Belkin TuneBase FM Transmitter for iPod with Dock Connector (Black)
by Belkin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Belkin TuneBase FM Transmitter for iPod with Dock Connector (Black)
Customer Review: My complete review
Summary: 1 Stars
First, and foremost, we are talking about FM transmitters. Therefore, nothing will sound like CD sound or direct cable connections when it comes to music quality. You will lose some highs, and you will lose some lows, and you will have nowhere near great quality. That being said, sometimes there are no alternatives, and some transmitters can get the job done. In addition, I have owned and tested all of the following transmitters, to which I will review for you now to save you the time and money. A note: I have 2 vehicles, a SUV and a Saturn.
First up: Belkin Tunebase
I bought this after my Roadtrip base was stolen with my iPod, and I thought I would try an alternative. I liked the flexible connector in my SUV to allow reaching of all controls. However, it was disastrous in my Saturn, only preferring 1 position - lying down. It is a pain to control the iPod when driving in either vehicle, as the flexible arm gave too much in order to advance unwanted songs or control the iPod in general. Although a wider range of highs and lows was evident, the strength of output of this device is way too low; easily outcompted by either of the following transmitters. In the SUV, it is very good at broadcasting and being received by the radio. However, in the Saturn, it was an absolute disaster. I am transmitting on a completely free channel, and in my Saturn I got feedback from the background radio hiss! I even had the hiss increase in tune with the windshield wipers! How awful. This is not a bad transmitter in a larger vehicle, like my SUV, but in a small vehicle, you don't want to risk it. Finally, you can't disconnect the transmitter like the Griffin items. So, it's use in your car, or don't use at all. Although you rarely need to use it outside of your car, the other two below are the same price or cheaper, so you're already paying for it. Avoid this item.
Next - Griffin Roadtrip
Although this comes with an extension, the fixed location of the holder interferes with many of the car controls, even with the extension. However, the transmission is much better and can even be picked up in nearby cars at clear enough reception. I again had trouble making turns in the Saturn, as the roadtrip does slip around; but not nearly as bad as the Belkin. The transmission is good, but not great; as you do need to find a completely clean frequency in order to get a good reception. Finally, controlling the iPod is easy, as the adapter is a sturdy adapter and holds the iPod quite well. It got the job done in both cars, but didn't exactly knock my socks off.
Finally - Griffin iTrip
The best of the bunch. I doubt the transmission is greater than the griffin Roadtrip; based on the fact it runs off of the iPod, but it doesn't matter. You can move your iPod into position to be right under your antenna and get fantastic reception. In addition, because it doesn't need to be connected to the lighter, there is no interferce with the controls of the car and the iPod is easy to control. Finally, purchase this with the Powerjolt and you've spent the same as either of the above and can charge your iPod at the same time; except with a cable to keep the iPod clear of auto controls. I was expecting very little from this tiny device, but I am quite pleased. The only drawback is that, since there is no holder, there really is no secure place to put your iPod; as it will slide all over the dash. Putting it near the controls of the car (like in the center compartment area) obviously takes away its advantage over the Roadtrip. However, some velcro backing to it or sticky tape should afix it to the dash temporarily and you can remove it when you leave the car. But then you have tape on the back of your iPod....so..... Well, it still is the best choice, as the transmission is clearest because you can get it close to your antenna; and it is the only transmitter that worked well in my Saturn. In the SUV, all worked well.
Customer Review: Worst iPod Accessory on the Market
Summary: 1 Stars
I, like many, used those old fashioned tape adapters when I first bought a portable CD player. The sound on that old device is far superior to the quality of this Belkin product.
My fiance & I recently purchased a 30GB Video iPod and wanted to get something so we can listen to it in my 04 Accord and her 04 Cavalier. We agreed getting a radio transmitter was the best idea since we could switch it between cars when we wanted. We got this Belkin product from a local retailer for a relatively good price.
