Shorttynaz Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 My birthday was a few days ago and while I've NEVER been into the whole iPod hype, my wife bought my my first iPod. It's the iPod Touch. I'm looking for advice on an FM Transmitter. I've read a few reviews on the one's that Best Buy sells, and well it seems as if they're all crap! Does anyone have an iPod and use it in their car? If so, what brand/product do you recommend?? Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 My birthday was a few days ago and while I've NEVER been into the whole iPod hype, my wife bought my my first iPod. It's the iPod Touch. I'm looking for advice on an FM Transmitter. I've read a few reviews on the one's that Best Buy sells, and well it seems as if they're all crap! Does anyone have an iPod and use it in their car? If so, what brand/product do you recommend?? Thanks!! I use the Monster one and it works quite well in my Jeep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Depending on how many FM stations you have in your area, the FM transmitter is OK at best. I have my iPod and Sirius hard wired into the back of my head unit. Keeps the digital signal and sounds perfect. I had a ton of problems with the FM transmitter and the sound was never very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I got one that was supposedly one of the better ones at the time (made by griffin, I believe)....and it totally sucks ass. I don't even bother using it except as a car charger. you might be better off just getting a new car stereo with an aux input in the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpholmes Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I use the Monster one and it works quite well in my Jeep. If you HAVE to go FM, Monster is the best brand you'll find. I've tried them all - every other brand sucks big time. You're looking at $50-$70 for one of these... if you're willing to shell out $50-$70 more, just go to Best Buy and get a new stereo head for your car that has Auxiliary input. It will save you a world of frustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingfootball Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 My monster works great out in the country, but when I go to the city its hard to find a radio frequency that doesnt have a station on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorttynaz Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 Can it be hardwired into the back of my stock stereo? I have (had - cancelled my subscription) a Sirius Stiletto 2 radio hard wired into the back of my factory deck. Is this a possibility? I know it's kind of ghetto, but I have an amplified bazooka tube hard wired into this deck as well. Everyone I know though tells me the easiest way is to get an FM transmitter. My wife has one in her car, and while there is nothing wrong with the quality of her songs, it sounds as if she's listening to a casette tape. There's not any static, but it's not the highest quality sound.. Any thoughts or recommendations about hard wiring this device into my stock deck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 If you can hardwire the Stiletto, you can hardwire the iPod. You'll just probably need an adapter. On my Jeep, I didn't have an aux in on the back of the head unit. So I used the 10 disc cd changer port. The kit was around $75. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 How'd you like the Stilletto? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunning Runt Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Does the car have a cassette player by chance? I ask because the cassette adapter is by far the better way to go, short of having it hardwired to your stereo as some have suggested. You can pick these up anywhere from $7-$20 depending on where you buy it. You don't need anything fancy on these. I've tried the FM transmitter and the problems mentioned in this thread are spot on. With the cassette adapter, you're golden. An extra wire in the cockpit, but well worth it. Anybody know of a similar product using a CD? The newer cars don't have cassette players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorttynaz Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 How'd you like the Stilletto? It's pretty cool.. It's somewhat similar to an iPod - but you have to buy the microSD chip for the memory. I got a 2G chip and have about 700 songs on there. On top of that, it gets the Sirius singnal just about anywhere where there's a clear view of the sky. If you hook it up inside, you'll need a home kit.. I like it though.. Just don't have the money to pay to renew the subscription at this time.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Does the car have a cassette player by chance? I ask because the cassette adapter is by far the better way to go, short of having it hardwired to your stereo as some have suggested. You can pick these up anywhere from $7-$20 depending on where you buy it. You don't need anything fancy on these. I've tried the FM transmitter and the problems mentioned in this thread are spot on. With the cassette adapter, you're golden. An extra wire in the cockpit, but well worth it. Anybody know of a similar product using a CD? The newer cars don't have cassette players. This is what I do in my truck. Don't have an aux input, so use the casette adapter. It works fine, though I think I am going ot need a new one soon (had this one for 4-5 years), as at times it seems to only work for 5-10 minutes then try to "flip" to the other side of the tape. Mildly annoying but usually get it to work fine again after "rewinding" etc. I am not aware of any CD versions of this (where would the wire connect?), as if there were I would get it for my wife. I got her an FM transmitter and it was horrible and she refuses to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunning Runt Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 It's pretty cool.. It's somewhat similar to an iPod - but you have to buy the microSD chip for the memory. I got a 2G chip and have about 700 songs on there. On top of that, it gets the Sirius singnal just