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MP3 to radio mod?

Yep

I had one I ran through my old JVC cassette player w/ the cassette adapter a few
years ago. I have since bought a JVC that plays wma/mp3s. I have had nothing
but problems with the new one though. I may just put my old Sony CD player back
in it. It Puts out more wattage any way
:woohoo:
 
For just under $100, I got a sony cd player that has an auxiliary audio input in the faceplate. 1/8" male-to-male stereo plug (TRS) available in any radio shack or sam ash/guitar center type music stores is all you need then set the player to aux.

I used to use an FM modulator and a cassette adapter before that. To me, the above is the easiest solution...
 
depending on what deck you have, it may already have a front or rear aux. input. mine had it in the rear, so i hooked up a cable to it and ran it out the front of the dash. now i can plug in my xm, mp3 player, ipod, laptop or anything else that has a sound hookup.

the cable for that cost me about $4
 
Trying to hook something up to the factory stereo or an aftermarket stereo? Many aftermarket stereos already have line inputs in some configuration (RCA, 1/8") on the back, just a matter of checking it out. If you're trying to get an accessory into a factory stereo you may be hosed. No way to do it on my 95 or 96's cassette decks w/o an r/f modulator.
 
I used to mess with stuff like that, but then I got a tip from a friend of mine. Wal-Mart has a CD Player MP3 WMA Radio that plays from SD memory card, or USB thumb drive, radio or CD. The whole stereo was only 80 bucks and fit into my 90 cherokee with only a few holes redrilled in the frame plate. It sounds AWSOME with the autozone replacement speakers I got in there. I also added a cheap 40 dollor 10" sub and 300watt WalMart amp and now it sounds pretty damn good. Plus I never have to worry about skipping songs when climbing rocks.

I know that is not exactly what you were looking for, but it is not a very expensive solution, and I am so glad I did that and no longer have to worry about having a MP3 player floating around.
 
I have an iPod and two jeeps. The 90XJ needed a new stereo so I got one of those noted from walmart with the Front Aux input. The 03TJ I have a Pioneer with CD changer controls so I got one of those specialty plugs that turns it into a Line IN that I could use with the iPod. I drilled a small hole in the front of the mounting bracket and used one of the 1/8in surface mounts from Radioshack.

What kind of mp3 player is it?

Now that I have done all that I noticed the Harmon Kardon Drive+play kits went to less than $100. If you have any of the iPod series with dock connector I would strongly recommend the Drive+Play, it gives you a little screen and allows you to put the iPod in a safe place while you offroad.
 
The first thing i did when i got my xj was a full sound system. For my ipod i had the coaxial aux inputs in the back and i ran the wire behind the dash faceplate and down under my center console. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the change cup or whatever that thing is and ran it through there. Works perfectly and i can tuck the wire out of the way when not in use. have pics if you want to see.
 
MG2000XJ said:
The first thing i did when i got my xj was a full sound system. For my ipod i had the coaxial aux inputs in the back and i ran the wire behind the dash faceplate and down under my center console. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the change cup or whatever that thing is and ran it through there. Works perfectly and i can tuck the wire out of the way when not in use. have pics if you want to see.
Click to expand...

If you don't end up posting them in this thread could you please send them to me. That Harmon Kardon thing I mentioned I will end up installing in the XJ since I drive that the most. I "got it" for xmas, but for some strange reason we haven't gotten around to opening the gifts yet. I am trying to figure out how to work all the cables.
 
RockingAz said:
Wal-Mart has a CD Player MP3 WMA Radio that plays from SD memory card, or USB thumb drive, radio or CD. The whole stereo was only 80 bucks and fit into my 90 cherokee with only a few holes redrilled in the frame plate.
Click to expand...

could you give us an update on how you like that stereo??? i saw it the other day, and thought it would be real sweet to have since everything i have/do is computer controlled, and i don't even own a single CD. so right now i'm debating between that stereo, or one or the more expensive ones with a build in hard drive.
 
UPDATE: That stereo is working GREAT. I can play ALOT of music off my 2 gig SD card and it never skips. The only fault I have seen is that even though it says it will play WMA's, it doesnt play them. It could be the way that they are encoded, but who knows. 95% of my stuff is MP3, so it dont really matter.

Good Luck.:looney:
 
Last edited:
A buddy of mine just bought a Nano for his wife and has one of the JVC head units. Like karim_gabra mentioned you can get an adapter. Here is the list of some of the part numbers I found that would "probably work" (JVC KS-U58, KS-U57, or a P.I.E. JVC/J-RCA). They run about $40 and is the adapter that would make the CD changer controller a RCA/headphone plug. I am not sure if he has bought one or even taken his radio out. If he does I will try to have him snap a picture of the back and I can tell you how it goes.

The reason I say probably is that I can't get a clear picture of the back of your head unit. Once you see the back of it and see the plug you can tell if they are supposed to fit.

Before you go thru the hassle of getting all that setup, make sure that you are able to have the MP3 player send a "LineOut" signal. The headphone jack usually has a volume control and will effect the quality also.
 
I have an iPod and just purchased an FM transmitter from eBay. Needless to day, it is a horrable signal. I thought of a cheaper way to play the iPod on my stereo (donse't have the headphone jack on the face of the deck). I was looking at how the Sirius radio's play on the stereo and there's an FM modulator available at Best Buy. All you need to do is plug the OEM antenna into the modulator and plug the new antenna into the deck and when you want to listen to your iPod plug it into the headphone jack that comes form the box. There would be no signal loss due to a poor wireless signal and there wouldn't be any huge holder taking up the cigarette lighter, just a little black plug coming from wherever you wanted.
 
I just installed the iPod interface on my Pioneer head unit. I can control the iPod right from the head unit. It's nice, but my head unit is old enough that I only have limited controls, and the Track titles don't scroll. I'm thinking maybe about getting a new one with full control, and blue tooth.
 
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