Dension Gateway 500 iPod Adapter Arrived Today

[kenkamm]

A wired FM gizmo (not the transmitter type) is the next thing I'm going to try. I'm just trying to figure out which one to get and where to get the antenna adapters. All the modulators I have seen have the standard antenna connectors on them; our cars use something different. I've read the Scosche adapter is one of the better ones, so I might try that one. Of course the sound still won't be the best, going through the FM tuner of the radio, but at least the intermittent static will subside.

[rickhuizinga]

Here are some pics of the PCM display when playing the iPod.

Overall, I haven't seen any glitches but I've only taken it for one drive.

I wish the navigation of the menus were better integrated with the PCM rather than utilizing various audio commands (CD #, next/prev track, etc.) but that would have required new firmware for the PCM (which would be difficult to do without Porsche). Despite this, its not too difficult to get use to, although it is a different paradigm than navigating the rest of the PCM screens.

So far it looks good. Audio quality is great, as well as the extensive song selection!

[Chris_911]

Rick

Can you post more details on how you installed the unit, routed cables, etc?

I'm interested in sourcing one here in the UK but want to judge hwo much hassle the installation is.

Thanks.

[rickhuizinga]

Originally Posted by Chris_911

Can you post more details on how you installed the unit, routed cables, etc?

I have attached a picture from before cleaning up the installation. In this picture, the cables still need to be organized and the front trunk plastic covers need to be reinstalled.

I connected the Gateway 500 by tapping into the connectors going into the back of the NAV drive.

The optical connection was very easy - the instructions in the Gateway 500 were clear and all required parts (couplers, optical cables, etc.) were included. It entailed unplugging the optical connector from the back of the DVD drive and unfastening one of the optical cables from the connector followed by inserting one of the included optical cables back into the connector. Basically, the cable that was unplugged from the DVD drive goes into the Gateway 500, and the new cable goes between the Gateway 500 and the DVD drive connector.

If your car doesn't have a DVD drive, you will need to perform this procedure on some other MOST component (head unit, amplifier, etc.). The DVD drive was convenient because it is very accessible. The amplifier is hard to reach with the optical connections hiding behind the speaker wires, and the head unit requires removal from the center console.


The only other thing to connect is power. You will need to find some location to connect the included power cable to get +12V and GND. I soldered the power wires onto the power connector pins the DVD drive.


That is all there is to the install! Pretty simple if you have NAV.

[berj]

Originally Posted by rickhuizinga

Here are some pics of the PCM display when playing the iPod.

Do you know what the interface would look like/how it would work in a car without the PCM? The radio has only one line of visible text so I'm curious how the controls might work. Does them manual give any indication?

Thanks,
Berj

[rickhuizinga]

Originally Posted by berj

Do you know what the interface would look like/how it would work in a car without the PCM? The radio has only one line of visible text so I'm curious how the controls might work. Does them manual give any indication?

To tell you the truth, I think it would be more intuitive on the CDR23/24 without the PCM display as you don't need to mentally shift user interface paridigms when using the unit.

Operation is quite simple:
CD 1-4 correspond to the first four playlists on your iPod. You can name the playlists with the first character as '1' - '4' to guarantee a match. This is a quick way to access your favorite playlists
CD 5 corresponds to playing all tracks on your iPod.
CD 6 corresponds to accessing the menu.

In the menu >| (skip next) and |< (skip prev) send a command to the CD changer to switch to the next track/prev track. In response the gateway 500 displays a track name on your 1 line display corresponding to the menu item (i.e. playlists, artists, podcasts, albums, etc.). On a given menu item (cd track - as your head unit would see it), pressing >> (fast forward) selects the menu item and << (rewind) exits up one menu level.

So, suppose you wanted to play a playlist called "My Playlist", assuming this is not one of the first four playlists, this is how you would do it:

1. Select CD 6
2. Press >| until you get to the [Playlists] menu option (this happens to be the first option). Press >> to select this menu option. (On the PCM, you need to hold down >| to perform a fast forward)
3. Press >| until you get to the Playlist "My Playlist". Press >> to select.
4. At this point I get a little confused as I've only been on one drive with the unit. I believe it then shows the name of the first song in the playlist. Pressing >| will display the next song, and so on. Pressing >> will select the song in the playlist to begin playback.

Rick