What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Should I install a music jack?

T

tonyjohnson

Well Known Member
I have a PMA 8000B audio panel which has a plug on the front for music, or a phone.

There is a provision to install a remote music jack elsewhere in the cockpit. I am wondering if I should install a remote jack or whether it is more trouble than it is worth. At this stage of the build it would be simple to do. Later it would be a pain.

So, do those of you who fly with an audio panel that has a music plug on the front find it acceptable or would you rather have a plug somewhere else in the cockpit?
 
The GIB might entertain herself by being the flight DJ if she has a way to plug in. My wife does exactly that on roadtrips.

Can you have one both front and back with the 8000b?
 
Like you said yourself, it's easy to do now. If you like music put it in. If you don't like music Put it in anyway, you won't be sorry latter and won't have to add later.
Ryan
 
Install it

I have that AP and while the front hook up works - it does leave a wire sticking out in a inconvenient place if you use that exclusively. Do yourself a favor and put the aux jack someplace out of the way. As you say, it's easy now.

tonyjohnson said:
I have a PMA 8000B audio panel which has a plug on the front for music, or a phone.

There is a provision to install a remote music jack elsewhere in the cockpit. I am wondering if I should install a remote jack or whether it is more trouble than it is worth. At this stage of the build it would be simple to do. Later it would be a pain.

So, do those of you who fly with an audio panel that has a music plug on the front find it acceptable or would you rather have a plug somewhere else in the cockpit?
Click to expand...
 
Another Option...

Another option is to get the GIB a Zulu or another headset that accepts music inputs. I have the 8000B in a -7 and never wired up a secondary input as I just run my music right into the PMA.
 
Wires hanging out of the panel always eventually get in the way. Put in a jack in an out of the way place.
If you plan to take a teenager along, wire up headset jacks to the rear seat output of the 8000 and install a second music jack; unless,of course, you like teen age music, loud!
 
When I wired up the RV-8 in my avatar, I put the headset jacks over on the post on the right hand side of the fuselage just behind the front seat so that the cables wouldn't be in an awkward place. I also put a music jack next to the pilot's headset jacks. That way I could set my music player on the floor to the right of the front seat and its wire would also not be dangling in front of me. It worked out great.
 
If you are flying around the strawberry patch and dont have to talk to ATC go for it. If you are flying cross country trips and IFR or with flight following you will not enjoy or have time to listen to music. It will keep cutting out every time they speak.
 
Norman CYYJ said:
If you are flying cross country trips and IFR or with flight following you will not enjoy or have time to listen to music. It will keep cutting out every time they speak.
Click to expand...

Many of the PS Engineering audio panels and intercoms have "karaoke mode" where you can turn off the auto-muting of the music. As long as you don't have the music volume up too high, you can still hear and discern the radio calls.
 
thanks....now what music source and where located

Thanks for all those responses. I appreciate the feedback from guys who are already flying since I can only guess at this point.

It seems clear that I should install a music jack. Now the question becomes where to put it in an 8A. I like the suggestion that the GIB should have access to it. It needs to be in a place where the music source can be out of the way but accessible while but not interfere.

Another question is what music source. The IPOD seems the natural answer at this point in time however I have read that it may not have sufficient volume unless amplified.

Does anyone know if an IPOD plugged into a PMA8000B works well?
 
Jack in back, Bluetooth up front

I also have the PMA8000B, and put a music input jack in back for the GIB. I'm planning on using the Bluetooth connectivity to play tunes from my IPhone from the front seat. Still theoretical at this point, but I hope to have my wiring in order for a live test within the next week or so.
 
I installed a remote audio input jack. I have since purchased a headset with Bluetooth and find that the audio quality with the wired connection is much better than with the Bluetooth connection. YMMV.
 
Thanks for the data point, Marc. If the Bluetooth connection is just not up to snuff, I'll "annex" the jack (at least until the GIB unplugs me and takes control) :D
 
I have a PMA8000B and installed a music jack at the bottom of my gear leg tower. It works phenomenally well with both my iPhone and iPod.

Install was simple, just get an appropriate jack from Radio Shack and ensure that it has a shoulder washer or some method of insulation so the jack is not grounded to the frame.
 
Good point, to minimize noise all jacks should be insulated from the airframe, and have their own ground wires run back to the audio panel.

When he was a teen my son used his iPod with a PS 8000, volume was okay for him which means it was plenty loud. Some of the early Garmin 340 audio panels did not have sufficient gain on their music inputs. Garmin fixed it with a semi-secret fix, but that's another story.
 
Charlie, the Radio Shack picture shows that this is not insulated. There is a metal nut on a metal jack sleve for mounting to a metal panel. This mechanical connection needs to be insulated.

IMHO plastic pieces like this don't stand up well to the heat and vibration of an airplane, and eventually get brittle and crack.
 
Yes, put it in. What is so difficult about running three wires? Also put the jack up front, where you can get to it. You can always run a long wire to the GIB, for the few times you want to listen to her music.

That or put a plug in both places with a switch to control which one has priority.
 
tonyjohnson said:
Thanks for all those responses. I appreciate the feedback from guys who are already flying since I can only guess at this point.

It seems clear that I should install a music jack. Now the question becomes where to put it in an 8A. I like the suggestion that the GIB should have access to it. It needs to be in a place where the music source can be out of the way but accessible while but not interfere.

Another question is what music source. The IPOD seems the natural answer at this point in time however I have read that it may not have sufficient volume unless amplified.

Does anyone know if an IPOD plugged into a PMA8000B works well?
Click to expand...

I put a music jack very far forward on the right hand side console of my 8A. It is far enough forward that it is not visible without sticking my head under the panel. I can plug my phone, ipod, or the audio out line from my 496 in there. When used (I usually listen to XM from my 496) there is room to put an ipod or iphone aft of the port, basically on the opposite side of the airplane from the throttle quadrant.
 
Two audio inputs and passenger jacks ...

Something to consider is that the 8000B supports two audio inputs for separate music inputs. In addition to the standard co-pilot jacks, I also installed one set of passenger jacks. The GIB may/may not be interested in your style of music and/or may not want to be bothered by all the radio interruptions. This scheme allows for isolation or sharing.

As for the iPod/iPhone/iPad, I sourced a "Y" cable that plugs into the bottom and splits out the audio to an 1/8" stereo plug and USB (both for charging and data). I've not had any problems with volume using this style of setup using good headsets (Halo's in my instance).

As for location - sorry, can't help there. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top