Aurora Design has once again left the competition at the starting line. While other companies offer outdated basic AM/FM operation, the FMR2.8 is the first and only solution for your original classic vehicle radio to offer worldwide digital radio support! With fully licensed HD Radio™ Technology for North America and DAB/DAB+ (utilizing Aurora Design patent pending technology) for the rest of the world, no other solution even comes close. Make sure your radio is set for the 21st century and not stuck with just basic analog AM/FM technology from 80 years ago!
Audio Equalizer is now included on all FMR-2.8 radios! This feature consists of a three band equalizer, adjustable Loudness control, adjustable Subwoofer gain and Crossover frequency. Now you can adjust the sound of your radio to perfectly match your speakers and vehicle!
Voice Assist HD is standard on all FMR-2.8 radios! The radio will speak in clear English all basic operations such as “Balance Adjust”, “Scanning for Stations”, “WXYZ FM 107.9”, “Right Front Speaker shorted to ground”, etc. This greatly eases radio operation as there is no need to memorize obtuse beep codes or blinking lights.
The Scan feature we pioneered in 2017 was so well received, our customers with manually tuned radios felt left out. No longer! Now even manually tuned radios have the same modern Scan feature as signal seeking radios. This is a great feature to have when you’re on a tour or just looking for something different to listen to.
On signal seeking radios like Wonderbar, Town&Country, ElectroTouch radios) somply press the Seek button twice and the radio will scan to the next station, pause for 8 seconds, and then scan to the next station repeatedly until the scan is stopped. On manually tuned radios, just twist the tuning control twice to the right to scan through the stations!
Tube Emulation Mode allows the FMR-2.8 to mimic the “warmup” and “cool down” of an original tube radio fooling even the most seasoned judge on that concours restoration, or just for that nostalgic feel!
LW and SW bands are now included on all FMR-2.8 radios! LW or Longwave is available for radios configured for European use while SW or ShortWave is available for radios configured for North American use. Now your factory radio with these bands can be made operational again!
The FMR-2.8 is the exciting new follow-on to the FMR-1. This new product from Aurora Design LLC opens up a new world of possibilities for early automotive radios. By replacing the electronics in an original radio with modern digital electronics, any radio can be brought up to today’s standards, performance and reliability.
Designed to meet automotive OEM and SAE performance specifications, the FMR-2.8 represents a no compromise design. All critical components are full automotive OEM grade parts, not lower cost, lower quality parts designed for aftermarket/consumer products. Every aspect of the design and operation of the FMR-2.8, no matter how insignificant was scrutinized, resulting in a product that performs beyond the expectations of even the most demanding user.
Through the use of sophisticated algorithms and a custom RealTimeOperatingSystem (RTOS), the FMR-2.8 offers unprecedented levels of features and performance. Working equally well with any original tuner (inductive, capacitive and resistive) the FMR-2.8 offers smooth and precise tuning rivaling the best analog tuners available. Installation time is significantly reduced since the FMR-2.8 easily adapts to just about any radio configuration from the 1930’s thru the 1980’s.
Imagine, complicated and time consuming modifications to the tuners used on the Hudson/Nash
Ramblers and Metropolitans, 1930’s Philco-Ford or 1940’s Zenith-Ford radios is a thing of the past!
Even the complicated Rotomatic tuner used on the 1940 Zenith-Ford radio that switches between a variable capacitor for manual tuning and variable inductors for preset tuning is handled without any modifications by the FMR-2.8!
The automotive grade receiver is extremely robust and offers such features as noise blankers which help eliminate ignition and generator/alternator noise and an automatic bandwidth filter that continuously adjusts from narrow to wide for optimum performance in all situations.
The digitally controlled power amplifier provides up to 4 X 45W of output power into 4 ohm speakers and 2 X 75W into 2 ohm speakers and is fully protected against over-voltages, shorts between lines as well as to ground or power. It is controlled by the onboard microprocessor and intelligently monitors the speaker connections and makes decisions such as enabling or disabling the balance and fader controls based on these readings. It uses a unique Class SB topology similar to standard Class AB while using only 1/3 the power at normal listening levels resulting in less heat being generated.
Five line level outputs, four for front/rear channels and one for subwoofer, allow the FMR-2.8 to drive out-board amps for those who wish to add even more audio power.
Stereo auxiliary inputs with floating ground to reduce or eliminate ground loop noise are provided for adding other audio sources such as iPod’s®, MP3 players, CD players, satellite radios, etc.
Signal Seeking radios like the GM/Delco® Wonderbar®, Ford® Town & Country® and Chrysler® Electro-Touch® radios are fully supported including features like sensitivity controls (Town & Country). By combining the unsurpassed performance of the FMR-2.8‘s AM/FM receiver with its high performance microprocessor, it finds the stations every time.
Under the skin, the FMR-2.8 was designed to be as robust as the operating features it offers. Meeting industry performance specification like SAE J1113-42, the FMR-2.8 cannot be damaged by battery reversal, double battery jump starts, alternator disconnects (load dump), etc. Even if a careless mechanic accidentally connects the battery up backwards, the FMR-2.8 is completely protected.
Aurora Design automotive products are built in a 33,000 sq. ft., ISO 9001:2000 facility located in the USA. With a capacity to place 1,800,000 components per day, 2D and 3D X-Ray inspection and full traceability back to the component level, the highest quality assemblies are assured.

