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lauragonzo | March 30, 2009 02:54 PM | in Music Players

What's the best car adapter for iPod? i've tried Belkin and Griffin and get buckets of static.

I have an '04 Subaru Forester with no in-dash plugin.

voted interesting: drmatt

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BEST ANSWER decided by votes | digitalfarmboy | March 30, 2009 03:18 PM

Did you try the adapter in another car to make sure that the adapters aren't defective, or there might be a problem with the wiring in your car? Find some empty FM frequencies at http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/vacant and try those if you haven't already. The more empty frequencies around the one you're using, the better, but it will work fine even if there's only one or two empty frequencies together.

I've had a C. Crane FM Transmitter, http://www.ccrane.com/radios/fm-transmitters/fm-transmitter.aspx , and that worked great no matter where I was, even downtown Chicago, San Antonio, etc., but it's not cheap.

Right now I have iRiver's FM transmitter, http://www.amazon.com/iRiver-AFT-100-Mobile-Transmitter/dp/B00067LYFW , that I picked up cheap on Woot!, and while it doesn't work so great in downtown major cities, it works great everywhere else, and it's definitely a lot cheapter.

source(s):
Personal experience

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Voted as best: masontx, tracebooks, hcp56

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bbrookin | March 30, 2009 04:46 PM

I think a great deal depends on the number of stations competing for space where you live. I've tried three FM tuners and been dissatisfied with all of them:
- Original version of Belkin Tunebase (not the new one with Clearscan). I returned this within the week - it simply didn't work where I drive. The new model isn't getting rave reviews at the Apple online store, either.
- a MacAlly version. It was weak, but worked as well as the Tunebase and was a lot cheaper!
- the Harman/Kardon Drive+Play, original version. This one gave us decent results on a trip through northern California and into Oregon, but in the Sacramento and Bay areas required too much fiddling. A channel that worked well would only be good for five or ten miles of travel. It's not compatible with the iPhone, so it's on a shelf in storage, too.
Good luck finding a solution - and please report back when you do!

source(s):
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=257270
http://www.macally.com/EN/Product/Homes.asp
http://www.harmankardon.com/drive-1/default.aspx

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Voted as best: littleghost

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johnsonaaron | March 31, 2009 05:39 PM

If you are crafty, nothing is going to do you better than a hard wired installation. Since you don't want to replace your factory head (radio) then try Jazzy's Aux-In, it's a hack for your factory radio.

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f77/jazzy-s-aux-ipod-17865/

Subaru Aux-in Pro iPod Kit
http://www.jazzyengineering.com/prod...10993876363c09

I won’t go into head unit removal since it is pretty well covered here.

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5805

Installation of the kit is easy. I followed the directions for the 2005/2006 Subaru WRX from Jazzy’s site,

http://www.jazzyengineering.com/Inst...Manual_2-0.pdf