FNG? 3GS "ipod" on a motorcycle

[streetgrunt]

I'm new to iphone and ipod functions. I bought a cheap set of earphones w/ mic online (can't post link but they're $25 from Modernacc - noise canceling but not mention of self volume adjusting) to use on my motorcycle. While using them on my motorcycle the volume of the music in the earbuds went up and down and the songs appeared to pause or skip for a second. This was mostly around 50-60 mph with high winds, several times a minute but varied in frequency.

I thought it was an issue with the earbuds but tried them again yesterday mowing and had no issue whatsoever. Any ideas? Here are my music settings:
shake to shuffle - on
sound check - off
EQ - off
volume limit - off

These earbuds are great when they're working right. I'm kind of hoping its just a setting. Maybe shake to shuffle? I don't know why that would make the volume change though and the track never changed.

 

[jglowe74]

surprised you can hear music at all over the purr of the engine & exhaust. assuming you wear a helmet to help reduce noise?

with all the 'licensed' people out there who are seemingly targeting cyclists, i can't imagine riding my Yamaha YZF with headphones on. i work for the DMV and know first-hand how many clueless licensed drivers there are out there. one less distraction on my part helps gets me home safely at night.

but good luck to ya though, man.

 

[streetgrunt]

Been riding for close to twenty years and have worked as a police officer for about fourteen of those years. Been to more accident scenes than I care to remember while on and off duty, including the scenes and hospital beds of several friends who have died or got permanently injured on a motorcycle. But thanks for the heads up.

 

[bosox0898]

Maybe the mic button is getting inadvertantly bumped in the wind. Or it's possible that the differance in pressure is screwing with the earbuds.

 

[streetgrunt]

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking difference in pressure but it doesn't account for sounding like the music is pausing for a half second, not really skipping. Mic button is going to be a PIA to address because it sits near my chin. Thanks for the ideas. Might be better off just getting an adapter for my old earbuds...

 

[chobbs1]

Try turning shake to shuffle off. Ot may seem silly but give it a shot and let us know.

Even experienced motorcyclists need to be careful. Sometimes having experience makes the rider feel safer than he/she actually is. Riding with earbuds definately can be dangerous. Keep the rubber side down.

 

[streetgrunt]

I thought shake to shuffle did the trick. Worked for about 75 miles of highway traveling last night fine but then on the trip back started right back to the same thing with shake to shuffle off. I played with the earphone positioning to experiment with the pressure difference with not much of a result. Because of the intermittent occurrences I'm starting to lean toward a short somewhere. I ordered an adapter for earbuds I know work. I'll at least be able to eliminate the phone as a problem and have consistant music for my trip.

 

[Hephury]

I realize this question is kind of old, but I had the same problem recently and wasn't able to find an explanation anywhere online. Now that I've figured it out, I feel I have to share it somewhere.

Like you, when I used my earbuds (with inline mic) on my motorcycle, the volume would occasionally jump to 90% plus. But only when I was on the highway or traveling greater than 40 mph. Never when I was sitting still.

The reason is because the iPhone remembers the volume levels for different speakers. It has at least three: one level for the internal speakers, one for headphones, and one for headphone with microphones. When I use my fm transmitter in my car, I use the volume near 100%. But my earbuds w/ inline mic are normally 20-30%. Normally it remembers which volume level each is at so I don't accidentally split my eardrums when I start using the earbuds.

My theory is that if too much wind gets into the inline microphone, it tricks the iPhone into thinking there is no microphone present. I'm probably wrong on the electrical mechanism part, but it definitely jumps to the volume level for the speaker-only line. (You can test it by watching the volume level while blowing air into the inline microphone.)

So the solution is either: (a) use headphones without an inline mic, (b) cover the microphone so wind doesn't get into it while on the road.
...or at the very least (c) plug in a speaker-only line and adjust the volume level down so when it does change volume levels it doesn't deafen you and/or scare the living crap out of you while you're doing 80 mph down the highway.