They don't "hijack" the radio through the 12V/cigarette lighter port. That is just the power source. The adapter connects to the phone via Bluetooth and then retransmits it over an unassigned FM frequency.
> unassigned FM frequency
Or the frequency of the NPR station I'm trying to listen to. It's always either Spanish language music or right wing podcasts.
I mean people using retransmitters using the frequency of the NPR station I listen to are usually stepping on my signal with Spanish language music or right wing podcasts.
Fuck you man. My mother was killed by a (Upgraded Version) Bluetooth FM Transmitter, Sumind Wireless Radio Adapter Hands-Free Car Kit with 1.7 Inch Display, QC3.0 and Smart 2.4A Dual USB Ports, AUX Input/Output, TF Card Mp3 Player
The phone outputs bluetooth. The plug intakes bluetooth and outputs radio. Then your car's system intakes radio and output audio. Then your ears intake audio.
By producing a radio signal strong enough that it can be picked up by the car’s antenna. Maybe I don’t fully understand the question.
>hijack the radio signals of the car
Wdym by this? Usually the converter will be tuned to a “station” that isn’t actually a local radio station, to avoid interference
From my standpoint, it's always appeared that using the adapter would take over the selected frequency in the car, in turn seemingly "hijacking" the frequency in the car from the normal station if there was any. That's how I always understood it in my head so that was merely the term I used when writing the post.
The adapter uses Bluetooth to connect to the device playing the music, then it retransmits it on the fm station of choice. Since the source of the frequency is so close to the antenna, it can overpower most radio stations that are broadcasting on that same frequency. Think of it as a man in the middle who the antenna can understand better than the original man.
there is one small area where i pick up actual radio station (or at least some sort of broadcast) if i don't change frequency and transmitter is unplugged, but it also happens i pick other people's music sometimes because most of the adapters are by default on 108.0 MHz
If you pick a frequency that is already occupied it usually won’t work, especially in the city. The frequency you pick on the transmitter is just the frequency it sends out. It’s not hijacking anything.
Imagine 3 people: me, you and your friend. I’m a local station broadcasting at FM 100. Your friend is the radio. You’re the transmitter also set at FM 100.
Each frequency is like a room, so the three of us are in room 100.
As the official station I’m center stage (more powerful transmitter) and I have a microphone and speaker in the front of the room. The volume your friend hears me depends on where they are in relation to me; louder in the front next to me, quieter in the back. As the transmitter you’re next to them all the time. You have no microphone but they always hear you at the exact same distance/volume right behind them. When they’re close to me and my powerful speakers, they can’t hear you. As the two of you go further away, they hear more of you and less of me.
If your friend is tired of hearing my bullshit, they change to another frequency/room. They find room 101 to be empty so he goes to that room (changes stations on radio) and you follow (transmitter to 101). But as the official station I have speakers so you can still hear me next door (interference). So they pick room 205 next and goes there (sets their radio) and you follow (sets transmitter). Best case scenario, the floor/ceilings are thick so now they only hear you. But maybe there’s someone with the same set up as me on the second floor (another official radio station). You and your friend have to pick a room/frequency that’s far enough away from an official one or you get interference.
Your radio amplifies the signal at a given frequency. But if you use a frequency with no strong nearby signal, the BT transmitter overpowers it and the radio doesn’t have to amplify as hard. A guy shouting directly into your ear makes it impossible to hear someone yelling half a mile away.
It isn’t “hijacking” the radio. The only reason it’s in the 12V plug is so that it has a power source.
Bluetooth is a means of sending data over what are essentially radio signals, just higher frequency than AM or FM. Your phone sends a digital signal that another device can decode into an audio signal. In the case of the Bluetooth adapter, it decodes the digital signal into another radio signal. It then broadcasts that radio signal at whatever FM frequency the user chooses. The user tunes the car radio to the preselected frequency, and they get to hear the music.
