tentoze
Twangophile
One of the very few things that disappointed me with the Ford Sport Trac I bought last week was the realization that there was no aux input for hooking my iPod into the radio/cd changer. I've gotten really accustomed to the convenience of the iPod on the go, and really didn't want to give it up. One of my sons had a similar issue in his Volvo wagon, and had solved it with an FM transmitter- I've heard this set up on several occasions, and it always sounded reasonably fine, given the overall environment and limitations of the system, etc. I'm not sure what brand he has, but I decided the concept would cure my problem, so I bought one of these:
Belkin TuneBase FM with ClearScan Model F8Z176. A variety of cradles is supplied for use with several different iPod models- the iPod slides down into the cradle, engaging the charging port on the bottom of the iPod, then the assembly plugs into a convenience outlet in your vehicle.
Once powered up, the button at the bottom of the unit gets pressed, and the "ClearScan" technology purportedly identifies the clearest FM channel available, you tune your radio to that channel, and sonic bliss ensues. Well, not exactly. Actually, not at all.
In the Spring Hill, FL area I was in when I bought the gadget (not exactly a major urban FM area), the channels that the "ClearScan" scan directed me to resulted in a lot of static at best, and radio stations bleeding in and out of the iPod signal at worst. Repeated scanning for alternate channels produced no better results. I discovered that, for some reason, if I kept my hand on the iPod, the signal improved, and the static lessened. I guess humans are antennae, but one-handed driving isn't exactly the smartest way to roll around in Tampa's crazy traffic. On my drive back to Jacksonville day before yesterday, no improvement was noted, even in areas best described as the boonies, where one would presume "clear" channels would be most aplenty. Sooo, on a scale of 1 to 10, its ability to find a clear channel and transmit a reasonably decent signal to the truck's head unit is about a generous 2.
As for sound quality, and I use the term loosely- Belkin provides NO technical data for the unit in the accompanying documentation. Compared to what I've been used to in my other truck, which was a cassette adapter from the iPod to the head unit, the perceived sq was thin, to be kind. It seemed to me that any information below about 300 hz was non-existent, as was any above about 12k hz. To be sure this wasn't inherent in the truck's factory sound system, I loaded up 6 cd's in the changer yesterday, and it acquitted itself quite nicely. Another generous 2 for sq.
Bottom line- This thing is a POS. And a not inexpensive POS, at that- I think the retail price at Target as $89.99, but wasn't paying 100% attention, because I was buying other stuff as well. If you're searching for a solution to a similar problem for traveling tunes, this isn't it.
Belkin TuneBase FM with ClearScan Model F8Z176. A variety of cradles is supplied for use with several different iPod models- the iPod slides down into the cradle, engaging the charging port on the bottom of the iPod, then the assembly plugs into a convenience outlet in your vehicle.
Once powered up, the button at the bottom of the unit gets pressed, and the "ClearScan" technology purportedly identifies the clearest FM channel available, you tune your radio to that channel, and sonic bliss ensues. Well, not exactly. Actually, not at all.
In the Spring Hill, FL area I was in when I bought the gadget (not exactly a major urban FM area), the channels that the "ClearScan" scan directed me to resulted in a lot of static at best, and radio stations bleeding in and out of the iPod signal at worst. Repeated scanning for alternate channels produced no better results. I discovered that, for some reason, if I kept my hand on the iPod, the signal improved, and the static lessened. I guess humans are antennae, but one-handed driving isn't exactly the smartest way to roll around in Tampa's crazy traffic. On my drive back to Jacksonville day before yesterday, no improvement was noted, even in areas best described as the boonies, where one would presume "clear" channels would be most aplenty. Sooo, on a scale of 1 to 10, its ability to find a clear channel and transmit a reasonably decent signal to the truck's head unit is about a generous 2.
As for sound quality, and I use the term loosely- Belkin provides NO technical data for the unit in the accompanying documentation. Compared to what I've been used to in my other truck, which was a cassette adapter from the iPod to the head unit, the perceived sq was thin, to be kind. It seemed to me that any information below about 300 hz was non-existent, as was any above about 12k hz. To be sure this wasn't inherent in the truck's factory sound system, I loaded up 6 cd's in the changer yesterday, and it acquitted itself quite nicely. Another generous 2 for sq.
Bottom line- This thing is a POS. And a not inexpensive POS, at that- I think the retail price at Target as $89.99, but wasn't paying 100% attention, because I was buying other stuff as well. If you're searching for a solution to a similar problem for traveling tunes, this isn't it.
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