Car Radio

[Niloc]

I would like to but a car radio into which I could plug a memory stick of MP3/4 files as an alternative to a CD player. Does anyone know of such a device?

Colin

[monty]

Most of the newer ones do, especially the cheap Chinese ones!

Just noticed that a lot of standard fitted car radio's have a USB port as well for that exact purpose (Honda Jazz)...

[ozsamurai]

Go down to Khlong Thom and pick up a unit with MP3 capability, have it installed there all up from 2000 Baht. KT is on tonight by the way (find KFC and they're around there, bargain!).. done... I have USB and a SD Card slot on mine as well as the usual radio/CD, now if they could just make one with an 8 track, cassette tape, and MiniDisc it would clear the clutter in the drawer.

Oz

[LivinLOS]

Yeah very common.. have you looked ??

[Digitalbanana]

A quick fast alternative is also to just buy a 100BHT FM broadcaster with takes plug in USB sticks and plugs in the 12V socket on the dash.

[Niloc]

DB that would be an ideal solution, I drive a Mitsubishi which has a very good Pioneer radio so your solution would mean I could retain the great sound!!

Any idea where in Chiang Mai I could find a suitable FM broadcaster??

Thank you,

Colin

[nikster]

DB that would be an ideal solution, I drive a Mitsubishi which has a very good Pioneer radio so your solution would mean I could retain the great sound!!

Any idea where in Chiang Mai I could find a suitable FM broadcaster??

Great idea except it doesn't work. So don't do it. I repeat: Don't do it. It won't work, and the "great sound" of your pioneer will be wasted because you get tons of FM interference that makes your mp3s sound like an AM radio station from 1975. Forget about it.

I spent BHT 4500 on the most luxurious FM transmitter, the Griffin RoadTrip, with iPod charger and all. Now for one thing this particular device will ruin your cigarette lighter outlets because it has a stiff arm meant to keep your iPod in a fixed position.

The other thing is that there is way too much interference in Chiang Mai for this to work. Even in the mountains where there are no other radio stations around, I got lots of noise. It's an extremely poor solution. Sure you can get a chinese FM transmitter for 300 BHT but it will still be an extremely poor solution.

Now I got an Alpine + iPod adapter which also has a USB stick input at the front, cost a net BHT 7000 after I sold them my old Fortuner stereo for 2500. It's heaven. Crisp and clear sound from my MP3s, just like it should be.

So I'd recommend to do yourself a favor and get a stereo that supports USB, they are cheap and sound great. Particularly if you care about sound quality.

You'll always get some people who claim that the FM transmitter works for them, but they are either trying to sell you one, or they are oblivious to the sound quality.

Edited May 3, 2009 by nikster

[Niloc]

Nikster, sounds a bit expensive, 7000 + 2500 and why do you need a 'Stereo', memory sticks are only mono sound!

Personally I could not care less about the sound quality. I never listen to music anyway, I come from the school that believes good music ended when Elvis Presley picked up a guitar...

Thanks anyway, I will purchase carefully although 300 baht sounds a lot better than nearly 10K

Colin

[Digitalbanana]

DB that would be an ideal solution, I drive a Mitsubishi which has a very good Pioneer radio so your solution would mean I could retain the great sound!!

Any idea where in Chiang Mai I could find a suitable FM broadcaster??

Thank you,

Colin

These FM broadcasters are two a penny in almost any shopping mall in Thailand these days. I paid 100B for mine, it even came with a remote which I lost and has multiple frequencies to broadcast selected digitally in increments of 0.1! I listen to music or other podcasts downloads via USB or SD Card plug in and do not get the serious interference issues mentioned. I guess it depends on which FM freq you choose, your car radio and location. In Bangkok 88.2 works for me except under certain parts of expressways and every time I cross the Rama9 bridge! Upcountry I never shows any interference at all. Certainly doesn't break the bank to try it.

[LivinLOS]

Nikster, sounds a bit expensive, 7000 + 2500 and why do you need a 'Stereo', memory sticks are only mono sound!

What are you talking about ??

The memory stick is just the medium of storage.. Not the playback device..

And that can contain everything from DVD-Audi quality multi channel high fidelity lossless audio down to a nothing.. Its what the stereo will play and almost any MP3 stereo will play high bitrate stereo MP3 audio files.

[basjke]

Personally I could not care less about the sound quality. I never listen to music anyway, I come from the school that believes good music ended when Elvis Presley picked up a guitar...

Colin

Am I missing something?You open a topic regarding a mp 3 player but you never listen to music.

[Niloc]

I use the MP3 player for Podcasts I download thirty or so a week.

I also have a substantial library of Audio Books, they can be up to 8 hours in length.

