Looking for a way to jam out while I am flying

GyroRon

Former Gyro know it all
Joined
Oct 29, 2003
Messages
16,917
Location
Fort Mill South Carolina
Aircraft
Vans RV4 / Dominator 582 Ultrawhite
Total Flight Time
ALOT
I Wanna Rock!...... While I am flying that is, and looking for some ideas on how to make it happen.

what I would like to do is be able to hook up a portable CD player in my plane so I hear the music while I am flying.

One option I have is to replace my planes intercom with one that has a music input - my current one does not have a input as far as I can tell. I would rather not do this as the ones that do have a input are 3-4 hundred bucks plus installation and there is a mess of wires behind the panel to fool with, no thanks!

Another option I found was a special adapter that plugs into the headphone jack on the plane, and the headset plugs into it, and pumps the music through to the headset. It will mute the music if someone else in the plane talks or a radio transmission is recieved. I am not sure I want this either cause it is about 175$- 200$ and it will only work for one headset, so if I am flying with a friend we can't jam out together!

Another option is to buy a new headset with a music input. I am liking this option best cause I have been wanting to get a ANR headset and there is a brand called Lightspeed that sells some units as cheap as 375$ and it is full ANR and has inputs for music and a cell phone. It will automatically mute the music if someone else in the plane talks through the intercom or a radio transmission is recieved. What I don't like is with this option my pasengers still won't be able to listen to the music, and of course I am not crazy about spending about 400$ with shipping even though I want a ANR headset.... Another thing I do like about this option is I could try to find a helmet that will fit over my headset and allow me to use my ANR headset in my gyro and if I want be able to put my CD player in my pocket and still jam! My current helmet has built in heasets, I guess I would sell it if I went with this option...

So does anyone have any other ideas they could offer? I wouldn't mind just some type of homemade radio shack jack gizmo that I could plug into the passengers headset jack so he could hear the music without the mute functions and so on, and be able to also plug the CD player into the adapter thingy they sell that does the mute functions, or even into the Lightspeed headsets - which I am pretty sure I will want to go ahead and buy now.

Ideas????????
 
Ron: I just went to Wal Mart...got me a nice CD player...portable...and bought an adaptor from Aircraft Spruce to patch into my radio. I have some nice gel seals on my headsets...and these cancel out most of the background noise.

So...what are you wanting to jam to? Wonderful World? :D I dream of a white Christmas? :D Oh...I know your music....Van Halens...JUMP :D


Stan
 
Jeez you know you're gettin old when Cadillac uses Zepplin for their commercials and last night I saw a Buick commercial with Aerosmith music.
So much for Bing and Frank eh?
Rock on
 
Lightspeed headsets

Lightspeed headsets

I have 2 sets of the Lightspeed ANR Cross Countrys w/ music inputs. These are the quietest headsets that I have EVER used! They also have a cell phone input, and a mute feature that fades music back in when conversion is finished. Bang for the buck, impossible to beat! :) Then just add a mp3 player, and a splitter for the passenger. The mute function is switchable on each headset.
 
Last edited:
Radio hookup

Radio hookup

Ron,
I have a sigtronics intercom. I soldered the stereo speaker outputs into the intercom wires that go to the headphone jacks with a resistor for each speaker wire.

I used a AM/FM cassatte player that puts our 30 watts per channel to have enough power to get sound over the headphones. I only have mono but it can be heard over both headphones & it works out good.

I didn't use a CD due to the cabin hop on my RAF, I figured it would skip. I included the pdf file that I used.
 

Attachments

Last edited:
I got a certified airplane and I don't think I can go in there and start hacking away at the wires! Plus I have my plane listed for sale and thinking of going to a faster two place Experimental, so If I spend money now, I want to spend it on stuff I can take to my next plane. But thanks Rudy!

Stan what kind of gizmo did you get from Spruce? Is it the 175$ or so switcher thingy I am thinking of?

Dale, I was thinking of getting the G15 headsets, not the more expensive G-20 or G-30's. Which ones do you have? I could just buy two headsets and a spliter cord to plug both into the portable CD player, but I don't want to spend that much right now. One headset for me is enough! So if I did buy one headset for me, is there a cheap way to split the music off so a passenger could hear it with a normal headset too?


As for what kind of music I would be Jammin..... Well all kinds! Here is a few CD's I have in my truck I would love to listen to while flying. Van Halen 1984 - Yes I got that in the truck HEE HEEE! - Guns and Roses, Bob Marely, Stone Temple Pilots, Aerosmiths greatest hits, A CD with Punk rock from the Dead Kennedys and the Sex Pistols, Metallica the Black album, Ludacris, Luke Skywalker and the Two live crew, Master P, Some old school NWA, A Garth Brooks Live in Concert two disc set.... etc... etc... So in other words I listen to alot of types of music. Mainly Rock and Rap.
 
Ron: The adaptor was around $30 if I remember correctly.

Stan
 
Ron i have a set up so that when the two radio cuts in the music stops, then as soon as the radio is quiet, the music cuts in again, all run through the same headset ear piece. Any decent radio tec should be able set it up, its just a couple of tiny contacts inside the two radio...
 
