Just picked up a Ram1500 single cab short bed hemi. Got a great deal on it and am trying to get up to speed on it.
It didn't have an owner's manual, otherwise I'd just read up on it.
So the question is, it has a double DIN radio/CD player code RB4 with a NAV button and 2 CDs in the glove box marked Navigation. Is it even worth bothering trying to get this to work?
I realize it's 16 year old tech (and maps), so it won't be great, but I've still got a flip phone so it's better than anything else I've got and it would be nice to have it operational.
Also I rarely stop by lately, but remember a member by the handle of Big Money Lewis that used to update head units. Is he still around and/or is there a good place to have this updated with an input jack? I may join the 21st century and have my own music storage to connect up if this is possible and reasonable.


EDIT: Well, did some more searching and found this youtube video showing a bit of the operation. Pretty old school, as expected.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6TIt_kwDRI
I'll go out and try to get things up and running.
Any other info, please share!

Thanks

Get a new phone.... even when I ordered my wife’s new Jeep I skipped on the nav.

Yeah, I've gone too long without getting recent tech.
Going to get a smart(er) phone and a music storage/player soon.
I did go out and try out the system. It does work, but just has arrows and turns written out. So it's about as expected.

I looked at different aftermarket head units, but I'm happy with the sound from this system for now.
It's an Infinity which means pre-amp out and lower impedance speakers, which means tearing out everything and starting fresh if I go that way. Too much time and money to gain little over current setup. Will check into adapting an input to this and which player would be best.

Call me old school, but I don't want to rent services, I'd rather buy and own my music. That means no Sirius/XM pandora and all the other stuff. I don't spend hours a day in my vehicles and have over 500 GB of music on a hard drive for home play.

What is the model on the lower right corner of the unit such as RER, RHB, etc? Replacement factory units/repaired units are available. The CD's in the glove box are updates but they won't help a non-functioning unit.

I have a smart phone with nav function but I much prefer the in-dash nav...bigger screen, more functions.

John, thanks for the reply. As said in the original post, it's RB4.
Really a very old style GPS/nav setup. NOT a big screen!
One West USA disc, one East USA disc.
The instructions are simple distance/turn directions to a town center, not to a street address, AND of course the info is 16 years old.


The video in the other post shows a basic idea of operation and display.
It does work, which is all I can ask (didn't want it inoperative).
Doing more research, the RB1 is a more advanced design, but still from the same era.


The RB4 also an Infinity 7 speaker setup. Those seem to be a pain to update due to the amp and also the speakers being low impedance. No modern head units will just plug in. We are talking about rewiring and new speakers, along with pulling the amp. Updating also requires a separate unit to keep the steering wheel controls operational, which isn't a big deal.



Since I don't have to find new locations on even a monthly basis, I have decided that there is no point on replacing the head unit simply to update this feature in the truck only, and I'd probably be better off getting a handheld unit (phone or tablet) with navigation rather than get a new head unit with this feature.

Now comes the research on what kind of music storage/playback I'd like to be able to plug into it, for those long trips. I really dislike the rental business model (Sirius/XM, pandora) VS owning the music and having it playable at home and in all my vehicles. I also don't like being the product (data mining) VS not being monitored (privacy). I won't get new music I don't know suggested to me, but I have years worth of stuff to listen to already. I have an external drive with 475GB of .wma and mp3 files. These can be thinned down to truly desired cuts and transferred to whatever I end up buying. So I've got to figure out what works best for my desires.

Once I've found the player, then it's time to figure out if this can be wired for a connector or a new head unit is needed at that point and if it's worth it.
Full-on Luddite trying to figure out how to get modern, or at least into the 2000s!


