The rules are located here:
http://FloridaSPL.com/iasca_rules

Registration is open!

http://www.springbreaknationals.com

Floor map of the Ocean Center

IASCA
Db Drag
Usaci
MECA

Entry fee: $10 and a toy to donate to charity.
Show starts at 9am
More info: 678-617-5262

The rules are located here:
http://FloridaSPL.com/iasca_rules

Well, this 1986 Toyota doesn’t have that problem.

After we removed the factory Dolby Noise Reduction Cassette Tuner, installed an Alpine in-dash DVD player and upgraded the dash speakers, it was time for a little bottom end enhancement. You see, the first two years that Toyota released the MR2 in the US, they included a factory 5 ¼ inch subwoofer under the driver’s seat.

Don’t get yourself all worked up. Since the only other speakers in the car are 4 inchers, it was all they could do to bolster the well-needed lower frequencies. But after 23 years, the foam surround on this factory subwoofer is shot.

And we’re not interested in shopping the market for a replacement to the measly performance of this generation-old bass maker. It’s time for a modern upgrade to match the other components in the system.

If you’ve paid any attention to the DIY home speaker market at all you’ve heard of the Tang Bands. They’re an inexpensive Chinese manufacturer of well-built drivers that people prefer to audition before they announce what you’re listening to. We got a hold of a TB W6-1139SI subwoofer for this project.

Since we’re using the factory amp, which is used to a 4ohm driver, we wanted to keep it simple and power a single driver in the MR2. The TB just fit. And no pun intended; there isn’t any room for a subwoofer in an MR2. The factory sub is under the driver’s seat. We chose the area behind the driver’s seat for our sub.

Here’s what we did:

Take a 6 inch piece of PVC tube

Cut it to 17 inches long.

Make an MDF plug for the end with a router

Install and epoxy the endcap in the tube

Drill some holes in the other end for attaching the sub

Install a piece of closed-cell foam dampening in one end

Cut a piece of closed-cell foam for a seal around the sub

Drill a hole in the factory subwoofer for the wiring

Install that sucker in the car and get to jamming

This is a substantial improvement over the factory subwoofer. Of course all of you 6ft plus Deuce owners are out of luck. The seat won’t go all the way back. But if you’re really jonesing for some bass in your ride, then suck it up and put one of these behind the passenger seat. Or if you’re really looking for performance, get an amp and power one behind each seat.

You see, the larger the cone area on your speakers, the lower the resonant frequency is. Since you’re relying on these preemie babies to cover the transition in the audible range from your lows (which are typically crossed over somewhere between 80 and 100 Hz) to your midrange (if you’re lucky you’ll get a clean response all the way down to 80) then those pitiful electroacoustical transducers in your Model T are going to have their work cut out for them. Since the back waves of the speakers are firing into the cavernous void of airbags, evaporators, and speedo cables they’re essentially running infinite baffle. Baffling I know, but at that rate when the first beat of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch rips through your quasi-air dielectric bi-wired individually paralleled insulated Litz constructed speaker cables, your wee drivers are going to hop like Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.

What’s the solution you say? Two words: sealed enclosures. I know, I know, the door speakers in your wife’s Fiat X-19 sound great, and that’s not exactly Grant’s catacomb. What gives Buzz? Ok, ok, I’ve got two more words: antiphase radiation. No, it’s not some 1950’s propaganda concept designed to convince you that nuclear fallout is good for your teeth. It’s what’s happening in that mysterious place abaft your dinky diaphragms. Every time you jam your Esteban instructional discs, your speakers are creating sound through the front and back of the cones. If the back waves meet your ears at the same time as the front waves, then most of the sound is cancelled out. (This is why your Funky Pups sound like EVs when you play them out of the box.)

Those door speakers may be playing into a vibrational, diffractional, reflectional, partition, but at least they’re not playing down through the top of your dash and into the listening area like those cramped co-axials under your windscreen. Those back waves are wreaking havoc on your speakers’ ability to reproduce accurate sound, much less down to the critical frequencies that you need to transition out of your subs’ range.

You’re thinking, “You’re asking me to remove my dash and build a complex fiberglass enclosure behind my speakers? You’re a lunatic!” Well, you may be right. I may be crazy. But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking…..sorry. I got distracted. NO! I’m going to show you what to do:

So you’ve got your high-fidelity factory dash speaker……

Go ahead. Check out your hair in that dust cap…..

Once you remove the speaker, you could find anything in there……

If you find any rodents, food, children, or trash, throw it away. If you find money or beer, send it to FloridaSPL.com here: http://www.floridaspl.com/forums/payments.php

You’re going to need some supplies to get working…..

Most important; beer. After that, you will need some sound deadening sheets like Damplifier, Dynamat, etc., a closed cell foam product like Overkill pro, a knife to cut them with, a surface to cut them on, and some spray adhesive.

You start by placing strips of the sound deadening sheets inside with the goal being to create a bowl or cup shape in the hole.

Keep in mind that your speakers have to fit in the dash when you’re done. So use common sense when building your enclosure. Make sure your speaker’s magnet and terminal connections will fit when you’re done.
Building this enclosure as air-tight as possible is the objective.

I built the bowl shape with lots of strips and then I sealed the top edge with these little rectangles you see here.

If you only have the self adhesive mats, you’re done. Install your speakers and enjoy the sonic benefits. But if you’re going all-out with the closed cell foam, keep reading.

Since the bowl shape is symmetrical, I cut 4 equal pieces and sprayed them with adhesive.

And then I sprayed the adhesive in the bowl.

Spray glues work best when they’re allowed to tack up (dry slightly) so go pour another beer while you wait.

Next, carefully position the pieces in the enclosure for maximum coverage.

