Car Trailer Exterior Speakers

[AldeanFan]

Thinking of adding some outdoor speakers to my enclosed trailer that I take to the racetrack.

The purpose would be to listen to the announcers call up classes of cars. They play it on loudspeakers and broadcast it on FM. there are no loudspeakers near where we normally pit and if you don’t hear your class called you miss your race.

I’ve been using a portable radio but I never remember to charge it and I have to keep it near where I’m sitting.

I have a 12v stereo I could easily mount in the trailer (similar to in an RV).
I want to have some speakers on the outside of the trailer.

I could mount them in the walls but don’t really want to cut holes. Also the racetrack can be a rough place on equipment and they’d likely get broken.

There is a skirt around the bottom of the trailer and I could easily mount the speakers up in the frame, either pointing down at the ground or any other direction.

Sound quality isn’t important as we just need to hear the announcer’s voice.
I’d be using waterproof speakers for a boat and they’d be away from the axles so I’m not worried about weather or rocks hitting them.

Is there any reason this won’t work?

 

[kbs2244]

boat speaker are your answer

 

[duneslider]

Boat speakers or RV speakers. I have used both on my RV's and they both work. The boat speakers tend to be higher quality sound but the RV speakers in some perspectives look less ostentatious.

 

[charbar]

Be it RV or marine speakers, I don't se either one of them holding up real well on the bottom of a trailer. Unless you're driving up and down clear paved roads 95% of the time.

Do you usually have the doors of the trailer open? If so I would be more inclined to mount them in an enclosure on a hinge that flips to the outside of the trailer if you don't think you will hear them mounted inside.

 

[Citation]

Can you mount them to the inside of the side door? That would keep then out of the weather most of the time. With surface mount speakers you could also use a hook+wire so could take them off the door and set them outside the trailer.

 

[WILD-BILL]

Can you mount them to the inside of the side door? That would keep then out of the weather most of the time. With surface mount speakers you could also use a hook+wire so could take them off the door and set them outside the trailer.

This is what most did when I was racing

 

[Metal-Marc]

How about earbuds?

 

[AldeanFan]

Thanks for the feedback.
I may try mounting a speaker in each inside corner of the trailer to start.

The doors are normally open unless it’s raining in which case we’re just waiting for the weather to clear and there’s nothing to hear about racing.

I tend to move around a lot, working on the car, sitting under the awning, sitting in the trailer, making food etc, so a speaker on one spot isn’t working for me.

 

[Skooterj]

A car stereo with a bullhorn speaker? Metal Bullhorn speaker is almost indestructible.

https://www.grainger.com/product/49CA12?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gclid=CjwKCAjw3oqoBhAjEiwA_UaLtqEAGct3cMT4etxCkrSb_X7Z5cDKRgb9nY1dJCcQQ64AnDVD3fwL2BoCkb0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[mrbill55]

Thanks for the feedback.
I may try mounting a speaker in each inside corner of the trailer to start.

The doors are normally open unless it’s raining in which case we’re just waiting for the weather to clear and there’s nothing to hear about racing.

I tend to move around a lot, working on the car, sitting under the awning, sitting in the trailer, making food etc, so a speaker on one spot isn’t working for me.

You'll want a speaker that is weatherproof, as such, you'll want to be looking at marine speaker assemblies. They make them in flush mount, and in box/hanger mount style and you can even add a stand alone volume control for each one wherever you decide to mount them.

Bill S.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Do the speakers have to be permanently installed, or could you just mount a speaker jack on the trailer exterior and then plug them in when you got to the track?

 

[AldeanFan]

Previously had a boombox I would carry in the trailer. It was awkward to store and had to be plugged in.
My preferred solution would be permanently installed so I just have to turn it on.

Marine speakers would work or a bullhorn.
I might still have the bullhorn that was on my car in high school. It came off of a police car in the wrecking yard and was wired in to my cb radio so we could cat call girls.

 

[Blk88GT]

I bought a new trailer this year that has speakers inside/out. They don't appear to be anything special, but are weatherproof. They work great and I didn't know I needed it until I had it! I used to carry an old POS radio around and don't miss it at all.

I do wish there was something that pointed forward or diagonally to where we would normally be outside in front of the car but this works well enough as is.

 

[AldeanFan]

I bought a new trailer this year that has speakers inside/out. They don't appear to be anything special, but are weatherproof. They work great and I didn't know I needed it until I had it! I used to carry an old POS radio around and don't miss it at all.

I do wish there was something that pointed forward or diagonally to where we would normally be outside in front of the car but this works well enough as is.

This is very helpful, do you have any pictures?

 

[smackey05]

I like the idea of boat speakers running with a receiver/amp combined.

I'd consider running something like this with an antenna. You can also bluetooth into it for music if you want.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L6MB425/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[NUTTSGT]

I think they went rated for damp conditions when I bought them but it's been a few years.



They have brackets so I can angle them. The one above the tool box will point outside or they both can be pointed to the rear of the trailer.

Also, if you put an automotive style radio in your trailer, don't mount the antenna to the side or roof. I mounted mine on the tongue and it works fine at every track I have been to and at home.



Oh, you might have to buy an antenna extension cord.... but it beats the hell out of drilling a hole in the side of your trailer.... only to have a tree limb rip it off.

 

[AldeanFan]

Thanks for the advice on the antenna, I hadn’t thought of that