Mobile Sound

If you plop down thousands of dollars for a high end car audio system and think that you have the loudest system in the world, you’re so wrong. I used to think that expensive cars, not the supercar ones but the luxury cars, have the best car audio systems. And for some, being the best means being the loudest. But even if you drive an upscale BMW or Mercedes-Benz with a powerful car audio system, it will be blown out of the water by a rugged looking early 90s model owned by a dB drag racer.

And just what is dB drag racing you ask? Well, dB is for decibels and from that I think you know what dB drag racing means. According to the sports’ site: “dB Drag Racing is an auto sound competition format where competitors compete against one another to see who has the loudest car stereo system.”

dB drag racers have their own creed which is:

• I will never operate my system in a manner that will disturb those around me.
• I will never operate my system in a manner that could result in injury.
• I will never operate my system in violation of the law.
• I will do my best to represent the sport of dB Drag Racing in a positive fashion.
• I will conduct myself in a professional manner while participating at events.
• I will do my best to support those companies and retailers who support our sport.
• I will always abide by the dB Drag Racing rules when competing and will do my best to insure that others abide by the rules as well.

The vehicles used in this sport are sometimes beat up and have been modified to carry powerful speakers. Batteries supplying power to the speakers are also loaded into old cars. Thousands of dollars are spent by competitors on their cars just for a shot at having the distinction of having the world’s loudest car audio system.

As you can expect, the sports has its own rules and some of them are:

• The program material being played must originate from a source unit that is specifically designed for installation and operation in a 12-Volt auto sound environment. This includes cassette decks, CD players and changers, DVD players and changers, VCR’s and VCP’s, MP3 units, AM / FM / Satellite radio tuners, and any other playback device that is specifically designed for installation and operation in a 12-Volt auto sound environment.
• The program material may consist of music, test tones, or any other type of recorded audio signal.
• The program media may be from a commercial source (such as a CD you purchase) or a custom, homemade recording.
• Tone generators, frequency multipliers, harmonizers, etc. are prohibited.

Oh yes, a wonderful addition to your in-car experience has arrived!

Earlier, Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET), one of the leading operators of mobile communication services in Taiwan, announced the launch of the FET GPS Info Go. The latter is a collection of multi-function services specifically for car drivers, and FET G5, an in-car multi-function device integrating GPS navigation, mobile TV, audio/video entertainment, digital photo display, and mobile voice and data communications.

For sure, the new product from the manufacturer would tickle the fancies of those craving for a refined in-car information and entertainment information.

What’s there to expect? Digitimes provides a detailed recap of specs:

FET G5, equipped with a 5-inch 16:9 screen, can display 3D high-resolution navigation maps and video of updated traffic conditions as well as travel and transportation information based on voice-control commands, FET indicated.

FET G5 uses GPRS for its connectivity, according to industry sources. The GPRS communication ICs are developed by MediaTek, while the device is developed by Taiwan-based dmedia System and manufactured by Taiwan-based Foxlink (Cheng Uei Precision Industry), the sources pointed out.

FET will immediately start trial operation of FET GPS Info Go with about 500 FET G5 units for one to two months and then begin commercial operation, the company indicated. The industry sources estimate an annual sales volume of 50,000 units for the gadget, although FET declined to reveal its targets.

While FET G5 will provide Internet-access at a transfer bandwidth of 64Kbps, FET plans to offer an upgraded version based on HSDPA to reach a bandwidth of 10Mbps and a further upgrade based on WiMAX to reach 30Mbps, with the former suitable for small cars and the latter for buses, the company pointed out.

In addition, FET also on October 2 unveiled a WiMAX-based system to enable the display of instant information on road traffic and flights in 24 buses shuttling between Taipei City and the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport as well as access to the Internet using notebook PCs or other hand-held devices aboard these buses. This system was achieved through FET’s participation in the government’s Mobile Taiwan (M-Taiwan) Program, the company indicated.

The manufacturer will additionally complete the establishment of WiMAX base stations along the expressway between Taipei and the airport by the end of this year to facilitate in-car mobile access to the Internet, FET noted.