[borovik]

I would like to but a car radio into which I could plug a memory stick of MP3/4 files as an alternative to a CD player. Does anyone know of such a device?

Colin

I have discovered these cheap chinese mp3 players(fm transmitter) last year,you can buy them anywhere for 100B to 300B.On Amazon you can find identical models for:

30-50$(sic!).

They work very well indeed.You only need simple car radio with FM.In ChiangMai

in ComputerPlaza(180B),small shops outside in BigC - the best one is model black color;some of them have internal memory,some play only mp3,some wma as well.The best in use is SD memory card - it doesnt stick-out,like USBpendrive.You can connect analog source as well through audio/earphone plug,but loss of sound quality is then noticable.You will have to adjust fm channel to avoid interference.

[basjke]

At amorn shop in Sriracha tukcom I saw a radio-cd player from Worldtech which had a usb port for memory stick and a sd card slot.Price 1999 baht.Assume they have them at other amorn branches as well.

[Gary A]

I have a 750 Garmin Nuvi GPS. It has an FM transmitter and for the lucky people who have an audio input on their vehicle radio, it works great with the audio cable. The GPS accepts a Micro memory card and I am using a 4 GB card. I listen to Audible audio books when I drive any distance. It plays MP3 books equally well. Unfortunately there are apparently MANY FM stations in Thailand. After you find a quiet unused frequency, it doesn't take too many kilometers to run into interference. The FM transmitter is fine if you pretty much stay in one area but on a trip, it is aggravating to say the least. My truck doesn't have an audio input so I normally listen with the GPS speaker. The sound at the highest volume setting isn't that great but it is less irritating than the FM transmitter.

[stumonster]

been waiting 10+ years for some one to come out with a car stereo with built in wifi and storage.

[ballbreaker]

DB that would be an ideal solution, I drive a Mitsubishi which has a very good Pioneer radio so your solution would mean I could retain the great sound!!

Any idea where in Chiang Mai I could find a suitable FM broadcaster??

Great idea except it doesn't work. So don't do it. I repeat: Don't do it. It won't work, and the "great sound" of your pioneer will be wasted because you get tons of FM interference that makes your mp3s sound like an AM radio station from 1975. Forget about it.

You'll always get some people who claim that the FM transmitter works for them, but they are either trying to sell you one, or they are oblivious to the sound quality.

I am one of those people that says the cheap FM transmitters work. I have two, one has built in 1 GHz memory and you download mp3's from your PC and the other uses SD flash cards that most camera's use. I like the latter because it allows me to easily change type of music while on the road.

I live in Bangkok and sure there are times when you might need to shift freq's on the device and your radio but I have found it to be very rare. I also make monthly trips to Pattaya and Korat with no problems. In normal use I have to switch between 87.5 and 108 Mhz on occasion all of which is done with the press of a button on the FM transmitter and radio.

I have found it a great solution rather than replace a perfectly good radio and they only cost a few hundred baht. The flash cards are extra.

Edited May 3, 2009 by ballbreaker

[delboy]

I have a device that I bought at Amorn a few years ago for 150 baht. On one end of the cable is an plug that fits the earphone socket of my MP3 player and on the other end of the cable is a pseudo tape cassette. I insert the cassette into my tape player in the car and the music or audio book plays through the car speakers.

My car is rather old so I have no idea if modern cars have cassette players anymore.

[Oberkommando]

DB that would be an ideal solution, I drive a Mitsubishi which has a very good Pioneer radio so your solution would mean I could retain the great sound!!

Any idea where in Chiang Mai I could find a suitable FM broadcaster??

Great idea except it doesn't work. So don't do it. I repeat: Don't do it. It won't work, and the "great sound" of your pioneer will be wasted because you get tons of FM interference that makes your mp3s sound like an AM radio station from 1975. Forget about it.

I spent BHT 4500 on the most luxurious FM transmitter, the Griffin RoadTrip, with iPod charger and all. Now for one thing this particular device will ruin your cigarette lighter outlets because it has a stiff arm meant to keep your iPod in a fixed position.

I paid 300thb for an FM transmitter from MBK and it worked perfectly with my mobile phone.

[LivinLOS]

been waiting 10+ years for some one to come out with a car stereo with built in wifi and storage.

Dont most the high end brands have bluetooth and real IPOD handling (meaning not an ipod and a cable but an IPOD you can put elsewhere and browse through the head unit) ??

I thought stuff like this was common on alpine and quality brands. I know I got in my mates BMW and the car handshook with his phone and displayed the media and caller ID of callers on the screen and took the calls through the car soundsystem and mic.

