An old fangled man in a new fangled world

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 01/23/2020 at 10:02 • Filed to: None

4

44

I ponied up for a Spotify premium account for my family for Christmas. I gotta say, I’m really digging it. But that also means that I need to be able to play BT music in my 17-ye ar-old van. Problem solved.

Tripper > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:11

0

Super easy radio install if you wanted a BT head unit. It would give you the benefit of hands free calls in addition to using your cars speakers. An entry level head unit is probably $50.

Full disclosure I did the exact same thing (speaker on dash) in the 02 so my wife could listen to a podcast on our way to a wedding.

CalzoneGolem > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:12

1

facw > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:12

2

I have a Grom Audio adapter for BT in my car. I’m sure it cost a good deal more than your solution, but it is really, really nice to be able to use the steering wheel controls for playback/volume/calls. This one is supposed to do the same for an ‘03 Odyssey: https://gromaudio.com/store/bt3_adapters/honda-acura-91-05-bluetooth-adapter-car-kit-interface.html

someassemblyrequired > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:12

3

You need one of these - $13 :

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XHQ88V3/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_oEBkEbP3KVNBP

ttyymmnn > Tripper 01/23/2020 at 10:13

1

I’ve got a newer Pioneer CD player in the van, and it hooks to an iPod in the glove box. So I don’t really want to give up that functionality. It has an AUX cable in, but the phone/charging adapter I bought is garbage. 

ttyymmnn > CalzoneGolem 01/23/2020 at 10:14

2

The van has CD, but no cassette. I’m not THAT old fangled. 

ttyymmnn > facw 01/23/2020 at 10:15

1

Thanks, but I’ll probably just stick with my BT speaker. At least for now. Not sure how much longer we’ll have this van. That said, I don’t want to get rid of it. I can’t stand the new ones.

ttyymmnn > someassemblyrequired 01/23/2020 at 10:16

0

I’ll check it out. Thanks!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:19

0

How is that secured?  In a crash, that things gonna cave in your head!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:22

1

I’ve been trying to figure out what will be a good Bluetooth speaker to put in the Ford, as its radio opening is currently occupied by a cover, and it isn’t standard format anyway. It’s a high-trim car that wasn’t ordered with a radio... so no wiring, no speaker.

F ortunately (?) there are mount points under the edge of the dash to mount A/C (if fitted), so all I have to do is make mounts for a speaker that will bolt to those and it’s a bolt-in solution.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:25

1

Believe it or not my T&C only has a CD player as well.

I never once believed that a CD player/FM combo unit would be the second w orst kind of head unit to ever have in a car. With tape cassettes you can at least use one of these Bluetooth things to get a drop in replacement, and newer cars have auxiliary jacks...

That’s what I get for growing up for when CDs were in vogue and USB-based MP3 players were still exotic.

ttyymmnn > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 10:28

1

I’m trusting to Newton that if I hit something it will continue forward. 

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:29

0

Once you’ve listened to some music through it check out your weekly discovery playlist. I was AMAZED at how well it gauged my taste in music. Spooky but that’s why I keep paying for it. It was recommending me songs I already loved (as well as new ones I came to love, were in my top most played for the year) that I hadn’t even listened to on my phone yet. For example I think Raekwon’s “Only built 4 Cuban linx... ” is one of the best rap albums ever even if it’s kinda obscure for non wu-tang people. I had never listened to it on my phone and Spotify kept recommending my fave tracks from it.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:33

0

Stuff tends to bounce around a bit, but as long as you feel safe!

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:38

0

You could mount if with a few of these. Would probably keep it secure enough

https://www.amazon.com/AutoBoxClub-Fastlane-Mounting-Reclosable-Fastener/dp/B01N5EH7R9/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=ez+pass+velcro+strips+with+adhesive&qid=1579793895&sr=8-5

CobraJoe > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:44

0

If you have an AUX port, you can use one of these bluetooth adapters. I have one in my truck, and it’s great to be able to leave the phone in my pocket and just hit play for it to continue where I left off.

If you don’t have an AUX port, and don’t trust FM transmitters, I think there are some that plug in to the antenna port on the back of the radio, but I have no experience with those.  

Textured Soy Protein > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:46

1

Every time I see this “solution” I hate it. 

ttyymmnn > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 01/23/2020 at 10:49

1

Yeah, their algorithms are pretty damned good. They’ve got me pegged for the most part. 

ttyymmnn > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 01/23/2020 at 10:51

0

Probably, but I want to bring it inside. I listen to it when I’m doing the dishes. 

ttyymmnn > CobraJoe 01/23/2020 at 10:52

0

I do have an AUX port, but I didn’t want to have to keep bringing the dongle in to charge it. That said, it’s really no different from bringing the speaker inside to charge it. 