EDIT - I looked into swapping it for the RB1 unit, which looks like it MAY just take another adapter to gain an AUX input.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80OeA4NDdoI

https://www.srtforums.com/threads/rb1-navigation-with-mopar-ipod-integration-aux-wont-work.280289/

BUT, this indicates that the RB1 is probably NOT an Infinity amp system like the RB4, so it won't swap in. Ugh...
https://1factoryradio.com/04-07-chr...-cd-gps-nav-w-aux-input-p56038629ai-rb1/

" If you do not have this exact part number currently in your vehicle, it will likely NOT WORK. If you are unsure of your part number, give a Chrysler dealer a call with your VIN and they should be able to provide you with the correct part number. They may look the same and have the same plugs but data streams may be different, not allowing them to code. For example, external amps are used in some cars and will not allow interchange, etc. "

and the antenna for it
https://1factoryradio.com/chrysler-...ps-antenna-for-navigation-radio-rb1-rb4/
and CDs
https://1factoryradio.com/chrysler-...-dvd-map-of-north-america-pn-05064033aa/
so swapping to a 2000's nav setup isn't expensive, but you have to be aware of what will plug and play.

It would have been nice to have matching nav head units in my '04 PT and the '04 Ram, but that isn't going to happen due to the Infinity deal, it seems.

Boy, it takes a bunch of searching for this info, and there isn't a solid single source.

My bad, never seen that small of a screen on a double DIN unit. I was thinking something more like this:

https://www.gm-navigation.com/shop/dodge-chrysler-jeep-multimedia-nav/

Just to update, I've got a smart phone (Samsung A20) coming, along with a Nulaxy KM18 FM transmitter.
This will allow Navigation on the phone, the FM transmitter plugs into the car's power outlet and takes the bluetooth signal from the phone and 'casts it to the radio for playback.
It also can be swapped into any other 12V car with FM radio so it will work in all the other cars too. No need to wire each radio for input.

The phone also accepts micro SD cards up to 512GB, so I can load up a LOT of music to take along. The phone can sort thru the files so you can select what to play.
The FM deal also accepts SD cards and thumb drives.

Reviews seem to be good on both and the FM deal is under $30. Yeah, it's cheap china electronics, but there aren't many other options to get this done.

Overall, this seems to fit what I want at a reasonable price and be able to do what I want in multiple vehicles.

Just figured I'd update you guys on what I've found. It may not work for you, but at least it's an option for older stuff.
Now I just need to figure out where the phone fits best while driving and get a mount.

I have a similar unit for blutooth from the phone, then fm transmitter to radio . . .must say, it works really well ! I like it !! And no "expensive" radio upgrades needed !!!

I prefer my 7" garmin with lifetime maps and traffic updates. Cost less than $100 used with mounts and cables.

Well Stumpy, you win! Even your title says that!
I wanted good navigation, the ability to play my own music (not pandora, Sirrus/XM or just AM/FM and CDs) and hopefully in various vehicles.
Garmin would do two, this at ~180 will do all three. I have various thumb USB drives, but splurged on a micro SD card on top too. That was another 30 bucks so around 210 all in.
If you just want your music files playing, you could just get the FM deal and be under 50 bucks, including a couple thumb drives or the SD card.
I also was overdue to step up to a modern phone, even though I don't do games, social sites or online purchases.

I'll report back once it's all here and working.
Just have to figure out how to work this handheld computer and get it set up for my preferences and load my files.

So now the questions are
1. What are great android apps that are must haves and
2. what needs to be deleted/avoided?

I've read that a good idea is to delete Google Chrome and drop in a different search site (duck duck go or another non-invasive, signup required site).
Flashlight?

Obviously, I'll be skipping fartbook, twatter, instajerk, and tick tong.

Sorry I missed all the rest of the stuff you were after and got hung up on the nav radio.

It's all part of the search Stumpy, not a problem!
Got the phone and accessories last night, still waiting on the FM transmitter.
I will go get the phone transferred and set up today, and load up some tunes.
If it's like learning any other computer, I'll spare everyone the frustration and cussing until I have a basic understanding of the thing.

