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i dont know if anyone ahs noticed this before. I had a xda 1 and the o2 car kit. i fitted a switch on the radio mute, and wired the kit,s speaker jacks into my stereo,s aux input. this allowed me to listen to wmp, or any other app. Then i bought an xda2 and everything went wrong. so i decided to try sort it out.
My plan was to modify the car kit to accept the phone, and cut out a notch so that i could use the headset, and cut it up and wire it direct to my stereo,s aux input.
however, after i did the cradle mods, i had the phone sitting in, testing it. At this stage my kit was still wired as per my xda1. The phone works fine, including mute. Then, i tried wmp. As reported , there was no sound. I then plugged in my headset, whilst the xda was in the cradle, and IT WORKED!. Sound from the wmp went out via the car kit and into my aux input! I Bought a new2.5 jack, with no wires, and i just insert it, before cradling the phone and i have the exact same functionality as the xda1!...its really kool, as my Haicom gps works fine too. I havent tested Fonix, ie., does the mic work before u activate the phone, but im hopeful.
Now, my final problem is the charging issue, and id appreciate advice. My proposal is: to purchase an appropiate universal lapto car power adaptor,
To purchase a 9 pin lead, which will sit between the carkit and the cradle lead. Then all i have to do is patch the power adaptor into the 9 pin lead, deleting the original power. Will this work, and what size power adaptor will i need [v/curent], and whats the wiring mod?........id love to know if the headphone jack trick works on all kits/.....it may be posssible to buy and modify a jack plug so that it fits in wiyhout modifing the car kit....
N
re the charging issue
ok..ive read all posts concerning this issue and there appears to be some confusion....can the original xda car kit supply enough current to satisfy an xda11 and wired haicom gps. Some posts imply that there is a wiring difference which makes the unit appear to be charging whilst there not, whilst some posts say its because the original unit can only supply 1 amp.......can someone please advise?
I gues you have to get the 2.5mm plug out when you leave the car in order to use the mic/speaker?
charging issue
ive just tried the unit in the car, both with and without the haicom connected. both times it said it was charging, but both times the battery level actually fell.....this indicates that there is a wiring difference between XDA2, in the charging cct. funny thing though is that the xda2 charged using a cheap cigarette lighter type charging lead....can anyone explain this?
must be the charging circuit. I found that even a 400mA charger is enough to charge the Himalaya.
My XDA II Car kit has a jack plug on the bottom, but if I use that no sound comes out. I'm assuming this takes audio out from the 22pin connector at the bottom of the XDA II.
When you say you've plugged a 2.5mm jack into your XDA you mean the socket on the actual XDA itself right? And that enables audio through the 22pin connector or does it just output audio through the jack?
My problem is now that I'm going to have to rip my (very expensive when I bought it) XDA II Car kit to pieces to put a 2.5mm jack into the bottom of the phone when it's in the car kit!
Is there nothing at all that anyone's got to force the XDA out of in-car mode or anything or is that completely hard-wired?
God this is annoying! Why is there always something wrong, even with the coolest gadget in the world!
I have the same problem.
It used to work with rom 1.03 (as I remember) but after an upgrade, the sound from MDA2 except phone call went through the build-in speaker.
HTC knows this problem, but dont do anything about it.
A conspiracy agains carkit mod'ing.
This issue is known since approx last april.
It MUST be the carkit:
XDA2/iMate carkit only supplies in-call phone audio via the carkit speaker
MDAII/Qtek2020/Yeti carkit supplies all audio via the carkit speaker (dis-advantage: It continuously mutes the radio when ie using TomTom, but that can be fixed by using an alternative radio-mute circuit/switch)
Both carkits only use the 22-pin bottom connector of the Himalaya to accomplish this.
Until now (afaik) no one has succeeded in finding a solution for this.
I wish I bought my carkit 2 month later, at that time the MDAII carkit was sold for approx 170 euros (compared to the 140 for the XDA2 carkit). The extra functionality is really worth the extra 30 euro.
