Adding 3.5mm Aux Input to 2021 Work truck

[Green95Hoe]

Good Day all. I have spent a solid 3 days scouring all of the internets to no avail. My new work truck has the two USB ports on the dash and as far as I can tell, that is all. There are no additional plugs anywhere in the console. In all of our Ford fleet trucks, there is a 3.5mm input for our laptops to plug into. I was expecting the same to be standard to a Chevy "Work Truck". Guess I was wrong. There is a need to have a direct connect between the laptop and the radio. I have not had any luck with a bluetooth connection from both my personal or work laptops. There is significant audio lag and of course I would rather have my phone connected via the bluetooth channel. So I see other trim models include the "Aux In" port in the consoles. How could I go about connecting this missing component to my radio? Is there a harness that I can buy that will plug into the factory radio control unit? This truck does have Satellite radio and I will most likely never use it so is is possible to piggyback off that signal perhaps?  Looking for really any way to get a 3.5mm connected.

Edited March 11, 2022 by Green95Hoe

[None12]

On 3/7/2022 at 8:01 AM, Green95Hoe said:

Good Day all. I have spent a solid 3 days scouring all of the internets to no avail. My new work truck has the two USB ports on the dash and as far as I can tell, that is all. There are no additional plugs anywhere in the console. In all of our Ford fleet trucks, there is a 3.5mm input for our laptops to plug into. I was expecting the same to be standard to a Chevy "Work Truck". Guess I was wrong. There is a need to have a direct connect between the laptop and the radio. I have not had any luck with a bluetooth connection from both my personal or work laptops. There is significant audio lag and of course I would rather have my phone connected via the bluetooth channel. So I see other trim models include the "Aux In" port in the consoles. How could I go about connecting this missing component to my radio? Is there a harness that I can buy that will plug into the factory radio control unit? This truck does have Satellite radio and I will most likely never use it so is is possible to piggyback off that signal perhaps?  Looking for really any way to get a 3.5mm connected.

Good luck with that. I've reviewed some videos on YouTube because I wanted to do the same to my LT. It's nearly impossible, although I have seen some people disconnecting their Sirius/XM radio connection under the glovebox and adding a custom harness and drilling through the dash to place a port on the prior generation of GM trucks. Not sure if that will work with the T1s as everything is controlled by the BCM. 

[GhostofthePast]

I have seen adapter cables available that will connect a 3.5 mm audio plug to USB.  Would something like one of these work?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-External-Converter-Compatible-Desktops/dp/B099FLWJD3/ref=sr_1_6?crid=874D75DYP82G&keywords=3.5+mm+to+usb&qid=1651525830&sprefix=3.5+mm+to+usb%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-6

 

Or

 

https://www.amazon.com/RitZ-MarT-3-5mm-Audio-Charge-Adapter/dp/B0787XDXFV/ref=sr_1_13?crid=874D75DYP82G&keywords=3.5+mm+to+usb&qid=1651525830&sprefix=3.5+mm+to+usb%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-13

[Green95Hoe]

I have tried those with no luck. Those adapters only go one way and wont work in this scenario. The antennae plugs are the same type as in my old Ford work truck (square plug) and are much more easily accessible under the glove box. I found an inline antennae bypass FM modulator on amazon that I am going to give a try. Works similar to the old XM one I had used before except this one has RCA inputs. I will report back with part numbers if I am successful.

[andrewb24]

On 5/3/2022 at 12:25 PM, Green95Hoe said:

I have tried those with no luck. Those adapters only go one way and wont work in this scenario. The antennae plugs are the same type as in my old Ford work truck (square plug) and are much more easily accessible under the glove box. I found an inline antennae bypass FM modulator on amazon that I am going to give a try. Works similar to the old XM one I had used before except this one has RCA inputs. I will report back with part numbers if I am successful.

did you find anything that worked?