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Music in the cockpit

patterson

Well Known Member
Patron
Need advice please. What's the latest way to listen to music when flying up at altitude now? In my RV-4 I had a Garmin 496 with XM radio connected to the mini jack aux input on my Xcom radio. I love tuning out of ATC at 10k and above and listen to my fave 60s and 70s tunes. I'm still going to be using an Xcom. It only,, to my knowledge, has only the mini jack aux input..

Now I'm using a Garmin 660 as a backup to my Dynon Touch EFIS. Not using Dynon com. Is there now a simple way to get music into Xcom? An SD card to a stereo jack?? A USB stick?
I do have an old 4th generation 8gig Ipod Nano (can you still load music on these things?)

The cost of XM always irritated me. Its still expensive as before. Though I did like having cockpit weather. I do still want weather at least.. Any advice appreciated.
Ron
 
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I just remove the SiriusXM receiver from the car and put it in the dock in airplane. Music only, as I have ADS-B In.

1 price, multiple locations...you can only be in one place at a time, after all :)

I just wish they had better classical music stations :(
 
XM ?mostly music? for $10/mo. and ADSB for weather. :)

Or call XM and try to get their $30 for 6 month "promotion" that you can ask for every six months. It's about 200 channels.
 
I just remove the SiriusXM receiver from the car and put it in the dock in airplane. Music only, as I have ADS-B In.

1 price, multiple locations...you can only be in one place at a time, after all :)
:(

+1. Get ADSB and never look back.
I used to do this (move from car to airplane) but the wife bought a new car with built-in XM, so we ponied up the $ for a second (slight discount) subscription. My other complaint with XM is that once or twice a year they ?drop? my subscription and I need to log into their web site and re-activate it (it?s paid up, they drop for unknown reason). I carry my ipad with the web site pre-programmed, that?s how often this happens...
 
I have an Aera 660 as well with a GDL52 to receive XM radio for 30 dollars for 6 months. I have the GDL 52 hardwired to power and to my intercom to get the audio on my headset. I love listening to music when I am flying.
 
Need advice please. What's the latest way to listen to music when flying up at altitude now? In my RV-4 I had a Garmin 496 with XM radio connected to the mini jack aux input on my Xcom radio. I love tuning out of ATC at 10k and above and listen to my fave 60s and 70s tunes. I'm still going to be using an Xcom. It only,, to my knowledge, has only the mini jack aux input..

Now I'm using a Garmin 660 as a backup to my Dynon Touch EFIS. Not using Dynon com. Is there now a simple way to get music into Xcom? An SD card to a stereo jack?? A USB stick?

I do have an old 4th generation 8gig Ipod Nano (can you still load music on these things?)
I have a similar setup. I connected the Dynon Audio Output to the Aux Input on the Xcom radio, so I get the audible warnings from the EFIS. For music, I have an AKG AV-100 headset for me and a LightSpeed for the Coey & both have Bluetooth capability to pair with your phone.

If you don't want to buy a new headset, you can wire up a small DIY audio panel, and combine the Dynon & Music outputs into your XCom Aux Input. Jim Weir did an article on just such a gadget many years ago that is fairly simple, I'll have a gander and see if I can find it.
 
Garmin GMA 345 audio panel with bluetooth so we can both listen to music or watch a movie. Audio goes to both headsets. Or when we want to listen to different things, we use the bluetooth on our headsets and disable the GMA 345 bluetooth.
 
I bought a panel mount mp3 player module. It is intended for integration into other stereo equipment and is low level out only. Cost me about $11. It is wired to my pma5000ex audio panel. Can use a usb stick or micro sd card. Also has am/fm radio and a remote control. It works perfectly.

FP02062013-A00062.jpg


I just checked, still available:

https://www.dx.com/p/eastor-bluetooth-v4-0-app-control-stereo-mp3-ape-audio-module-black-2000551.html#.Xrg56q9OmdM
 
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My Android tablet with more than 40hrs of music on the SD chip. Its connected via the G340 audio input which lowers the volume when radio traffic comes on. The audio runs in the background while FltPlanGo is running. Works great!!

:cool:
 
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I bought a panel mount mp3 player module. It is intended for integration into other stereo equipment and is low level out only. Cost me about $11. It is wired to my pma5000ex audio panel. Can use a usb stick or micro sd card. Also has am/fm radio and a remote control. It works perfectly.

FP02062013-A00062.jpg


I just checked, still available:

https://www.dx.com/p/eastor-bluetooth-v4-0-app-control-stereo-mp3-ape-audio-module-black-2000551.html#.Xrg56q9OmdM

Pretty cool. I have a pm5000 as well and want BT. Does this receive BT from your phone or ipad.

Larry
 
Pretty cool. I have a pm5000 as well and want BT. Does this receive BT from your phone or ipad.

Larry


I have an older pre-blutooth version. The new version looks like it has that functionality, but I couldnt tell you for sure. For $11, worth a try. I may order one for an upgrade.
 
Plus +1 on headsets. The easiest is get a headset that accepts aux audio for music as said BT or wired. There are headset reviews of which ones sound better with music. However you are in a loud airplane, don't expect audiophile performance.

Aux input into Intercom.... mono. If you have a stereo intercom and stereo headphone jacks and stereo headsets.
 
I guess I'm old school because I believe that - instead of listening to music - your time would better spent monitoring engine gauges, the weather ahead, and looking for emergency landing sites.
 
I guess I'm old school because I believe that - instead of listening to music - your time would better spent monitoring engine gauges, the weather ahead, and looking for emergency landing sites.

I can multitask. Listening to music in the background even IFR doesn’t affect my ability to do any of that or to talk/listen on the radio
 
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I can multitask. Listening to music in the background even IFR doesn’t affect my ability to do any of that or to talk/listen on the radio
Yup, it isn't that hard at all especially when the music is muted when radio traffic comes on. A common feature in 21st century avionics. ;)
 
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