Decent FM Transmitter?

[AmberClad]

I'm trying to find a good FM transmitter to play MP3s on my car stereo via the radio receiver. I see a ton of iPod-only ones that have to be plugged into the iPod dock port instead of the standard headphone jack. Are there any decent general purpose ones that can be used with any MP3 player? Are the Belkin ones any good?

 

[JWMiddleton]

Hi Amber,

Intestesting you should ask this. I was looking for one earlier today and was amazed at the poor ratings on ALL of the ones I found. Granted they are for the iPod and connect to the dock port, which is not what you want.

So, I decided to try the one I bought years ago to work with my iPaq where I listened to audio books while on trips. I wanted to replace it for 3 reasons: 1. It runs on AAA batteries which last about 20 hours, 2. The device plugs into the headphone jack, 3. It only has 4 channel options in the 88.x Mhz range.

Many complained that their devices were cheaply made and broke within a week. Others said that their units did not have enough power if the car antenna was in the rear window and there was a good deal of static (EMI/RFI) along with the music very noticable when no music was playing.

Well, I connected my iRock to my iPod and was very pleased with the results. When I turn the device on, the channel goes totally quiet until the music or audio starts. The only thing I noticed that was a bit off was that the bass was over stated. But, I can adjust the setting on the radio to compensate.

I found one here: iRock FM Transmitter You will note that the price is right!

Good luck!

 

[Schadenfroh]

I used a Belkin TuneCast 2 before I broke down and purchased a Pioneer AVIV-D3 with ipod adapter (which is not an applicable option in your case).

The Belkin had a crappy cord on it, but they allowed an RMA to replace it. The replacement had the same flaw. After a short period of time, the covering / insulation of the cable that connects it to the headphone jack of the MP3 player would disintegrate leaving exposed wiring. The quality was ok once you found a good frequency with little interference, but if you ventured outside of your comfort zone, you would have to find new stations (I had to switch between 2 during my ~25 mile morning commute).

 

[Funyuns101]

I used to have this one:
iRiver

My new car has a cassette deck that works, so I sold it. But it worked pretty well in my older car. You can have 3 presets and it ranges from 88 - 107 FM stations, so you should be able to find a good one.