my girlfriend just bought a new car and she wants to listen to her iPod in it. the car doesn't have an aux input so we're left with 2 options (that I can know of) for getting the iPod audio to the car stereo: (1) get an adapter (I know harmon/kardon makes one) that when switched on will play whats the iPod is playing instead of whatever FM station is on and (2) an FM transmitter that broadcasts a weak FM signal to the whatever FM frequency you choose so you can listen to it through the car radio.

since it's a new car, my girlfriend objected to option 1 because she didn't want to have anything installed in her new car. so we're left with option 2. I was wondering if anyone has had any good experiences with these transmitter devices and, if so, what model they might be. also I was wondering if these devices are subject to the same FM regulations that professional FM transmitters are (15kHz lowpass, 19kHz pilot, pre-emphasis, etc.).

any help would be appreciated. thanks!!

I'm in the UK, so I have to contend with different rgulations, but I use the Griffin I trip. I see from their site that it complies with FCC regulations, specifically PAV4026.

The stated range is 10-30ft, but in practice the range is just sufficient for car use. My aerial is built in to the rear de-misters and with my Nano near the gear stick, it can suffer from intereference. It's not protected by any noise surpression and cell phone sync pulses, screen washer motor noises and a host of other electrical noises come through loud and clear.

If you want a strong, quality FM output then look elsewhere. Though would you want quality output in a car?

I use it to play Audio Podcasts for my study as I drive to work, so FM qulaity isn't required.

I've not tested or heard other products, but that gives you my specific experience..

Kensington Digital, hands down winner in my book. It can be tuned to 87.9 as well with a trick.

G'day,
I'm in Australia, and I don't know if we have the same or similar restrictions as where you are, but here's my (& my wife's) limited experience.
1. I first had a Belkin TuneCast II (& still have it, though not for the car); it was OK, and gave reasonable signal/sound (could be difficult finding a free frequency in big cities e.g. Sydney) but having to have batteries on-hand can be irritating.
2. Wifey first had an old-model iTrip (cylindrical & plugged into the top of the 'Pod) - suffice to say it wasn't very good & I/we don't recommend them to anyone.
3. Wifey now has a new-model iTrip (about the same size & shape as a cheap cigarette lighter, has LCD screen & plugs into bottom of 'Pod) - much better & recommended by her (but I don't use her 'Pod much at all myself).
4. For the car, I now have a VRFM8 which plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car (I don't smoke by the way & don't recommend that either! ) - it seems to give a stronger signal/better signal than the TuneCast & doesn't need batteries (dur!), only downside I'm aware of is that you shouldn't start the car with it plugged in - apparently that can damage the unit i.e. you're supposed to plug it in & unplug it again with every drive which could be irritating (I only use it for longish drives, not around the 'burbs).
Hope this helps.
Have a search around here (HA) on this topic - I'm sure this sort of thing has been talked about before.
Good luck.
rc

does anyone have any experience with those cassette tapes that you can hook up to your iPod?

They work better then FM systems, but not many people have tape decks anymore.

I've used many. I've found that they have a tendency to kill tape decks when used too long (two separate tapes have ruined two separate decks), and often make mechanical squeaking noises. I recently replaced my tape adapter with a Belkin TuneBase FM. Sound quality's reasonably good. SnR is probably a bit lower than the tape adapter, but the absence of mechanical noise is great. It also works much more universally than a tape adapter. Finally, I can make it play louder without distortion than I could with my tape adapters.

Your mileage may vary, as usual.

Both them and the FM transmitters sound awful relative to conventional listening. Unless you can tolerate a huge drop in quality (I couldn't), don't bother with either.

I have used both the Griffin iTrip and the Monster FM modulators and both work fine. I generally keep the iPod close to the dash and only have occasional interference in one or two known spots, which is also where cell phones have trouble. I was never insterested in using FM modulators, but a friend has a CD changer in his Jeep that transmits to his Infinity head quite well, albeit a bit loud for my taste.
I have also used a Sony cassette adapter and it works ok too. They are dependant on your cassette deck so if you have a poor or flakey one, you will have the same response with the iPod. In my van, the tape deck is old and cheap and tends to loose one side (left) of sound. I hope to resolve that problem this summer.

Another alternative is an adaptor which connects your iPod to the car stereo's CD Changer socket (if it has one). Maybe this is the same as the Harmon/Kardon unit you mentioned, but the brands I know of are Dension Ice-Link, and Connects2.

I bought my girlfriend the Dension kit for Christmas, and I have to say it is a very neat piece of kit. Once installed (very easy), it is a plug and play solution - just slot the iPod into the dashboard mounted holder and away you go. No trailing wires, no FM interference, no squeaky cassette adapter. The audio signal is connected directly to the car stereo so no quality loss, it supplies power to the iPod as well, and you can even use the CD changer controls on the car stereo to control some of the iPod functions.

I think the Connects2 unit has a trailing cable (intended for a glovebox install) instead of a dash-mounted holder, and possibly Dension has that option too. Or you can get a dashboard clip (specific to the car model) which lets you install the holder without any drilling.

It's not the cheapest solution but is the tidiest (IMO) and best sounding.

the Ice-Link isn't sold in the U.S. anymore and the Connects2 only works for certain car models and also only for the newer models...

I always wondered if it is possible just to take out the CD/Tape player and somehow connect the iPod directly to the cable that is hooked up to the speakers. Using the iPods headphone jack should work fine comnsidering that most car speakers aren't that good anyway.

thanks a lot for all of your replies!!