Alternative radio-mute circuit/switch
@edsub
edsub said:
(dis-advantage: It continuously mutes the radio when ie using TomTom, but that can be fixed by using an alternative radio-mute circuit/switch)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A few weeks ago I bought the MDAII-carkit and am still preparing to install it in my car. I will use it with Alturion navigation software, but expect that this will create the same proble as TomTom (constantly muting the radio).
Could you elaborate on the "alternative radio-mute circuit/switch". I.e. how to create it/where to buy it?
Thanks in advance, regards
Albondigas
You can buy an audio-mute box.
You place it between your car-speaker leads and connect the carkit audio out to it (mono or stereo).
As soon as the mute-box detects a signal on the carkit audio out, it switches the car-speaker from radio to carkit.
It seems to work quite well, but since it is based on detecting a signal an then switching, i can imaginge you lose frist 1 or 2 seconds of the carkit-out.
No idea how that works out with TomTom . . . .
XDA II Car Kit
eayuwna said:
Is there nothing at all that anyone's got to force the XDA out of in-car mode or anything or is that completely hard-wired?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check pin 19 of the plug wiring. This is the pin used to tell the XDA II it is in the car. When using the XDA II out of the car, in the Sync cradle etc... this pin is tied to ground.
I am about to experiment with making a car kit... If I have success with the audio, I will let you all know!
Recrem.
Audio mute with MDAII-Carkit
@edsub
Thanks, eDsuB, I get the principle and will look around where I could get the audio mute box.
And now I understand why Mocki in the german forum of ppc-welt inserted a one second 63 Hz tone at the beginning of the TomTom-audio files:
http://www.ppc-welt.info/community/showthread.php?t=40190&page=2&pp=50 (in german)
It would be embarrassing to miss the first three words of the message "in three kilometers turn right" :lol: .
How do you think about another solution on this forum and that is disconnecting pin 9 (orange/white) from the connector on the MDAII Carkit II. Apparantly that would also solve the problem with the permament mute of TomTom? See thread (it looks like you've been there also) http://www.ppc-welt.info/community/showthread.php?t=47131&page=1&pp=28 (in german).
Thanks very much,
Albondigas
I went in that forum a couple of times (especially when xda-developers was down), but since I have an XDAII/iMate carkit my problem is to get all audio thru the bottom connector . . . .
And even Mocki doenst have an answer . . .
Any adaptors that will allow me to use proper 3.5 inch headphone jack in place of the mini USB ones ( i dont like the in ear phones) checked ebay and couldnt see anything?
you want get one of these http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=142090 - Mike
Ouch, that thing is both horribly badly designed and prohibitively expensive- it's going to stick out what looks like an inch by itself, most headphone plugs will add another inch on top of that- I need something that fits flush with the bottom of the phone (comes out at a right angle) AND supplies an input for the charger. One can only dream!
The orbit would make a great on-mains Wifi internet radio if such a gubbin existed- hook up some speakers, start TCPMP, sorted!
in which case if you don't like wires stop messing around and get a set of A2DP compatible headphones - the quality is very good, but far more costly than a cable addaptor - the choice is yours - Mike
Might have been worth while if I didn't use an iPod for all my portable audio needs- have you seen any A2DP compatible speakers around?
Looks like there are hacks out there, but no official products, the combination really would just turn the Orbit into an incredibly expensive Wifi radio! But where's the fun in just going out and buying a proper one!
Have a look at the products made by Parrot there are a few Bluetooth audio add on boxes, I fail to see the relevance to WiFi?? as the A2DP profile is Bluetooth - it even works on the T-Mobile MDA-CIII which has no WiFi - Mike
I say wifi radio because I listen to internet radio stations around the house using the Orbit, and the ol' tinternet comes via the wifi doohickey!
A2DP is, of course, a bluetooth profile and would be the method over which I get decent sounding audio from the Orbit to some speakers whilst still having the Orbit plugged into mains so the battery doesn't get sucked dry... that said I think the Orbit will last a good few hours streaming internet radio, although I have yet to put that to the test.
My other solution would be, as mentioned above, an adaptor that allows both the charger AND headset to be plugged in- I can't see this as being technically impossible.
