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Monday, August 29, 2005iPod in my Car This is an ameteur review of how I got riding with my iPod to wrok for me (since I could find nothing like it on the Internet and had to figure it out myself). It can be challenging at times I must admit and takes some researching and 'trial & error' not to mention dealing with friends' comments on how the quality or the music sucks while you're figuring it out (thus deflating the experience a little). So I thought I'd come up with a short essay (almost like a FAQ) on how it's working for me since I'm fairly pleased with the solution I have currently. Operating Environment: I live in/around the Portland, OR area. The Portland area has very few spots on the FM band that aren't taken up with radio stations, so if you live here too, keep reading as I have some info that's specific to the area that might be helpful. I have a 20GB that I've owned for roughly 3 months, and like most iPod owners I know, I don't know how I ever got along without it. In those three months, I can count on one hand the number of times I've messed with CD's or the radio. I have a hard leather bound protective belt clip case that I sometimes use, but typically not in the car anymore since I bought the iGrip (a rubber pad that adheres to your dash and keeps your iPod from sliding). I couldn't believe how well it worked. Sharp turns, quick stops, acceleration, the iGrip saves me from ANY slippage. I use the Griffen iTrip to transmit my iPod signal over an FM frequency. I have two car stereos I utilize, an older one from the 90's in my pickup and a new one from early 2000's in SUV. I primarily listen in the car on weekdays between 6am and 5pm. I've also used my iPod/iTrip on half a dozen company cars ranging in stereo quality, but mostly newer stock Chevy and Ford stereos. Let me just start off by stating that, at least MY FM transmitter, works better some days than it does others. I can be in an area on Monday and get great reception, and be in that same area same time on Tuesday and have it be poorer. I believe this is a reflection of what's in the airwaves on different days, moreso than the quality of transmitter. Weekends in particular the reception seems to be a little worse than weekdays. I've heard very good things about the Belkin and it may be better according to Dan, who owns the same model iPod. Belkin owners have at least one advantage in that it's a lot easier to change stations. I hate changing stations on the Griffen iTrip, in fact it's not even safe to do while driving I should really pull over. So finding a solid spot on the dial that works pretty much everywhere was imperative. It performs differently in different cars too. It works a little better on the car with the newer stereo than the old one. Whether that's because the receiver is weeker in the older one I don't know for sure. For all of you in the Portland area that are still looking for a solid FM frequency to transmit on I've found that 88.5 works pretty darn well. I wouldn't have thought 88.5 would've worked so well. Other frequencies seem to have less chatter and less white noise. I've tried many of them but have never had as consistantly good luck as I have with 88.5. Just goes to show that you can't judge the conduciveness to iPod transmission by the way the station sounds on its own. There must be some other variables I'm not aware of that make it better or worse for this kind of usage. I spend most of my time in Vancouver and 88.5 works all over Vancouver. It seems the further North you go the better it gets. As you head South into Portland it starts to break up as you cross the I-5 bridge. It gets a little worse as you go through Delta Park, but cleans up around the Portland Blvd overpass. It usually gets bad again right around the time you get to the Rose Garden or shortly after. By the time I cross the Willamette it's noticeably poorer. Practically unintelligible. Till I get through the Terwilliger curves and then it starts getting better. By the time you get to the 217 North exit it's not so bad. Poor on 405, but decent on 26-W/217-S. As you head South on I-5 it gets clearer and clearer from the curves. If you travel in to Tualatin, Sherwood, Newberg, 88.5 goes like a champ. From Vancouver, if you head North, you can camp on 88.5 all the way to Olylmpia. It breaks up for 10-20 miles around Chehalis due to a Jazz station, but clears once you're far enough North or South of it. I've noticed during those times when reception is breaking up, that I OFTEN can fix the problem just by placing a hand on the iPod. This has worked in no less than half a dozen cars so I'm fairly certain it works globally. I don't know why exactly. It's weird. Like it strengthens the reception to the receiver in your car stereo or something? Maybe something to do with grounding? And what's more, even those times when it's REALLY bad, I can hold it right next to the stereo and it will overpower whatever other signal may be coming through. This is how I get through Chehalis when I road trip to Seattle or driving over the Willamette/through the Terwilliger curves too. Sometimes just attaching my Griffen car charger also helps with the reception in certain areas. I-84 from I-5 to 205 seems to be decent on 88.5. 205 North maintains this "pretty good" quality until you get North of Mill Plain. Somewhere between Mill Plain and SR500 it became crystal clear. No staticky "S" or "F" sounds or staticy distorted guitar tones at all. As I traveled on I-5 South I had perfect reception on 88.5 all the way to Eugene. It started breaking up about there. Luckily that's where I had to get on 126W anyway. And that stretch, being in the middle of nowhere, was perfection as well all the way to Florence. It started to break up right about the time I hopped on 101 South. After just a few miles on 101 and my signal was great again. It degraded a little bit around Gardiner, which can't be more than 100 people. I'm thinking there was some other small transmitter other than a radio station that was interfering. I got some slight break-up around Reedsport, but nothing that made me look for another frequency. It was great until I got to North Bend. Then a radio station broke clear through on 88.5. Luckily exactly that's where I had to be for work anyway so I shut it off just as I was pulling in to the parking lot. Taking 38 East to I-5 from 101 proves to be a pleasant scenic drive with uninterrupted iPod service on the 88.5 spot on the dial as well. All the way North on I-5 until Eugene again it's great. I'd still love to get myself one of those direct attachment installation units for my iPod and my stereo. But I have a hard time coughing up that much money for a car I may or may not own in a year or two. We'll see though. For now, I'm happy with my iTrip FM Transmitter. My transmissions seem to work best if the iPod volume is set between 50% and 75% and not over. The signal must become too hot after that and literally kind of overdrive the stereo (?). Anyway, just an observation. My car stereo had to be turned up a little louder than I normally play it to compensate, but it doesn't effect the quality. Too much bass in a particular file may effect this too for some reason. That about covers it! Best of luck to all you pod people. May your shuffles be absent of two star songs and heavy on the Switchfoot.
Bazooka-Joe made it so at 10:51 AM
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