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 enlarge | Brand: Belkin
Category: CE
List Price: $37.56
Buy New: $17.99
You Save: $19.57 (52%)
New (5) Used (1) from $9.99
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 8242
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Warranty: 3 years warranty
MPN: F8V367-APL
Model: F8V367-APL
ASIN: B0000CDMZ7
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-9 of 9 | | « PREV | | |
Poor reception and battery life January 27, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The bottom line:
The Belkin TuneCase FM Transmitter can deliver good sound quality, but its broadcast strength is poor and battery life is short.
Stations:
The four stations the TuneCast will broadcast on are 88.1, 88.3, 88.5 and 88.7. A two-position switch changes the channel. 88.1 and 88.3 share one side of the switch and 88.5 and 88.7 share the other.
The transmitter is susceptible to interference besides radio stations. On my commute from a suburban to a semi-rural area, I hit extended pockets where I lose the music and get only static (no more than 2 minutes in duration).
Broadcast Clarity:
Broadcast clarity is poor unless the unit is very close to the radio's antenna.
In my house, I get FM radio sound quality if I set my ipod and transmitter up against my CD player/radio's antenna. If the ipod and transmitter are as much as a foot away from the antenna, there will be lots of static in the background.
When I use this in my car, there is always static in the background. My antenna is on the roof, driver's side. The ipod sits in a cubby hole in the center of my dashboard.
Battery Life
This unit eats batteries. I use it 10-15 hours a week and the batteries wear out every two weeks.
Ease of Use
There is no software to download and no settings to change on the ipod. You must manually turn the transmitter on and off.
Because the unit attaches to the ipod through a cord, it flops around freely. It can be difficult to switch the broadcast channel if you have no way to hold the unit in one place. For example, my ipod is secured in one place. But the transmitter isn't and it moves around as I turn corners, etc. When I want to change the channel I have to hunt for it.
 IPOD FM TRANSMITTER December 14, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
personally i love this item i not only can use it in my car but at home, at work anywhere there is a fm radio i am not confined to using it only in my car it plays into my 5.1 surround stereo so no need for me to get a docker. In my opinion this product is excellent and i highly reccomend it.
FM Transmitters for Ipod - 3 Options December 2, 2005
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I've tried three different types of FM Transmitters for IPOD and here are my rankings in order:
1) Griffin Itrip - $30-$50 depending on model
2) Griffin Road Trip - $80.
3) Belkin Tunecast - $40
First let's talk about sound quality. On all of the FM Transmitters, the sound quality isn't that great. It's somewhere in between AM Radio and FM Radio quality, a long ways from CD clarity. However, being able to play your IPod in the car on a roadtrip or at a party is a great convenience. After a short while, you don't notice the lower quality. My friends and I have happily listened to the IPod for hours.
The next important item is battery power. The Belkin Tunecast runs off AAA batteries and does not draw power from the IPod. The Griffin Itrip draws power from the IPod. The Griffin Roadtrip must be plugged into your car's lighter or auto power adapter. Of these three I like the Griffin Itrip the best. I can take the IPod a party and broadcast for a few hours unplugged or use a charger for unlimited play. In the car, I typically have my IPod charging to a separate auto charger. However it's not a requirement so I can also charge my cell phone and still listen to my music.
Tuning the Transmitter to a blank station: The Road Trip and the Tunecast were both easier to change radio frequencies. The Itrip could be tricky to adjust the radio station. This is important because you need to be tuned to a blank station. Reviewers who talk about station interference merely need to tune their Transmitter to a blank station. I've used the Transmitters all over the country including NYC and I've always been able to find a frequency on the dial to use.
The next consideration is usability. I liked how the Itrip attached to my IPod so it handled as one unit. Judging a separate Tunecast component and the IPod was awkward in the card. When using the Griffin Roadtrip, you must take the IPod out of its case and mount it to the cigarette lighter. At that angle it was impossible to read the screen, so if you wanted to make any selections or adjustments, you had to remove IPod and temporarily lose the signal. With the Itrip, you can hold the IPod on your hand and pick out songs while still listening to your music. Depending on the design of your case, you may not need to remove it to use the Belkin Tunecast or Griffin Itrip, which protects the easily scratched IPod.
Finally price - all three items do essentially the same task. The cost of a car chargers for your IPod is approx $30, so if you factor that in that cost, all three device are essentially the same price.
I prefer the Griffin Itrip for the reasons stated, but I know others who prefer to mount their IPod with the Griffin Roadtrip.
strange tendencies June 14, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Pros:
1. Very good reception when it comes in
Cons:
1. Loose wire is hard to manage, I would rather it be tightly secured to the ipod
2. Anytime I would move the ipod, the transmitter thought i was taking it out of the headphone jack and the ipod would pause.
3. Inconsistent reception, sometimes very clear, other times impossible.
4. Transmitter is tunable to even decimal stations, which are pointless. You have to press the up arrow twice to get from 93.1 to 93.3.
5. Poor battery life
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