Add $100 for Wonderbar radios.
Add $150 for 6 volt or positive ground cars.
Add $150 Foreign 1960 and newer
Add $200 for Foreign pre 1959
Add $200 for pre-war cars.
Add $200 for 1956-57 Lincoln & Mercury Town & Country Radios.
Add $200 for between pre-1950 to prewar
These prices are for a stereo conversion not for selling the board. All boards must be installed by a authorized service rep.
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The FMC-2 uses advanced digital electronics and sophisticated software algorithms to completely replicated the user experience of an original analog automotive FM radio. With perfect quartz locked accuracy and an operational feel that is smooth and precise, no one will ever know that your original AM radio can now receive FM broadcasts and be used with an MP3 player, satellite radio or similar device.
THE PRICE OF $170 IS IN ADDITION TO THE REBUILDING COST OF THE RADIO.
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The new USB-3.0 rounds out the extensive
line of FMR family products!
Just as with the new BTU-3.0 and BT-3.0, the new USB-3.0 brings a whole new level of functionality to your classic radio. Improvements from the USB-1 include:
• Voice Assist:
The USB-3.0 can speak to you in English to help walk the user through basic operations.
• AAC audio support:
Aurora Design is a licensee of the high quality AAC codec. Music encoded in AAC format can be copied directly from your iTunes® library to your USB drive without quality robbing/time consuming conversion.
• Ogg Vorbis support:
Music files encoded in high quality Off Vorbis format can also be intermixed on your USB drive along with AAC, MP3 and FLAC files.
• FLAC support:
Music files encoded in high quality lossless FLAC format can also be intermixed on your USB drive along with AAC, MP3 and Ogg Vorbis files.
• USB port supports all charging mode:
Supports SDP, CDP and DCP charging modes up to a full 2A, 4X the current of the BTU-1
Supports proprietary modes such as Apple® 1A/2A and BlackBerry®
Will continue charging even when radio is turned off (vehicle ignition on)
• Automatically resumes playback from where it left off when radio is turned back on:
Whether you’re listening to the radio or USB music, the FMR-3.8/USB-3.0 returns to where you left off when you turn the radio back on.
USB FLASH Drives, sometimes referred to as “thumb drives”, have become the ubiquitous format for carrying around audio files. An extremely inexpensive USB drive has the capability to hold literally thousands or tens of thousands of songs, audio books, podcasts, etc. With the USB-3.0, these USB drives can now be used in your classic or hot rod’s radio as easily as your modern car. Just plug the USB drive into the cable on your radio and it will switch over and start playing. Of course since all Aurora Design products are engineered to work seamlessly together, you can control such things as next/previous, play/pause and random/sequential playback right from the existing controls on your radio. Unlike clunky aftermarket solutions, everything is automatic!
The USB-3.0 is smart enough so that if you stop to get gas or grab lunch, when you turn the radio back on, it will continue from where it left off. Many cheaper solutions will return to the first song and start over again which can get very annoying.
The USB-3.0 can also be used to charge your phone, MP3 player, or tablet, and unlike cheap solutions that plug into the cigarette lighter and only work on 12 volt negative ground cars, since the USB-3.0 is integrated into the radio, you can charge your USB devices in 6 volt and positive ground cars as well! With the USB-2.5, no one is left out. Of course the USB-3.0 supports all standard charging modes up to 2A meaning your devices will charge faster than ever!
The USB-3.0 was engineered to work seamlessly with all Aurora Design products, so you can now create the ultimate classic radio with AM/FM 180W digital radio and USB/AAC/MP3 playback! Once again Aurora Design is causing a paradigm shift in how the industry views classic radios and what is possible.
Designed to meet automotive OEM and SAE performance specifications, the USB-3.0 represents a no compromise design. All critical components are full automotive OEM grade parts, not lower cost, lower quality parts designed for aftermarket/consumer products. Every aspect of the design and operation of the USB-3.0, no matter how insignificant was scrutinized, resulting in a product that performs beyond the expectations of even the most demanding user.
Aurora Design automotive products are built in a 33,000 sq. ft., ISO 9001:2000 facility located in the USA. With a capacity to place 1,800,000 components per day, 2D and 3D X-Ray inspection and full traceability back to the component level, the highest quality assemblies are assured.
*The USB-3.0 cannot playback music from an MP3 player or smart phone over the USB connection unless the device presents the music as a standard mass storage device. For example it will not playback from an Apple® device over the USB connection. The USB port can be used to charge the device, and the music can be played back through the Auxiliary input.
iTunes® is a trademark of Apple Inc.
AAC used under license from VIA LicensingAll other trademarks are those of their respective owners
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The AUX-1 is a microprocessor powered Auxiliary Input controller that simplifies adding an audio input to original radios. It has three triggers that can be used independently or in any combination to switch the radio over from normal operation to the auxiliary input. The three triggers are a VOX, power cycling and a switch input. The VOX circuitry and algorithms are based on the superior VOX implementation of the FMR-1 radios. It is extremely sensitive and extremely good at rejecting noise. This results in no switching back to the radio during quiet audio passages.


The audio output level from the AUX-1 is very high to match the levels of early tube radios. Whereas directly connecting an MP3 player to the audio amplifier on some tube radios results in low volume and poor performance, the digitally controlled amplifier on the AUX-1 easily matches the levels of any radio.


Full protection against reverse battery and over power, the AUX-1 is nearly indestructible. Through cleaver design, the AUX-1 is compatible with 6V/12V positive/negative ground radios resulting in only one board being required for all installations.


As with all Aurora Design products, the VBx-1 is designed to SAE specifications and built in the USA at an ISO9001:2000 facility
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