I received a new Griffin iTrip and mini ipod car charger from ebay today.
Who has experience with iTrips? I can't find an empty station and consequently there's interference in most places in the car unless I'm holding it. Even then the sound quality is subpar with some form of distortion. There's a station finder sofware on griffins site but that only caters for USA. Because as we know, no other country exists except the USA!
iTrip
RF modulators are a horrible means of hooking up an audio device. Not only do you have to deal with finding an empty frequency (which are rare these days) but even then the audio quality is downright terrible.
What I would have suggested is getting a cheap CD player that has an aux input. Something like this would have been an excellent choice:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Clarion-Proaudio-cd ... dZViewItem
What I would have suggested is getting a cheap CD player that has an aux input. Something like this would have been an excellent choice:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Clarion-Proaudio-cd ... dZViewItem
The iTrip has a list of a few different stations you can choose from - if you install the software on the CD that came with it, it puts a special track on your iPod where you can choose the best station out of those listed.
If you've already tried that and still can't find a decent reception, my recommendation would be to take it back and get one of those that plugs into your car lighter and has a support base. Those are supposed to be much more programmable than the iTrips.
I have an iTrip and I usually like it, but a couple times a day I'll run through a part of town that has some other station interfering, and since there are a very limited number of stations it will use, it's pretty frustrating.
Plus it has a pretty weak signal, and if something is between it and the antenna it can be interfered with.
edit: And as Bit said, the quality is fairly crappy on them even when you're getting a good signal. Which is hard for me to understand - I know that the FM signal isn't the highest quality, but even songs I hear on the radio are better than the iTrip's.
If you've already tried that and still can't find a decent reception, my recommendation would be to take it back and get one of those that plugs into your car lighter and has a support base. Those are supposed to be much more programmable than the iTrips.
I have an iTrip and I usually like it, but a couple times a day I'll run through a part of town that has some other station interfering, and since there are a very limited number of stations it will use, it's pretty frustrating.
Plus it has a pretty weak signal, and if something is between it and the antenna it can be interfered with.
edit: And as Bit said, the quality is fairly crappy on them even when you're getting a good signal. Which is hard for me to understand - I know that the FM signal isn't the highest quality, but even songs I hear on the radio are better than the iTrip's.
Last edited by R00k on Mon Oct 31, 2005 8:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
All the iTrips I've heard sound like crap when compared to other brands, like Belkin, or Monster...
The Monster transmitter, while we had to raise the volume quite a bit to hear it, seemed to have the strogest signal, thus the best range and signal canceling ability (we were two or three car lengths behind going through Charlotte and could pick up the signal, although our radio volume was 60% full before we could hear it)
The Belkin transmitter had the best sound quality, but the shortest range, (though still strogner that an iTrip), and if you look at it the wrong way it seems to get a lot of interference
But yeah, I'd go with Bitwise's suggestion, or at least a casett adaptor
The Monster transmitter, while we had to raise the volume quite a bit to hear it, seemed to have the strogest signal, thus the best range and signal canceling ability (we were two or three car lengths behind going through Charlotte and could pick up the signal, although our radio volume was 60% full before we could hear it)
The Belkin transmitter had the best sound quality, but the shortest range, (though still strogner that an iTrip), and if you look at it the wrong way it seems to get a lot of interference
But yeah, I'd go with Bitwise's suggestion, or at least a casett adaptor
well I was kind of warned about this on here before and that a cassette adapter or aux input would be better. Still, I haven't fully tested it yet, I've only tried it on one station so far which wasn't an empty station. Yeah I installed the software from the CD and it made a playlist on my ipod of every frequency from 88.fm to 108.fm.
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[xeno]Julios
- Posts: 6216
- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 1999 8:00 am
Griffin I trip.
You need to tune your radio to around 88.0 fm and it will work perfectly. You are good for around 5 - 10 meters on it.
Just dont drive by a police car with it on though cause if he is listening to bbc radio 2 (I think that starts at 88.2 fm) it can cause interference and you'll get done for "being a pirate radio station" :icon27:
You need to tune your radio to around 88.0 fm and it will work perfectly. You are good for around 5 - 10 meters on it.
Just dont drive by a police car with it on though cause if he is listening to bbc radio 2 (I think that starts at 88.2 fm) it can cause interference and you'll get done for "being a pirate radio station" :icon27:
Yes, I'm sure that would happen.[FTF]Pyro wrote:Griffin I trip.
You need to tune your radio to around 88.0 fm and it will work perfectly. You are good for around 5 - 10 meters on it.
Just dont drive by a police car with it on though cause if he is listening to bbc radio 2 (I think that starts at 88.2 fm) it can cause interference and you'll get done for "being a pirate radio station" :icon27:
3. Are they legal to sell?
No. Radio transmitting equipment has to be compliant to the requirements of the Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Regulations 2000 (as amended).
A manufacturer must demonstrate that the equipment is safe and that it does not cause harmful interference. If successful, the CE mark is then affixed and the equipment can then be sold or put into service throughout the EU. It may not be sold or taken into service otherwise. Placing non-compliant equipment on the market is an offence.
On conviction this can carry a fine of up to £5,000 and/or up to 3 months imprisonment plus forfeiture of the equipment.
None of the iTrips or similar devices we have seen are CE marked. While we have not yet prosecuted iTrip dealers, we have done so for dealers of similar devices and have had stocks ordered forfeit by the courts. There is similar concern about non-compliance and illegal use throughout Europe .
The FCC (USA) marking on some of these devices has no validity in the EU.
4. Are they legal to use?
No. The FM broadcast band (87.5 – 108 MHz) is used in the UK – and other European countries – for authorised, licensed broadcasting stations. There is presently no provision to licence iTrips or similar devices in the FM broadcast band.
Anyone else transmitting in this band without a licence is committing an offence under section 1(1) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/mofaq/rco ... p/?a=87101