Customer Reviews

Belkin F8V7097 TuneBase FM for iPod mini

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I had the opportunity to test this on a drive there and back from San Francisco to Tahoe this past weekend (~3.5 hours each way).

First the bad news: This product is not perfect. There are reception problems (signal overlap) in busy areas. There are also problems with the mp3 format in general, and while not really relevant here, the audio limitations of mp3's are compounded by the fact that this is an FM reception of an mp3. CD's sound way better. So, sound quality is an issue.

Usability is limited in that you have to select the reception frequency on the car radio (one that isn't currently used by another station) then tune the Belkin to broadcast on that frequency. There are four presets on the Belkin :), but do you really want to use up four presets on your car radio to hold place for dead air space :(? More importantly, as you're driving, things change. Which means, what was once dead air, may not be for very long. We found that we were changing the broadcasting and receiving frequencies pretty often. So, that is a pretty big inconvenience.

Now for the good news: This is a pretty slick product. Works as a charger, which is very helpful. The metal arm is adjustable but stays put once you let go. Stands up and stays out of the way. (Also has different size rings in case your cigarette adapter is a different size.) Display is clear, and choosing and setting a frequency and/or preset is pretty easy. But, realistically scrolling through the iPod menus while driving takes more attention than one should probably devote to it. (Better if you have a copilot/deejay.)

On the whole, I recommend this product. Sound quality isn't the best, and there are some signal issues, but the product works well (much better out of cities), and it's really handy having access to all the music on your iPod. Not too expensive either. More good things than bad things - so, go for it.

I bought this at the Apple store so I could listen to music on my iPod mini in my car. I also purchased it because it will charge my iPod in the car, which meant one less accessory to buy. I have found this product works pretty well and the holder it clicks into keeps the iPod from rolling all over the car. I also like the gooseneck feature because I can read the songs on my iPod while I am driving.

I have found it to be a pain in the neck trying to find empty stations in different areas while driving. It seems redundant to have to change radio stations and the station setting on the TuneBase set. It has four buttons to save empty station settings on. It plugs into the cigarette lighter and comes with extra bands for older model cars that had wider holes to help it fit.

The sound quality is not, obviously, near as nice as a CD. Sometimes music sounds a bit tinny and hollow. But, for the price and the convenience, to me its a small price to pay. It still beats carrying around a large book of CD's with me everywhere I go. This product charges your iPod while its clicked into the slot. It seems to charge faster than when connected to my laptop. I find this a nice asset. So, overall, I find it to be a pretty good product that has worked as advertised.

**************UPDATE******************
Ok, This thing worked well for five days exactly. In the middle of playing a song, it up and died. The green light on the piece that connects to the cigarette lighter was on, so it was getting power. The interface piece where you click your iPod into would not work. I returned it to the Apple store and bought an AirPlay FM transmitter (which is wireless) by XTremeMac. This thing was much cheaper and works much better. I Do not recommend the Belkin TuneBase.

This was a Smart Purchase for us. We tried the IGriffen and I found I was holding my ipod WHILE DRIVING trying to point it to my antenna to get a better reception.. Which ultimately meant I rarely used my ipod. I got this and the search for perfection was over.

I LOVE the fact that you can preset stations.. Pretty much EVERWHERE I go within an hour from my house and all around town I am on One station.. however when I branch out about 2 hours away I have to change but since I go there once a month I just set the station and it works fine. When we traveled to Disney this summer I had to find a new station about three times, and it took us 12 hours to get there. Once when I took the ipod out the station came in and it was a pretty strong station..people talking etc, not just static, so this device works WELL!!!

I LOVE the fact there is no interference.. We listen to comedy shows and podcasts and there is no static or interference.. the music sound excellent as well as any other sound files we have downloaded.

I LOVE the fact that it Charges your mini. Now I never have to worry about my battery going dead and I never use my at home charger. SO had I have bought this first it would have saved me a lot, a home as well as a car charger.

I LOVE the metal Arm.. it is not your standard arm mounting system this one is shapable and reshapable and DOES NOT MOVE on it own.. PRICELESS!! When you take the corner it stays right where it is. Mine is in an excellent location I can hit the next button to skip songs without bending or my eyes leaving the road.. It is real easy to pull out and use in another car too. My husband borrows mine a lot and it works just as good in his car.

