Had XM Roady, now want iPod connected in car

[Ms. Nomer]

About 1.5 year ago, I had an XM Roady2 hardwired into my car through an FM Modulator. The Roady2 unit is powered by the car battery and is directly connected to the antenna. I haven't used this unit for about a year, but I want to connect my iPod, if possible, using the same cords.

Does anyone know if there is some kind of Y-cord that I can use to connect the iPod to the cords hanging out of my dash?

Essentially, I'm looking for a cord that can bypass (or act as) the Roady2 and instead connect the iPod directly to the antenna and FM Modulator that are already hardwired behind the dash.

http://roxanakc.homestead.com/files/XMROADY2.jpg

Any help is appreciated - I haven't been able to find a cord like this anywhere!

[tombranch]

Hey there, what's the third hole on your roady label as? I assume it is the line out that feeds the audio to your fm modulator. If so, it is technically possible to use your Ipod with that set up, but there are some problems (like you will have to use the Roady to turn the modulator on and off). See my post on this thread for more info (although I had the Skyfi, not a Roady), hope that helps. http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=216108

[Ms. Nomer]

Hi tombranch, I wasn't able to find the label for that third hole (the Roady2 just has a symbol, not a name), but I found this picture in the manual. It turns out it's for the cassette adaptor. Is that considered line out? Thanks for your help - I'll check out your link.
http://roxanakc.homestead.com/files/roady2.jpg

[tombranch]

Sorry! My ignorance on the Roady and your statement that you had a hardwired FM modulator may have led us down the wrong path. I checked the delphi website and the Roady has a built in wireless fm transmitter. So unless you are 100% sure that you have an fm modulator under the dash somewhere, I think that you were using the fm transmitter that is built into the Roady. You likely have a hardwired power supply (so you wouldn't have to have your lighter socket always in use for the roady) and the antenna wires coming out of your dash.

I don't believe that there is any way to port the Ipod audio into that antenna input for the roady and you likely wouldn't want to anyway. There are lots of wireless fm transmitters out there that are much smaller and provide charging for the Ipod, etc. You probably need to start from the beginning to see what sort of options there are for the make and model of your car (mp3mycar and crutchfield have online tools for that). And there are lots of reviews and opinions here about the various ways to get Ipod audio into your car.

Sorry if I raised your hopes! If, for some reason, you really do have an fm modulator hardwired in the car, you may well be able to use it for the Ipod.

Tom

[Ms. Nomer]

Yes, I really do have a FM modulator wired in my car somewhere behind the dash or in the trunk or under the seat (it was professionally installed, so I don't know where they put it).

I used the wireless built in modulator when I first got the roady, but I was driving 50 miles EACH WAY to and from work at the time (which is why I bought XM to begin with) and I would end up driving out of the signal areas and wound up with too much interference. So I went to Circuit City to get an FM modulator wired in the car. They installed a modulator for a Volkswagon (I have a Saab - they said the part was the same). I used the XM for about 4 more months then just gave up because XM was starting to air commercials :mad:. Now I have an iPod and I KNOW it's commercial free :cool:, so I wished to be able to use the connection in some way with my iPod.

Any more help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

[tombranch]

Well, OK then - we're back in business. I'll try to help sort it out.

1. You need to determine if the modulator was always on, or if it was switched. Did you have to hit any other switches besides the Roady power button to use the system? Basically the modulator is either a)independently switched on and off, b) comes on and off with the Roady, or c) is always on (or, more likely, comes on when you start the car and is on until you turn the car off). If there is no independent switch anywhere, you can do a little testing to determine if it is B or C. When my modulator turned on, it killed AM radio reception. So, tune in an AM station and then do the following things. Turn the car on, does it kill the radio reception? Plug in the Roady to the power lead. Hit the power button on the Roady (hope you still have it). Does it kill the radio reception? Plug in the other leads to the Roady and turn the Roady on, does it kill the radio reception?. If nothing works, try it with an FM station. Basically, if you hit on the way the modulator is turned on, you should be able to hear it via the radio.

2. You need to determine which line feed audio to the modulator. How many wires are coming out of your dash and where did they plug into the Roady? You are probably looking for the one that hooks in where the cassette adapater is supposed to go, or plugs in somewhere else that isn't shown in the diagrams you've posted. Do you know what a 3.5mm male mini jack looks like? If not, look it up on the web - that's what you are looking for.

3. Once you determine how to turn the modulator on and off, and where the audio feed is, you can either buy an Ipod power charger with a line out jack, or maybe just plug the audio feed line into the earbud socket on the ipod (I think that would work). Most likely you are going to prefer to use an unamplified line out source from the Ipod rather than the headphone jack, IMO.

Let me know what you determine,

Tom

[Ms. Nomer]

Thanks for your help - I will look into this soon and try to post the results. Just in case something goes wrong, I plan to use my older iPod...