Ever wish you could have a direct connection from your iphone or ipod to your stock car stereo using the standard 3.5mm jack? Many new cars are now including a 3.5mm input into the stock stereos for all of your mp3 devices, but if your car is a couple or more years older, you’re out of luck…so you thought. I’ve never really been satisfied using any of those FM transmitter devices—the sound quality is just plain bad and you’re always messing with the FM stations just to find one that’s unused. So, eventually I just never bothered with that anymore.

I really love some of the music apps on the iphone like for instance Pandora which lets you build your own radio stations based the music you like, so I looked a little harder and found that there’s an easy way to get a direct connection for almost any car using one of PIE’s (Precision Interface Electronics) Auxiliary Input Converters. Most stock car stereos are designed with some sort of auxiliary input that is used for either an external CD changer or satellite radio. PIEs device splices in between the stereo head unit and the wire harnesses that connect the speakers, power, aux, steering wheel controls etc. The device has RC jack inputs so the only other thing that is needed is a cable with RC jacks on one end and the 3.5mm jack on the other. It sounds complicated, but if you’re a little mechanically inclined or have a friend that is and you can bribe with a couple of bears, it can be done in about an hour. The cost of the converter is around $65.00

Here’s the steps with pictures for the install on a Ford Explorer. Other vehicles will be similar but will probably have some minor variance.

First check PIE’s AUXILIARY INPUT CONVERTER APPLICATION GUIDE to find the correct converter for your car. For the Ford Explorer you still have to pull the stereo out first and look at the pin layout because you will need either the FRDN-AUX or FRD03-AUX depending on whether the pin layout is 20 pin or a 16 and 24 pin connector. You can order one of these from a few different place on-line, but I just went with TSS Radio because they’re local to me in Chicago. So, I just drove there to pick it up, and the guys there are really helpful in making sure I got the correct unit.

The only tools you need are a small screw driver to pry off the front panel surrounding the stereo, and small socket driver to unscrew the 2 bolts holding the stereo.

Here’s what the converter packaging looks like.

The converter I needed was the FRD03-AUX/S. The 16 and 24 pin female connections (red) connect directly to the stereo head unit. There are 2 male connectors in the picture over on the left and in the back, the 24 pin one is connected to the harness that was previously connected to the stereo, and the 16 pin connector is not connected to anything. On the converter itself there are 2 RC jacks on the left where the stereo cable is connected to.

Connect your RC cable with 3.5mm jack on the other end to the converter box.

You’ll have to pry the cover off using a screwdriver or something similar. It’s only held on by 6 clips, you can see the clip holes in this picture. It was easiest to start at the top end. The visual on the clip holes should give a good place on where to pry.

Once the cover is off, it will still be attached by a harness on top left for the system information controls and the top right for the 4×4 controls. You can pull the harness clips out easily by pressing the little tab on the side.

Unscrew the 2 bolts holding the stereo in place then just slide it out. Unplug the FM antenna and the harnesses. The back of the stereo head unit and pin layouts for my Ford Explorer’s stereo look like this.

Connect the converter harnesses to the stereo and the outgoing harnesses. Then connect the RC cable and decide how you want to route this. I just routed mine down toward the floor on the passenger side.

It’s a little hard to see from this pictures but the cable comes in front of the iPhone to the right and then up behind the panel. Enjoy your music! Let me know if you have any questions. It really is pretty easy and well worth the time if you like your music.

Each year I try to get some of my images featured in the Door County Visitor Guide which is their brochure packed with vacation ideas. Door County is a quick vacation getaway from Chicago and perfect for a long weekend. Some of our images that they used this year include the photographer/writer credits page at the beginning—a cold, icy sunrise, and a windsurfing image for their article on windsurfing and kite-boarding.

Last October I had the opportunity to travel to Paris. Here a few images walking the streets of Paris.

I was pleased that WeddingWire.com which is the nations’s leading wedding technology company announced that Robert Sojka Photography has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award.

“In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through surveys and reviews. Our winning vendors have set the bar high for this competition, demonstrating excellent service and expertise in their industry.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

Each year hundreds of daring souls brave the frigid waters of Lake Michigan on January 1st for the annual Polar Bear swim. This year I happend to grab a few photographs of the event, and I can tell you I was sure glad to be behind the camera on this one!

First the local fire department checked it out just to make sure there were no ice hazards.

This guy came out in style with his tux!

I met Ben and Jill earlier this year. They’re having an outdoor wedding next summer which should be an awesome event. We had a chance for an engagement session before the weather got too cold. When I get a naturally phogenic couple like the two of them it makes my work pretty easy.

Kevin & Amy flew down from South Dakata to enjoy a weekend in Chicago and take in a Cubs game several weeks ago. Unfortunately it’s the start of another world series without our cubbies.

Kevin and Amy are already married but wanted to do a pseudo-engagement session here in Chicago where Kevin had proposed to Amy some years ago. They’re a fantastic and outgoing couple that I really enjoyed photographing. Amy owns and operates Amy Lawrence Photography in South Dakota and she was just as incredible in front of the camera as she is behind the camera.

As luck would have it, we were blessed with one of the most amazing sunsets over the skyline which made for some very dramatic images. Here are a few of my favorites from the session.

Eric & Amanda were married in Oak Lawn and had their reception in the very cool, wooded town of Willow Springs. The wedding was filled with character, personality, and awesome detail including the 1959 Chevy Bel Air they rode in. Check out some of the highlights.

David and Valerie live in Seattle for part of the year and in Chicago for the summer months where they had decided to have their wedding. Many of their guests traveled from as far as France to celebrate their wedding. They had the most gorgeous outside ceremony at the Lincoln Park Conservatory where Valerie had arrived in this really cool antique Bentley. The reception was then held at the exclusive Cliff Dwellers Club high atop the Borg-Warner Building. The view from the outside terrace was amazing. David and Valerie were extremely fun loving which really shows in their photographs. Here are a just a few of my favorite images.

Boston is such a cool city and easy to get around. I think it’s one of the top walking cities in the U.S. and the train system gets you around anywhere you want to go. It’s so rich in history. The freedom trail is a quick way to see a lot of that history. If you’re ever out out there, you have to look up Frank Bernard who does caritures right outside at Faneuel Hall. He’s awesome and a great guy!