tuning base radio to specific station...NOT using search/scan

[Nohilow]

So, as everyone who has a smartphone and and old cad knows, bluetooth was only a glimmer in some engineers mind back then. Nowadays, if we want to use our smartphone and it's many abilities in our car, we have to either use one of those old plug in cassette adapters and stick it in the cassette player, or buy one of those FM transmitter do hickeys that have more options. and also are cable-free.

I have one of the cassette/smartphone adapters and it works well, but would like to buy and try one of the FM transmitters. I've been shopping on the net, thinking this through and suddenly realized my 2002 deville base car radio/CD player with a 6 CD player in the glove box, doesn't appear to have a tuning function that let's me move from frequency to frequency

...all it has are Search and Scan buttons which find and stop on the strongest station that is broadcasting. An FM transmitter depends on you being able to assign it a station frequency that is NOT being broadcast on. You must fine-tune it AWAY from broadcast signals on the lower end of the spectrum...and continue to do that as you drive into and out of areas (on a long linear trip) of broadcasting stations.

Any suggestions or am I missing something on my radio?

[BodybyFisher]

I believe you are correct, you can not tune to a specific channel, but when you switch your FM modulator to a specific channel say 88.6, it will broadcast to that channel and be picked up by the stock radio, anotherwords it should SEE or sense your FM modulator.   Does that make sense?

[Nohilow]

Yes, but since the car radio will tune to a strong broadcast station (that's what it is made to do) and the FM transmitter is made to select a station/frequency with no station being broadcast, it appears that  an FM transmitter will not be an option.  Unless there is some way to tune my car radio to a vacant frequency, I'm screwed.  The cassette adapter works OK, but it adds an extra cable at the dash. I would love to update this sound system to a modern nav system with all the bells and whistles but don't think that's really feasible.

[BodybyFisher]

I tend to disagree, if you have your FM modulator set to a specific frequency and turned on, whether or not it is broadcasting or no does not matter, it will broadcast a carrier signal at that frequency and your radio will see it and stop on that channel.  

[BodybyFisher]

Ok, I just comfirmed my thinking with this company, I called their tech support.  If you set the bluetooth FM modulator to say 103.1, when powered, it will broadcast a strong carrier wave on that station.  Your SEEK function in the radio WILL find that carrier at 103.1 or whatever station you set it to, then set that station as a preset and use that preset from that point on.  

As confirmation call tech support at (888)-315-8161, see this site, for their FM modulators

https://sourcefmtransmitter.com/contact/

[Nohilow]

Thank you, that cleared up a lot of questions. I'll be waiting for a deal on one of those and give it a try!

[BodybyFisher]

Glad to help