I purchased a FM transmitter to use with my Ipod. My question is do they all have background noise? when the song ends or if you pause the Ipod you can hear pink noise (static). It is quite annoying at mid volume. I just wondered if this is normal or if I have a bad unit.

 

Some cheap ones are pretty bad. I bought the Monster Cable one and it held up really well on a trip from Hartford to Rochester, NY and back. You can pre-program several stations ahead of time and if it gets noisy you just change the channel. I only had to change the channel a couple times. It wasn't perfect, but then again the Nissan Frontier I was driving was so noisy it really didn't matter that much, and I know that is quieter than my Roadster...

 

Yeah, they pretty much all have background noise...your radio is trying to listen to that frequency and when there's nothing there... it's all static.

That's the downside of FM transmitters, usually the quality is not very good, but they are so easy to use..

 

That's what I thought. I have a Sony aftermarket head unit with an aux. input but is being used for the Sony changer in the trunk. I was wondering if it would be possible to install splitter cable and have both the Ipod and changer share the same aux input. I really don't want to try this unless someone knows for sure I won't fry my Ipod or changer from the audio signal back feeder into each other. Any electronic experts have advise.

 

I will also confirm this as I have one too. Static noise sucks.

 

I've got a Griffin RoadTrip that works pretty well. The trick is finding a clear, unused station.

 

Frank
Check your CD Changer, some models have an aux input...

BTW, I think its Griffin that has an FM transmitter that automatically search for the best frequency.....$80...I haven't tried it.

 

Nope no aux input on changer. are you sure when you turn up your sound and pause the ipod you don't hear background noise at mid to high volume. I'll try some different freq. today and let you know.

 

I don't use an FM transmitter for my ipod. I went with a modified Mercedes SLK aux input adapter. Its not the perfect solution either but definitely better than the FM transmitter.

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ad.php?t=18246

 

I tried a few FM Transmitter over the years and have had absolutely no luck. My previous attempt included an early version of the Griffin Road Trip although it's worked for others it did not work for me.

My latest attempt was a pleasant surprise "Kensington Liquid Deluxe for Ipod'. This is not CD quality, as we all know, but I found the sound quality quite accepatble. This unit will also charge your Ipod. Also displays the song title on the Crossfire radio. Also automatic search for best channel. There is a long cable to the Ipod and you need to move the cable around for the best reception. Original List Price was $99 and with a street price as low as $20. I paid $30,

Customer reviews are pretty bad. My experience was great and if the reviews were good the street price would not be discounted so much. By far clearest sound I've found. I just don't want to replce the radio head unit and I would miss the Navigation Unit (even though it sucks).

http://www.pocket-lint.com/reviews/review.phtml/2766/3790/kensington-liquidfm-deluxe-for-ipod.phtml

 

I just updated to a pioneer head unit with a USB input and use a usb drive now.

 

I quit banging my head against the wall on this issue last summer and got a real nice, I-Pod friendly Alpine unit. I have found none of the transmitters are that good and none offer CD/Ipod quality sound. Save your money and get a new head unit. I think the Nav radio has some aux jacks but you still have to operate the I-Pod from the I-pod. Most of the new head units allow I-Pod control from the head unit. Trust me, its 200-300 bucks well spent. It can even be done cheaper than that, there was a unit that people were talking about that was selling on E-bay for around 150 bucks and it slides right in.

 

My replacement head unit purchase was driven by my disappointment with the FM Modulation approach to connecting the iPod. Wireless was a nightmare; direct FM modulation with a unit that connects through the antenna was no better.

The problem is the radio hunts for a strong signal. Sometimes the strongest signal is not the FM Modulator so you get some sort of noise.

Even if the sound quality had been good, in the end, the beauty of controlling the iPod at the head unit trumped all. There is no arguing that fumbling with the iPod is worth it when you can use the same controls on the head unit as for the AM/FM/CD/ etc. And the display comes up on the head unit too. What's not to like?

As for losing functionality, that's part of the trade-off. But the universal opinion of the factory Navigation unit is that it's not the greatest. I don't have any experience with it but judging from better factory units that I have used (that are not user-friendly) you can do better with either another head unit with GPS built-in, or with a separate unit.

For my purposes, a separate handheld GPSr unit offers superior functionality, more flexibility, and has the added benefit of being removable for walking around. My Jeep Commander Overland has a built-in unit that we paid a lot extra for. Sometimes I'd like to put my fist through it, it's such a steaming pile.

Believe me, if you're keeping your factory Navigation unit, suffering no aux inputs and lousy GPS functionality and FM Modulation, you're suffering needlessly. You will not regret an upgraded head unit to cure these shortcomings. Yeah it won't be all silver....