Patch Cords, Anyone?

[Mud Eagle]

Do any of you guys have a good wiring scheme for a patch cord to play music through the airplane's intercom? More specifically, the F-15 intercom, but I'm guessing that all military airplanes are wired up to the same voltage.

I know it sounds a bit Iron Eagle, but pond crossings and Noble Eagle sorties are pretty boring without tunes.

I have one that I got as a hand-me-down, and it's a bit problematic. For instance, when I play music, it's very faint for me in the front seat, but it's blasting out the WSO in the back. Also, it transmits when I key the mike.

I'm sure some of you guys have done this before...any ideas?

 

[RueterF16]

Dude, ask your avionics troops, they'll know exactly what you need, and they should have the spare parts to get it done for you.. A case of beer should suffice for payment...

 

[Toro]

I haven't used one yet, but my suggestion would be to find the troops either in the comm squadron or life support and ask them. I heard from a group of guys who just returned from a recent deployment and their only complaint was that the guy who had the CD player didn't ops check his batteries (not worky so much).

 

[Mud Eagle]

Toro -

Dude, c'mon...you know me. The Life Support and Comm shops were my first stop! Unfortunately, they really didn't know the specifics on how to do what I wanted to do...

Thus, I figured I'd ask some operators if they had any schematics or tips on ones they'd used or built...

I've got the parts from the hand-me-down version, and it's the bare bones one where the connectors are soldered directly to the 1 and 3 connectors. I've seen one with a resistor put somewhere in the circuit and I've seen a better one with a cutout switch attached, too.

So, I don't want to pay someone else a case of brew to build one for me...that much I've already got. I want to know the tech details on how to make one myself.

 

[Toro]

Well, I think your quest for tunes is much justified. By your callsign, it's obvious that you and I fly the same airframe. I'm not going to throw too much out here into the public forum (yeah, that whole OPSEC thing), but I'll soon be travelling across the pond and will be looking for a way to plug in tunes. Everyone from the squadron has taken off for the holidays, but when they return, I'll ask about how to get plugged in. If you want to know what I hear from them, or want me to pass along any questions, zap me a message to [email protected]

 

[AlbieF15]

I would suggest dump the patch cord entirely for several reasons.

First--those tiny 12 buck walkman ear pieces give better sound than a patch cord (not that I would know after a dozen pond crossings and 3 NFZ rotations...but I HEARD they worked great) They aren't uncomfortable and can be yanked out of place in a heartbeat if things get busy (like the Tornados in the NFZ call "SAM LAUNCH" during Brooks & Dunns greatest hits...but that's a different story...) Volume can be fine tuned to not mask radios but high enough to drown out cockpit drone.

Second--you said it...patch cords can bleed over when you transmit. No point highlighting to the O-6 who just happens to be on freq on the tanker or AWACs that Van Halen is keeping you alert at the moment...

Third....if you like Brooks & Dunn instead of Sammy Hagar, or if you think a little Flight of the Valkeries might be appropriate as you cross the Nordic lands of Greenland and Iceland, then you don't have to negotiate with the WSO about musical tastes. My nightmare-- a WSO who outranks me that loves rap or pop rock. Give me country or give me rock, but stay out of the middle ground...

Finally...and seriously...you shouldn't be able to compromise any COMSEC with a separate system (ie discman with ear pieces under helment). If someone higher up wanted to crush you for a patch cord and OPSEC, they MIGHT have a potential case.

But hey...as of Feb I'm just a friggin' guard bum, so what do I know...

Fly safe

 

[Chunk]

another one...

Don't let your PR's know about this one.....

Take the velcro cover out of your helmet and remove the speaker covers. Solder the small in the ear type speakers to the center of your helmet speakers then run the wire down the same path as the helmet wire. Put a heatshrink over the whole thing to keep it out of sight and to keep it from snagging. Plug said wire into discman in heltmet bag. Presto! Covert music to trap by!


Chunk

 

[ShawnC]

Now I'm not sure this would work but there is a device that takes a PC outputs and convertes them to GA outputs (and the otherway around with the mike), I think you might be able to do it with a GA to mil converter. Its called the Audiopilot, heres the URL: http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/notams02/audi0107.htm

Now one way you can do it but you would need someone that can solder it is to use resisters to pull the signal down so it doesn't blow about your speakers (150ohm impedence vs 20-30 on headphones), you would have the CD player send over the mic to the intercom then it would also transmit over you headphones, if the intercom has the self listen mode that some GA planes have, but you would still have the problem of it transmitting also over when you hit the PTT, also I'm not sure if the intercom is full duplux of mill jets.

You would have to do a little research on the impedence them, but thats a start. You might also want to try talking to the makers of the Audiopilot, they might have someone that would be able to make it for a price.

 

[RichO]

Man, some of you guys worry too much...... just get in good with the avionics dudes, a nice case of beer is all it takes......

Albie, just curious, are you fresh off active duty??? I havent' know a guard dude to be as worried about what the O-6's are thinking......