Griffin RoadTrip FM Transmitter and Car Charger for iPod (Black)
by Griffin Technology
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List Price: Our Price: $12.00 You Save: $77.99 (87%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Griffin RoadTrip FM Transmitter and Car Charger for iPod (Black)
Customer Review: Well Beyond Expectations...
Summary: 5 Stars
I entered into this purchase, not really expecting too much, as everyone from the other reviews pretty much states, "well, whatever you get, it's going to be FM technology." Yes, there will be some static, and yes, you may have to look around for a station a little bit.
A little background - I live about 50 miles outside of Birmingham, AL, so there's a decent market for radio stations in my area, but not quite crammed like the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area, for example. Surprisingly, when I play my music, it comes in pretty clear most of the time. Several have suggested finding a channel in the 80's, but I've got mine set to 96.1 and have had better success with it there than the low end of the dial. So, if you get this model, you might want to scout out what's available further up before settling - the transmitter can go up to 107.9. The transmitter can "mute out" whatever frequency you're tuned in on, for the most part. I have a little static from time to time on the empty station I use.
The accessories that come with it allow for potentially any iPod to be connected to it. There are two different holders that come with it - one for iPods, current generation and before, and a smaller, slimmer holder for the iPod nanos (and probably the minis and shuffles). You clip the holder onto the RoadTrip to ensure stability. Additionally, there are pads to provide the best and snuggest fit possible. The RoadTrip comes with an extension for the power outlet, in case the RoadTrip comes out at an awkward position with the basic piece plugged into the RoadTrip from the outlet. You can adjust the pieces, slant them, so you can better see and reach the iPod and the FM transmitter.
The transmitter has the ability to remember what station you were last set to, so when you turn the unit on, it immediately returns to that frequency. The pitfall is when you turn the unit off, you must hold in the button to the right for 3-5 seconds. If you press it, the transmitter recets itself to 88.1.
The other accessory that comes with the RoadTrip is a cable that enables you to connect the transmitter and iPod to your computer, and broadcast. The curious thing is that if you have iTunes installed on your machine, all you have to do is open up iTunes, and you can play songs from your iPod.
Other pluses: it charges up the iPod quickly; you can disconnect the transmitter from the charger, for whatever reason (probably the computer broadcast thing); you adjust all volume from your radio, no volume adjustments need to be made from the iPod. And it works with the latest version of iPods (5th gen w/ Video).
Other minus: making sure that the iPod is seated in the port can be a pain at times.
As a newcomer to using my iPod in my car, it's also beneficial for you to utilize the "On-the-Go" playlist feature on your iPod. Focusing on finding a song while driving takes attention away from driving, and could lead to an accident, imho.
It's a steal at $57 through Amazon. If you find it at Target, Best Buy, etc., you're going to pay $90 for it. I highly recommend it.
Customer Review: It's good...honest!
Summary: 4 Stars
Ok, based on many of the reviews written here, I decided to give the RoadTrip a shot. It arrived today from Amazon and I couldn't wait to try it out.
Real men don't eat quiche and real men don't read manuals (unfortunately, real men don't eat well and real men break a lot of things...but I digress). I was able to determine what pieces I needed to rig the RoadTrip up to my truck, tune it into a station, and begin playing my library of songs within 30 seconds of opening the box.
One star for ease of use.
Tuning the FM transmitter to a station (preset 88.1) was actually easier than finding that same station on my truck radio (the Ford factory install isn't exactly navigation friendly). But as soon as I hit the correct station, the tunes began to flow. At first listen, it's not bad quality. I had no static and got decent (but not mind blowing) bass.
One star for quality that is quite tolerable.
I have two cig-lighter outlets on my dash. The one I thought I would use (the accessory outlet) isn't the one I ended up using. I found that the shorter extension arm in the cig-lighter outlet closer to my steering wheel was more convenient. That puts my unit just inches from my hands at any time making tuning and adjusting fairly simple. The short arm in combination with the extension should give enough options to find the right position on any dash.
One star for mounting options.
The fact that my IPOD (5G video) will charge while in the unit is a huge plus. I get a holder, a tuner, and a charger all in a nicely bundled unit. It'll give the nice option of keeping the backlight on at all times while in the charger -- something I couldn't dream of doing while on battery power.
One star for juicing my pod.
If I did my math correctly, that's 4 stars. I have to deduct one star for a few minor issues.
First, I'm not getting anywhere near the output (volume-wise) as I would from a my head unit directly. Not that I have a need to vibrate any windows, but if that's what you're looking for, the RoadTrip isn't gonna get you there. I also think the RoadTrip is just a tad chincier looking than the photos might lead you to believe. It's not a solid looking polished and refined device. But then again, I have Yosemite Sam floor mats so I'm not too disappointed. The only other detractor is the angles at which the mounting arms adjust. There's a nice up down, forward back, and tilt adjustment range. But I haven't discovered any magic that will allow me to rotate the POD towards me or the passenger. It's pretty much straight forward. Again, because of my dash layout, it's not a major problem. But I can see where one might want to rotate the device so that you have a full frontal view (trying to keep the post PG rated).
Bottom line, I got as good as I wanted. For the price, I'm quite pleased and I'll be able to carry my collection anywhere. With the addition of some DVD ripping and converting to MP4, it'll be nice to have some movies on board for those traffic jams.
