iPod Control with Factory Nav Radio is Here!

[rcompart]

Originally Posted by HowardJ

Is there ever going to be one of these for a non-GPS radio?

Unfortunately, the thing that made this happen was the nav radios ability to communicate with a cd-changer. The non-nav radios don't have this option. Wish I had the ability to change that but no dice on that one. Sorry

[HowardJ]

That's OK. I wish there was some sort of way to do that w/out switching out radios.
I tried an FM transmitter one time and it didn't work good at all.

[FUBU]

Solution = buy an iPhone + itrip (new one) and you will be more than satisfied!! I am using it in mine. Works a treat. No problems with battery issues nor ugly cables lying around. Just pop your iPhone into the cupholder. No distortion at all. Only when window is covered with 10 cm of snow and you pit on the window heater!

[DaveK]

Originally Posted by FUBU

Solution = buy an iPhone + itrip (new one) and you will be more than satisfied!! I am using it in mine. Works a treat. No problems with battery issues nor ugly cables lying around. Just pop your iPhone into the cupholder. No distortion at all. Only when window is covered with 10 cm of snow and you pit on the window heater!

Hi,

I've seen a couple of your posts on this thread regarding the iTrip. I'm glad it works great for you.

It works pretty well for me too, but not always. I've have several versions of the iTrip that plug into the iPhone and iPod, and for cross-country drives through the central US they work pretty well. I'm normally one who likes to keep a stock appearance in my vehicles, and since none of my vehicles have radios with support for aux-input, I've always used the iTrip when driving cross-country - I think I bought the very first iTrip for an original iPod 5GB (the deck of cards sized iPod). The most recent iTrip I bought was about a year ago, for my iPhone. They have improved quite a bit over the years.

But when using them you'll get static sometimes when driving under a power line, and as soon as you are in range of a radio station broadcasting on the same frequency, you'll hear more static as your radio fights with which signal to receive, at which point you have to find another quiet radio frequency. So in a large metropolitan area with lots of stations, it's very difficult to use an iTrip, as most frequencies are taken. Even on cross-country trips, I have to fiddle with the iTrip to change frequencies now and then.

The very best that the sound quality can be from an iTrip is only as good as the standard FM signal from the iTrip can be received by your radio, when there is no interference. The reception can vary by vehicle as well, and in my experience (using it in four different vehicles) the quality of the sound sometimes depends on where you put the iTrip transmitter. There are laws limiting the broadcast strength of these kinds of devices, contributing to the problem for all iTrips and similar devices. As such, I can't imagine you will never get the same quality of signal from the iTrip that a direct cable to the head unit can provide. Of course, if it sounds good enough to you where you live, that's great!

I'm a big fan of Griffin Technology (makers of the iTrip), and have other products they make too. I think they do a very good job, especially with the iTrip, considering the broadcasting strength limitations they have to adhere to. But please don't assume that because the iTrip works great for you where you live, that it will work great for everybody everywhere.

The only reason I have used the iTrip is because I don't want to swap stereos in my vehicles, and thus an iTrip type product has been my only choice in the past. For the Crossfire, thanks to this kit for making the Nav radio treat the iPod as a CD changer, we no longer have to choose only between swapping out our head unit, or having (sometimes) poor sound quality.

This new choice is a great solution - no more iTrip in the Crossfire for me!!

[rcompart]

Spring is almost here and if you have a nav radio and an iPod, iPhone or pretty much any other MP3 player, this is the ticket for getting those tunes piped through the radio. This lets you control the iPod/iPhone or usb- flash drive directly from the radio. So far, FP is the only one on the list. If we 10 people, I'll do these again for everyone. Price is $220 plus shipping.

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[ImportLabSRT]

Im in Rudy...I went back to the factory navigation unit.
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2. Importlabsrt (Bryan)
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[Vegaslegal]

Planning on puttng my name on the list, but a couple of questions first. And I see how hard you've worked on this and notice the level of accomplishment in achieving what you achieved, so I apologize for the inconvenience.
First: When hooked up, is there any interference with the operation of the Nav or the cd player if you choose to use or be using those;
Second: The aux works the same as a factory installed aux in my other cars?
Third: Not a question, and great and impeccable work. Wondering, nonetheless, if it might be cheaper for you to produce and offer an option with the cheapest of enclosures that just goes behind the head unit and has three wires with mountable ipod, aux, and usb's at the end of wires. I see about three places with some very minor cutting where these can go right on the counsel facia.

Thanks so much for the time and for the genius labor you have put into this incredible piece of work.


P.S. I love that Becker said it couldn't be done, and you did it.
P.S.S. I missed the entire first run of this post becuase of its location. I know that this is posted where everyone should look, but not everyone does. Maybe a post under coupe, roadster, srt, and the general board for electronics as well. I can't be the only person so stupid that they missed the entire offering.

[rcompart]

Originally Posted by Vegaslegal

Planning on puttng my name on the list, but a couple of questions first. And I see how hard you've worked on this and notice the level of accomplishment in achieving what you achieved, so I apologize for the inconvenience.
First: When hooked up, is there any interference with the operation of the Nav or the cd player if you choose to use or be using those;
Second: The aux works the same as a factory installed aux in my other cars?
Third: Not a question, and great and impeccable work. Wondering, nonetheless, if it might be cheaper for you to produce and offer an option with the cheapest of enclosures that just goes behind the head unit and has three wires with mountable ipod, aux, and usb's at the end of wires. I see about three places with some very minor cutting where these can go right on the counsel facia.

Thanks so much for the time and for the genius labor you have put into this incredible piece of work.


P.S. I love that Becker said it couldn't be done, and you did it.
P.S.S. I missed the entire first run of this post becuase of its location. I know that this is posted where everyone should look, but not everyone does. Maybe a post under coupe, roadster, srt, and the general board for electronics as well. I can't be the only person so stupid that they missed the entire offering.

Thank you for the kind words. I can't take all the credit for this. Without the help of some very talented people, this thing would have never happened. As far as interfering with the Nav, Radio or CD, it's completely seamless. The radio literally thinks it's connected to a CD changer. As far as the Aux-In, while I'm not familiar with other units you have in your vehicles, it does work like any Aux-In should work. It accepts a 3.5mm stereo plug and transmits whatever is piped into it to the radio. When using the Aux-In, you are unable to actually control the device you are getting the sound from but it works great for other MP3 players, XM or Sirius satellite radios and anything else that you can plug a 3.5mm plug into.

As for this, with you, we are at 3.

Everyone have a great weekend!

[Vegaslegal]

Yup, you can make me #3.

Im in Rudy...I went back to the factory navigation unit.
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2. Importlabsrt (Bryan)
3. Vegaslegal (Bob)
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