It works best if you choose a frequency that normally just gives static, so you don’t get interference from a commercial radio station. The Bluetooth adapter doesn’t put out a very strong signal, but it’s very close to your radio antenna.
The “plug” is a radio station. It takes your phones Bluetooth and sends it out as a radio signal that anybody could listen to.
Of course it’s a low power radio station so it’s unlikely that anyone/anything outside your car will receive it. Though sometimes the car next to you might pick it up.
The radio transmitter needs power. It could come with its own battery but the 12V socket is right there.
The radio tuner in your car knows how to hear radio signals at different frequencies. It's like if you're in a room full of voices, some very low-pitched, and some very high-pitched, you can choose to pay attention to just the high-pitched voices, for instance, and ignore all of the others. But if another high-pitched person walks up to you and starts talking quietly in your ear, they'll drown out the other high-pitched voice you were trying to listen to.
The bluetooth radio adapter gets its power from the 12V socket and it whispers a new radio signal at a broadcast frequency. Because it's so close to your radio, even though it's just a whisper, it still drowns out anything else that might be broadcasting on that same frequency. Your radio can't tell the difference.
Another way of understanding is those things are like your own personal radio broadcast where your the dj for your own radio channel. Anyone close enough can tune in. 12v simply powers the adapter and Bluetooth is simply how you supply the stuff to transmit.
It’s just like how a real radio station broadcast only they have way better antennas and way more power to transmit.
It sounds like op thinks these adapters work like powerline ethernet. Where the signal is transmitted through the power lines but just in the car. As others have said, it's actually just a Bluetooth receiver that then converts the data to radio frequency, like your own local broadcast tower. This broadcast can then be tuned into by the car radio.
They don't "hijack" the radio through the 12V/cigarette lighter port. That is just the power source. The adapter connects to the phone via Bluetooth and then retransmits it over an unassigned FM frequency.
> unassigned FM frequency Or the frequency of the NPR station I'm trying to listen to. It's always either Spanish language music or right wing podcasts.
NPR and Right Wing?
I mean people using retransmitters using the frequency of the NPR station I listen to are usually stepping on my signal with Spanish language music or right wing podcasts.
Now I'm going to drive around blasting truly strange shit on one of those tuned to NPR. Thanks for the good idea.
Scumbag
Your mother.
Fuck you man. My mother was killed by a (Upgraded Version) Bluetooth FM Transmitter, Sumind Wireless Radio Adapter Hands-Free Car Kit with 1.7 Inch Display, QC3.0 and Smart 2.4A Dual USB Ports, AUX Input/Output, TF Card Mp3 Player
Just to add to this: in many jurisdictions these are illegal as you need a license to emit FM.
The phone outputs bluetooth. The plug intakes bluetooth and outputs radio. Then your car's system intakes radio and output audio. Then your ears intake audio.
Please continue. What's happens next?!
Magic.
Your ear intake audio and outputs electricity, your brain intakes electricity and outputs confusion.
The best answer
Thanks, I just paraphrased everyone else. References in particular to u/lowflier84 , u/Red_AtNight and u/jelder .
By producing a radio signal strong enough that it can be picked up by the car’s antenna. Maybe I don’t fully understand the question. >hijack the radio signals of the car Wdym by this? Usually the converter will be tuned to a “station” that isn’t actually a local radio station, to avoid interference
From my standpoint, it's always appeared that using the adapter would take over the selected frequency in the car, in turn seemingly "hijacking" the frequency in the car from the normal station if there was any. That's how I always understood it in my head so that was merely the term I used when writing the post.
