[OT] Playing mp3s in the car

[charles]

If you've got a properly installed aerial, then your "little transmitter" is the wrong side of the tin box (known as the car body).

[News]

In message , Jonno writes

Hmm. Our aerial is within the rear window, I think.

[News]

In message , Mike Tomlinson writes

Crikey. At that price, it must be worth a punt, even if it needs a bit of tape to fit securely. I can't believe all that for less than four quid including postage.

I'll try removing the existing radio first, but if that reveals a can of worms, the little mp3 player is the way to go.

[Bob Eager]

True...but I have the radio antenna embedded in a static side window. So it works well inside the car too.

The GPS in the phone wipes out completely though. I have to use a repeater.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Aren't most mono only on the FM side?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

IIRC, Halfords do the removal tools. Basically a loop of wire. A couple of slim screwdrivers will work - move each side out a little until the catch disengages. There's usually enough movement in the carrier to allow the unit to twist slightly.

[Bill]

Not, on a good day, in my Octavia (measured, not calculated, across Wales and back). It, of course, depends on luck with traffic lights and steady speed plus, probably, having a pre-particulate filter car. I reckon £18 for 200 miles.

The radio in the Disco plays mp3's off CD's, usb and SD cards and cost

19.99 from the Aldi remainder bin.

[ARW]

Not with a tank full of red:-)

[Cursitor Doom]

But it will be physically so close to the radio/cassette unit it won't need to rely on any antenna; it will couple straight through to the unit's PCB's RF input stage via induction.

[charles]

depends on how well screened the radio is. Most that I've seen are in totally enclosed metal case - except where the control wiring exits

[Andy Burns]

well, I thought they might be mono only, spent a minute or two searching and seems they do offer stereo nowadays ...

[Cursitor Doom]

Yep, totally enclosed in a metal case that resembles a cheese grater; nowhere near RF-tight.

[Tim Watts]

I have one of these:

Not hugely expensive at £75 and will do bluetooth and has a USB slot. Removable front panel.

I have one and it is pretty good (only fault is it cannot handle playlists). I stuck one of these in:

which is such a tiny stick it becomes part of the unit.

I'm thinking if you have a "traditional" (ie single DIN) radio/cassette, that ought to be a simple straight swap (as opposed to modern cars that want to wire the radio into the CANBUS and don't have simple things like ignition-live-wires at the back of the radio.

Anyway - I totally recommend the unit above - plays nicely, and plenty of power.

[Tim Watts]

Don't go there. I tried that once - bloody useless things. Subject to horrible drop outs and always needing to retune as the available free channels shift while you drive.

[Tim Watts]

But in practise, very very crap...

[Dave Liquorice]

Late to the long thread that I ain't about to read...

Do you have a battery device that can play MP3's like a phone, might not have to be a "smart" phone? If not MP3 players are cheap, but get one with a display so you can navigate tracks/albums.

Around a fiver, ceratinly less than a tenner from Amazon.

For example:

8GB 8GB

Wonder which is knocking the other off?

Connection into the car system cheapest and most reliable option is a "cassette adpater". This a cassette housing with a flying lead and

3.5 mm plug that goes into the headphone socket on the player. My last one wore out after a good few years, latest was

[DJC]

I have one of these:

Work well enough for the price, just need to find an unused fM frequency on the radio and tune it to that.

[rick]

Not sure if mentioned I have a small Belkin unit that converts my MP3 player into FM signal you chooses an unused part of FM band ... tune both to it and it works fine.

Its called a TuneCast ............also have a spare one if someone wants to buy one cheap

[News]

In message , rick writes

That is exactly the route I was planning to take, until the price of a complete radio, with sockets, was pointed out, here. Radio and adaptors purchased, installed and working all for less than thirty quid. Bargain.

Have not actually tried it on a real journey yet, because we do so few miles. Latest MOT cert says just over 10k miles over the last four years, but at least half of that is journeys down south to see family,

500+ miles each way. Being a peasant, I would happily let R2 babble away in the background, but family want a choice :-)

[ARW]

And R2 has Sally Traffic.