- Using Pocket Tunes
- Finding Broadcasts
- Listening to Internet Radio in Your Car via Your Smartphone
- Not Quite XM Radio, But Its Still Pretty Cool
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Listening to Internet Radio in Your Car via Your Smartphone
Having fallen in love with being able to get Internet radio on my Treo smartphone, I ventured to figure out a way to listen to Internet radio in my car. To do this, you need to start by getting a stereo audio adapter, 2.5 mm male to 3.5 mm female. You can usually pick these up from mytreo.net or eBay for under $10. These adapters are typically used to plug headphones into your Treo.
Another device you’ll need is an FM transmitter, the kind that plugs into the headphone jacks of an iPod, PDA, MP3, CD, or cassette player. The FM transmitter takes the output of your audio device and lets you listen to your output via your car stereo by tuning into a clear FM frequency to which the transmitter relays. You should be able to pick up a good transmitter for about $30.
The procedure is simple:
- Plug the FM transmitter’s male 3.5 mm input into the 3.5 mm female output of the stereo audio adapter, which in turn plugs into your Treo (see Figure 10).
- Tune your car’s FM stereo to match the output frequency of your FM transmitter. (This process varies by FM transmitter model, so refer to your transmitter’s manual.)
- When you have your car stereo tuned correctly to the FM transmitter’s output, you should be able to listen to the output of your Treo. Just tune in Pocket Tunes to your favorite Internet radio station, and enjoy.
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Of course, while the vehicle is moving, the reception of your Internet radio broadcast will depend on the strength of your wireless signal (or lack thereof). I tend to use my smartphone/radio setup on a pretty well wirelessly covered highway in my commute back and forth to work. Also, for obvious reasons, use common sense and don’t flip between stations while driving—avoid causing accidents!