Lightspeed anr headsets

Lightspeed anr headsets

QFR -XC2, I use them in my Grumman Yankee, as well as in my Gyrobee. Lightspeed recommended these specifically for use in a close-to-Rotax engine environment. I have tested them back and forth with MUCH more expensive headsets ( Dave Clarks) and they came out on top. I would say for the money spent, they are a top pick. My local airfield let me try before I bought. Oh yea, By the way, Check out the new mp3 players that are availible-mp3,am/fm,cd. They are relatively inexpensive. If you get the mp3 am/fm, it's about the size of a cigarette lighter and can hold about 30 hrs of digital perfect music! They come with a usb connector . You just plug into a port ,download your playlist and go fly. You'll forget all about that CD player! ;)
 
Last edited:
So much for music these days

So much for music these days

So much for Bing and Frank eh? Rock on[/QUOTE said:
You mean they've gone on??? Where have I been these last couple of days? :confused:
 
Stan, could you find out what it is called or where in the Spruce book it is so I can maybe order one? Thanks in advance!

Dale, in the spruce catalog there is a QFRXCc ANR headset, is that the one you got? That is the only one close to the model you described. It has 10-12 db of active cancellation and 24-26 db of Passive Attenuation ...... what is the difference between Cancellation and Attenuation???

The 15XLc ANR headset is listed as 16-18 db Active cancellation and 20 db of Passive cancellation ....... Wonder why it is cancellation both ways here and not cancellation and Attenuation???

Other than that the only other differences appear to be the 15XLc has a over 50 hours life on the two batteries and the QFRXCc is listed as only 25 hours, and the 15XLc looks like it has more padding in the ear muffs and the loop - I tried on a set of Thirty-3G ANR headsets which look just like the 15XLCc's and they were super comfortable - but dorky looking. The QFRXCc looks more like typical headsets, are they comfortable to wear?

Both sets are priced the same.
 
Mark, I am not sure I understand what your talking about. What is the two radio? Is what you have a custom set up or a store bought thingamajiggy?

Dale, A MP3 player would probably be the best way to go, but I am not into downloading music from the internet. I do have lot's of CD's though. Would love to be able to play FM radio too..... I guess I could play my CD's in my computer and save the songs somehow to my computer to download into the MP3 player?
 
Oh and Dale, tell my about your airplane. Those little Grumans look cool and I hear they handle like a RV-6. Was told they eat up lot's of runway though and they weren't good for shorter strips?
 
Stan never mind, I found it. " CD player General Aviation Adapter - this product allows you to interface your portable CD player with a General Aviation Headset P/N 11-00694....... 29.95$ "


I guess I could buy the lightspeed headset - cause I want ANR anyway, and I want to be able to have my music muted when the radio has transmissions recieved - and then this little thingy and then get a cord that splits into two to plug into my CD player. This way when I got Sir -Mix- Alot playing and I am singing Baby Got Back, my passengers will be able to sing along..... instead of looking at me like I am a lunatic! :)
 
Ron it was costum made for us, we just have the usual UHF two radio and a cd/radio out of a car and he wired it up for me, it all runs through the headsets, when i push the ptt button or the two way radio goes off when someone talks on it( most of the time telling me i'm in the wrong place at the wrong time and to p*ss off) the music cuts out, all the other time its music time :)
 
Ron, I have been disappointed with the quality of music coming through aviation headsets, especially the ANR headsets (I use a Lightspeed 25XL). I put XM Radio in my RV-8A, and I've also used my IPOD for music. If you can sacrifice listening to your radio, you might consider some of the nicer "in-ear" pieces, like those made by Shure or Sony with different size ear pieces. They can slip into your ear, and you can wear your headset over them. With good ANR, you will hear only music. If you want to share music with passengers, you can get a "Boosteroo" which adds two additional headset outputs and boosts the signal measurably.

The disadvantage of this, of course, is not being able to hear anything else, including those troubling little noises from your engine! When listening to talk radio, I will use only one earpiece, and listen to the radio on the other.

Your mileage may vary.
 
If you look in a Spruce catalog there is a set of headsets offered that are not for flying, they are called Work tunes and made by peltor. I ordered these a few months ago and have been wearing them while I work. It is a headset with a built in am-fm radio. It works great, the volume will not get really loud, but it is loud enough to hear the music or talk radio easily over the background noises. I figured a ANR headset would be even better.

I have taken my worktunes headset up with me in the airplane a few times when I am on short cross country flights by myself and not following another plane. Here I got no one to talk to on the radio so I take my aviation headset off and put on my work tunes. I love it. I would love to have the best sound possible and hear the music loud and clear, but just listening to any music will be a treat!

When I went up in my friend Barrys Giles 202, he had Earth Wind and Fire playing through his Bose ANR headsets, it was so cool words can't describe it! Of course his plane has the music coming from a built in automotive Song CD player and it is coming through the intercom system.
 
Ron, You're correct . You just download saved music from cd's from your computer, but you have the option of downloading from the internet if you want. And about the Grumman... I LOVE this little plane!!! It handles wonderfully. It's a sports car of sorts . BUT, DO NOT SPIN IT . You should also fly the numbers. She doesnt like to go slow. Cruises around 130,Downwind is 90, approach is 80 (a little fast).You feel like a fighter jocky with that sliding bubble cockpit. They don't really take much more room to get off than say a 150. It handles very responsively. The way you wish ALL planes should.
 

Attachments

  • [RotaryForum.com] - Looking for a way to jam out while I am flying
    photo (1) copy (1).webp
    9.2 KB · Views: 0
  • [RotaryForum.com] - Looking for a way to jam out while I am flying
    photo (1) copy (4).webp
    19.1 KB · Views: 0
Last edited:
Back
Top