Radar Detector Output tapped into and over the AUX and Tuner.

Stimulation · 05-13-2004, 12:14 AM

I have a Cobra 9870 Radar Detector, and it has an external audio 1/8 jack on it, and I would like to utilize this feature. Ideally I would want the audio to be overlayed over the tuner and auxilary sources, but am not to sure as to how to do this. Could I somehow splice the speaker cables and tap it there? Does anybody have any ideas?

antimatter · 05-13-2004, 01:04 AM

Can you be more specific? I am kinda unclear on your final goal.

Cant you just get a Y splitter.

what are you planning to do with the audio? Just play it over you speakers?

What is this tuner you are talking about? Radio tuner?

Stimulation · 05-13-2004, 07:14 PM

Yes, tuner is the radio tuner. I want to have the radar bleeps and blips that come out of my detector to be played over my speakers, all while listening to the Radio, PS2, etc.

Get it?

antimatter · 05-13-2004, 08:19 PM

Why not just use a Y splitter.

After rereading your original post it is aparant that you need to describe your sound setup before anyone can help you.

In the future you can get answers faster if you take the time to be specific with you hardware setup and problem in your initial post.

I have no idea what your setup is and even if you have a computer in your car.

My main question is what drives the audio... head unit or computer???

Stimulation · 05-15-2004, 01:03 AM

The audio is driven by a variety of sources, depending on what I am listening to at the time!

The head unit is used for radio and cd, and when I want PS2 or Computer, I flip it over to the AUX source mode, and then in the glove box I have a home theater system selector that has 4 inputs that I can switch onto the one output.

But, I really don't think my SPECIFIC setup really matters that much, the concept is what I am going for. I want to be able to hear my radar detector through my car speakers LOUD, while listening at the same time to whatever was playing.

Example:

I am rocking out to my winamp song's. Cop is half mile away and is radaring. Radar Detector picks up radar signal, displays "Ka Band" on the LED Display, and beeps. The "Beeps" are outputted from the external audio jack to my car speakers, and the beeps are beep, beep, beeping while I am listening to the music, at the same time.

The problem doesn't lie in getting the beeps to the speakers, I can already do that by plugging the external audio jack into the AUX of my head unit. But doing it that way will not allow me to listen to the radio while the radar is going off--AUX would have to be on at the same time.

The problem is getting them both to play at the same time.

A Y splitter is for splittling the OUTPUT of something, isn't it? I need to "split" (more like combine, because it is the other direction) the INPUTS.

Make sense now?

Pokey · 05-15-2004, 01:43 AM

What you need is a mixer, which allows you to overlay two (or more) audio tracks onto one output. Google for mixer, they have these small projects that use just one opamp for two input, one output.

antimatter · 05-15-2004, 02:03 AM

How can one conceptualize (without wasting ones breath) if they don't know your SPECIFIC setup.

In this case I want to know even more information than you provided becasue I think the answer lies in the amplifier that you have (or don't have)

Let me clarify. THe only way to "overlay" the radar detector is to by pass your head unit and input into your amp. The reson that I need to know more about your amp is because the currecnt amp that you have may not have two inputs. In that case you can use some sort of Y splitter.

You may get undesirable results though so the best way to go is have the output of the head unit and the radar detector go into some kind of hardware equilizer or mixer with two inputs so that you can adjust the gain on both to the most desireable level

Good luck

Stimulation · 05-17-2004, 01:02 AM

Well DAMMIT antimatter, you pushed me for it, so here is my setup

Sony Headunit
4 Rockford Fosgate Punch 6.5s
8" Bazooka Tube Subwoofer
Sony Laptop
7" Ebay Screen

I am not running an amp, straight from the HU. I assume this makes it even more difficult.

The mixer idea sounds promising, yet without an amp it might not work.

Does anybody have any other ideas?

fantomas · 05-17-2004, 01:53 AM

you should be able to jsut use a y splitter for the aux...but for radio and cd i dont think theres a solution without using an external amp..

lightman · 06-05-2004, 06:56 PM

Well.. If your running a carputer then simply run the output of the radar to the line in of the puter.. Then setup the windows mixer to concurrently output wave/directsound and your line in... This will not work if your listening to the headunit's CD or tuner..
radar>puter>headunit>speakers
Just a thought.. Or get a really LOUD radar

robiewp · 06-05-2004, 08:29 PM

the ammount of regurgitation and misinformation here is amazing. Hats off to antimatter for avoiding it!

There are various ways to combine two signal sources. some people are successful just using a 'Y' splitter, but there are also simple "signal combiners" and more functional (would allow you to make the volume of the radar detector lowder) mixers.

As for what you do with them, there is a way to overlay the radar ontop of all audio if your headuit has preamp in/out. You would take the preamp out and combine it with the source from your radar, then send the combined signal into the preamp in.

Hope this helps.

jfandco · 06-05-2004, 11:24 PM

I've thought about this same setup before, where the radar detector audio could be heard through the car audio system regardless of source... Bottom line is that a mixer is needed to set the system up right..... This can become quite tedious, as most newer HU's lack preamp inputs...

My suggestion: go get yourself a tiny speaker element at RadioShack or the like, and mount it closer to your ear... To be honest, I've tried the whole carputer mixer thing with the Radar as an input... The blips and bleeps become very annoying very quick... I've played around with the remote radar speaker idea, and it works pretty well...

Just a thought...

Jamie

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