With a brief cursory investigation I have discovered, I think, that the headset uses a proprietary 6-pin connection on the opposite side of the mini-usb connector. The headphones do not use the 4-pin standard mini-usb connector on the other side, but a connector that uses both should be reasonably simple to produce. Ergo it should be childs play for a third party to produce an Artemis dock that contains not only a connection to USB but a standard 3.5mm amplified microphone socket alongside a standard 3.5mm amplified stero audio jack... not to mention a button on the front of the dock for picking up calls and a volume slider if you really wanted them.
Call me crazy, but I want one of those!
You could try this
http://www.expansys.com/htc/p_htc_item.aspx?i=145066
Might do the trick even if it is a bit long
Rich
Dear lord! You've made my day! Hmmm, a little jiggery pokery and I might even be able to incorporate that into a dock but it'll be fantastic for charging and listening to net radio at work- takes that little extra load off my desktop PC.
Cheers!
Glad I could help
richiev4 said:
You could try this
http://www.expansys.com/htc/p_htc_item.aspx?i=145066
Might do the trick even if it is a bit long
Rich
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Does anyone know if the above would work with a set of mini stereo speakers with a 3.5mm headphone jack (like the walkman speakers i used to have, back in the day...) to listen to the FM radio while charging the phone from mains? Or would you still need the headphones plugged into get any FM reception?
Daft question maybe, but I wondered whether the device would just use the speaker wires as an antenna instead of the headphone wires?
It will work fine, I am going to use mine to connect my orbit to my home stereo and charge it at the same time.
Rich
2.5mm 3 pole jack plug
Hi,
Anybody know of an Artemis mini usb to 2.5mm 3 pole jack plug adapter which allows the connection to deliver audio and microphone capability ?
I would like to connet my Artemis/Orbit to the Autocom intercom system on my motorcycle . This uses a lead with a 2.5mm jack plug at the phone end and a 3.5mm jack at the Autocom system end. Both are 3 pole.
Thanks
P.S. hope you don't mind me jumping in your postings
http://www.expansys.com/s.aspx
try doing a search for "2.5mm"
A very good Items for the Artemis on EbaY :
look :
http://cgi.ebay.fr/FOR-ORANGE-SPV-E...ryZ14419QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
2.5mm 3 pole jack plug adatper
I think I've found exactly what I'm looking for at:
http://igonemobile.com/products/html/61315310.html
I've got one on order and I'll let you know if it works.
cegmawr said:
Hi,
Anybody know of an Artemis mini usb to 2.5mm 3 pole jack plug adapter which allows the connection to deliver audio and microphone capability ?
I would like to connet my Artemis/Orbit to the Autocom intercom system on my motorcycle . This uses a lead with a 2.5mm jack plug at the phone end and a 3.5mm jack at the Autocom system end. Both are 3 pole.
Thanks
P.S. hope you don't mind me jumping in your postings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this so you can listen to music from the Orbit? I've had difficulty on my bike with this...music cuts out and wont restart after phone call is over. In the end, I bought the Autocom bluetooth dongle and now bluetooth the Orbit to the bike. I get phone calls and GPS just fine, but I use a wired iPod for music.
cegmawr said:
I think I've found exactly what I'm looking for at:
http://igonemobile.com/products/html/61315310.html
I've got one on order and I'll let you know if it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this support the Artemis? It isn't in the list....
There was a posting for the mini USB PinOut some Time ago. Look in the wiki Section to find it. Here is what they showed up with.
Maybe This will Help someone to build their own Adapter or whatsoever.
Greetings
Jabami
so what was the general concensus with using Autocom? Did the 2.5mm jack work?
I want to avoid using the bluetooth option on autocom, since I might just as well go for a Scala bluetooth headset instead if the jack doesnt work...
I'm after an adapter to work with my WinMo device which allows me to connect up my own Mic.
The one that almost fits the bill is this ExtUSB 3-in-1 Adaptor but the problem is with the Mic!
I have my own Mic already wired in and a fair way from where the adapter is going to be located. Ideally, I just need a 3.5mm jack for the Mic to go into, just like the 3.5mm jack for the audio out.
