Installing MP3 Player / Cell Phone

AR Dave · Post by **AR Dave** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 5:38 pm

My wife, family, & I, absolutely have loved our CD Stereo over the years. Especially when flying 4 hrs over Alaskan Wilderness. It really helps when we are getting bounced around and my wife is trying to shut everything out. Now I'm cruising over the Ozarks listening to Alison Krause. With that said, it's time for a remodel. CD's and my wonderful late 90's Sony Stereo are obsolete. There is no reason to have the extra weight or panel space taken up anymore, however I did enjoy listening to the football game on the way back from Reklaw.

Here's what I'm getting at - We need to write up a procedure on how to hook up these MP3 players into our headphones, if that's the best way to go now days. I barely know what they are, but my kids have 1000 songs loaded on them (literally). The unit is the size of a piece of chewing gum and apparently you just plug them in or something. Anyone have expertise on this?
My stereo plays music through the innercom into all four headphones, but mutes when the comm radio speaks. I can switch it so that the passengers continue to hear music, while I'm listening to the comm.

How would one go about installing an MP3 player into our sound system?

Also, along those lines - what would it take to hook a Cell Phone directly into our headphones?

doug8082a · Post by **doug8082a** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 6:03 pm

Are you takling about hardwiring this somehow? How is your current CD player hooked up - sounds like it is installed in the panel(?).

FWIW, My Signtronics intercom has an external music jack that you use to connect to the headphone jack on an external device. I imagine it doesn't matter whether it's an MP3 or a walkman - just plug it in and play.

CraigH · Post by **CraigH** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 6:08 pm

Dave,
What type of intercom do you have? Many have wiring for an input jack that you can plug any music source (mp3 player, portable CD player, etc) into.

I recently installed a Sigtronics SCI-S4 into 3477D. It has TWO stereo inputs. That way, you can mount one in the front, and the kids can listen to their own music in the back seat.

The music sources are connected through a standard cable that can be picked up at Radio Shack or any other audio/video store. Just ask for either a 1' or 6' shielded stereo audio cable.

I'm guessing your kids have a new Ipod Nano? Works great - the size of a pack of Dentyne and holds 1000 songs.

AR Dave · Post by **AR Dave** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 7:37 pm

That was sure quick! I've got this one - PS Engineering, Panel, 4 place.
Yes the Stereo is in the panel. I'm not much on portable stuff.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/a ... pm1000.php
Hey, I added an addition to this post - installing cell phone.

CraigH · Post by **CraigH** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 8:16 pm

Dave,
I had that same intercom in my TriPacer. It has a separate audio input jack as well. All you've got to do is wire up an input jack to your panel.

N8293A · Post by **N8293A** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 9:36 pm

Dave
I have an intercom with the external audio input. I recently purchased an inexpensive MP3 player (RCA Lyra), it costs around $60.00 and holds about three hours worth of music on its internal memory, but also has a slot for an SD Media card to triple that capacity. A simple inexpensive solution. After trying to use it though I realized the unit didn't have enough power to make it useful. A friend of mine then suggested and built a small amplifier to boost the audio (about $30.00) and make the unit worth flying with. The only draw backs are, the tangle of cords, the size of the amplifier, (3 inches tall by 5 inches long, with an on/off switch, and two volume knobs), the need to remember to turn the amplifier off, it runs on a 9V battery, and the sound quality doesn't seem to be all that great, but it beats not having anything and it was less than $100.00. Maybe the more expensive, better quality, MP3's would work better, but I would try to borrow a friends first to see if there is enough audio output to make it worth while. As for cell phones alot of the newer generation headsets include a jack in the earcup to connect your cell phone. This works really well, I have had several occasions were a last minute call to FSS, or a realitive was made from the cockpit and the audio was just like talking over the aircrafts radio. Of course this was always done on the ground

never airborne

.