Customer Review: Weak transmitter
Summary: 3 Stars
I have an older stereo in my car that does not have an accessory input, and the cassette deck stopped working (it just keeps spitting out the cassette/adapter). So until such time that I can replace the stereo, I have to rely on FM transmitters. I have a Pioneer Inno for my XM/Sirius radio needs, and it does a great job in completely taking over the FM signal when the radio is tuned to a good frequency. Keep in mind that my Inno is the older technology, not the newer one that physically connects to the antenna. I drive all day in my job (sales), and I cover a span of about 50 miles east/west and 40 miles north/south, and I never have to change the frequency for the XM.
However, for this Griffin Roadtrip, I simply cannot find a frequency that is static-free when playing the ipod. It seems to help a bit if I touch the ipod with my finger (I guess I'm acting as a ground), but I certainly can't be driving around like that all day. I've used it twice since I got it, but it sounds so bad that it's just not worth it. Even though it's not recommended while driving, I'd just as soon listen with my earbuds.
The instructions say that it is preferred that you find an unused frequency that is surrounded by two frequencies that are not used or have very weak signals on them. Well, I live and work in north Jersey. I'm between NYC and PA. There's not even two unused frequencies in a row, much less three.
I suggest that before anyone buys this that they check their entire FM spectrum and see if they have several unused frequencies together. If you do, then it might work better for you. If you don't, it's not worth it. Especially at the price it is now. As of this writing, it's $17 more than I paid, and I feel I overpaid.
And don't make the same mistake I did and assume that just because you have another electronic device with an FM transmitter that works like a charm that this will as well. It doesn't.
4 stars for ease of use and 2 stars for sound quality (It would have been one, but it works to a degree. You can hear the music over the static noise, but you hear the noise quite distinctively.)
Customer Review: iPod Road Trip
Summary: 5 Stars
Every year we take a week-long trip to Wisconsin to visit family. Every year we had packed several traveling "suitcases" of CDs. You know the ones: Case Logic 125 or 250 monsters. Yes, we are both music geeks, but with only partially overlapping tastes.
We both picked up 2Gb iPod nanos in the past two years. No, they don't come nearly close to carrying as many tunes as the CD cases, but one of the problems with CDs in the car is that--if we had to admit it--we really only want to hear a couple of songs off each album, and some stuff really doesn't translate to long car rides.
About a week before we left, I suggested that we bag the traveling library idea and just load playlists on the iPods. Hers for her mix, mine for mine. The only problem was that our car has a pre-MP3 ready CD player. We had tried the transmitter game before and not been happy. I won't slam that brand here; it was a portable and worked for a couple of weeks, but only cost a few dollars. I think it came as a promotion with one of our iPods.
I read and researched transmitter/chargers for iPods on the Internet in general and Amazon in specific. With all of the negative product reviews on pretty much any device, I was hesitant, but felt that the Griffin 4031-RDGC gave us the best shot.
It worked great! We only ever had to switch frequencies up or down 4 times in a week, never had any interference problems to speak of, and our trip always takes us through the entire Chicago metro area, from the south shores of Lake Michigan through the Northwest Tollway corridor up through Rockford and Madison before reaching our destination. I set it on 88.1 for most of the trip, moving to 88.3 now and again.
Now that we're back home, the RDGC has permanently been in the car, and there are no problems with vibration or reception. We're much happier with the music and our CDs are much happier not being slung around the car.Griffin 4031-RDGC RoadTrip FM Transmitter and Car Charger for iPod (Charcoal)
Customer Review: Griffin rules the road
Summary: 5 Stars
I have tried a number of FM transmitters for the iPod - all of them were unsatisfactory overall: weak signal, small and hard to read displays, lengths of unruly cords, need to replace batteries at inconvenient times on the road, insecure positioning (iPod sliding around), sensitive reception -- iPod or device must be positioned just-so for a decent signal.
None of those issues apply to the Griffin Road-Trip. It has a strong signal that overrides bleed-over on the frequency. It even overrides weak station signals that are tuned to the chosen frequency. For example, I keep mine tuned to 88.7 - a generally empty frequency and I never have to change it in my daily travels. Even better, when driving to another city 140 miles away, I never had to change freqs. If you do need to change, the display is large and easily read, the buttons are easily pressed, the changes are easily done while driving - as easy as changing a radio station on your car set. The Mount can be adjusted to a wide range of positions - it holds the iPod securely against all induced movement; there are no cables laying about over everything - and it keeps itself and the iPod charged at all times. It comes with adapters to securely hold every iPod model offered, from the skinny little shuttle to the full-sized 80gig version. Insertion of the iPod is easy - slide it in the top and good to go. To take iPod with you - just slide it out of the holder. Could not be simpler or easier.
What a joy to use - sound quality is excellent - interference is simply not there. If you do hear interference, you are within range of a strong FM station on the same freq - tuning to another is simplicity itself with the "up" and "down" buttons on the Road Trip. If you cannot have your car wired to plug in an iPod directly to the sound system (as is being done by many car makers now) - this is the best solution I have found to play your iPod over your car sound system.
I have put one of these in every vehicle we own.