| | |  | Electronics | Home » » Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Auto Charger for iPod (Black) | | | | | | | Description: | | Designed specifically for use in the car, iTrip Auto's large, easy-to-read backlit LCD screen affords quick, precise station selection and easy status at a glance. iTrip Auto connects to the dock connector of your iPod and optimizes the output volume. Speaker volume can be controlled solely from the car stereo controls; you won't have to touch your iPod to adjust the volume level. | | | Features: | |
• Combines a powerful FM transmitter with an integrated charger in order to recharge your iPod
• Transmits clear music through your car stereo
• Features selectable LX and DX modes for best-quality audio under real-world conditions
• Can operate anywhere from the 88.1 to 107.9 MHz frequencies; range of 10 to 30 feet
• Compatibility: iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G; iPod mini; iPod 3G, 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G. Not compatible with: iPod Nano 4G and 5G and iPod Touch 2G and 3G
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 5.5 inches | | Product Width:
| 1.44 inches | | Product Height:
| 8.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.03 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.32 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.02 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.26 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 1081 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 1081 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
434 of 435 found the following review helpful:
 Best Griffin FM transmitter to dateFeb 27, 2006
By Josh Lehan
"Krellan"
Griffin has made a ton of these little FM transmitters for various generations of iPod, and this is the best one to date. It is still not perfect, though.
Using a FM transmitter is the method of last resort. If your car has a tape deck, use a cassette adapter! The very newest car stereos have Bluetooth or even a line-in jack, even better. Save yourself a lot of frustration by using a direct connection, if possible. If you're considering a FM transmitter for home use, perhaps to connect to your stereo, don't. You'll be much happier with a real docking station.
That said, Griffin has made 3 huge improvements over their previous FM transmitters:
1) Plugs into the dock connector! No more volume hassles! The dock connector has a constant line-out volume level, and isn't affected by the volume dial setting of your iPod.
2) Instant on when car started, and auto-pause of iPod when car stopped. Other Griffin adapters had the nasty problem of needing to "warm up" before they would start working, but it seems Griffin has finally solved the problem here. And, as a nice bonus, it automatically pauses your iPod when powered off, so it remembers your place for next time!
3) Charges your iPod while in use! Another advantage of the dock connector is that it can charge your iPod from the unit's cigarette lighter connection. A real disadvantage of earlier FM transmitters is that they drained your iPod's battery like crazy, but this is solved by using your car's power instead.
The flipside of this is that the connector is wired to the LCD unit and then to the cigarette lighter plug. It isn't a standalone wireless unit. If you like to set up your iPod somewhere in your car where wires would get in the way, this could be a problem.
Now, some disadvantages:
1) FM transmitter power is very, very weak. It's a game of inches. Griffin claims they are hamstrung by FCC regulations, but even legal Part 15 devices are allowed to transmit for a few dozen feet or so! Griffin really needs to crank up the power to the maximum allowed by law. Now that they are powered by cigarette lighter power, instead of iPod battery power, there's no excuse anymore to use an underpowered transmitter.
2) Transmitted volume is very, very soft. You have to crank up your car radio up all the way, causing hiss in the background, and blown speakers if you forget to turn it back down before changing the radio channel! Griffin doesn't modulate the FM signal enough. Compared to other stations on the FM dial, the iPod volume is much too low.
This is an especially bad double whammy: not only is the transmitted FM signal too weak, it's also too quiet!
Don't forget about the 87.9 frequency. Contrary to Griffin's belief, this is still a legal frequency in the USA, even though it's right on the edge of the dial. Griffin doesn't allow you to use this frequency, though, unless you put the unit in "International" mode! So, remember to do this first, before you throw away the manual and forget how to do it. 87.9 is clear in many areas that don't have a TV channel 6, so this is usually the best choice for these FM transmitters!
Now, if only Griffin would boost their radio power, they'd have the perfect device....
1130 of 1144 found the following review helpful:
 *** Update *** how to get the BEST results with this!Dec 06, 2008
By Eric William
I just got this a in Nov 2008. I will tell you the three secrets to getting the best results. First, over the years I have purchased a HUGE number of these type devices and they all sucked. Only the iTrip (both the version with the iPod connector and the one with the standard headphone jack) have this secret that makes them the BEST. Secret #1) because these devices are limited in power, make sure the transmitter part is close to the radio. Secret #2) Unless you need stereo, use the LX mode. Secret #3 ... and this is the biggie ... switch to International Mode. Here's how.
Before you buy, go to your car and make sure you can set your radio to 87.9 frequency or lower. If you can, they you can use this UNused setting. No US radio station is allowed to transmit on this frequency. If you can set your car radio to this, then BUY either the product on this page or the other Griffin iTrip (with the standard headphone connector). I have both, and they BOTH use the SAME instructions.
First, plug in the iTrip. You Have two buttons - a larger +/- button and a smaller button that will either have "Select" or "Preset" written on it.
Hold down the smaller button for 10-15 sec. At first the display will flash "2" or some other number. Ignore that. Just keep waiting. Then the display will flash "DX" or "LX". Use the +/- to change to LX (non stereo mode). Press the smaller button and the selection is saved.
Now for International Mode (to get the stations below 88.1).
