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I listen to a lot of audio content like podcasts and audio books, especially when I'm doing repetitive tasks that don't require a lot of brain function. For years I've connected my iphone to a radio in the hangar, which plays that content over the speakers. This works as long as I'm not making noise with tools or the compressor, but I wanted to find a way to listen to audio while also having hearing protection. I have found a solution that has worked pretty well so far, and I find that I'm using it quite often around the house too. The first gadget is a bluetooth receiver, which you can find here:
This little unit has proven to be very handy. The silver part in the picture is a male-male 3.5mm connector. Think of it as a very short cord. If you remove that part, it has a female 3.5mm jack that you can plug into anything else. For example, instead of having my phone mechanically tethered to the radio in the previous example, I can have my phone in my pocket, and this little device plugged into the radio. That way, when I'm on a ladder with half of my arm stuck in the wing ribs, and the phone rings, I don't have to stop what I'm doing to see whether or not is my used-to-be-pregnant wife.
The real benefit comes when I couple the above item with this one:
This is a set of noise-attenuating earmuffs with speakers in the cups. I had planned on adding speakers to a basic set of muffs, but for the price, these are hard to beat. They have a female 3.5mm audio jack, but I'm not interested in having a cord hanging while I'm working with things. The safety concern is modest, being that the cord would quickly unplug itself if it were to become tangled, but the convenience concern is more pressing.
So there you have it, a way to listen to whatever audio content you have, while you are doing noisy things. I've tested the combination so far at the hangar, on the riding mower, and even at the wood splitter. Most recently, I've even used it while doing things around the house, since often there is a sleeping child that shouldn't be disturbed by my audio. I haven't tested it yet, but the bluetooth gadget may also be a good fit in the Bearhawk. If I plug it into the intercom's audio in line, then I can eliminate one more cord in the cockpit. I'm looking forward to testing the noise that it puts out, since that would be my biggest concern.
This little unit has proven to be very handy. The silver part in the picture is a male-male 3.5mm connector. Think of it as a very short cord. If you remove that part, it has a female 3.5mm jack that you can plug into anything else. For example, instead of having my phone mechanically tethered to the radio in the previous example, I can have my phone in my pocket, and this little device plugged into the radio. That way, when I'm on a ladder with half of my arm stuck in the wing ribs, and the phone rings, I don't have to stop what I'm doing to see whether or not is my used-to-be-pregnant wife.
The real benefit comes when I couple the above item with this one:
This is a set of noise-attenuating earmuffs with speakers in the cups. I had planned on adding speakers to a basic set of muffs, but for the price, these are hard to beat. They have a female 3.5mm audio jack, but I'm not interested in having a cord hanging while I'm working with things. The safety concern is modest, being that the cord would quickly unplug itself if it were to become tangled, but the convenience concern is more pressing.
So there you have it, a way to listen to whatever audio content you have, while you are doing noisy things. I've tested the combination so far at the hangar, on the riding mower, and even at the wood splitter. Most recently, I've even used it while doing things around the house, since often there is a sleeping child that shouldn't be disturbed by my audio. I haven't tested it yet, but the bluetooth gadget may also be a good fit in the Bearhawk. If I plug it into the intercom's audio in line, then I can eliminate one more cord in the cockpit. I'm looking forward to testing the noise that it puts out, since that would be my biggest concern.
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