itrips and alternatives

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these have come up a few times, but i haven't seen anyone talk about the itrip-alternatives that exist now. is anyone a happy user of one? do they all drain the batteries super-fast? and do any of them work with all kinds of ipods (we have an old (2nd gen?) ipod, an ipod mini and a shuffle between us).

― toby (tsg20), Monday, 4 April 2005 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Mandee and I made a roadtrip from Denver to South Dakota a couple of years ago using one of these: http://shop.ipodworld.co.uk/iPodWorldSite/product/iPod_Specials/OW04.htm

and it worked perfectly with my first gen iPod.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 4 April 2005 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

(We also got a hoongadoonga that charged the iPod from the car's cigarette lighter, I think.)

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 4 April 2005 13:18 (twenty-one years ago)

imho it doesn't work worth a crap in the city. in fact i'll sell you one cheap if you want to try it :)

― ronny longjohns (ronny longjohns), Monday, 4 April 2005 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

My cassette deck adapter works great.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 4 April 2005 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I have a Belkin Tunecast II that got it's first real road trip over the weekend and works just fine.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm mistaken - I think we used the Belkin too.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 4 April 2005 14:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I've got the Griffin iTrip. Yeah, it'll drain your battery, but otherwise it's cool. I rarely have frequency problems with it. I just like the mobility of it. I can use it in the car, in the office, at a friend's house, in a friend's car --- wherever there's an antenna. It's also cheapish, compared to what else is out there. I'm on my second one, but hey. Thirty-five bucks ain't much when it comes to Apple stuff.

(The first one broke after I left it connected to the iPod inside the car during a really cold night. When I tried to take it out, it broke on me. The "stem" stayed inside the iPod while the white antenna part came off in my hands.

So don't leave it out in the cold.)

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

i used to have an itrip and lost it somewhere in norfolk. so this'll be the replacement. i think the main problem is that itrip name brand thingys are specifically designed for each pod-- so we couldn't use it on my 2nd gen pod and toby's mini, as far as i know.

but thanks for the tip about the belkin one, looks like it might be the answer!

(i also like the tape adaptor option, except the tape player in my car is fussy and kicks them out when they get too hot, which sucks)

― colette (a2lette), Monday, 4 April 2005 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

i think you could put the itrip in another ipod, just turned sideways. i don't think the bit that sticks into the old firewire port is anything more than a nub to hold it straight

― ronny longjohns (ronny longjohns), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 00:04 (twenty-one years ago)

that "bit" isnt a firewire jack, it's the same connector found on the remotes.

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm saying that the itrip i have has a plastic bit that sticks into the firewire port on the second gen ipod. but you could just turn the itrip sideways on a different model of ipod. that's all.

― ronny longjohns (ronny longjohns), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 00:41 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

is the belken thing better than the itrip? I need to buy something for a drive down to LA from SF. tell me what will work best.

― kyle (akmonday), Saturday, 21 May 2005 01:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I live in LA, and I'd pretty much given up on the FM transmitter solution. I am now officially in love with the NewerTech Roadtrip!+

It's got a silly name, and it's an ugly hunk of plastic, but it flat-out works, even in LA's supercrowded airwaves -- and charges your ipod too. Joy! (Kyle, SF may be one of the three small areas in the US where it's not so useful. Sorry.)

Pix and review:
http://www.ipodlounge.com/index.php/reviews/comments/newer-technology-roadtrip-plus-fm-transmitter-ipod/

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Saturday, 21 May 2005 01:53 (twenty-one years ago)

eight months pass...

I got the Griffin Road Trip, but when I insert it into the lighter of my Honda Civic, the little green light on the Road Trip doesn't come on. What am I doing wrong?

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 5 February 2006 02:59 (twenty years ago)

Gotta turn the power on on the RoadTrip.

― naus (Robert T), Sunday, 5 February 2006 04:36 (twenty years ago)

It is illegal to use those products in Ireland.

Not that it stops us, it just makes us crims.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Sunday, 5 February 2006 10:55 (twenty years ago)

How do I turn the power on? I thought that just plugging it in did that. Actually, what is the difference between a cigarette lighter and a charger. I think I just have the latter.

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 5 February 2006 17:24 (twenty years ago)

I've tested out a few of these and the best one I've tried so far is actually from Kensington: http://us.kensington.com/html/6402.html

It sticks into the cigarette lighter for power, so it can charge your iPod too. And it can blot out stations that are already there so you can have a clean signal--I'm not sure how it does it but it's fantastic. Only thing I'm not thrilled with is the design means you still have to find a spot for your iPod to sit...but as I have a little indent in the console between the driver and passenger seats, I'm set.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Sunday, 5 February 2006 18:19 (twenty years ago)

i was convinced this was going to be about virtual-reality-style drugs. virtual LSD.

― killy (baby lenin pin), Sunday, 5 February 2006 21:25 (twenty years ago)

After going through a half-dozen different transmitters I got the Griffin RoadTrip and found it to be pretty good here in the super-saturated LA airwaves.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Sunday, 5 February 2006 21:41 (twenty years ago)

I think my problem is that my car only comes with a socket, not a lighter. I checked online and some models come that way. So, it seems I will need to install a cigarette lighter (could get for around $20) but I'm thinking it's gonna be ugly? and I'm not really happy with the way the RoadTrip sits in my car, without the extension hard to see but with the extension seems very unstable. Should I just return it and stick with the lo-fi auto? Also, I don't want to have to remove ipod after time park and drive to prevent theft.

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 6 February 2006 01:04 (twenty years ago)

The power button on the RoadTrip is the round one on the right. Just hold it down for a second and it'll come on. I believe the same devices can be used in both sockets and lighters, so you shouldn't need to get a lighter. Try adjusting the arm on the back of the Roadtrip to adjust the angle. That way it won't stick out as far or get in the way. Lastly, I just stick the Roadtrip under the passenger's seat whenever I park. Just be careful when you pull it out of the outlet (don't force it).

All that said, I really like the RoadTrip. As Elvis said, it works in LA, and in addition, I like how it can hold the iPod right out in front of the stereo so you can control all of your music from the same place. My only gripe with it is that it doesn't get very loud. Adjusting the volume on my Nano doesn't make a difference, and I have to turn the volume on my stereo all the way up just to hear my iPod at a decent volume.

― naus (Robert T), Monday, 6 February 2006 02:35 (twenty years ago)

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