Simple low-tech audio ideas

[Imhotep]

Hey all. This is a great thread, not because some of you want to reuse antique sound equipment but because this is what Slate is all about! Customize it the way YOU want. I can't wait to meet up with other Slate owners to see how they modded their rig.
Keep those ideas coming.

That’s the spirit!

Bluetooth is an adequate low cost solution for many and some of us would not use anything we don’t install ourselves. Everyone wins!

I rode in a friend’s car with Bluetooth and every text booped through his speakers. That would drive me insane, but some folks don’t mind.

 

[Garbone]

Well as this will be for a 26/27 vehicle I may go old school with this for my head unit. A 25 vintage

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_158XAV3200/Sony-XAV-AX3200.html

But I could just use one of these for the antenna, should work well enough.

https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Trucker-Radio-Antenna-Stainless/dp/B01G2QE8HG/

 

[nevermindkid]

Good point. Will an antenna be a Slate option if one chooses to plug in a head unit?

 

[KevinRS]

Antenna is something that will have to be worked out. Most cars already have them, change a head unit still use the same antenna.
Most aftermarket antennas will be designed to mount to a metal ground plane, and won't work nearly as well stuck to or drilled through a plastic panel.
That CB whip won't work well at all for FM, wrong length, and it is a ground plane type.
You will need a "no ground plane" antenna that can be mounted to or through the plastic, or maybe a low profile one on the metal frame hidden under the plastic.

edit:
A quick search is turning up cheap antennas made to put on the front or rear windows that should work hidden under a body panel.

 

[Luxrage]

I've got a few double-din radios from the 80s all the way to a 6-disc with Aux from a Ford F150 I pulled for a friend that ended up selling the truck that would make good Slate candidates until I decide if I want an Android Auto unit.

 

[Garbone]

Antenna is something that will have to be worked out. Most cars already have them, change a head unit still use the same antenna.
Most aftermarket antennas will be designed to mount to a metal ground plane, and won't work nearly as well stuck to or drilled through a plastic panel.
That CB whip won't work well at all for FM, wrong length, and it is a ground plane type.
You will need a "no ground plane" antenna that can be mounted to or through the plastic, or maybe a low profile one on the metal frame hidden under the plastic.

edit:
A quick search is turning up cheap antennas made to put on the front or rear windows that should work hidden under a body panel.

Wondering if fully wave 76inch antenna would be that much worse than a 1/4 wave 19inch........Not a ham so this is about as deep as I can get into RF and matching etc....

 

[RetiredOnPaper]

The Bluetooth problem; I have a couple of sons who somehow managed to survive the teen years and grew into fine upstanding adults. (Despite my best efforts.) However one retained a taste for grunge/punk/metal and every time he comes to visit, before we even leave the airport he has hijacked the Bluetooth and his long suffering father (me) has to endure ear assaults. Why, with all this technology, AI, smart devices, and the internet of things, can't we make devices that will only play decent music? Like Doo Wap, Surfer, Soul (Specifically MoTown). Sigh

 

[AZFox]

Here's a low-tech(ish) solution:

Get a second phone to use only for the vehicle.

The phone's main job is to run in airplane mode as a media player for music / podcasts / audiobooks.

Load up your media at the house (or any hotspot), listen in the Truck.

You could install an Offline GPS app (e.g. "OsmAnd Offline Maps and Navigation") if you're like me and don't enable Location Services on your phone that has a SIM.

Maybe run the Slate App on it, too, if the Slate App doesn't require cellular data to do what it does.

Motorola makes a $250 phone with the attributes you'd need for this. I'm sure there could be others, this is just something I'm familiar with.

• Expandable media (microSD)
• Headphone Jack
• Ample 6.8" screen (phablet size)
• Good durability specs*
• Unlikely to overheat

* In particular, the temperature range is supposed to be -4F to 140F degrees. I haven't verified that.

"Moto G Power 2025" info at Motorola, GSMArena

Obviously that 2025 model with be out-of-date when the Truck starts shipping. They make similar models every year though.

I've had excellent luck setting people up on similar Moto G models. Motorola's software is possible to pare down to the essentials, although that requires some knowledge and experience to accomplish.

 

[RetiredOnPaper]

Boomer solution; Back in the day when I borrowed my dad's car I used a transistor radio...AM only. Dad didn.t "waste money" on "needless junk" like a radio in a car. My solution not only worked for me but also my buddy, who had a "Bug eyed" AH Sprite that also lacked a radio.

 

[RetiredOnPaper]

Here's a low-tech(ish) solution:

Get a second phone to use only for the vehicle.

The phone's main job is to run in airplane mode as a media player for music / podcasts / audiobooks.

Load up your media at the house (or any hotspot), listen in the Truck.

You could install an Offline GPS app (e.g. "OsmAnd Offline Maps and Navigation") if you're like me and don't enable Location Services on your phone that has a SIM.

Maybe run the Slate App on it, too, if the Slate App doesn't require cellular data to do what it does.

Motorola makes a $250 phone with the attributes you'd need for this. I'm sure there could be others, this is just something I'm familiar with.

• Expandable media (microSD)
• Headphone Jack
• Ample 6.8" screen (phablet size)
• Good durability specs*
• Unlikely to overheat

* In particular, the temperature range is supposed to be -4F to 140F degrees. I haven't verified that.

"Moto G Power 2025" info at Motorola, GSMArena

Obviously that 2025 model with be out-of-date when the Truck starts shipping. They make similar models every year though.

I've had excellent luck setting people up on similar Moto G models. Motorola's software is possible to pare down to the essentials, although that requires some knowledge and experience to accomplish.

Being the proud owner of several Moto G phones...been there, done that. One has a massive collection of tunes on the microSD (Several Xcrountry trips and have not listened to it all). Those phone have the FM radio chip, the app allows you to plug in headphones (needed to use as an antenna) and select speaker/bluetooth. Just one more option. Also note that there are other options used by the "golf cart" community. I also have a boom box from the early 80s that I could stick behind the seats and put the speakers in the dash...once this thing hits production, inovation will take over.