Hold down the smaller button for 10-15 sec. At first the display will flash "2" or some other number. Ignore that. Just keep waiting. Then the display will flash "DX" or "LX". IGNORE THIS ALSO, JUST KEEP HOLDING DOWN THE SMALL BUTTON. The display will change to "US" Use the +/- to change to INTL mode. Press the smaller button and the selection is saved.
With my iTrip set to LX and INTL I now set both the car and the iTrip to 87.9. I use the iTrip instructions to save this as a preset. I also set one of the buttons on my car radio to the same.
When I use my iPod, the sound is crystal clear, I do NOT need to adjust the car radio to super-high volume. It is perfect. However, iTrip no longer comes with instructions to set to INTL mode, nor could I find these instructions on their website or on the web. So ... print this, get this and you will have a five star experience!
149 of 153 found the following review helpful:
 Average for the typeOct 27, 2006
By Chris
This is one of three Griffin iTrip adapters I have, it is probably the most convenient to use. The FCC requirements on these things limit the transmit power to something that is barely able to reach the car radio, but if you don't set this one to the higher power mode you'll be lucky to hear anything at all. I find more variation between vehicles than you might expect, I travel quite a bit and have used this in rental cars all over the US, Canada and the UK. It is especially useful that this can tune by 0.1MHz intervals which helps find a vacant frequency in other countries (where these may be illegal, as they are in the UK). Sound quality is usually OK, but if you find the noise level increasing you are probably conflicting with a local FM station and it's time to retune. The cassette interfaces provide much cleaner audio, but with more wires and sometimes with mechanical noise. This is in my travel kit now and I don't think there is a reasonable alternative.
138 of 142 found the following review helpful:
good value; works as advertisedJul 09, 2006
By Joseph Adler
This device works exactly as advertised: it charges your iPod and broadcasts the audio on an FM frequency at low power. If you have no other way to use your iPod in your car (cassette adapter, line in, etc) this is a good choice, especially at Amazon's price. The sound quality isn't fabulous, but it's as good as normal FM reception.
However, you need to be aware that this product works inconsistently between cars. I've had good luck with the iTrip in some cars (mostly American made rental cars), but couldn't get it to work in some other cars (like my Infiniti). Before you buy, I suggest that you take a look at the Griffin Technology web site to see if other users have gotten this to work in your car.
31 of 31 found the following review helpful:
Missed it by that much...Jul 30, 2006
By S. Nigl
"Chugach124"
The Griffin iTrip Auto is car ipod charger with an FM transmitter built in. It allows you to listen to your iPod via the car radio while the iPod recharges.
I have been a great fan of Griffin's products. I believe that they are generally engineered well and the consumer gets a good quality product for a reasonable price. With that said, I was a bit disappointed with the iTrip Auto. I have been using a low-end FM transmitter (Belkin Tunecast II) for most of a year now, and use it as a baseline for comparison against Griffin's offering.
The Belkin product also plugs into a cigarette lighter for power, but does not charge the iPod. The Belkin gets signal via the headphone jack on the iPod. By contrast, the iTrip connects via an iPod dock connector and provides both power and signal connections simultaneously. The Belkin's power cable is an accessory and can derive power from two internal AAA batteries. The iTrip must be plugged into the car to work. The only benefit to the Belkin on this point is that my car's cigarette lighter is not powered when the engine is off or the key is on 'radio only'. The ignition must be at 'on'. The Belkin still provides FM transmitter function with the engine off. The AAA batteries also remember which station freq. is being used, when the unit is off. One of my first concerns about the iTrip was to reset the freq. every time I use it. Not so. It seems to have non-volitile memory for this. Once it was initially programmed, it seems to remember the station.
The iTrip's controls are simple. Plug one end into your car; the other into the iPod. There is a +/- button and a Select button, and a lit LCD display showing frequency. Simple tune to a station that is not being used in your area, and hit 'play' on the iPod. It's that simple. Griffin's build quality is of the usual high standards. The front of the iTrip control is a glossy plastic that matches my black iPod. The back is rubberized. As far as fit-and-finish, my only complaint is that the keys rattle when the unit is shaken. It makes the unit feel cheap, but didn't effect functionality.
In use, I find the iTrip's sound to be a bit crisp and lacking in base as compared to the Belkin. And the iTrip seems to pick up static 'pop's' and ignition noise when I use certain accessories (e.g. - windshield wipers). I could blame this on poor shielding in my car's wiring, but the Belkin doesn't pick any of this noise up. Just the music. A plus that I noticed with the iTrip is that the iPod's volume control is disabled. It seems to transmit signal to my car radio at one pre-set level and I use the car deck's volume knob when adjusting level. By contrast, the belkin unit (being plugged into the ipod's headphone jack) IS susceptible to the iPod's volume settings and the iPod must be set nearly to max in order for the Belkin to 'know' that there is signal. The Belkin has auto-on when signal is detected and auto-off after 60 sec of inactivity (after which I hear blasting loud static from a car radio with no station playing). The iTrip broadcasts quiet dead-air as long as it's plugged in. Nice!
My overall impression? Really too bad about the sound quality. I like it over the Belkin in almost every other respect. I will continue to test it in other vehicles; but listening to your audio is the REASON for having an FM transmitter, so the lack of sound quality weighs heavily in my score.
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