The Mule is cool, but it’s even cooler with a stereo. It is hard to find a stereo for the Mule, it needs to be shock, water resistant and as compact as possible. So we went searching and one radio stood out, it was the Fusion MS-RA200. It is compact, has a host of features and best of all controls an iPod. The unit is easy to control even with gloves on. The Mule 610 is small and has very limited dash area, so I had to custom fabricate a bracket to mount it in the glove compartment and I can still use half of the glove compartment. The radio is just shy of 4″ deep and the face plate is 6-3/16″ x 2-11/16″. It is very compact and can be installed just about anywhere.
It has a dual zone, which allows is you to have 2 different volume zones. So if you have a boat you have volume control for the cabin and out on deck. It pumps out 200Watts, 50 watts x 4. It has FM, AM, Sirius capable (Requires Sirius Tuner) and also receives VHF channels. However it unfortunately does not have a weather band. Basically you plug in your iPod via the USB connector on the back of the radio and the unit controls all of your functions. The connection was a bit temperamental, sometimes it would work and other times it wouldn’t. The song and artist is displayed on the screen. The stereo is quite clear and overall the sound quality is good. For a boat the unit can handle up to 3 Fusion remotes and the unit has a 3 year warranty.
UPDATE – 2-20-12 – We have removed the Fusion from the Mule and are in the process of installing a Jensen JHD910BTK – Stay Tuned.
