This looks pretty slick, anybody have this one they can comment on please.

Griffin RoadTrip FM Transmitter/ Car Charger for Apple® iPod™ and iPod mini
Model: 4030-ROAD

Details here
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1113954380137

 

Looks a little expensive for an FM adapter, even if it includes a charger. Especially when you consider that the MINI Aux Adapter is $40, and you could probably get a car charger for another $15 or so. You'd get better sound and never have to fiddle with frequencies when there's an actual radio station on the frequency you were using your iPod on... Or when you're driving past Langley

FM Adapters are nice for quick and simple solutions usually, but for the MINI there is a better solution that doesn't cost a whole lot of money...

 

After working with the iTrip, I'll never use a FM transmitter again.
I'd use my earbuds in the car first.


I'm not kidding.



Really.


Get the Aux instead.

 

I have an 03 MCS with the Alpine CD/FM/AM radio.
I just got a new 30G for my birthday. Someone else gave me a BELKIN Auto Kit charger. It has a 3.5mm audio output and volume control.
I also got a Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter but it's the wrong one, it fits the older model iPod.
So about this adapter, where do I get this adapter and connection info.
I take it that the Alpine CD/FM/AM radio has aux inputs.
Hook me up

 

Get the Monster iCar Play. It is the best of the FM tranmitters. Amazon seems to have the best price on them. Everyone I know who had the Griffin or Belkin, have switched to the Monster.

 

Well since you don't have a MINI HU the Aux Jack isn't going to help you...

I have no idea what HU you have, but a quick search on the Alpine website yielded this: Alpine iPod Interface, KCA-420i. Alpine does some weird stuff with their web pages so I can't post a link directly to the item. But if you go here http://www.alpine-usa.com/ you'll see a link to their iPod interface... Retail on it is $100 and I would bet that almost any authorized Alpine shop would be able to tell you if your HU is compatible with this... With the exception maybe of Best Buy or Circuit City since this isn't an item that they normally even carry... It competes with the Dension and the Monster adapters that they do carry

Either way most people will tell you to avoid the FM adapters, you end up paying a huge price in sound quality with them.

 

mbabischkin, I have the OEM HU. Some time ago I was told it was made by Alpine so I referenced it as such to differentiate it from the HK.
So then I take it my HU has an Aux input and a cable is available to extend that to a jack that I plug the iPod into. This being referenced as a iPod adaptor cable. Is that available from MINI? Are there others available/DIY people that made thier own.?
I really appreciate the help and input from those that have already been there done that.
I should just stick with the facts that I know for certain.

 

Ok now I see.. All you need is the MINI Aux Jack, this is $40 and connects to the back of your radio it's a 15 minute install you can do yourself. Then all you need is a $13 male to male headphone patch cable from Radio Shack, and then you can connect any device to your radio that has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

The MINI iPod adapter is a different animal that costs much more money, however it also charges the iPod AND allows limited use of the MFSW buttons to control the iPod.

 

FWIW, I have the MINI, dealer-installed iPod adaptor, and it works fine but is indeed limited. You have to make playlists named MINI1, MINI2, MINI3, MINI4, and MINI5. These numbers correspond the the first 5 buttons on your radio (I have the H/K). Button 6 is reserved for simply playing everything on the iPod.

With the MFSW you can go back and forth from track to track using the arrow buttons. If your MINI playlists are long, then this can take a while, so in practice we have found that we create short playlists and typically keep them to a single album or musician. We rarely drive more than 45 minutes at a time, so this works well and replaces the functionality of a CD changer. For longer drives, we'd probably make longer playlists.

One disappointment is that the head unit display simply says TRACK 05 (or whatever number) and does not identify the name of the artist, album, or song as the iPod does, and as the radio does for stations that broadcast that information. When I had it installed, the SA at the dealer warned me that some iPods (or head units?) will display the information and others won't, and that there was no guarantee mine would or would not. Perhaps this is the upgrade anticipated for the rumored early 2006 release of the next generation iPod adaptor.

An annoyance is that when they installed it so the cord comes out in the glovebox (per our request), they left the cord a bit on the short side which makes it difficult to attach and detach the iPod from the driver's seat. We tend to just leave it in there unless we're updating the playlists, but I can see how this would be inconvenient for someone who is synchronizing their iPod daily for podcasts or other reasons.

 

Has anybody installed the direct connection from http://www.mp3yourcar.com/default.asp. They claim that it has MFSW controls but dosen't say about making folders for playlist like the factory set up.

Doug Musselman
'05 Cooper S