Installing a Mygig RER Navigation Radio into a 2007 Dodge Dakota.

I have a 2007 Dodge Dakota that came with the bottom-line radio - AM/FM/Single CD player - Which Chrysler refers to as code "REF".  Wanting to add built-in Bluetooth Mobile Phone connectivity but Dodge/Chrysler often uses an oddball "1 1/2 DIN" height radio that limits the options for upgrades.  I looked and found these:

• Single-Din style aftermarket radios.  There's a number of aftermarket radios available with Bluetooth capability.  They would work but it meant installing them with an adapter kit that I thought would look tacky.  The radios are Bluetooth "ready" which means in order to actually use it you have to purchase and install extra modules.
• OEM CH-4100.  This is an aftermarket radio that is the same size and shape as the original radio so no adapting or cutting of the vehicle is required to physically install it.  In this case OEM stands for "Original Entertainment Media" which is the brand name and is apparently only sold by Crutchfield although I have seen them on eBay for around $300.00 less.  Along with Bluetooth it is also adds Navigation and Sirius Satellite capability but you still must purchase and install extra modules easily raising the cost to well over $1000.00 before installation charges..  I've never heard of OEM, couldn't find any positive reviews of this radio, so I opted to keep looking.
• Aftermarket Bluetooth Modules.  Names like Parrot and Motorola have Bluetooth modules with excellent reputations - after looking at what it takes to install them I wasn't excited about the after-market look of keypads and microphones stuck on to the dash.
• Chrysler offers a factory-installed high-end "Infotainment" System on many models but didn't offer it for the 2007 Dakota.  They did however, offer it in the 2008 Dakota.  They refer to it as the "Mygig RER".  It has pretty much all the features available that you've heard possible in vehicles nowadays, AM/FM/CD of course along with DVD, Bluetooth, Navigation, Voice commands, Front/Rear Video Cameras, Sirius Satellite, etc..  It has a built-in hard drive which behaves much like an Ipod....   The best part is, it's all included requiring no extra receivers or modules other than a microphone and appropriate antennas.  It's the same height as the existing radio, although it's a little wider requiring some trimming of the bezel but it will fit.  Since this would look factory and give a lot of features, this was the option I wanted to pursue.  There is one little complication though.....

Canbus.  Lots of auto manufacturers, including Chrysler, are using a digital communication protocol/system between devices installed in the vehicles called Canbus.  There's apparently more than one variety of Canbus since the radio from the 2008 Dakota wont work in the 2007 due to differences in the Canbus system.  Further, there are apparently more than one speed that the bus operates at referred to as Low-Speed and High-Speed.  As it turns out, there is a company in Florida that sells and adapter that will allow a Low-Speed RER radio to be installed in a 2007 Dakota as well as a number of other Chrysler vehicles:  Coastal Electronic Technologies  They market a device they call the "Lockpick" which makes it possible to use a number of features on the radios while in motion that are usually restricted to use only when parked.  They have a special version called the Lockpick Adapter that has those features and additionally allows installing Low-Speed Mygig radios into many Chrysler vehicles made before the Mygig was available for that model.

Here's what I needed to buy:

• Mygig Low-Speed Bus RER radio
• Lockpick Adapter
• Microphone
• Sirius Antenna Cable Extension

I found an RER radio on eBay for a fair price.  It was less than a year old and came with the factory GPS antenna and manual.  Didn't have so much as a finger print on it.  I ordered the Lockpick adapter from Coastal Electronic along with their microphone and an additional harness for adding video cameras and other external inputs (I'm thinking of adding a rear-facing camera to aid in trailer hookup).  The Sirius Antenna Cable Extension I found from a vendor who also sells RER and other Chrysler radios on eBay and is a wealth of information and resources for this kind of thing: Mr. CD1  He even has brand new Mygig radios.

Mygig RER Radio as it was received..

Lockpick Adapter out of the box..  lots of cables!  The microphone is in there somewhere.

Here's my '07 Dakota with the center bezel removed.

Radio is removed, I installed the Lockpick Adapter using adhesive-backed Velcro and positioned it behind the dash low under the radio.. Later I had to move it to the right a little so it wouldn't interfere with the 12V power adapter.  (Velcro = good)

The Mygig Radio drops right into the same mounting as the original, leaving only to hook it up and turn it on for a test, which was successful!

The radio cut-out in the bezel needed to be enlarged since the Mygig radio is bigger than the original.  Took about an hour of patient work with a Dremel tool and sandpaper; here's the result.

I installed the microphone for the UConnect/Voice Recognition into the little pop-out insert between the air conditioner vents, the GPS antenna is sitting under the dash and on top of the air conditioned ducts using the same adhesive-backed Velcro I used for the Lockpick. Since the Mygig has a Sirius receiver built-in, I removed the receiver that came with the truck from under the left rear seat and using an extension cabled from Mr.CD1, connected the antenna directly to the radio.