Getting PocketPC audio to play on truck's speakers

[sanddrag]

I sometimes use my PocketPC and bluetooth GPS receiver to give me directions while I'm driving. The problem is though I don't like having to take my eyes off the road to look at the screen, and the road noise in my truck is so loud that I can hardly hear the directions that is gives out over the tiny little built in speaker. And I don't want to drive with an earpiece. So, I want it to play the directions on my truck's factory audio system.

I've seen those things that you plug into the headphone jack that broadcast a radio signal and that seems like a pretty good solution for the price but there's another problem with that. I'd have to change radio stations to hear it. I like listening to the radio while I drive, and I don't really want to have to switch stations to hear the GPS because I might be on my music station while the GPS is saying something important on its own station.

So, what I need to be able to do is have the PocketPC interrupt whatever is playing on the truck's factory audio system, and "speak" the directions, then resume whatever I was listening to when it is done "speaking"

Is there any possible way to do this? It is a Dell Axim X30 PocketPC with integrated bluetooth running Windows Mobile 2003 and it is a 1999 Ford ranger xlt with the "premium" factory audio system.

Thanks.

EDIT: To answer the below question: it is the Navteq gps system.

[BrianBSL]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

I sometimes use my PocketPC and bluetooth GPS receiver to give me directions while I'm driving. The problem is though I don't like having to take my eyes off the road to look at the screen, and the road noise in my truck is so loud that I can hardly hear the directions that is gives out over the tiny little built in speaker. And I don't want to drive with an earpiece. So, I want it to play the directions on my truck's factory audio system.

I've seen those things that you plug into the headphone jack that broadcast a radio signal and that seems like a pretty good solution for the price but there's another problem with that. I'd have to change radio stations to hear it. I like listening to the radio while I drive, and I don't really want to have to switch stations to hear the GPS because I might be on my music station while the GPS is saying something important on its own station.

So, what I need to be able to do is have the PocketPC interrupt whatever is playing on the truck's factory audio system, and "speak" the directions, then resume whatever I was listening to when it is done "speaking"

Is there any possible way to do this? It is a Dell Axim X30 PocketPC with integrated bluetooth running Windows Mobile 2003 and it is a 1999 Ford ranger xlt with the "premium" factory audio system.

Thanks.

I've thought about this a lot myself, as I have the same problem. It just never got annoying enough that I bothered to really spend some time working on it.

The easiest way would just be to get a bigger speaker to run the pocketpc on, as it would be a pretty significant task to interface with the truck's sound system. Specifically the premium systems often use external amplifiers. (Although external amps might be better, as you have a better chance of wiring something into the preamped signal, but bad as its more difficult to figure the system out). Some stereo systems support a cell phone mute function, where it will mute it when something activates that line. You could use a comparator on 1 chan of the audio line with a ~300mV (just sort of guessing at that, you might have to adjust it, I think a line out is approx. 1V) reference to trigger that if you wanted. (As it should be over that if there is something coming out the output of the X30).

On a side note, what software do you use with it? I too have an X30 and use it with my bluetooth GPS - I'm currently using TomTom Navigator 5, but I used iGuidance before and didn't really care for it. TomTom has its issues as well, though.