I'm now completely free to position myself anywhere in my class, with complete control of my music thanks to a tip from PRO Member Instructor Chuck Gauran. In this earlier post I discussed using Chuck's tip for using a BlueTooth receiver to connect my iPhone to the club's sound system.
Then Instructor Gregory Ortiz sent me a link for this BlueTooth Music Receiver that's only $20.00 and I ordered one as a Christmas present for myself - I have very simple needs 🙂 The total with shipping was a very reasonable $21.69.
I used it for the first time this morning in class and it worked flawlessly. I don't use any other BlueTooth devises with my iPhone (my previous experience with BlueTooth was with a very finicky BlackBerry) but it was very easy to pair. After a reassuring beep that signaled the receiver was paired to my phone, I fired up Spotify and like magic the music began to play. I ran around the 45 bike room to check if it would lose the connection - it worked everywhere 🙂
Then I remembered; airplane mode, John!
Unless you are interested in having your class interrupted by a call, airplane mode is mandatory when you use a smartphone... but then will BlueTooth still work? It turned out that on an iPhone the BlueTooth setting is separate and functions in airplane mode - I'll check to confirm if this is true on an Android ASAP - Yes it is.
I really like this BlueTooth Music Receiver because it doesn't use batteries. You just plug it in and connect the sound system's cord that would normally plug into your device. With BlueTooth on every smart phone, I see this as a must have accessory for any Instructor who would prefer the option of riding with their class, while keeping control of your music.
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
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Chuck or anyone else using this receiver, I just got mine in the mail and have been trying it out. There is a ton of line noise. It pops my speakers and constantly cycles frequencies (not the good kind of cycling) whenever I pause the music. I tried it on my laptop, ipad and ipod, as well as, plugged into a power strip and then off an extension cord to avoid interference with other devices. No luck. Any advice or best practices?
Three possible solutions:
Does it work for you at home?
Does it sound like 60 cycle hum Tom? I ran into a similar situation a few years ago when I used Yahoo Music on my laptop for class music. If I plugged the computer power cord into the same outlet as the sound system I would get a bunch of noise – I found that if I used an extension plugged into a different circuit it would eliminate the noise.
Different types of commercial lighting ballasts can cause the noise you described.