The flexible arm was nice, we could maneuver the iPod to face us and still be within reach to skip songs or change playlists. It also displayed the station we were using on the iPod itself, instead of on the Belkin device, this too was a pretty neat feature.
But from there on out, it's all downhill. We found an empty radio station in our suburb of Chicago, 88.3, and used it. The sound was ok, but I had to turn my radio up pretty loud in order to hear it. With that came a lot of static and high pitched whirring noise that was actually a little louder than the music itself. I didn't notice the noise / static too much when we listened to pop, rock, or R&B but when Classical or Vocal music played, you'd hear static instead of silence. Also, as we'd accelerate the noise would worsen!
We got used to the static and said, we'll deal with it. However, we drove into the city recently and experienced a plethora of other problems. As we'd drive on the highway, someone would pass us. Coincidentally some of them had radio transmitters on the same station as us. We'd hear their music crystal clear as if it was being played in our CD player. After they passed us, we'd go back to our staticy sound.
A little later on, the static starting getting overwhelming and it turned out there was a weak broadcast on that station in the city, so we switched to a different empty station 88.1, and we still couldn't hear. So we tried another, and another... we didn't hear any music for the rest of our day. NO station worked.
On the way home we stopped at my fiance's parent's house, and they said we should try their DLO Transpod. We plugged it in and tried 87.9 (which they recommended) and it was crystal clear. We decided to try 88.1 and 88.3 too since they were what we used earlier that day. As expected, they worked perfectly. I've now driven for days with this new device all over the suburbs and in the city. It's like night and day compared to the Belkin device. We are returning ours today.
To sum it up, FM transmitters are rather expensive and an imperfect solution to the iPod / car issue. But if you're gonna shell out your money on a device, you expect it to work. On top of that, you don't just expect it to work "ok", you expect it to work great. The Belkin achieved a nice sleek design and ease of use, but beyond that the product is worthless. DO NOT BUY THIS DEVICE!
If I could rate this a 0 out of 5, I would.
Customer Review: A solidly adequate product
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought a TuneBase for my iPod about a month ago for a three-week, 4,000 mile road-trip. I just got back and am generally pleased with the way the TuneBase performed. It worked well, it was easy to operate, and it held up well to being tossed in the glove-compartment or under the front seat when I wanted to use the outlet for other things.
Pros: The TuneBase was extremely easy to set up and tune. The tuning was a one-handed operation (let me stress that I did it only when stopped or when my wife was driving - tuning this thing while at the wheel and careening down a mountain road would be as smart as reading or applying make-up under the same conditions; given that there are idiots who do those things (I've seen them, and thus learned that the universe isn't just - if it were, it would promptly remove them from the gene pool and take out no one else in the process), the ease of operation enhances your odds of survival should you wish to change frequencies and drive at the same time). The flexible neck made it very easy to turn the iPod so that the screen was easily readable wherever I was sitting. The unit looked reasonably nice, it fit well in the glove compartment, and when my daughter whacked my son across the head with it, it made a satisfyingly solid "thunk" that didn't damage the TuneBase at all.
Cons: Like any FM transmitter, the TuneBase is subject to interference from radio stations, CB radios, and power lines. I gave up trying to listen to my music in large cities and during thunder storms. On those afore-mentioned mountain roads, centrifugal force set the iPod swinging off to the side like a tree in a hurricane; the effect was accentuated by the long goose-neck which gives the force a long lever arm through which to act. There was a frequent annoying whine during the soft passages of classical music, but there were no problems at all with pop/rock music, which tends to have a more limited dynamic range than classical.
Overall, the TuneBase worked very well across the mountains, prairies, and west-Texas desolation. It wasn't very useful in large cities (even when I found unused bands, there was a lot of radio noise). It worked beautifully when I wanted to listen to Latin, pop, or similar music. It was okay for listening to most classical music, useless for music with extended soft passages. (But on an extended vacation with two small children, who needs music with extended soft passages? What's really needed is a way to drown out their screams - I'll be looking into iPod headphones soon.) I'm going to get an iPod dock hardwired into my car as soon as I can, but the TuneBase has been a perfectly adequate stop-gap solution to my travel needs. If you prefer rock to Bartok or drive mostly in rural areas, it should be more than adequate to your needs - it will be outstanding.
