confused, itrip or not, so many opinions

[stolt]

Hi new to the ipodlounge, bought my fiurst ipod last week 4th gen 20gb and absolutley love, now I can understand what all the fuss is about. Anyway I want to be able to play it in my but also need some sort of holder, noticed that the itrip is mentioned many times but many people complain that it's not very clear. Also seen the dock with a transmitter built in, which seems just the thing I need. I own a honda accord and the head unit has no inputs in to have a direct connection with the ipod so a wireless solution is needed, what do you guys reccomend that I should buy, anyone own the cardock thing with a trasmitter if so is it any good and the reception clear, appareciate I wont get cd sound but as long as its clear enough I would be happy, seen it advertised for appx ??50 so dont want to buy one and waste my money.

thanks for looking

[unknownsoldier]

buy it from a store. if you are unhappy return it. clearly some people like it, and lots of people think it works, otherwise tehy wouldn't sell.

[mannix]

I???ve got the Belkin TuneCast II FM Transmitter that was bought for iPod car use. The TuneCast works reasonably well on other FM radios throughout the house but it appears that the iTrip is more aesthetically pleasing for this purpose. From researching the wealth of information and user experience on this forum it looks like the better solution for in-car iPod playing through the FM radio is the FM Modulator. I???ve had the Belkin for about 6 days and may be about ready to take it back to CompUSA for a refund, assuming they don???t insist on charging me a 15% restocking fee???

[Joshdude]

Get the iTrip. I'm happy with mine, plus you don't need to use a power cable and it's reasonably priced.

[mynameis]

I use an itrip right now, sounds fine to me about 98% of the time. Another really nice thing is I can take it between my truck and my car very easily.

[mannix]

Originally posted by Joshdude
Get the iTrip. I'm happy with mine, plus you don't need to use a power cable and it's reasonably priced.

I just picked up an iTrip and I am very happy with it. It does everything the TuneCast does except a) it???s much more modern and iPod integrated looking, b) it does not require a power supply, c) this saves having to run an additional cigarette lighter power adapter as was the case with the TuneCast, d) I still use the Belkin Auto kit to charge and power the iPod while in the car. I still need to do some more driving with the iTrip to see how it holds up but for my purposes this could be the solution if or until I get around to an FM Modulator hookup.

[UK Baz]

Glad I found this thread. Im thinking of buyin a iTrip sometime soon. Whats the quality like? Is the signal constant?

Baz

[MikeM]

The reseption issues have less to do with the iTrip itself [or any other transmitter] and more to do with the vehicle and the congestion of the FM band in your area. If you have a good 'clean' empty station in your area with no stations on either side of it, you'll probably have a good experience. That being said, I've used my iTrip in downtown Boston here in the U.S. and had fine reception.

[Anachronism]

I just got my Ipod and Itrip, I have not had a lot of time to experiment yet but so far - It sounds great on my home stereo and also sounds great in my work truck, as good as a strong FM station most of the time.

But in my car it hasn't been as good, I have had a lot more static and lower sound quality. But I may be able to improve this with a different radio station or adding a switch to keep my power antena down.

I would definatly recommend buying it from a local store if possible so you can return it if it does not work well for you.

[DVDerek]

I tried to send a not to Mike as a PM, so as not to bump an old thread, but the PM page just hangs when I submit. So I appoligize for this bump.

Mike, I just purchased an iPod last week and am looking for an in-car solution. I'd love to go with the iTrip, but after scanning the FM band on my home from work I wasn't able to find an three successive stations of static, which is what I am told will give the best results. Most staticy stations had strong signals on either side.

What station do you use in Boston?

Thanks,
Derek

[TheDoctor]

I bought an iTrip prior to a recent holiday in California.
I drove from San Francisco up to Sonoma and then down as far as Santa Barbara. The only issue we had on long trips was having to change the frequency, due to us crossing into areas where our chosen frequency was in use.

Back home in London it is fine, as I never go far enough to "find" new stations. I use it at home too, especially in the bathroom where we only have a battery powered radio.

Reception is fine, though you need to turn the volume up full as this affects the signal strength of your broadcast. This means it can drain the batteries a little quicker but I have never run flat.

I would say the range I get is about 15 - 20 feet, which is enough in the car or a room.

The software is a breeze to install, it looks like it was made for the iPod, the mini version is a perfect fit, and all you have to do is stick it in the headphone socket and play the frequency "tune" that you want to use. It really couldn't be easier.

I'm very happy with mine and I see they now make a Black one to match the U2 iPod.

[TheDoctor]

Oh and check out www.everythingipod.co.uk, iTrip for about ??27

[gurp13]

I have an iTrip and it works well. Sure, I get static sometimes, but that's going to happen. After all, I only spent $25 for it. If I had really wanted clear sound, then I guess I should have ponied up and spent $200 and gotten a direct link of some kind. So, given that the iTrip looks good, puts the sound into my car without any wires, and is freakin' easy to use, I guess it's pretty good. Is it perfect? Hell no. But, who in their right mind expects perfect sound from a $25 piece of plastic and circuit board? I have headphones that cost more than that. If you want perfect, go buy an ICE link. If you want easy and decent, then the iTrip is for you! I love it!

[nagromme]

iTrip is great--once I found a clear station. I've found that the bottom of the dial, 87.7 (which may have been a download--not sure it came on the CD) is clear just about everywhere I go--across three states and multiple cities. I get only VERY occasional crackles (less so if I lower my external car antenna). One city did better with 87.9. Also, be SURE to seth the volume around 60%. It makes a difference.

The real disappointment is learning how bad my car's speakers are :D It sounds excellent in other peoples' cars.

Holding the iPod safely in place is important. I use some soft foam blocks for now.