You’re looking to create a non-reflecting environment to absorb the back waves and reduce the,……wait for it……..antiphase radiation.

Building an enclosure behind the speakers will increase the power handling, improve the sonic accuracy, and reduce diffraction created by those pesky little back waves.

Now you can install your Kracos and jam Zamfir through the hood with pride.

As for the car audio side of things, you will not want to miss this event! So far, three organizations (IASCA, MECA, CAN) will be hosting sanctioned events with lots of cash prizes involved and records to be broken. It’s rumored that Db Drag and USACi may join the event as well.

IASCA will be hosting a triple point Territorial Key Event (TKE) event and all classes will be offered from SQ to Bass Boxing. IASCA World records can also be set at this event. Terry Floyd has recently announced that IASCA will knock off 20% of your entry fee if there are at least three people in the class you enter. Big props to IASCA for doing this! Also don’t forget IASCA Finals have been moved to SBN 2009.

Car Audio Nationals (CAN) will be hosting their finals at this event with hefty $3,000 in cash prizes to it’s sound quality competitors. If you aren’t familiar with CAN, you need to be! They are the ONLY car audio sound quality sanctioning organization that awards its winners with a cash-prize pay-out. CAN uses an elite judging staff of Richard Clark, Richard Inferrera, Micah Sheveloff, Dave MacKinnon, Bob Johann just to name a few. CAN has played a large role in this event, be sure to check them out and pre-register for the event at www.CarAudioNationals.com.

MECA will be holding their Georgia State Finals at this event where state records will be set! Cash prizes can be won in their SQ and SPL classes as well.

The current schedule for the show is as follows:

Saturday – September 20th

8:00 AM – Move in. Registration Begins for Car Audio Nationals, IASCA & MECA
9:00 AM – MECA Sound Quality and SPL Judging.
9:00 AM – IASCA Sound Quality and IdBL Judging.
9:30 AM – Car Audio Nationals Sound Quality Judging.
5:00 PM – MECA Trophies.
7:00 PM – Car Audio Nationals Trophies.

Sunday – September 21st

8:00 AM – Move in.
9:00 AM – IASCA Sound Quality and IdBL Judging.
5:00 PM – IASCA Trophies.

For more information on the Motorsports Nationals, visit their website at www.motorsportsnationals.com

Check out their channel by clicking the link below. Be sure to subscribe to their channel, many more videos are in the works.

http://www.youtube.com/SecondSkinRep

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.’s $3.3 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. will mean millions of subscribers will be able to receive programming from both services, while executives say it will create huge cost savings for the industry.

Federal regulators formally approved the merger of the nation’s only two satellite radio operators Friday.

“I think it’s going to be, in the end, a good thing for consumers and be in the public interest,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told The Associated Press. “Consumers will enjoy a variety of programming at reduced prices and more diversified programming choices.”

Subscribers will not have to buy new radios to receive a mix of programming from both services, according to the companies. But if they want to pursue a special pay-per-channel a la carte option, they will need new sets.

The FCC voted 3-2 to approve the buyout, with the tiebreaker coming Friday night from Republican commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate.

Tate had insisted that the companies settle charges that they violated FCC rules before she would approve the deal. The companies agreed this week to pay $19.7 million to the U.S. Treasury for violations related to radio receivers and ground-based signal repeaters.

The long-running regulatory review was watched closely by exasperated investors anxious for a resolution as well as 18 million-plus satellite radio customers with questions about what impact the merger would have on their service.

The approval was a major blow for the land-based radio industry, which lobbied hard against the buyout. It was also opposed by consumer groups, various members of Congress and state attorneys general, all of whom argued a satellite radio merger would hurt consumers and was not in the public interest.

“They kept each other on their toes,” Democratic commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said of the two companies. “I hope they keep their edge and don’t become a fat and happy monopoly.”

Adelstein voted against the buyout as did fellow Democrat Michael Copps. Joining Martin and Tate in approving the deal was Republican commissioner Robert McDowell.

The companies said the combination would create hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings and lead to greater choice in programming for subscribers and flexible pricing options.

Tate released a statement Friday night praising the commission’s decision to punish the companies for rules violations before acting on the merger and supporting pro-consumer conditions imposed on the deal.

Under the terms of the consent decree, XM will pay $17.5 million and Sirius will pay $2.2 million to resolve interference complaints and violations related to land-based signal repeaters the companies operate to deliver programming.

The final merger agreement did not require the combined company to include a chip in its radios that will allow customers to receive digital signals from land-based radio stations, which would have helped the land-based radio industry.

Tate, who was lobbied intensely by the industry in the final weeks, said she “could not in good conscience support a government-mandated requirement on the backs of American consumers at this time.”

Martin said the agreement is nearly identical to what he circulated among other commissioners when he first recommended approval for the deal more than a month ago.

The companies first applied for permission to combine in March 2007. The Justice Department approved the deal in March of this year without conditions, saying the companies don’t really compete because customers must buy equipment that is exclusive to either XM or Sirius, and subscribers rarely switch providers.

DOJ also agreed with the companies’ argument that they compete with other forms of audio entertainment, including digital radio, Internet-based radio stations and even devices like Apple Inc.’s iPod.

FCC approval faced a steeper climb because the companies were prohibited from combining under terms of their licenses. The agency struggled to come up with a way to show that allowing a satellite radio monopoly was in the public interest.

The companies voluntarily agreed to a set of conditions, including a three-year price cap and an 8 percent set-aside of “full-time audio channels” for public interest and minority programming. They will also adopt an “open radio” standard that may lead to a greater variety of features in radios and greater competition among manufacturers.

Sirius and XM also have promised to include a limited “a la carte” offering that would be available within three months of the close of the deal and allow listeners to pay only for the channels they want to receive.

© 2008 The Associated Press.

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