,500 Hz. Another output of the processor goes to the Alpine MRV- F340 amp (35 watts x 4 into 4 ohms), and two channels of it power the Eclipse 89440 4-inch coaxials in the rear of the Tahoe with 35 watts each. These speakers play 200 Hz and up. The other two channels of the MRV-F340 amp are bridged for the MB Quart RKC 110 4-inch coaxial serving as the center channel, supplying it with 90 watts. The PXA-H510 sends the center channel 200 Hz and up. The final output of the PXA-H510 goes to the Alpine MRD-M500 amp (400 watts x 1 into 2 ohms) that powers the Alpine SWR-1241D 12-inch subwoofer in the rear of the SUV. The sub's dual 4-ohm voice coils are wired in parallel for a 2-ohm load, which extracts 400 watts out of the amp. The sub handles frequencies of 74 Hz and down. Video signals are generated by the Alpine DHA-S680 CD/DVD changer, the Accele WPLC29R camera, the Alpine NVE-N852A navigation unit, and any other component hooked up to the auxiliary input in the back of the center console. The video signals go directly to the three Alpine TME-M760 6.5-inch monitors as well as the 6.5-inch LCD that folds out of the Alpine IVA-C801 head, and video sources are switched at each individual monitor. Audio from the video sources are sent to an Audiovox WTXRF01 wireless headphone system or can be played over the speakers. All wiring is Scosche EFX.