Still looking for suggestions for Android apps that are useful and noninvasive.
OBD scanner?
dyno simulations?
VIN lookup/decoders?
Any stuff you guys have that would be neat to load in the unit that can't be found just searching online.
I realize that avoiding problems online is mostly tied to the user, but what about various software? Anyone have favorites from these?
https://getandroidstuff.com/ad-blocker-android-best-apps/

Soon, I'll be rockin' out like the rest of the cool kids!




UPDATE: so I drove into town and got the phone connected up. Drove back home and applied all the updates, went through the security choices and got the navigation working. Then I tried calling someone. The phone would NOT work! Tried calling the store (the # he used to make sure it worked there) and it still didn't work! Another drive back to town and the thing was diagnosed as defective. So now I have to return it (got the old phone restored too). Get back home and go to the site. Enter email and order number. The site jumps me out to a random page! Now I have to drive back into town and argue with the returns department for an online order. We all know how that's going to play out. Arrgh!
Should have just bought the new one at the phone place... but 50 bucks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjgDu7TH6qQ

Agreed, my Wife's Durango has NAV but we just use Carplay with our phones, always updated, shows more info, works better overall.

My 04 has the plain radio with CD player that I learned the hard way doesn't work when it tried to eat a CD. Which i didn't care so much about but the radio also stopped working because of the stuck CD. Too bad there's no decent upgrade radios for it without hacking up the dash plate.

I also mainly use a separate GPS. I like the way it works better then the phone. For music I've got an ipod fm transmitter holder thing that I use for longer trips.
I added factory navigation to my charger and love it.

Well, I got the music into the phone (big fight), the FM transmitter works and the google maps navigation works.

I am happy with it for the most part, however, I do NOT like the software to simply transfer files using a cable requiring me to allow access to my personal data, location and contacts ([censored]?!) That didn't happen!
I also have not decided to "allow" the music player (either Google plays or Amazon Music, both of which require registration.) I need to do further research and figure out a player that just plays, not data mine my life.

So, a positive experience for the FM transmitter and a mixed review for the whole smart phone experience. The sound isn't quite as crisp as a CD in the head unit, and the radio audio controls are buried in button menus, so it's a pain to adjust on the fly, but it works well otherwise.

The seller called to get more info and to make sure I'm happy with the truck. He told me where the wheel lock key was (another thing I've been actively trying to track down thru dealer/tire stores and used car lots). He will also be on the lookout for the owner's manuals. I'll probably buy a set online.

5th Ave, I have found a number of places that offer refurbished factory radios. They are a bit more than the cheap aftermarket radios, but are not as much as really good head units, and they will just swap out and look right.
The factory prices for original units are crazy high if they are even available. Of course, the older radios are still not as good as more modern stuff and the shortcuts designed into them (like the sticking CD gears) are still there on a refurb.

https://oemradios.com/chrysler_radios.php

https://www.cd4car.com/categories/Chrysler/

https://replacementradios.com/chrysler-c-21_29_83.html?osCsid=dcf0a6cf13ea848ffb23c91d188344b3

Pfft, I don't even have a radio in my truck.

Guitar, forgive me if I'm confusing you with another member, but didn't you get a place out in the hills and leave your 9-5?
Radio isn't going to work out there and the stations probably don't play a big variety of music no how, no way. Either listen to the squeaks and rattles with the wind in your face (fine by me!) or bring along your own tunes.
Besides, your sig lists a 2019 truck, so either you gotta update that thing (sold the truck) or you gotta park in better neighborhoods!
I just thought it was time to move up a bit, even though I knew it was going to be a frustrating learning experience.
A may not be super patient, but I am tenacious!

Lol, yeah that's me. The 2019 is the little woman's truck. I only drive it with her, my two old trucks are a bit rough for her to ride in. Besides you couldn't hear a radio in either of them anyway.

Just gotta weld up a little extra

Thanks for the links. I'll probably start hitting junk yards a bit too once it cools down a bit out.