IPOD Adapter To Aviation Headset - Possible?

[FurloughedAgain]

Ok all you gadget gurus! Here's my question.

I'm getting tired of listening to the same songs...over...and over...and over... on Radio Disney.

I was pondering getting an I-Pod or similar. I have the Bose X headsets, so sound quality is exceptional.

What I was wondering was this: Is there any kind of adapter I could get at Radio Shack or somewhere that I could use to run the IPOD in-line with the audio on my headsets so that I could listen to music enroute?

It seems to me that years ago I remember a guy who had Macguyvered an adapter to run his walkman through the intercom on a Saab 340. I never did ask him how he did it.

Suggestions?

 

[Loafman]

I once saw a gizmo that went in-line with the headset jack. Maybe it was through Sporty's or something similar. It had a feature that squelched the music when there was an ATC transmission and that should be a priority over jerry-rigging something that just pipes in music over the headsets. Also, looking over the top of the newspaper to check the airspeed while climbing in vertical speed mode is a good idea. If you clip the newspaper to the yoke, then the stick shaker will make the text jitter and remind you to look up.

 

[weekendwarrior]

A cheap and easy way to do it is get some of those little "ear buds" type earphones and just put your headsets on over them. You can still hear ATC quite well, but you would obviously have to mute the IPOD manually. I use my MP3 player like that when there is not a music input available. Just put it on low volume and I can hear music and ATC at the same time and the music isn't distracting. I turn it off when I'm in congested airspace, though.

 

[falconskipper]

THe adaptors you want are at Radio Shack and are only a couple of dollars.....There are two kinds......Stereo & Mono.......I would get one of each and fool around with it. If you use the wrong one you willl only have audio in one ear..........I'm not sure an ipod will drive big bose headsets but you can try it out.

 

[FearlessFreep]

I have made adapters - just simple Y cords that allow you to jack in any kind of audio source. The biggest thing is that to my understanding most transport aircraft are setup for mono. What you get across your Bose while your in the aircraft is mono in both ears. Source on the Bose is switchable. If you switch to the stereo mode you will lose signal in one of the earcups unless the aircraft source is truly stereo - that is two seperate distinct signal paths going to the headset. Even interphone setups are going to be in mono. You don't see too many people walking around with two mic headsets!

On my setup I am not getting true stereo from the iPod to the headset. What I am getting is both stereo channels-mixed, in both earcups. Sounds fine and when I let some people demo my headset setup they don't notice the difference. There is an effect when using any audio source in addition to the communication radios that lowers the volume of the communication signal. I surmise that this effect is because most audio sources (headset outputs) only have a modicum of signal amplification and there is some signal attenuation occuring with the mixed sources. Since the iPod source is not amplified when I turn the iPod on I have to adjust the audio panel volumes up to make up for the effect of mixing the sources on the headset.

There is still a fair amount of ambient noise in the cockpit, that coupled with communication chatter is enough of a distraction not to worry about true stereo output. Since I mostly plug in the tunes to keep awake on those long late night runs I am not going to quibble about the lack of stereo.

There are some commercial devices available out there that might be able to give you stereo output. There is the Muse, by PS Engineering that will lower the volume of your audio input when communication comes across the radio. I haven't used this device but depending where and when your flying the volume on your audio is going to be lowered just about all the time. Additionally it is battery powered, and that's another device your going to have to carry spare batteries for. Lessee, that quite a pile sitting on your flightbag inflight; Bose pendant, iPod & Muse!

Here's a link to a PS Engineering reseller. Scroll to the bottom of the list.

http://www.marvgolden.com/intercoms/ps-engineering.htm

Barring all of the above, the earbud thing under the headset works great too. Just make sure you get the smallest 'buds that you can find or it will get uncomfortable fast if they interfere with the fit of you over the ear headsets.

My current setup: Bose X with updated pendant, XLR Connector Adapter ("Airbus Adapter") modified with a jack for a 1/8 inch stereo jack, 20G iPod - all encoding AAC VBR > 192K. Works good.

Good Luck To Us All!

 

[NuGuy]

Hey Guys,

FWIW, whatever you whip up, make sure that it's TSO'ed if you are flying 135/121. The Feds will flip out (if they ramp check you) if anything connected to the airplane in any way isn't TSO'ed.

I'm pretty sure an iPod isn't.

All the airlines I've flown with have a caveot in their FOMs about making sure that any personal headsets meet the applicable TSO, and that goes for anything connected to them.

But for part 91 it doesn't matter.

Nu

 

[FearlessFreep]

Good point, I would say that is a given.

FYI Bose headsets are TSO'ed. I sent mine in for repairs (Bose ain't no David Clark - I don't want to get into a discussion about Bose reliability - not!) and I got a FAA Form 8130-3 back with it.

 

[NuGuy]

Good point, I would say that is a given.

FYI Bose headsets are TSO'ed. I sent mine in for repairs (Bose ain't no David Clark - I don't want to get into a discussion about Bose reliability - not!) and I got a FAA Form 8130-3 back with it.

Hiya Freep,

Yup, almost every aviation headseat meets TSO, as orginally delivered by the maker OR as repaired by an authorized representitive.

However, once you plug in your wizzbang doohicky that you whipped up with your "Junior Electronics Wizard" soldering iron from Radio Shack, you invalidate the TSO for as long as you have it plugged in.

Believe me, if you are running 135/121, and the feds show up on the ramp and see your iPod, MP3 player, GPS reciever or any other such device that is NOT TSO'ed, even if it's only temporarily connected (jacked in or plugged in to the electrical system in any way), it will make them go tilt.

At the very least, you will have a real tap dance.

Nu

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

WOW..concerns about the Feds and TSO'd equipment.

Listening to Ipods with headsets on....

Dude, being a pilot is like so cool and stuff, I mean, like, where else can you, like, fly a jet and listen to custom music. I feel like that guy in Iron Eagle! Yeah! I'm flying F-16's around! AweSOME! Man, just aweSOME!!!

[two weeks later]

"Man, this chick like last week, look at me funny and asked if I were really a pilot. I mean who does she think she is!! Of course I'm a pilot, can't she read my ID card! (but dude she was, like a MILF and stuff...)"

"Where you listening to your ipod?"

"Yeah, whats that got to do with it?"

"Nothing. just go back to your Ipod........dude"

 

[dseagrav]

Hiya Freep,
Believe me, if you are running 135/121, and the feds show up on the ramp and see your iPod, MP3 player, GPS reciever or any other such device that is NOT TSO'ed, even if it's only temporarily connected (jacked in or plugged in to the electrical system in any way), it will make them go tilt.

At the very least, you will have a real tap dance.

You know, they do make these cheap iPod to FM Radio converters - It's really a small FM transmitter that connects to an iPod so you can listen to it through a stereo. Wonder if someone could make a similar device that retransmits on AM instead of FM? Then you could just tune it up on the ADF reciever. No connection to the airplane either...