How to hook up iPod
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 497
Likes: 1
From: Providence RI
Hey Birdfish,
You have 3 options ...
1st inexpensive headphone jack from radio shack into the front auxilliary of the factory radio...which you will still have to control through the ipod.
2nd slightly more expensive there is the ipod integration you can buy through your dealership which plugs into the head unit and is fm bounded , charges the ipod and you still have to operate through the ipod .
3rd (the way I went) Ucconnect module w/ipod integration $240.00 allows you to operate your ipod through the radio and charges it at the same time and with the uconnect activated you also have the ability to make and receive hands free phone calls via voice activated bluetooth over your radio which fades the music when a call comes in you can either answer or negate. There are multiple posts on this subject! (uconnect)
All in all there are many ways to go about integrating your ipod..some have opted to install an after market Head unit w/all of these mentioned extras already part of the systems. So the long and short is how much are you willing to spend and how important to you is it to have the ipod completely integrated .
I would like to add that my previous TJ all I had to do was buy an icar integration plug and it plugged into the back and it kept the ipod charged and played through the radio and was operated through the radio, they no longer have an available solution to the JKs all they have now is an fm bounded one so it must have something to do with the Radio. Hope this answered your question ?
It was important for me to be able to use my ipod through the radio so I went the expensive route and with all of the frustration of getting the whole set up working it was in the end completely worth it!
You have 3 options ...
1st inexpensive headphone jack from radio shack into the front auxilliary of the factory radio...which you will still have to control through the ipod.
2nd slightly more expensive there is the ipod integration you can buy through your dealership which plugs into the head unit and is fm bounded , charges the ipod and you still have to operate through the ipod .
3rd (the way I went) Ucconnect module w/ipod integration $240.00 allows you to operate your ipod through the radio and charges it at the same time and with the uconnect activated you also have the ability to make and receive hands free phone calls via voice activated bluetooth over your radio which fades the music when a call comes in you can either answer or negate. There are multiple posts on this subject! (uconnect)
All in all there are many ways to go about integrating your ipod..some have opted to install an after market Head unit w/all of these mentioned extras already part of the systems. So the long and short is how much are you willing to spend and how important to you is it to have the ipod completely integrated .
I would like to add that my previous TJ all I had to do was buy an icar integration plug and it plugged into the back and it kept the ipod charged and played through the radio and was operated through the radio, they no longer have an available solution to the JKs all they have now is an fm bounded one so it must have something to do with the Radio. Hope this answered your question ?
It was important for me to be able to use my ipod through the radio so I went the expensive route and with all of the frustration of getting the whole set up working it was in the end completely worth it!
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
From: Chicago
I have the single cd/fm/am radio. If your radio has the "AUX" input jack on the right hand side then all you need is a 3.5mm, male to male stereo cable.
There are several available. You can check out almost every electronics store. The cheapest I found was @ Radio Shack and it was a simple 3ft. cable that connects to my iPhone's headphone jack to the aux input on the radio. You can get fancier, better looking cables depending on how much you wanna spend. I coughed up about $4 bucks I believe for the one @ Radio Shack. If you want official iPod products just step into an Apple Store.
There are several available. You can check out almost every electronics store. The cheapest I found was @ Radio Shack and it was a simple 3ft. cable that connects to my iPhone's headphone jack to the aux input on the radio. You can get fancier, better looking cables depending on how much you wanna spend. I coughed up about $4 bucks I believe for the one @ Radio Shack. If you want official iPod products just step into an Apple Store.
JK Junkie
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,343
Likes: 3
From: Amherst, Ohio
i do not recommend the FM bound thing. big no no. that only means that when you play a song on your ipod that things reads it and puts it out through an FM transmission making static noticable and bad sounding music. the best way that i hve is i used an FM thing only to charge it, and i have the ipod playing through the aux jack for ther best quality. not really a mess of cables but it's alright