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein 01/23/2020 at 10:52

1

To be fair, I should have said “Problem kludged.” 

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:53

1

My 18-year-old car has a cassette player! But also a 6-disc in the trunk.

I use a cig lighter adaptor...er, sorry, “12 volt adaptor” for my Bluetooth and it works ok. But it never shuts off because my 12v is constant. I usually have to go through re-pairing each time I start/stop the car. But hey, plenty of BT adaptors for under $10 on Amazon.

CobraJoe > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:55

1

That might be the greatest part of the one I linked, it stays plugged in, so no charging is needed.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 10:57

1

Well, this stuff is just really strong velcro.  You could just un-velcro it and bring it inside with you.  

ttyymmnn > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 01/23/2020 at 10:59

1

Sorry, I thought it was just two-sided tape. Got it. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 11:06

1

Or, tape adapte r lyfe if you got one. Worse sound quality but pretty easy to use

someassemblyrequired > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 11:16

1

Yeah, if the FM band isn’t too crowded they’re alright. They have others with more buttons for a few bucks more.

If you have a cassette player, the old tape adaptors are still the way to go.

functionoverfashion > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 11:32

1

I do this in my old truck because there is not only no sound system, there isn’t even a hole in the dash for one. I’ve thought about going full-stealth with speakers under the seat, driven by a simple amp, connected via bluetooth receiver to my phone. I did that in my ‘72 Ford, it worked great. For whatever reason, I haven’t gone there on the ‘61. Bluetooth speakers have come a long way, for one. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 11:48

1

I do exactly the same thing. Pay no mind to these obsessors.

smobgirl > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 11:53

1

When I was in college I briefly drove my mom’s Caprice, which had a hole for a radio. I wasn’t allowed to fix it so I had a stack of cassettes (in the early 2000s) and a boom box buckled in the passenger seat.

Wha I’m saying is, you have a very elegant solution here. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 11:55

0

I was listening to mine on the way to work this morning. I’m going to use this solution in the Vic. The Velcro I’m using is very serious stuff; don’t scrimp. Sound quality on this could be better, but it ain’t bad.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 01/23/2020 at 11:55

0

I get irritated quickly by that feature owing to the broad variety of music that I listen to.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 11:57

1

I’ve tried this route and I hated it . Likelihood is that even if you can find an FM station that isn’t already occupied, the sound quality will be poor .

Current solution is a good solution.

zipfuel > Textured Soy Protein 01/23/2020 at 11:59

0

It’s entirely possible that the sound quality from that i s better than the stereo, my old Focus was a terrible p lace to listen to new music

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 01/23/2020 at 12:01

0

Bose has some offerings, though most everything I’ve heard from any manufacturer tends to be heavy on the lows. I like listening in the car, but I do not like fooling with head units and all of that. What I will always  do is when I purchase a newer car, replace the factory speakers with decent two-ways from Kenwood or Alpine or whatever.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/23/2020 at 12:01

0

There’s that.

Thomas Donohue > someassemblyrequired 01/23/2020 at 12:36

0

+1

Mine works surprisingly well in the old Touareg, which has the antenna in the rear of the truck.

ttyymmnn > someassemblyrequired 01/23/2020 at 13:45

0

No cassette. 

ttyymmnn > smobgirl 01/23/2020 at 13:49

0

I drove a work van way way back in the day that had a broken radio. So we bungied an old boom box to the dash. Worked great.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/23/2020 at 13:50

0

Probably not going to bother with the velcro. This solution is mostly just for longer drives downtown, not for quick runs to school and back. 

ttyymmnn > zipfuel 01/23/2020 at 13:52

1

Stereo in the van actually sounds pretty good for its age. When we go on long drives, we continue the jury rigging system by having the boys watch movies on a laptop, with the sound going from the laptop out to the AUX hole on the car stereo. It’s a bit staticky, but they can hear it a lot better. Unfortunately, my wife and I are forced to listen to it too. 

ttyymmnn > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/23/2020 at 13:54

0

I used a tape adapter in my 88 Fox with my Discman and my 01 Golf with my first iPods. In fact, this speaker was originally purchased for the Golf when my third tape adapter croaked. Then my Golf got totaled by a drunk. :(

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 01/23/2020 at 13:59

0

The daily mixes are better for variety. Agreed it’s annoying when I want to discover 80’s music or indie stuff, but Spotify decides all I want to listen to is rap 

zipfuel > ttyymmnn 01/23/2020 at 22:51

1

I wish my aux port still worked, when we changed the battery on my VW I think the radio reverted to basic mode and forgot it had one....