The final result being I have a handsfree solution in the car, connected up through the car stereo speakers and a handsfree mic.
Can anyone see any issues with this setup? Does anyone know where I can obtain such an adapter?
1) I tried that adapter with my Touch PRO and it messed up somehow the audio managment so after plugging it in once - after receiving a call I could speak but the device become totally unresponsive only reset worked until a next call... so I hard reseted device and bought the HTC original one.
2) You might get a ground loop when using audio together with charging. I have had it with different cars, devices (laptops/handhelds). The ground loop will give you loud unwanted digital noise while charging. There are workarounds but might not be easy to reach. Basically you need to get the power from the SAME WIRE as the amplifier does.
I have this exact setup in my car and it does work, no feedback problems. I also have the same problem of microphone placement. I have been unable to find an adaptor or a microphone with a long enough wire to do what I wanted, so I had to modify my microphone placement(put it on the dash as oppossed to my sun visor where I wanted it). Other than that issue, it does work great, sounds great over the stereo(both phone calls and music), and charges up at the same time. If you do find either an adaptor or a stupid mini usb microphone with about a 4 foot wire, let me know.
bsell1 said:
I have this exact setup in my car and it does work, no feedback problems. I also have the same problem of microphone placement. I have been unable to find an adaptor or a microphone with a long enough wire to do what I wanted, so I had to modify my microphone placement(put it on the dash as oppossed to my sun visor where I wanted it). Other than that issue, it does work great, sounds great over the stereo(both phone calls and music), and charges up at the same time. If you do find either an adaptor or a stupid mini usb microphone with about a 4 foot wire, let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about the charging?... Is there any change in the audio when plugging in? Try lowering the vol of device as low as possible and maximize the vol of amp.
not at all. The way I have it set up, it is charging or powered the whole time. Of the 3 inputs on the adaptor, one goes to the aux in on my car stereo, one goes to a car power adaptor I installed under the dash, and the 3rd goes to the microphone. I have bluetooth on, so it works with the gps reciever I have(I have an older model without built in gps) and I programed 1 of the buttons to turn on the gps program. Another button is programed to turn on the audio player(I think it is pocket player), which feeds audio to the car stereo anytime I have the aux button pressed on the car stereo. When a phone call comes in, the song pauses and all I have to do is hit the little green answer button on the phone to use it as a speakerphone. Audio is great. I have all the wires snake into one of those little pockets on the dash so there are not a lot of wires going everywhere. Takes about 5-10 seconds to set it up when I get in the car, and about 3 seconds to disconnect when I leave.
Can anyone recommend a good 3.5mm Bluetooth adapter for my car.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I got the scosche by adapter from walmart for $36. It plugs into the 3.5mm jack and works well for audio streaming. Calls not so much.
Dicho por el E4GT de Latinmaxima con Tapatalk.
All bluetooth adapters suck. I've tried 10+ different A2DP capable adapters over the course of 2 years and all simply ruin the high frequencies. Nothing beats hardwired Aux cable if you actually care about sound quality...
Google "tunelink"
A little pricey, but worth it for the audio quality. Plus, it is only for streaming audio.... No speakerphone function...
pojieps said:
Google "tunelink"
A little pricey, but worth it for the audio quality. Plus, it is only for streaming audio.... No speakerphone function...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but this is just a gimmick for those without knowledge in my opinion. Other than the bluetooth function, which there are a million of those out there, a person could just plug a male to male 3.5mm stereo plug into the phone to the AUX port in the car if its available.
chrisnosleep said:
Sorry, but this is just a gimmick for those without knowledge in my opinion. Other than the bluetooth function, which there are a million of those out there, a person could just plug a male to male 3.5mm stereo plug into the phone to the AUX port in the car if its available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually own it... I get WAY better quality over the bluetooth connection than I do with a direct line in. The headphone jack on your phone is designed for just that... headphones. Lining in directly reflects this. Wish there was a way for you to give it a try. I am kind of a sound snob, and I love mine. Plus, all you have to do is get in the car and once the bluetooth pairing happens, the app will open your music app and start playing.
