Onboard Audio

[CaptainAl]

Hi every1, whats the cheapest way of getting half decent sounds onboard my motorboat?
I've heard I can attach a car stereo straight into the 12v supply?
Cheers
Al

 

[fireball]

Yup - thats pretty much it!

 

[castaway]

Yup...And then stick all yer noise on ipod, plug into the front and Bobs mum's Bruv.

Regds Nick

 

[CaptainAl]

thanks guys, quick q, how do u connect an ipod to a cd car stereo ? ;o

 

[tangofour]

Some high end car equipment now come with iPod interfaces. Otherwise you get a low powered FM re-transmitter to send the iPod audio to an open part of the FM band that you can tune the radio to.

google 'ipod car transmitter' - there are hundreds

 

[aidancoughlan]

You need a Car Stereo that can accept an input jack - usually on the front of the stereo - this connects to the headphone output of the iPod etc. AFAIK.

ps. Does anyone know if PC 5.1 speakers can receive input from a car stereo - ie. use the creative/logitech/altec lansing 5.1 speakers instead of car speakers ? It Seems to me this would be more versatile - allow you to use them from a laptop for watching DVD's etc. And the sound should be quote good too.
I asked about connecting at Halfords and they said the voltage would be wrong, but didnt seem to be able to elaborate. Anybody know ?

 

[johnalison]

Please don't anchor anywhere near us.

 

[aidancoughlan]

coming alongside...

 

[oldsaltoz]

Before you insall a boom boom box radio cum ipod (That's DOPI backwards) make sure it is the type that will loose all the station tuning when you turn the isolator to off when leaving the boat. Most automotive ones will will forget the station tining.

You can use a pushpit stauntion through bolt as an antenna.

Andavagoodweekend...... /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[CaptainAl]

thanks for all the replies every1 its made it clearer for me.

with regards to the antenna - what's a pushpit stauntion through bolt?

Cheers!

 

[oldsaltoz]

[ QUOTE ]
with regards to the antenna - what's a pushpit stanchion through bolt?

Cheers!

[/ QUOTE ]

A Pushpit is the rail you see around the cockpit on the yacht, the rail at the bow is called a Pulpit. Both are secured to the deck by a series or upright rails called stanchions, these have 2 or more bolts securing them that in most cases pass through the hull with a thread and nut on the inside, connecting a wire from the radio antenna outlet to one of the nuts makes the railing an antenna.

Your Bio has no information about type of boat so I have assumed you are a rag and sting not a stinkpot.

PS. Welcome to the forums, I see this is your 5th post.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[mikefleetwood]

Someone asked earlier about using different speakers with the car stereo set-up. Two things to be aware of:

1. Impedance - the stereo will expect to see speakers of 4-8 Ohms (often written as 4R or 8R). Anything lower could damage it, while higher impedances will not develop the power so will not be loud enough. Words on the box will probably give the actual speaker impedances expected.

2. Power rating - this is how much power the speakers will handle without damage, and hence how "loud" they can go. Beware, most PC speakers seem to have rather optimistic power ratings (in my opinion) and may be damaged by lower power than you expect! Look for "RMS" power - at least that means something - "PMPO", etc seems to be 4 times the actual power rating.

Another thing - you don't want self-powered speakers (either battery or mains), unless, perhaps you are mounting them remotely.

There's no reason why you can't use "Hi-Fi" speakers, as long as you keep them dry(!). But watch out, better quality of sound is usually at the expense of efficiency - need mor power for the same sound level.

I hope this makes sense, and is of use to someone.

 

[kingfisher]

I just bought a car radio at the local B&Q (bunch of them on a palet next to the cashier) with a USB-in for 100€. So you can attach your i-pod and it will charge it as well. Or use the free 1GB USB stick I got with the radio.

It also has a remote, which is one of the things I sought. I can now control the radio from the cockpit. The remote is the size of a credit card and is kept in a thermally sealed plastic bag, so it can be soaked.

Sony does the same:
http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProduct.a...y=ICA+CD+Tuners

An I-pod with an fm-transmitter is great when chartering: in the evening, the radio plays, with the i-pod outside on the table, so easy to change tune. Get a FM-transmitter that hooks up with just the head-phone jack, and that has a seperate battery. That way you can also attach it to other equipment. Such as a laptop when playing DVD's.

Computer 5.1 speakers: have played with the idea as well, because they are getting better and better. BUT:
1) they are designed for a specific soundscape: boom bang bang. Not symphonic music. But some are good
2) also look at the inputs: some have 3 jacks (front, back, subwoofer), others 2. How do you port that to the car stereo? Also difficult to wire: my pc system, all goes to the subwoofer (line and power) and the you split to the sattelite speakers.

I would buy 4 seperate speakers: 2 normal (cabin) 2 waterproof (cockpit). The cockpit ones are hooked to the rear output. So with the fader controls you can decide to activite either inside our outside or both.

Get a car radio that can read MP3s on CD. SO you can put 200+ songs on one CD.

ooh, by the way, don't install your speaker next to your compass. I heard that that is not a good idea. Ahum.

 

[CaptainAl]

wow, thanks for all the responses, i'm full of ideas now!!

btw if ive got a colvic northener motorboat does that make me a "rag and sting" or a "stinkpot". ?? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[castaway]

[ QUOTE ]
btw if ive got a colvic northener motorboat does that make me a "rag and sting" or a "stinkpot". ??

[/ QUOTE ]


Stickpot...So now no one will want to talk to you any more!!

Only joking off course...

 

[Chris_Robb]

But the quality of MP3 is sooo crap - how can you listen to it. not enough kbps's !!! Classical music is so thin, as to be not listenable to!