BeerAdvocate 11:45 AM 03-03-2010
Can anyone recommend a good FM Transmitter for my older iPod Nano?
I want something that I can easily play my ipod through my wifes car stereo for when we go on long trips. She has a crappy factory stereo and the CD player doesnt even work so I need something that can be used through a FM station. Thanks
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Resipsa 11:56 AM 03-03-2010
Belkin makes some good ones, run you about $75 if you want to charge it at the same time, the non charging variety goes about $45
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Blueface 01:12 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by Resipsa:
Belkin makes some good ones, run you about $75 if you want to charge it at the same time, the non charging variety goes about $45
Vic,
I too am interested in one of these to play my iPhone and/or iPod on the road and charge it at the same time.
Question I have is, just how good are these devices?
I gather they transmit via a certain station selection?
Is the sound comparable to a direct connection by me spending $500 for the iPod plug from BMW?
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gnbikes 01:19 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by Blueface:
Vic,
I too am interested in one of these to play my iPhone and/or iPod on the road and charge it at the same time.
Question I have is, just how good are these devices?
I gather they transmit via a certain station selection?
Is the sound comparable to a direct connection by me spending $500 for the iPod plug from BMW?
I just bought one of the new Belkin's. It works pretty good, except around power lines....It has an auto-seek function for giving you a station and has several presets you can make when you find what works. It was apz $79 at the Apple store, can be found cheaper on-line.
Garry
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Darrell 01:21 PM 03-03-2010
I have an iTrip. It works pretty well.
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J0eybb 01:22 PM 03-03-2010
FM transmitters are crap. If this is yor only option then go for it.
I hooked up a model from usaspec to my brothers Infinity G35. Took about an hour. It really depends on how easy it is to get to the back of the stereo. His charges, allows the use of his stearing wheel controls, etc.
http://www.usaspec.com/
It was under $200.
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Lexxxus 01:26 PM 03-03-2010
Just upgrade to the new Nano... it has built in FM with the ability to re-wind and re-play radio. Also save features for the music. It's awesome. All that and a decent quality videocam built into it.
Don't waste your money on a cumbersome adapter, just upgrade.
The 64 GB touch does not have these feautures making the new nano the best bang for your buck in the history of MP3 players!
Lx
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J0eybb 01:30 PM 03-03-2010
Blueface 01:41 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by Lexxxus:
Just upgrade to the new Nano... it has built in FM with the ability to re-wind and re-play radio. Also save features for the music. It's awesome. All that and a decent quality videocam built into it.
Don't waste your money on a cumbersome adapter, just upgrade.
The 64 GB touch does not have these feautures making the new nano the best bang for your buck in the history of MP3 players!
Lx
I have the new nano with video also.
How does that work with the radio in the car?
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Blueface 01:46 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by J0eybb:
FM transmitters are crap. If this is yor only option then go for it.
I hooked up a model from usaspec to my brothers Infinity G35. Took about an hour. It really depends on how easy it is to get to the back of the stereo. His charges, allows the use of his stearing wheel controls, etc.
http://www.usaspec.com/
It was under $200.
That is the one I would love to have but don't have the back to bend over under my dash anymore and don't want to cough up the $500 they want to install it for me.
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RazzBarlow 01:47 PM 03-03-2010
I put an iPod interface in my wife's car from a company named DICE. It is pretty cool, basically, the radio thinks it's a multi-disc CD changer. All the factory controls work too. I can control the iPod from the steering wheel.
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shilala 01:47 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by Blueface:
I have the new nano with video also.
How does that work with the radio in the car?
I don't know, and wasn't aware the new nano had a built in fm transmitter.
I wired in an RF adapter, a 5mm jack, and an on/off switch in my envoy, Carlos. It costs about 35 bucks, looks nice and clean, and it ain't rocket surgery. You could do it in the Beemer. Any knucklehead at a radio shop would do it for a hundred bucks.
:-)
All the FM transmitters suck, anyways. I spent the $75 for the Belkin, and it sucked just as bad as the $5.00 ones from ebay. You won't be pleased, my friend.
If you wanna drive up, we'll hook the stuff up in my driveway. It'd make a nice afternoon.
:-)
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J0eybb 01:57 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by Blueface:
That is the one I would love to have but don't have the back to bend over under my dash anymore and don't want to cough up the $500 they want to install it for me.
Too bad you're not near me. I actually enjoy "tinkering". It all depends on how easy it is to get to your stereo. In my car, its literally 2 screws, and a clip. 10 minutes tops. Maybe 15 minutes to run the wire into the center console.
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JE3146 01:57 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by shilala:
I don't know, and wasn't aware the new nano had a built in fm transmitter.
I wired in an RF adapter, a 5mm jack, and an on/off switch in my envoy, Carlos. It costs about 35 bucks, looks nice and clean, and it ain't rocket surgery. You could do it in the Beemer. Any knucklehead at a radio shop would do it for a hundred bucks. :-)
All the FM transmitters suck, anyways. I spent the $75 for the Belkin, and it sucked just as bad as the $5.00 ones from ebay. You won't be pleased, my friend.
If you wanna drive up, we'll hook the stuff up in my driveway. It'd make a nice afternoon. :-)
It doesn't... I don't think he understood the OP's question.
FM Transmitter != FM Receiver.
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Prospector 02:24 PM 03-03-2010
I have the Belkin, and although it does work the audio quality is not that great. If you are at all concerned about audio fidelity then the FM transmitters are not for you.
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Resipsa 02:38 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by JE3146:
It doesn't... I don't think he understood the OP's question.
FM Transmitter != FM Receiver.
Correct, none of the Ipods have Fm transmitters built into them as far as I know
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Resipsa 02:43 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by Blueface:
That is the one I would love to have but don't have the back to bend over under my dash anymore and don't want to cough up the $500 they want to install it for me.
Absolute waste of money Carlos.
I get a kick out of their "CD Quality" comment on the website. That's great, for people who put uncompressed music on their ipods, which is maybe 5% of the people out there. If you have 128K mp3's on your Ipod the sound you get isn't going to be CD quality anyway, and FM transmitters is just fine for that.
If not, you can get a new deck for pretty cheap that either has a usb port or an aux. port right on the face of it. Jack directly in from your ipod and you're good to go. Some of them even recognize that it's an ipod and allow you to use the car controls to control it. Check online or even the local Best Buy.
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Razorhog 02:50 PM 03-03-2010
Originally Posted by J0eybb:
FM transmitters are crap. If this is yor only option then go for it.
I hooked up a model from usaspec to my brothers Infinity G35. Took about an hour. It really depends on how easy it is to get to the back of the stereo. His charges, allows the use of his stearing wheel controls, etc.
http://www.usaspec.com/
It was under $200.
I hooked up one of those to my Toyota Sienna, easy job and I can now control the ipod via the steering wheel and the song titles show on the radio.
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poker 03:07 PM 03-03-2010
kydsid 03:38 PM 03-03-2010
All the FM Transmitters are ok at best. If you are going to spend less that $30 on go for it. Beyound that I would just replace the deck.
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