Ipod car tuners

[Smorg]

Just a quick one I just bought a Griffin Ipod car tuner for $99.99 so I can listen to the pod over my car stereo but there was another one there but I cant remember the brand, that was $10 cheaper and also charged the ipod while the Griffin one doesn't.
Griffin is the authorised dealer of Ipod accerosies (Itrips) so I'm guessing thats where the extra $10 comes from but has anyone used either one of these products and if so which one is better.

In other words Pros and Cons........apart from the obvious

[onearmedbandit]

If it's the Griffin unit that tunes into your radio then I wouldn't recommend one. I bought one a year or so ago and have had a very hard time getting it to tune into and hold a radio station. I've tried it in well over 100 cars, and had varying levels of success, but it's so damn frustrating to use now I just don't. My recommendation would be to get one of the ones that use a cassette adapter, no issues with tuning it in.

[Dilligaf]

Hubby has the Dick Smith $50 jobbie which he connects with his phone (which stores more music than my piddling ipod but works with ipod as well). and it works just fine. It even needed an extra connector to get from phone due to the number of pins or somesuch.
It's the one that connects in using the radio tuner and we've had no problems.

[Squeak the Rat]

I've heard they can be a hassle to get tuned?

Maybe it's because a car being mobile is susceptable to interference form various sources, as well as being able to move in and out of range of different transmitting sources. eg, frequency xxxxx might be ok in Papakura, but then you find it's being used by Oongaboonga FM in Northcote.

If that hypothesis is true, then you'd probably also find it works better in smaller places, and worsest in places like Auckland.

[miSTa]

If it's the Griffin unit that tunes into your radio then I wouldn't recommend one. I bought one a year or so ago and have had a very hard time getting it to tune into and hold a radio station. I've tried it in well over 100 cars, and had varying levels of success, but it's so damn frustrating to use now I just don't. My recommendation would be to get one of the ones that use a cassette adapter, no issues with tuning it in.

I got one for Mrs S in August last year - absolutely no problem with, been perfect.

[onearmedbandit]

I got one for Mrs S in August last year - absolutely no problem with, been perfect.

Yeah, there will always be good and bad experiences. The two vehicles I've owned (both with quality standard stereo systems) have not been able to get a decent signal from it, passable when the ipod is at full battery power but otherwise unacceptable. Out of the 100 plus cars I've tried it in probably 1/5 of them worked well. It may have something to do with the location of the aerial.

I think there may be a couple of griffin units available, mine is the itrip, bought from DSE for about $100.

[Smorg]

I got one for Mrs S in August last year - absolutely no problem with, been perfect.

Bought one I bought or the one OAB bought?

[miSTa]

The Griffin

[Smorg]

Do you find it has a noticeable strain on the battery?

[miSTa]

You are talking about one of these http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/roadtrip/ aren't you? We've got the model before that.

[onearmedbandit]

Mine isn't listed in their product range, must be a finished line.

[Skunk]

I've got the original iTrip and it's fiddly to select a frequency. I can do it no problem but Skunk Control has 'issues' with it.
No problem with the unit itself but as Squeak says other stations can come in on your frequency as you move around the country.

I set mine at 75%-85% volume and usually use 105.3 or 103.5 as the frequency.

EDIT: Mines not there either. Connects like the AirClick but transmits on FM.

[Smorg]

You are talking about one of these http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/roadtrip/ aren't you? We've got the model before that.

Na mine doesnt have a car charger on it, just the transmitter and it runs off the battery of the ipod

[imdying]

The Griffin one is shite in my experience. The last one I used was a whole heap smaller than the Griffin one. Has two smal buttons, frequency up and down, and a small backlit blue LCD screen with the frequency. Don't know who made it, but it pwns the iTrip all over the place.