Not trying to push this thing on ya. Just wanted you to know, I own one, and I am not "without knowledge"
Motorola Rokr T505 is small, does well with calls and music playing through blank FM stations to your car stereo. Best $40 investments plus NO CHORDS!
I had this one and used it with my EVO. Worked pretty well.
http://www.amazon.com/Miccus-BluBridge-Mini-Jack-Bluetooth-Bluetooth-Enabled/dp/B0038MA11U
I tried an AUX cable on three different phones. There was always a high pitched whine through my speakers. I started using a Samsung HM3500 plugged into the same AUX jack and got better quality music with no whine. Plus, no extra cable running through my car to the dash mount.
Did you guys all just have a car stereo that had bluetooth built in? I have an '05 Bonneville GXP but the stereo has neither a aux port or bluetooth capability...Major sad face...I really don't want to replace the stereo either because it's nice and fits the look of the car - would look stupid with anything other than a big touchscreen replacement and that's just too expensive.
Any suggestions?
You could get an FM modulator that would allow you to add a line in via your radio antenna, but they don't have great sound quality.
DutchDogg54 said:
Did you guys all just have a car stereo that had bluetooth built in? I have an '05 Bonneville GXP but the stereo has neither a aux port or bluetooth capability...Major sad face...I really don't want to replace the stereo either because it's nice and fits the look of the car - would look stupid with anything other than a big touchscreen replacement and that's just too expensive.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, just swap out the headunit for one with bluetooth build-in. Just make sure it supports A2DP (music streaming over bluetooth). I got mine from Amazon for $140, Sony MEX-BT3900U, and it been simply great. A2DP for bluetooth streaming, Aux port for wired 3.5mm audio, and it has USB port for charging the phone.
High Pitched whine is a POWER ISSUE
unplug your phone and it should go away. IE change chargers.
nerys71 said:
High Pitched whine is a POWER ISSUE
unplug your phone and it should go away. IE change chargers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not all the time. My car had that problem and there were many other factors at fault.
Here are few things to look out for:
If your car has an amplifier in the rear, make sure that the headunit-to-amplifier audio cables are at least few feet away from power wires (aka, run them on the opposite side of the car than the power cables).
Make sure that the headunit is properly grounded. If that still doesn't help, run both headunit's + and - power wires directly to the car battery.
If problem still persists, repeat #2 but for the amp (if you have it).
If all above failed, it's time to invest in a better headunit. Your old one sucks and can't suppress the noise generated by the chassy/alternator.
I had crappy stock headunit and weaka$$ stock amp that would always make the static and constant whine problems. Ended up completely redoing the car audio system. Now, even with the headunit not grounded audio quality is PERFECT.
Here are the prices for my audio remodeling, all items bought brand new:
- Sony MEX-BT3900U. Headunit with CD, Aux, Handsfree Phone, Bluetooth A2DP audio, USB ($140)
- Hifonics ZXi80.4. Amplifier with 4 channels, 80W RMS per channel ($134)
- Alpine SPS-600 speakers. 6.5" 2-way speakers, 80W RMS ($50 ea)
- Stinger Pro 3 Series Snake. 6-channel, 20 feet RCA snake that goes from headunit to the amp in the rear ($35)
- 2x22' 8AWG battery-to-amp power wire
- 2x18' 12AWG amp-to-headunit power wire
- 4x18' 16AWG amp-to-front speaker wires
- 4x2' 16AWG amp-to-rear speaker wires
- 30A fuse in the engine bay
I ran the power cables on the left side of the car and ran the RCA snake on the right. everything was exactly $525 and I did all work myself (it's quite easy if you ask). now the sound quality in my used-to-be-audio-hell car is dam near perfect now and has absolutely no noise/static at all. you can jack the volume up crazy high without any distortions for like 80Hz+. 80Hz and below can be a problem when maxing out the volume as the speakers are only 6.5" and weren't meant to deliver bass. don't get me wrong, they do make nice bass but just don't handle it too well when playing it very loud.
after years of running this setup I'd say this was one of the best investments i've ever made. my car is built for drifting so it is setup very stiff and shakes/jumps like crazy when dailying (300mi/week) and when i do take it out for a spin the amount of stress it sees it crazy. after all this time you'd think at least some wires would come loose but nope, everything is still running perfect.
so yeah, if you actually care about sound quality in your car and would like it to last, just redo it from scratch. it's fun and is totally worth it
Not trying to pick a fight but lets be clear here
If your car has an amplifier in the rear, make sure that the headunit-to-amplifier audio cables are at least few feet away from power wires (aka, run them on the opposite side of the car than the power cables).
