Listen MP3 player thru a car radio

byron

byron

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Horror of horrors. I have just changed my Jeep Cherokee for a Jaguar X type estate. There's no tape player in the Jag so I can't listen to my MP3 player using one of those cheap but excellent tape to MP3 things. I tried to use one of those gadgets you plug into the cigarette lighter but it is useless. Firstly it protrudes too far and gets in the way, secondly sooner or later some radio station or other drifts in and I lose the MP3 signal.

Has anyone got a solution? Replacing the radio with one that has an MP3 take-off is a far too expensive option indeed even removing the radio would be a mammoth task involving stripping down the dashboard.

I am at a loss as what to do. For now I am driving with ear plugs in but this isn't really satisfactory.

Any suggestions appreciated.
 
Yup,

You want one of these.

Seem to work, I don't think they were legal when they first came out as you were broadcasting a radio signal, but I THINK that's changed...
 
I think he has alreay tried one of those which is why he said about a radio station drifting in at some point.

As its a Jaguar it will probably have Ford Mondeo bits underneath (as do most Jags/Range Rovers/Landrovers - My Range Rover has the same switch gear as a Ford Transit!).

The radios fitted in these often have an MP3 player socket fitted either as standard or as an option. If yours doesn't have one (have you looked inside the glovebox or at the rear of the transmission tunnel by the vents for the rear passengers for a socket marked "AUX") you may be able to pick up the wiring behind the dashboard (or get a car audio specialist to do it)

Martin
 
I would have said FM tuner as well - how is a radio station drifting in on the channel? Possible the current FM tuner is duff?? Otherwise look for a frequency well away from any other radio stations and set it on that??
 
Halfords do a Radio with CD and aux out Ipod socket for £50, they fit while you wait as well or Haynes in Wallingford (round old Habitat site) are very helpfull in finding a fix for that sort of thing.
 
Fantasie 19 said:
I would have said FM tuner as well - how is a radio station drifting in on the channel? Possible the current FM tuner is duff?? Otherwise look for a frequency well away from any other radio stations and set it on that??
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They work very well, but if you're travelling a long distance, which I often do, you very soon come into range of a station that is using the frequency that you've tuned to.
Fine around town but, on a long journey, completely useless.
 
Chris_d said:
Halfords do a Radio with CD and aux out Ipod socket for £50, they fit while you wait as well or Haynes in Wallingford (round old Habitat site) are very helpfull in finding a fix for that sort of thing.
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I know Haynes very well under their former owners they were just about the best car electrics specialists in the UK. They are more generalised now and live off servicing and sales also they are frightfully expensive to deal with.
Knowing how hard it will be to remove and replace a radio in an X type (I looked up directions) I really don't see how they will be able to do mine "while I wait" so I guess that leaves Halfords out of the equation.
 
Well, I have one of these and it works pretty good.

http://www.iworld.co.uk/p/Griffin_iTrip_with_Dock_Connector_-_Black.htm

Unfortunately, it only works with an iPod, but knowing your predilection for new toys that shouldn't present too much of a problem - in fact a nice new iPod Touch or even an iPhone would bring so much more to your life ! :D

I even managed to give Brayman the Elbow with mine :D :D
 
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That looks pretty cool Tony as it by-passes the projection from a fag lighter. Actually I use an Ipod Shuffle but I do have an Ipod in my odds and sods box. I guess it is available from other firms because I have fallen foul of Iworld before. I wouldn't trust Iworld any more than I would trust a Pikey with my wallet.
I have read reviews on Amazon about this (Cheaper than Iworld) and many of them are quite unfavourable.
 
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I use a Griffin iTrip with smartscan. It suggests a clearish frequency. I use the preset function rather than retune the radio - a have a preset on the radio. Works much better than a previous connector.

I usually have the ipod in the car when on my own - to save having wires everywhere I plug it into the socket in the back and have the wire come between the front seats and have the ipod on the seat where I can easily skip a tune - on shuffle mostly.
 
The radio thingy's are pants, I tried a few.

See Ebay, to see if there is a used compatible upgrade item, otherwise change the whole set.
 
Ideal Solution

Not exactly helpful if you have a Jag but....


I just took delivery of a new Prius 2010 model.

The iphone syncs perfectly with the car for phone/address books and streams stereo music via bluetooth to the car audio sysyem.

Having signed up to Spotify I am in heaven! Over 1000 tracks now reside on the iphone, and they play perfectly on the Prius audio system with no cables. It even mutes when you recieve/make a call.
 
I hesitate -

byron said:
Any suggestions appreciated.
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to make this suggestion as it is a bit oblique, and that is most new aftermarket car radios have CD players and they can play MP3s.

So I wonder if your car radio (if it has a CD player) can play them? A quick look at the instruction manual might indicate.
OK you'd have to copy your songs to CD, but that's less effort than fannying about with wires.

Sorry if it's a non starter....
 
How Much?

byron said:
Transfer a 1GB audio book from mp3 to CD - ouch. QUOTE]

Ouch, I've got loads of LPs converted to high quality MP3 (96 kbps) and they're about 65 meg. each. Speech - methinks - could be compressed down to 32 K and would be smaller, so I've obviously missed a trick.

Sorry to have wasted your time.
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