(OT) Car stereo adoptor "thingie" ????

[generic.homeowner]

They sell some sort of device that you plug a portable MP3 into it, and that thing sends the music to a blank radio frequency so the mp3 player can be heard on the car radio.

What are these things called?

I'd like to get one, but dont have a clue what to shop for. I asked a guy in the electronics dept at Walmart and he could not figure out what I wanted. (Of course I didn't expect anyone with knowledge at Walmart), but thought I'd try. I suppose this is something to buy online, or maybe Radio Shack...

But first I need to know what they're called....

Thanks

[Mikepier]

MP3 FM modulator

[notbob]

"adapters"

Try googling for mp3 car adapters.

nb

[mike]

Go down to the local place that installs car stereos and ask them about an RF modulator. You may not wanna buy it there, but their advice may be helpful. I have several of these. NONE of them is worth a damn. If you live in the boonies, you may be fine. Here in the city, virtually every frequency is inhabited by a station. The modulator has to overpower that station. As you drive around, the radio station signal varies and you may have to switch frequencies to get a clear signal from your device at that location.

Big hassle...low quality sound. YMMV

[krw]

What you're looking for is a "modulator" or "FM modulator". Be warned that they don't work very well in large cities (too many FM stations) or on long trips (stations change). I'd like one that's tied directly into the antenna lead (so it would override any local station) but haven't found one yet.

About $7 from Deal Extreme or usually about $30 locally.

[George]

Why advocate that? Do you get paid at your job? Could you/would you work for free?

[Jim Elbrecht]

FM modulators [$10-20] plug into your cigg. lighter and send a signal to your radio. If you're in a rural area they work OK. Not so much where there are lots of stations and radio interference.

Auxiliary input adapters [$30-100] need to be powered, and you need to pull the radio far enough to plug into the antenna in the back. They work much better, IME.

If I didn't have a 2001 Impala that needed the factory radio for a bunch of stuff, I'd have bought a $40 stereo with a phono plug. [on my Impala you need to buy a $100 cable and route it to your trunk so the factory radio can continue to do whatever it does]

Jim

[Steve B]

Look at the face of your radio. Is there a 1/8" female plug? If so, this is usually the auxiliary input for a mp3. On mine, it has AUX right over the hole. You will need a double male 1/8" cord, which is just an earphone cord with a male plug on both ends. A buck at the dollar store.

Steve

[Steve B]

"Sjouke Burry" wrote

A workable solution is called a cable. Two male ends.

Steve

[Steve Barker]

not if your head unit doesn't have an input.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

I tried that one too. The sound wasn't bad, and it was more reliable than the FM modulator. . . but.

The tape played in my 2001 GM had an auto-eject feature. There was some procedure that took about 60 seconds every time you started the car that would bypass the auto eject feature. Then one day it just stopped working. I couldn't get the tape to stay in the player.

So check your car make/model/year to see what folks have tried that worked.

Jim

[Steve B]

It may not be on the face of the radio. In my son's car it's in the compartment under the arm rest between the driver and passenger seats.

With it placed in that location, there's no wire hanging out of the radio getting the way of his shifter (it's a manual).

When I use mine, it's like a cell phone. I plug it in the dash, and then I pay attention to my driving. There is no reason for it to be in the way, or for me to touch it except when I am stopped.

Look it over. Almost all audio devices have an in and out for external applications. They can be in a lot of configurations, but most have something. Yes, I have seen some that have nothing. But a one buck cord that is hardwired and has good fidelity to me is infinitely better than getting a FM transmitter of hazy quality sound.

As with everything, one size does not fit all. You just work with what you got.

Steve

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Here's one for $27- free shipping

FM-MOD02 Universal Audio Input FM Modulator

Yes. It is more discriminating than the transmitting FM modulators-- but the one I posted the link to has 2 stations you can switch between if a station interferes.

I'm in an area where the modulators are practically useless. I have to switch stations every 1/2 mile & sometimes none of the 3 will work. I haven't touched the Scosche one since I put it in.

One day I was in an area that started picking up a little interference, but it never got bad enough to make me switch stations.

Jim

[DerbyDad03]

....

All I was pointing out was that not all auxiliary inputs are on the face of the radio. Remember, it was you that said (twice) "Look at the face of your radio. Is there a 1/8" female plug?"

It could be in other locations besides the face of the radio.

I'm not sure why you're telling me that. I never made any comparison between input devices.

BTW...there is no such thing as a "female plug". Well, at least not in the electronics arena...well, unless it vibrates...Oh never mind.

Anyway...where was I? Oh yeah...what you probably meant was to look for a 1/8" *socket*, not a 1/8" plug. The plug will be on the cable, not on the radio.

[micky]

I feel like a competing snake oil saleman, but the one I pushed in other posts will transmit on any station on fthe FM dial. I use

107.1 or 106.9

Here's a lower prices url that I used.

including shipping No RCA inputs but no installat ion necesary either.

And it's more powerful even than the strong station I normally listen to. If the volume ln the modulator were turned all the way down, maybe it woudln't be strong enough, but the way it came out of hte packaging, it wasn't weak. I also turned it up a bit and turned down the radio volume just to get better fidelity.

[micky]

BTW, this modulator easily overpowers a strong FM station I usually listen to,

IF it doesn't, just turn up the volumn on the modulator and lower the volume on the radio. The volume is remembered from session to session. AFAIK, the only thing that isn't remembered is the frrequency.

but for convenience, I use a different station at the top of the dial which is empty. It takes one push of a button to go down one frequency notch.

I had a jupiter jack to use the car radio as a speaker phone for my cell phone, and it was weaker even than the weak stations that came in almost like static on the two frequencies provided. But the url above will work on any frequency on hte FM dial.

Despite KRW's experience with some other product, there is no need here to mess with the antenna.

Here's a much cheaper url for the one mikepier posted.

$5.50 including shipping.

[micky]

Or better yet, jack. :-)

[micky]

or so and it has mp3 marked on it why bother with all of that junk.

Probably because the OP doesn't have a radio made in the last 4 years.

computer and you can play songs for over 4 bloody hours. I do it all the time.

[micky]

I live in Baltimore, btw, lots of stations, but this device for 5.50 is stronger than any of them.

[Erin Marulli]

How's my what coming?