Which is a power issue
Make sure that the headunit is properly grounded.
Which is a power issue
If that still doesn't help, run both headunit's + and - power wires directly to the car battery.
Which is a power issue
If problem still persists, repeat #2 but for the amp (if you have it).
If all above failed, it's time to invest in a better headunit.
Which is a power issue
Your old one sucks and can't suppress the noise generated by the chassy/alternator.
Which is a power issue
See what I mean?
Cars make a lot of "NOISE" this noise is a power issue. it comes from your alternator and your coil and your spark plugs IE "POWER ISSUES"
if you have bad grounds or are lacking noise suppression (cheap equipment old equipment etc.. etc..) or an older car making a TON of extra noise etc.. etc..
Power inverters (especially cheap ones) are notorious for "dirty power" that lets in noise.
when I power my phone off the USB on the cheap inverter's USB port I get big time whine noises painful even.
use the USB port in the radio and I get no noise (but then it tries to "READ" the phone instead of just charging it and won't let me use aux hehe
Sometimes you can get a coil thing to add to power to reduce this noise but usually its just cheap equipment ($7 power inverter
plug a 110v to usb adapter into same inverter and no noise. The 110v adapter isolates and prevents the noise leakage.
nerys71 said:
Not trying to pick a fight but lets be clear here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha time to clear up a misunderstanding here. my reply was referring to the "unplug your phone and it should go away" statement and thus assuming that you, by saying "its a power issue", were referring only to the inverter that was powering the phone at times getting a better quality inverter (aka, one that has capacitor or capacitor-pack to smooth out the voltage spikes and noise) is sufficient and at times it is not. I've experienced both. it's also worth mentioning that after redoing my sound system even the crappiest of crap inverters works just fine
frifox said:
Yes, just swap out the headunit for one with bluetooth build-in. Just make sure it supports A2DP (music streaming over bluetooth). I got mine from Amazon for $140, Sony MEX-BT3900U, and it been simply great. A2DP for bluetooth streaming, Aux port for wired 3.5mm audio, and it has USB port for charging the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've looked into those kind of replacements...plenty out there for reasonable prices but they would completely mar the aesthetic value of the nice interior of my Bonny. That's why I was saying that only the touchscreens that would fill the whole double (might be 1.5) din stereo spot in my car would do.
Thanks, both of you guys, for your responses...guess I'm stuck waiting till I get a much newer car
I'm not saying that you're wrong about it being a power issue, but the BT headset I mentioned came with an adapter for an AUX jack and that solved my problem. So, either solution works.
the issue is the radio is connected to the same "power source" that your "phone" is now connected to.
so if any component in that chain does not control the power noise (that is what the noise is coming from your power system)
you INJECT that noise into your audio stream the moment you "link" the devices together (power not audio)
this is why if you use a seperate battery pack to charge the phone you will not get this noise. your battery pack is "isolated" from the car's power system literally physically.
I am only talking about the typical whine pop crackle high pitched noise you get the moment you plug in your charger. IE clear no noise plug in chargers Head burster sounds start coming out of your speakers
that noise is a "power issue" you can't eliminate the power issues (except by eliminating your alternator??) but you can filter it. some devices (chargers) do this better than others
the BT unit works because you "broke" the chain. (no audio cable going from the PHONE to the RADIO)
Again, I'm not denying what you're saying. You're absolutely correct. However, OP was asking for the best BT unit to plug into the jack, not how to solve the issues with cables and power sources. I was simply providing my opinion and experience along the lines of what he was asking for.
