Belkin Auto Kit Problems

[Shawnman]

I just received my Belkin Auto Kit that I ordered from apple and I am having a problem. When I plug in the cable that connects to the auxilliary port on my car stereo (new Eclipse) to the Belkin Auto Kit I get really bad feedback type noise. I don't get this noise when connected straight to my car stereo. Anybody had that problem? The product is so new that Belkin has not had any calls with that problem. I have followed all the directions on the flyer that came with it such as adjusting the volume on the Auto Kit, on my stereo and my ipod. No suck luck.

[jminio]

The cable that connects to the aux port on the stereo, what kind of cable is it and exactly what is each end connected to. also when you say "connected straight to the stereo" how is that connection made, what kind of cable going where.

[iamaustin]

I had a problem where every couple of seconds the sound would cut out for a second, but it would happen if i just used the headphone port of the ipod. I called apple and they said they would just ship me a new one. I also called belkin to complain to them and they also sent me a new one, so now ill have 2 more to try with.

-Austin

[atariskidd]

have u tried lowering the volume on the belkin itself? i did that to mine and now it sounds perfect.

[Shawnman]

I have a monster cable that you use to connect your ipod to your stereo. Bought it in the Apple store at CompUSA. RCA jacks on one end that plug into the back of the car radio (or home stereo) with the mini plug on the other end that connects to the Belkin charger or straight to the ipod. The only way I can get the sound to stop is by turning the volume on the Belkin charger all the say down as in no music. I never get the squeel when it goes straight to the ipod. Just the Belkin.

[Far]

There is a problem with some cars called a ground loop hum, (search the forums for it)

Basically if your cigarette lighter socket is not grounded properly it will give off a humming sound, specially if wired to your stereo.

[Shawnman]

That sounds like it could be the problem. I noticed that the bulb that was attached to the lighter was removed and hanging loose. That could possibly have removed the ground. Thanks for the hint, I am going to check out after work. I'll post my result.

[iamaustin]

I just got my new belkin auto kit, but i still have the same problem. Every few seconds the audio "skips" for a second. I dont think its the belkin kit, since this is the 2nd one i have tried, its not the headunit, since it works in the ipods headphone jack and on other media players. Could it be the car?

It seems to happen only when the car's engine is on, and only after a minute or so of driving is when it starts. Please help :(

[jminio]

I agree with far, it sounds like there is a problem with the wiring in the socket. If you can't find a problem there one thing to try as an experiment is the line out on the ipod dock. I am assuming when you connect the iPod to the radio without the belkin you are connecting to the headphone jack on the iPod. Try to take the dock out to the car and plug the stereo into the line out on the dock and see if you get noise. That will tell you if the problem is with the line out on the iPod. I doubt very much that it is but that test will prove it. If there is no problem with the wiring to the socket and no problem with the iPod the belkin could have an internal circut problem that would introduce noise. You may need to exchange it.

[iamaustin]

I know this is a long shot, but does anyone else in here have a belkin auto kit for the new ipods (dock) and have this problem:

When you plug your ipod into the belkin kit, and then connect audio, after a minute or so the audio will start to "skip" for a second every few seconds. I have had this problem with 2 different auto kits, and the same ipod. Is it a problem with the car's power socket? I have a 2000 Accord V6 with a demanding audio/video system (battery).

[dmarcus48]

I have one of those belkin auto kits and love it. I don't have the problem you described, I have a 2003 Volvo S80. One thing I do notice is that the plug seems to unseat fairly easily. Maybe your plug is shifting around and its the on and off that you're hearing. I know that with some radar detectors and other things that use the lighter plug sometimes need an adaptor to get it to seat (plug in securly). I would try a Radio Shack and see if they had something like that. Its only a piece of plastic, couldn't cost much. Actually I just thought of something, my wife has a 2001 Accord, I'm going outside to try it in her car.

[dmarcus48]

Well I went out and tried it in her car, she has a 4cyl 2001 Accord EX. Its got the good radio with the 6 cd changer built in. Worked fine, what are you using to get the signal to the radio? An fm transmitter or a fake cassette? I tried moving the plug around and didn't get any pops, but I did notice when I pulled it out a little that I did get a pop.

Hope this helps

Just thought of something else, I have a Nextel phone and I notice that when the phone is close to the radio or in some areas I do get some interference which could sound like skipping. If you're using an fm transmitter this could be it.

[Shawnman]

Far you are right! I ordered a ground loop isolator from radio shack (catalog # 270-054) hooked it up and no hum. Everything sounds great now. Thanks for the advice.

[Far]

no problem, glad i could help

:)

[macagent]

Yo iamaustin, I am having the exact same problem you are. I have 2001 Tahcoma with a Pioneer stereo, and RCA input jacks.

If I plug into the Belkin stereo jack, it plays good for about a minute, then after that I get constant skips. I tried leaving the charger plugged in, BUT moved the RCA input to the top of the iPod. It does not sound as good, but it does NOT skip. This tells me that the problem is the Belkin amplifier out port.

Does the iPod use the buffer when outputting through the dock connector? I was thinking that may be the problem.

Has anyone else found a solution to this???