Steve
N8293A

AR Dave · Post by **AR Dave** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:46 pm

Wow! This is great info - Someone tell my wife that I'll need that Boise Headset now!

I'm looking forward to getting home to see what I've got to work with.

Kyle, I once was able to use my Bag Cell Phone, while flying, to call my instructor when the tailwheel fell off. I hadn't ever done a wheel landing before that. I would really like to have clear cell phone use -

russfarris · Post by **russfarris** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 5:47 am

As long as we're on the subject of in-flight entertainment, I recently got XM Radio (satellite.) I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner - I was so impressed I got another unit for the house. Something like over 160 channels of every
concievable programming (remembering the line from the "Blues Brothers" movie, "We have both kinds of music; Country AND Western!") One of my favorite channels is movie soundtracks - great stuff! Fox news, CNN, weather, sports, jazz, oldies, my favorite talk show guy G. Gordon Liddy, ad infinitum- go to the XM web site to see the full lineup.

The reciever is the Roady 2, by Delphi - I picked mine up at Target for 50.00 bucks. The service is 12.95 a month, cheaper if you buy a year or more. That's for one reciever. For two to five more it's another 4.00 a month. Worth every penny! The unit easily moves from your car, boat, house or plane.

How to use in your 170 - The Roady 2 is a little thing, about the size of a small Walkman. Just plug the audio output into your music jack on the intercom, just like a CD/MP3. The antenna is a tiny black affair, about one inch square with a magnetic base. It needs to be outside of the airframe. No problem; I mounted it on top of the fillet by the flap on the right wing. I used a large steel washer under the aluminum for the magnet to grab. It's very secure. Running the wire through the top rear corner of the door opening into the cabin, I stuffed it between the headliner and the door frame. Since it's not a permanent installation it should be legal

Of course, the instructions state that it's not to be used in an aircraft - ha, ha. The smell of the lawyers is all over this.

Shows you where our tort system has gotten us, but I digress. I love my XM Radio - Sirius is also supposed to be very good. Russ Farris

russfarris · Post by **russfarris** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 5:53 am

OR, you could buy the new Garmin 396 - the weather uplink uses the XM satellite system, and it gets all the radio programming as well, if you have an extra 2,500 bucks burning a hole in your pocket...Russ Farris

Curtis Brown · Post by **Curtis Brown** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:28 pm

I recently installed a Sigtronics SCI-S4 into 3477D. It has TWO stereo inputs. That way, you can mount one in the front, and the kids can listen to their own music in the back seat.

That's a nice looking unit... what is the cost?

CraigH · Post by **CraigH** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:39 pm

Curtis Brown wrote:That's a nice looking unit... what is the cost?

$450 through AC Spruce

kloz · Post by **kloz** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:47 pm

If you want to listen to music it can be done cheaper, but not as good as the intercom input. Just make up a jumper to go from your MP3 output jack to you co-pilot mike input. It is quick and not attached to your plane anymore than a headset. No paper work needed.

CraigH · Post by **CraigH** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:19 pm

This 4 place stereo intercom also has a music input and is somewhat less expensive. Had the 2 place version in my 7GCBC and it worked well. Runs about $289.

When hauling my teenage daughter and her friends around, I kinda like the Pilot / Cockpit isolate feature in the intercom I have now.

alaskan99669 · Post by **alaskan99669** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 11:02 pm

Here is the simple $100 model from Sporty's that just plugs-in where your headset goes, then your headset plugs-in to it. It works out the box with Motorola's cell phones. They sell a $10 adapter for Nokia cell phones. Radio Shack has the cord for your MP3 player. The best feature about it is the portability between planes.

http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm ... 5&Pcount=6

Dave Clark · Post by **Dave Clark** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 1:32 pm

And here I thought the airplane was the one place I can get away from the blankety blank phone. Went to a movie yessterday and two cell phone calls came in for them that left theirs on. How rude.

That said there have been times when it would have been handy to make a call enroute....