This is not something new and have been shown many times in YouTube. It is interesting to have for any phone with 3.5mm audio jack that can be easily done within a few minutes. I do not use my headset with my phone so this would be a nice hack to have around to listen with your friends on some local radio without consuming your data plan and phone battery.
Find a headset that you do not need. We only want the part with the 3.5mm audio jack. Just trim it down to about 20cm in length and fold it in half and tie a knot at the end. I tied a lasso knot at the end just so I can adjust the length of the receiver later on though it may not help much in reception quality.
Tested several length from 1 meter all the way to 20 centimetres and found not much difference in reception quality for a fact that you will be using your loudspeaker to listen to the FM radio. The same with whether to loop or not to loop the receiver but looping the receiver gives it a cleaner look while maintaining the same reception frequency.
Putting your phone too close to a human body greatly interferes with the FM signal. On the other hand, placing your phone on a metal table may enhance the FM reception.
Perhaps those who have knowledge in electronics can shed some light to optimize this simple hack further.
Have fun...
I didn't know. Works like a charm !! Thank You
Doesn't work for me. When I plug in the trimmed headset cable with the ear pieces cut off, the FM App keeps asking me to plug in a headset. Works OK when I plug in an untrimmed headset and switch to speaker in FM App menu.
Is there a further trick to getting this to work? Are you using the stock FM App?
I had the same problem myself, and it stems from the fact that smartphones will interrogate any headset you plug in to check if it is suitable. There are basic stereo headphones with three contacts on the jack plug (from the tip they are left, right and ground) and should work on any phone regardless. But there are two variants of headset (i.e. those with a microphone) that use four contacts, the difference being whether they connect the mic on the third or fourth contact.
As of 2016 most manufacturers have standardised on one system (left, right, mic then ground), but there are enough older phones and matching headsets out there that use the alternative pinout scheme. For example my old Sony Xperia used L-R-G-M (the same as say Blackberry), necessitating the use of an adapter for certain accessories. My latest Z5 however, has moved to the L-R-M-G pattern, which means I can no longer use my favourite old Sony headset anymore, not even as plain headphones, the Z5 just refused to talk to them.
That explains why a dumb wire might not work with a smartphone, because it is looking for a signal loop on all four (or three) contacts to try and figure out what's been plugged into it. The solution is to short out the wires to fool the phone into thinking there actually is something on the other end. Simply bare all of the wires at the cut end of the cable, burn off the fine lacquer or cotton that is used as an insulation, then twist the wires together to short them all to the ground. Better still, solder them together and cover with a bit of heat-shrink for a proper finish.
Found some pre-made antennas in ebay, you can try searching for 3.5mm antenna. They look pretty decent. I am also looking for compatible antenna, if any, that is compatible for steven303's new headphone jack.
Edit: did some research and found that the 3.5mm steven303 mentioned is called '3.5mm 4 conductor' or 'TRRS antenna 3.5mm', you can try searching for them in ebay or look for similar ones lying around with wires long enough to be loops around to be used as antenna for new phones with the new type of head jack.
I got two item I think can be suitable for this purpose; search with the following keyword in ebay;
1. 3.5mm 1/8'' Male To Male 4-Pole 3 Ring TRRS AV Audio Extension Cable 1.2M/4Feet
2. 4-Pole 3Ring TRRS 3.5mm (1/8'') Male To Female AV Extension Cable 3FT/1M Black
I have an additional issue. I use my phone's fm radio feature with an old pair of headphones for an antenna and listen via blue tooth headphones when I'm running or just working around the house, etc. My problem is that as the phone moves around in my pocket, the movement causes the phone to think the headphones came unplugged for a second and the radio turns off. When that happens I have to take the phone out and turn the radio back on. This happens often enough that it is a pain in the neck.
A separate but related issue. With some old, non functioning headphone cables the phone doesn't think there is anything plugged into it. I am lucky in that my phone gives me the option to "Play anyway through speaker or bluetooth". So even though it thinks there isn't anything plugged into it, I do, and I have good FM reception.
Here is what I want: I want to know what to do to my old headphone wire so that my phone doesn't think there is anything plugged into it when it is, in fact, plugged in. I hope that makes sense!