Customer Review: A Big Fat Zero!
Summary: 1 Stars
This transmitter would not work in my Suzuki Grand Vitara. The external antenna is located at the rear of the vehilce, so maybe that was the problem. It just didn't seem to transmit with enough power to play on any frequency I tried. Turning up the volume (power) made no difference. If I moved the ipod/transmitter around I got a little signal, but very, very little. The limited movement of the unit prevents hanging from mirrors, placing on dashboards, moving to the back seat or other things one does to make these things work. Also, the transmitter won't work unless plugged into the 12 volt outlet.
There were various rubber fixtures for the DC recepticle to help hold the Ipod/transmitter steady, but these made the unit difficult to insert into the DC socket and much more difficult to remove. These rubber/plastic pieces are required because the transmitter/ipod ends up being really heavy on the end of the flexible mount and I'm sure they wanted to prevent damage (and lawsuits) to your 80g ipod. The pieces made for the collar of the DC recpticle did not fit at all unless you cut them.
The product fits every conceivable ipod ever made, but only one was labeled (they come in little cheap plastic baggy things that are only useful for keeping things together till you open the box). You have to figure out what fits what by trial and error.
I also tried the Monster Cable 200 FM Wireless Transmitter (w/best station scan) and the Griffin Road Trip FM Transmitter with dc charger. The Monster Cable Transmitter didn't work at all (it wouldn't even scan correctly). The Griffin Road Trip worked best in the Suzuki, but only marginally. It seemed to be off the frequency a bit with a lot of static. Things were clearer up or down band, but then the volume really decreased.
These three transmitters are top dollar units, so price doesn't mean anything. The only unit that has worked well in my SUV is the Belkin TuneCast II which is half the price or less of these units. You should try any transmitter you buy in your vehicle and return it if it doesn't work or sound good.
Question: We have wifi routers and other transmitters that work extremely well, so why can't we buy a low cost FM transmitter that will work within a foot of our radios? Is it FCC regulations or is it manufacturers who feel they can really soak consumer's for lots of $'s because it's made for an ipod? I'm getting sick of all this ipod bling that costs lots of bucks, but just doesn't work..
Customer Review: Inconsistent and awkward controls, not suited for crowded radio waves of Austin TX
Summary: 2 Stars
I've been quite disappointed with this product from my first day of use. Part of the problem is that the radio waves are overcrowded where I live (Austin, TX), which means that I have to change preset channels on the TuneBase 3-4 time during an average drive across the city. The other part of the problem is that the controls for the TuneBase are unpredictable and difficult to use, which is unacceptable when driving.
The TuneBase uses the iPod's screen to show what the unit is doing (i.e. station selection) rather than having a separate screen on the unit itself, like some other products. Unfortunately, the iPod and TuneBase don't work well together. Pressing one of the tuning buttons, causes the screen on the iPod to slide over to show how the FM output is changing, but this works only some of the time. To get a station to change I would have to press a button on the TuneBase, wait, and then press it again twice quickly for the station to actually change. The only feedback you get is on the screen of the iPod, so you have to look away from the road to watch the screen jerking back and forth between the iPod interface and the Belkin tuning interface before the station actually changes, making it nearly impossible to use when driving.
If you live in an area where you can reliably use a single FM station to play your iPod tunes, this might be a good product for you. It's built well, looks nice, and charges the iPod while playing. When I used it out in the middle of nowhere, the sound quality was good, but in cities I needed to change channels too often to make it worth the effort. It may be that my unit is faulty (becuase I'm having a lot more difficulty changing channels now that when I first got it), and I've contacted Belkin recently to see if they have a solution. But as it is, I cannot recommend this product to anyone, especially for the high price tag.