FM Broadcaster

[Tom Beals]

I have an '04 with the stock CD player. My wife just bought me an ipod for my b-day...I would have preferred an mp3 CD player, but her logic was that "If I wreck or sell my truck, I can take the ipod with me."



Anyway, any suggestions? I love music. My biggest complaint over the 3 months of ownership is the sincle CD player and having to carry 50ish CDs with me, so I would like to convert to the ipod as my music source, but I worry that finding an FM transmitter, remembering to shut stuff off, etc. is going to be a bigger annoyance the my fat @$$ CD wallet. Also, is there a function on the ipod nano that allows it to resume rather than going back to song #1 when I get back in the truck?

 

[Kevin Palmer]

They sell a plug in wire harness that will allow you to directly plug in your iPod. This eliminates the many issues that come with FM modulators as well as accidentally leaving anything powered on...

 

[Jake Fluchel]

My wife and I have tried different FM transmitters and found that the Belkin models were the best. I have read reviews that stated differently, but I would only buy Belkin based on my personal experiences. The other brands that I tried all had non-stop interference. The Belkin model(s) very rarely suffered from interference. Plus they weren't as bulky, or as costly as the competition. Our transmitters always turned off with the car, but test this yourself as it could be different from car to car.



My ipod nano (first generation) has always resumed, even after it needs to be reset. I don't know that there is any option to change that or not. Nowadays I don't use a transmitter because my head unit controls the ipod. My ipod was acting up before I purchased the head unit, then the day after I hooked it up the touch-controls quit responding for good.

 

[Tom Beals]

Coastiejoe - Do you know where to look for these? I have tried a few places online and really dont know what I am looking for...but this sounds like a good option.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Here is a VERY detailed PDF with the installation instructions. Tons of pictures and good information.



Within the document is the point of contact info for the company that sells the plug in harness...

 

[Kevin Palmer]

These guys have them considerably cheaper than the company listed within the PDF I posted above. These are 24 to 50 bucks. The above company is 120 to 160. The above company is top notch and comes with a super clean install and modules and what not to make the use professional quality.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Crutchfield also has them. Go to this link and input your data...

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Our son has a similar vintage vehicle and an iPod.



We got him the Belkin Tunebase Clearscan off of eBay and he LOVES it, and it works well. Has auto-tuning for the FM freq that is available in your area, charges the iPod, and provides a convenient cradle for holding all iPod generations (with different shims for each gen).



I have NEVER had an FM transmitter that worked well, so I was skeptical of them, but we found one that worked well in the Belkin Tunebase.



Your results may vary.



TJR

 

[Tom Beals]

Thanks for all the info...looks like Ive got some research to do this morning