DSL Talk

I had been thinking about connecting up one of these devices in my car, to a low-power clean FM homebrew transmitter, ( not one of those cheap-o ones at Target ) to be able to listen to my MP3's over the car radio. ( or the next car, or the whole parking-lot, or the whole beach, etc. )

:-)

But I want to be able to connect wirelessly from my car to my home/studio/work network, for file transfers and playlist loading, so I'll stick with the pcmcia/wireless car PC plan for now. The idea of including a USBKey for running the OS AND storing mp3's is a neat idea, though.

Double that with the portability of some personal players, (http://www.directron.com/mpc064231.html - uses ANY Lexar thin Jumpdrives), and you've got an all-around system that can travel wherever you go. ( using the same USBkeys for both car and personal, as they are so cheap nowdays )

Just keep a configured copy of DSL on each key, and use the rest for MP3 storage... Then simply swap keys when needed, or, ssh and/or vnc into the car PC to place MP3's in and out of the USBkey and Car PC HD/CF .
( or a friend's house, or a lan party, or LUG, whatever )

:-)

Kent

I have a prroman's install on my iRiver H340, it works nicely.

I wouldn't recommend overwriting the mbr of your mp3 player unless...

1. you back it up. google for how to do this.

2. you know what you are doing. not "think" you know what you are doing. KNOW.

3. you are willing to risk ending up with a dead piece of hardware after a failed attempt.

if you understand these 3 things, and are willing to accept them, go man, go!

--------------
Deep Thought was wrong. The Answer isn't 42, it's DSL!

Maybe it exists but I just haven't seen it yet. You would think car stereo manufacturers would be making units with usb jacks on the front so you could play music from your USB keys. Surely it's in development somewhere.

It's at Wal-Mart for US$29. Plugs into the lighter port of your car, has a built in 7 ch FM transmitter, and a USB 2.0 port on the front for your pen drive. It's a little sloppy on the low end, but mid's and high's come thru just fine. It's perfect for the simple joe.

Do you got any specs to share with us on it?
walmart.com didn't show anything specific

I can't find the information, either.

My best guess is that it is the Back-up Q MP-308 MP3 FM Audio Transmitter.

Here is another site with a description:

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=MP3ONCAR-N&sourceid=qIZwQfHklKHlAmWi10Qr

I have searched thru most of the usual vendors in Houston, Walmart (3), Target, Best Buy, Radio Shack... I cannot find even one, much less a selection to choose/compare from... For the most part, I get the "you must be stoned" response from sales staff when I inquire... Some more info on these devices would be welcomed, like who carries them, what brand names, price ranges, etc... Even NextTag and other online comparison price shopping sites don't list anything with this unique combination of USB port, FM Modulator, and MP3 player... I still plan to integrate the wireless network into my car audio, but this little pocket-sized transmitter would surely be a conversation piece at a future ham radio outing.

73
ke4nt

In searching for the Back-up Q MP-308 MP3 FM Audio Transmitter,
I found a very similar product at Newegg.
The Quick-Serv MP3onCAR MP3 player, MP168
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=55-127-001&depa=0

While I was there, I also found this selling at Newegg..
Ziga MP3 Player with built in FM Modulator, Model "CARMP30-N"
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=55-131-001&DEPA=0
It is a very similar device, with a few more features.

Still no suppliers in Houston that I've found.
I like to walk-in, pay, and test, and if I don't like it,
return it immediately, or if problems are found.

73
ke4nt

Why not roll your MP3 player and your FM transmitter into one device:

http://www.teamdigital.net/store/customer/product.php?productid=569

The hd based digital music player with inbuilt FM modulator..

The only thing missing is the wifi..but I don't care that much for the Wifi on my DMP (Digital music player). And it plays a lot more than just the mp3s.. (no protected wma support...)

http://www.neurosaudio.com/store/prod_neuros.asp

And the sweet thing is you can upgrade the HD yourself..

Lig