about anywhere where there's a clear view of the sky. If you hook it up inside, you'll need a home kit.. I like it though.. Just don't have the money to pay to renew the subscription at this time.. I posted a question about the Stilleto a while back to see if it was something you could use in an enclosed building - like at the gym when working out. Doesn't sound like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 FWIW, I use mine daily. There's some sound degrigation for sure, but I'm listening to podcasts as opposed to music, so I don't think I notice the quality issues as much. On the whole, it does what I need it to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle LawDawg Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Timely topic as I've been through a couple different models this week. First: The Monster iCarPlay 250: Based on a recommendation, I picked this up early in the week and returned it the next day. Absolutely crap. It would lose the signal every minute. Typically, I just had to reload the same station, but every minute, it was going to fuzz. After doing more research, it sounds like the 200 model may have actually been better, but there was no way I was going down the Monster route again. Kind of disappointing. The coolest thing about this was the ability to charge any USB 2.0 device from the charger. ($99) Next: Belkin- Auto FM Transmitter: Scan didn't work. I didn't have to change the frequency every minute like I did with the Monster but I did have to every time I made a turn. Quality of transmission was usually very poor....especially when driving by radio towers (which I actually understand as I usually lose cell phone signal there as well). Still, not worth the $90. Finally: Griffin iTrip AutoPilot: This was the first of the 3 that I could hit the scan button and it would actually come up with the same three stations from the same location each time. The previous two products just seemed to come up with a random list of 3 stations. If the idea of the scan is to find the clearest 3 stations from a given position, those 3 should always be the same and they are with this product. The FM transmission has been great driving around metro Portland. Even when I'm driving by the radio towers, I don't lose the frequency...gets a little fuzzy, but no more so than most of the radio stations in that spot. The cables are long enough, that I can sit the transmitter on my dash (even closer to the antenna) and the 12-volt plug-in has play / pause / next / previous buttons on it, so they're easy access. The bad part of this unit: Up until a couple months ago, there was an "easter egg" that allowed you to transmit below 88.1, so you could take advantage of 87.7 and 87.9 which require special permits to transmit on and are thus not often used. Supposedly the FCC had a fit and Griffin had to remove the feature. Luckily I haven't needed it yet, but I wish it was there. If you can find another unit that will transmit below 881. (perhaps marketed as an "international" setting) you might want to give it a try. In reality, it seems that these things are somewhat dependent on the car and the location. Some reviews report that a specific product works well in downtown LA but wont work at all in downtown Denver. Go figure. I think most would be ok in the middle of Montana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furd Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Don't waste your money on a POS transmitter. Hardwire it. I used one of these: Neo ProLink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorttynaz Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Don't waste your money on a POS transmitter. Hardwire it. I used one of these: Neo ProLink Looks good, but $349... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunning Runt Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Looks good, but $349... Exactly. Nice product - too expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle LawDawg Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Don't waste your money on a POS transmitter. Hardwire it. I used one of these: Neo ProLink If you want the best quality regardless of location and auto, this is the best advice, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Looking to get a transmitter. Any new thoughts? Picked up a 9.99 cassette and while it works you get the static background and the "s's" are a bit hissy. I would assume if I could find the right transmitter the sound quality would be better. Hardwiring is not an option. Factory radio/cassette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Does the car have a cassette player by chance? I ask because the cassette adapter is by far the better way to go, short of having it hardwired to your stereo as some have suggested. You can pick these up anywhere from $7-$20 depending on where you buy it. You don't need anything fancy on these. I've tried the FM transmitter and the problems mentioned in this thread are spot on. With the cassette adapter, you're golden. An extra wire in the cockpit, but well worth it. Anybody know of a similar product using a CD? The newer cars don't have cassette players. This is what I do in my truck. Don't have an aux input, so use the casette adapter. It works fine, though I think I am going ot need a new one soon (had this one for 4-5 years), as at times it seems to only work for 5-10 minutes then try to "flip" to the other side of the tape. Mildly annoying but usually get it to work fine again after "rewinding" etc. I am not aware of any CD versions of this (where would the wire connect?), as if there were I would get it for my wife. I got her an FM transmitter and it was horrible and she refuses to use it. Totally agree w/ the above. I just hooked one up yesterday to my Garmin. It has a music player and sounds GREAT. The GPS voice even cuts in over the music and after the info the music comes back. PERFECT! The FM option was pure trash. Too much static. Here's an article from C/net... She pretty much agrees FM sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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