iTrip not producing FM signal

[jeromeerome]

I have had my 20GB iPod and my iTrip for over 6 months now and never had any major problems with them. Just recently, in the past week, my iTrip has quit working. The blue light will flash and then go solid as if it has locked into the frequency but I get no signal. I have tested the LED_OFF and LED_ON tracks and they work properly so it is clear that the iPod is sending the signal to the iTrip and it responds to the switch. I have tried varying volume levels while setting my radio station. I have tried numerous stations. I have even tried playing music on one station on the iTrip and then scanning through all the FM stations on my stereo just to see if it would pickup the iTrip broadcast somewhere on the dial. No luck in any of these situations. Has anyone else had this problem? Is my iTrip broke? Should I try reloading the special mp3 files back onto my PC and iPod in case they somehow got messed up? The output jack still works fine because I can listen to headphones or cassette adapter.

[MikeM]

I would contact Griffin about this one. It certainly sounds like its broken.

You've done every test I can think of and it all seems to point towards a broken iTrip.

[jeromeerome]

The iTrip must be broken because I contacted Griffin Technologies about the issue and they are having me send my old one in to be replaced by a new one at no additional cost.

[intlplby]

if your ipod uses the old ring connector the problem may be your ipod and not the i trip


the ring connector was changed on the nexest ipods due to the frequency at which the ring connector breaks


mine broke.... fortunately i just taded in my iPod using a compusa TAP

[MikeM]

Originally posted by intlplby
if your ipod uses the old ring connector the problem may be your ipod and not the i trip


the ring connector was changed on the nexest ipods due to the frequency at which the ring connector breaks


mine broke.... fortunately i just taded in my iPod using a compusa TAP

He was getting power to it, so I don't think the ring was the issue.

[jeromeerome]

Well I just got the new iTrip in the mail today to replace the other one. Unfortunately this hasnt solved the problem. I still cant get the ipod/itrip to lock in on a radio signal. I don't know what the problem is. What is this "ring" and "frequency" problem you guys are talking about. How do I know if this is the problem and is there anyway of fixing it (aside from getting a new iPod). Unfortunately I bought this online from Amazon so its not like I can take it back to a physical store and trade it like that guy did at CompUSA. This is really starting to tick me off. I mean I can still listen to the cassette adapter in the car but it sounds like crap in comparison to the iTrip!

[MikeM]

The little metal ring-like part around the outside of the headphone jack is where the iTrip gets power. If that's broken, no power. But you said the LED came on, so its getting power.

Its a rather puzzling problem.

[AptMunich]

so you are locking in the frequency by pausing the itrip file playback at the right time, right?

And the ipod is turned up too...hmmm have you tried a different stereo system...i know some more modern ones won't lock onto the itrip signal as it is not so powerful, but if yours has a manual station select wheel this shouldn't be the problem... is the stereo turned up all the way? try downloading the mono files for the itrip and seeing if they work (just search this forum for mono itrip and try those files, the signal should be stronger too...)


any luck?

[jeromeerome]

That is the thing that puzzles me about this iTrip problem I am having. Maybe 1 out of 20 tries I can get the blue light to flash 3 times to signal it has locked itself in. But it still doesnt seem to be working because I cant hear anything I play on the radio station. The other 19 out of 20 tries the blue light blinks rapidly initially which indicates to me that it is receiving signal from the iPod and is trying to switch frequencies. However it never flashes slowly 3 times to indicate it has made the switch. Typically it will just go back to a solid blue light. I have even tried these mono iTrip files and they don't seem to work either. It sounds like Im the only sucker who has ever had this much trouble with this device.

[jeromeerome]

Oddly enough I tried the iTrip again this morning as I drove to work and much to my surprise it actually worked! I don't understand why it wasn't working this weekend. I didn't really do anything different. I did have the iPod charging this time when I tried it so I did have to rotate the iTrip sideways but that shouldn't make any difference. Oh well... Im just glad its working again (for now) :D

[griffincherry]

I'm having almost the exact same problem, except in mycase the LED does blink slowly to indicate it has set the frequency. But it doesn't seem to actually be broadcasting anything. Also, mine iTrip is brand new and has never worked.

I started a new thread about this, but wanted to post something here in case you have any ideas why yours starting working again. I'm stymied.

[jeromeerome]

You say your iTrip light is red not blue. That indicates to me that you are using one of the new 3rd generation iPods like the 20, 30, or 40GB models. I haven't had any experience using the newer iTrips as mine is an older model iPod but I would assume they all essentially work the same. You are correct that the iTrip will slowly flash blue/red three times after you pause it to indicate it has switched to that frequency. I have found though that this isnt always the case. The only way to know for sure if it has switched properly is to have your radio on the station you are trying to tune to. After the iTrip flashes 3 times you should hear the static on your radio disappear and be replaced by silence. Then I think you have 30 seconds or so to play a song before the iTrip turns itself off. Another thing I have noticed is if you have your volume set too low while using the iTrip it will not recognize music is playing and shut itself off. This is more common with softer songs as opposed to something louder like rock. I tend to keep my iPod set around 50-60% volume level while I use it to ensure it doesnt go into sleep mode when it shouldnt. The only advice I can give you other than what you have been trying is to hold the play/pause button and the menu button to reset your iPod. Usually after it comes back on while the iTrip is in it will try to lock into the signal again.