Edited May 4, 2009 by LivinLOS

[Digitalbanana]

I have no idea if modern cars have cassette players anymore.

Are you kidding? You need to get out more. Cassettes are antiques.

[Digitalbanana]

I am one of those people that says the cheap FM transmitters work.

Well I guess only you know the answer to that!

But I totally agree with you.

[stumonster]

been waiting 10+ years for some one to come out with a car stereo with built in wifi and storage.

Dont most the high end brands have bluetooth and real IPOD handling (meaning not an ipod and a cable but an IPOD you can put elsewhere and browse through the head unit) ??

I thought stuff like this was common on alpine and quality brands. I know I got in my mates BMW and the car handshook with his phone and displayed the media and caller ID of callers on the screen and took the calls through the car soundsystem and mic.

bluetooth is good for the personal area network capability - but I would like to park the car in the carport and have it associate with the home wifi network allowing me to just add or subtract music from the car storage.

[LivinLOS]

Well it IS possible.. Lots of guys with car PC setups for navi, music, video, etc all in one system..

But its a lot more work than having an extra IPOD for the car IMO.

[mickba]

I have no idea if modern cars have cassette players anymore.

Are you kidding? You need to get out more. Cassettes are antiques.

I bought my "antique" Fortuner new about 18 months ago and the radio/CD player includes a casette player (no, I don't have any).

It also says on the front "MP3", but nobody at Toyota can tell me how. There is no (or I can't find) audio in socket.

I am currently assuming that I need to find an MP3 Cassette Adaptor, which I'd have thought would be quite common here (Pattaya) but I haven't found one yet. Anyone know where? I can get one on Ebay easily enough but then there's delivery.

I'm using a Garmin Nuvi 760 for storage and playback, so I have the FM option, but I'd prefer to cable connect. Does anyone know how good the sound quality is with the Adaptor?

Thanks

[surface]

It also says on the front "MP3", but nobody at Toyota can tell me how. There is no (or I can't find) audio in socket.

I am currently assuming that I need to find an MP3 Cassette Adaptor, which I'd have thought would be quite common here (Pattaya) but I haven't found one yet. Anyone know where? I can get one on Ebay easily enough but then there's delivery.

you just burn mp3's to a cd-r, pop the cd into your system, and you're good to go.

[nikster]

I bought my "antique" Fortuner new about 18 months ago and the radio/CD player includes a casette player (no, I don't have any).

It also says on the front "MP3", but nobody at Toyota can tell me how. There is no (or I can't find) audio in socket.

LOL yeah Toyota sucks. My Fortuner is just over 2 and came with the "high" end... 6 CD changer! And no USB in, Audio in, or anything that would make it work with such newfangled technology as mp3s.

Swapped it out for a cheapo Alpine unit with iPod connector. The Alpine is DIN-1, so they put a drawer underneath, and that's where you put the iPod. It cost me BHT 7000 (9500, but they gave me 2500 bht for my old Fortuner head unit). And I have to say this is the perfect setup. I am kicking myself now for paying BHT 4000 for that stupid RoadTrip FM transmitter thing. I am pretty picky on these things, I value convenience and usability a lot. Example (what you won't get from the FM transmitter or audio-in):

- Navigate your playlists / artists / songs from the head unit. Never have to look at your iPod which is safely tucked away

- The stereo + iPod turn on when you start the car. They continue to play music where you left off. No need to do anything.

- You can leave the iPod in the car, connected. It won't drain the car battery, or the iPod battery

- iPod battery is no concern since it's charged from the stereo when the car is on

- Room for the iPod. It's not flying around somewhere or taking up a cupholder

Get a professional shop to install this. I went to three different ones because the first two had a drawer that looked like crap. MaxAutoPlus CM did a very good job and installed a drawer with a felt-like bottom which means the iPod doesn't slide around in there. Important little details.

As for the FM transmitter: My neighbor is also pretty happy with his super cheap chinese model. Maybe it depends on the car antenna and the FM transmit strength. In that sense, cheap chinese knock-offs will be better because they can output more signal. Brand names are sold in other countries like the US and UK where there are very strict laws on how strong the signal emitted from a FM radio can be, and the limits are very low. The Chinese won't care one bit about that... hence they'll provide a better experience. The RoadTrip didn't work in my car, and a friend who bought the same model told me his never worked either. He tried to return it, but TIT.

So conclusion: Go for cheap Chinese, avoid brand names that might be legally sold in other countries

Edit: Fixed my Thaigrish. It's scary, I have been here too long.

Edited May 16, 2009 by nikster

[moo9]

I just got this one, simply great Alpine

Just connect an IPOD or Memory stick, no more CD flying around in the car.

Edited June 16, 2009 by moo9