PAC Audio TL-PTG2 Review – Tone Generator and Speaker Polarity Tester
The Pac Audio TL-PTG2 is a tone generator and Polarity tester that is primarily used in the car audio field. There is a pretty hefty list as to how many features there are packed into this little piece of technology and we use all of them!
To start, the PAC audio TL-PTG2 is a must-have tool for car audio installers around the world. We use them for a lot of different reasons in the field, the cool thing is that they are very reasonably priced and they last for a really long time. To be honest, id still buy them if they only lasted for a few months.
I’ve noticed that most people don’t use all of the TL-PTG2 features, probably because they haven’t been told about all of them. With that said, we will be diving deep into the features with a pretty wholesome explanation of the features so we can fully express why this tone generator and polarity tester is so important.
- Polarity testing
- RCA testing
- Speaker toning
- Speaker toning through amplifier
- Amplifier RCA testing
- RCA continuity testing
Polarity Testing
There are 3 wires coming from the front of the PAC unit that allows for a few different actions to be done. The 2 wires with the alligator clips are used for 2 different things, the most common function is for testing polarity.
Testing for polarity can be done at a few different points in the car and for a few different reasons. Our main reason for using polarity tests is for finding proper polarity on factory speaker wires. Most installers use this feature multiple times a day.
Frequency Testing
While your Red and Black alligator probes are connected to your speaker input wire you can check the frequency response as well. We use this feature to determine what frequencies a speaker can reproduce. The Pac Audio Tone generator covers frequencies from 13Hz to 10Khz. This allows you to check Subwoofers, Mid-range woofers, and tweeters.
My favorite reason to use this is to find out whether or not there is a hidden tweeter or any other speaker in the vehicle that is somehow dedicated to a certain frequency range.
Testing RCA Input
Testing RCA inputs have to be one of the most overlooked features of this PAC module ever! I can’t tell you how many times I have fixed installs from other shops or installs that have been done by customers at home by simply using the RCA testing feature on this unit.
It’s pretty easy too. I generally detach the RCA from behind the radio and connect a “female to female” RCA connector to the single RCA wire that comes connected to the PAC Audio TL-PTG2 and plug the open end into the RCA wires coming from the back of the radio. Turn on the frequency option and tone the speakers. This feature works full range, so with subwoofer amplifiers and with standard full range amps as well.
Testing RCA Wires
At the very top of the Pac Audio TL-PTG2 there are two female RCA input tabs. What you will do is plug one end of the rca to one tab and the other end into the other tab. Press the “On” button and you’ll hear a high-pitched tone. This tone lets you know there is continuity on both ends, which means you the RCA wire works.
Alternatively, if you are troubleshooting a “no-sound” issue from a vehicle with an amplifier you can connect the Pac module behind the radio and keep the RCA wires plugged into the Amplifier. Turn the Amplifier on and tone the amplifier. Sometimes I use this to check to see if the amplifier’s RCA inputs are working properly.
Tone Generator Hacks
Lets go over a list of things we use the PAC Tone generator for. Ill go a step further and make it pretty short and sweet by listing the top thing we use this module for.
4 Channel Amplifier Installation (while retaining the factory radio)
This is literally our top use for this tool! What we do is use this tool to find the factory speaker wires behind the radio so that we don’t have to remove each speaker (if we aren’t replacing the factory speakers).
Start by removing your factory radio and referring to your speaker wire diagram and finding each speaker wire pair. When you find that pair, use the speaker wire polarity tester and pop them. You’ve just verified that the wires are correct and you’ve verified the location of that speaker.
Final Thoughts On the PAC Audio TL-PTG2
As we said before, we use this module at least 5 times a day. We use it for troubleshooting and installations, its definitely a must-have for any installer whether you work in a shop or you are a weekend warrior. By the way, we added this PAC module to our amplifier troubleshooting guide as well as our installation resource page. This product is as important as a multi meter or a drill, its essential.