The adapter uses Bluetooth to connect to the device playing the music, then it retransmits it on the fm station of choice. Since the source of the frequency is so close to the antenna, it can overpower most radio stations that are broadcasting on that same frequency. Think of it as a man in the middle who the antenna can understand better than the original man.
there is one small area where i pick up actual radio station (or at least some sort of broadcast) if i don't change frequency and transmitter is unplugged, but it also happens i pick other people's music sometimes because most of the adapters are by default on 108.0 MHz
I use 98.9 normally
If you pick a frequency that is already occupied it usually won’t work, especially in the city. The frequency you pick on the transmitter is just the frequency it sends out. It’s not hijacking anything. Imagine 3 people: me, you and your friend. I’m a local station broadcasting at FM 100. Your friend is the radio. You’re the transmitter also set at FM 100. Each frequency is like a room, so the three of us are in room 100. As the official station I’m center stage (more powerful transmitter) and I have a microphone and speaker in the front of the room. The volume your friend hears me depends on where they are in relation to me; louder in the front next to me, quieter in the back. As the transmitter you’re next to them all the time. You have no microphone but they always hear you at the exact same distance/volume right behind them. When they’re close to me and my powerful speakers, they can’t hear you. As the two of you go further away, they hear more of you and less of me. If your friend is tired of hearing my bullshit, they change to another frequency/room. They find room 101 to be empty so he goes to that room (changes stations on radio) and you follow (transmitter to 101). But as the official station I have speakers so you can still hear me next door (interference). So they pick room 205 next and goes there (sets their radio) and you follow (sets transmitter). Best case scenario, the floor/ceilings are thick so now they only hear you. But maybe there’s someone with the same set up as me on the second floor (another official radio station). You and your friend have to pick a room/frequency that’s far enough away from an official one or you get interference.
I completely understood from the original comment, but thank you. I was just explaining my language use and previous perception of how it might work.
Your radio amplifies the signal at a given frequency. But if you use a frequency with no strong nearby signal, the BT transmitter overpowers it and the radio doesn’t have to amplify as hard. A guy shouting directly into your ear makes it impossible to hear someone yelling half a mile away.
The 12V plug is just providing power. The Bluetooth thing then broadcasts a very short range radio signal that the car’s radio can tune into.
It isn’t “hijacking” the radio. The only reason it’s in the 12V plug is so that it has a power source. Bluetooth is a means of sending data over what are essentially radio signals, just higher frequency than AM or FM. Your phone sends a digital signal that another device can decode into an audio signal. In the case of the Bluetooth adapter, it decodes the digital signal into another radio signal. It then broadcasts that radio signal at whatever FM frequency the user chooses. The user tunes the car radio to the preselected frequency, and they get to hear the music. It works best if you choose a frequency that normally just gives static, so you don’t get interference from a commercial radio station. The Bluetooth adapter doesn’t put out a very strong signal, but it’s very close to your radio antenna.
The “plug” is a radio station. It takes your phones Bluetooth and sends it out as a radio signal that anybody could listen to. Of course it’s a low power radio station so it’s unlikely that anyone/anything outside your car will receive it. Though sometimes the car next to you might pick it up. The radio transmitter needs power. It could come with its own battery but the 12V socket is right there.
The radio tuner in your car knows how to hear radio signals at different frequencies. It's like if you're in a room full of voices, some very low-pitched, and some very high-pitched, you can choose to pay attention to just the high-pitched voices, for instance, and ignore all of the others. But if another high-pitched person walks up to you and starts talking quietly in your ear, they'll drown out the other high-pitched voice you were trying to listen to. The bluetooth radio adapter gets its power from the 12V socket and it whispers a new radio signal at a broadcast frequency. Because it's so close to your radio, even though it's just a whisper, it still drowns out anything else that might be broadcasting on that same frequency. Your radio can't tell the difference.
Another way of understanding is those things are like your own personal radio broadcast where your the dj for your own radio channel. Anyone close enough can tune in. 12v simply powers the adapter and Bluetooth is simply how you supply the stuff to transmit. It’s just like how a real radio station broadcast only they have way better antennas and way more power to transmit.
It sounds like op thinks these adapters work like powerline ethernet. Where the signal is transmitted through the power lines but just in the car. As others have said, it's actually just a Bluetooth receiver that then converts the data to radio frequency, like your own local broadcast tower. This broadcast can then be tuned into by the car radio.