This is really an EXCELLENT Product. I highly reccommend making this purchase. The way I look it is you invest so much into the ipod then into the songs, you have to have an EXCELLENT way of listening to your music in the car.

I've never been a fan of Belkin products but this time they got it right, tackling all three issues in one solid package - FM transmitter, sturdy holder, re-charger. Before this I owned the iTrip (piece of garbage) and the Monster FM modulator (good but limited frequencies and lack of a holder/cradle).

FM Transmitter: Broadcasts on EVERY FM band frequency (selectable). Some people have complained about poor reception, however that is probably more a function of where they live (interference). It takes some trial and error, but the Belkin offers the entire FM band (and 4 preset memory buttons) from which to transmit a decently strengthed signal. If you can't find a clear station you're out of luck with any product - at very least, the Belkin offers the entire band.

Holder/Cradle: The sturdy flexble cable style holder is awesome. The connector between the unit and the iPod could be a little better as it seems to come loose now and then. My long term concern is if it remains stiff enough over time and use to support the iPod.

Recharger: Puts your iPod into pause mode when you turn off the engine. Pretty cool.

I live next to, and drive through and around, Manhattan. My tunebase works great. The sound isn't CD quality, but I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference b/w my tunebase and a normal FM radio station. My cigarette lighter does seem to be in a good position, b/c the tunebase is right next to my radio, so this may help. But I get very good sound coming from this product, and it's very stable. I also like the tuning feature, where I can tune any frequency on the tunebase, and then program it into one of the 4 presets for easier tuning later on.
Good product that works well for me, in and around a big city w/ lots of radio stations.

(For the NYC people, I use 91.7, 107.7, and 106.5 as the stations for my tunebase)

As with most items you purchase, I would strongly suggest you purchase any FM transmitter with a return policy. This is because I found out that this Belkin Tunebase for iPod Mini plays differently on both my cars. On my first car, the reception was extremely poor. I couldn't drive 1 block without heavy static. I was considering to return it when I gave it a try with my other car which has a Bose system. The reception was surprisingly impressive considering that I live in Los Angeles, where almost every increment of 0.4 is taken on the FM dial. I can't claim to be an audio expert so I don't know exactly why it plays so differently on both systems. I am attributing it to the quality of the existing systems. Keep in mind, the Bose system always played with better quality than my first car (which has a Sony MP3/CD player which BestBuy installed for me). Anyway, because of this great reception on my second car, I am keeping it.

I was also considering to keep it even with the poor reception on my first car just because it makes for such an excellent "stand" to hold the iPod while driving. The metal is bendable to conform to any position yet it is still rigid. So using the controls on the iPod to change playlists or volume is now much easier and safer while driving. I was considering to keep it even with the poor reception because you can still listen to it on your earphones anyway (which I would personally prefer over the FM transmitter). Also, I didn't have a car charger so it also made for a car charger for long trips. And if I do plan on going on a long trip (ie/ Los Angeles to Las Vegas), chances are the FM reception would be much better since any area would likely have more FM stations to tune into than Los Angeles does.

I don't think any FM transmitter is as good as earphones, but if you're in the market for an FM transmitter, the best advice would be to make sure there is a return policy because what works well in one car may not work as well in another.

My husband and I bought the Belkin TuneBase for our Scion xA. On the back of the box it shows the Belkin TuneBase in what appears to be a Scion model, so we figured it was meant to be. Unfortunately, we were wrong. We live in a town of 120,000 people with pleanty of "clear" channels. Even on the clearest channels we received a strong static/high pitched buzzing noise. This was present no matter how high we turned up the volume on our car stereo. We've had problems with FM transmitters before in our Scion with our Sirius Plug n Play unit so we've pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that we will have static. However, the final straw was when the Belkin TuneBase became loose and started swinging back and forth everytime we took a corner in our car. We decided to exchange it for something that would rest a little closer to the cigarette lighter. So, we exchanged it for the DLO TransPod, which was $20 more than the TuneBase at BestBuy. I'm so glad we did! The TransPod comes in crystal clear on every "clear" channel we try it on. NO STATIC. It's just as easy to use as the Belkin TuneBase. It's great! I would heartily recommend the DLO TransPod to anyone who is having problems getting a good reception with the Belkin TuneBase.

Most of the things mentioned in the other reviews are true. Yes, the TuneBase works, and yes, you will need to switch frequencies once in a while in urban areas with congested airways. But overall I'm quite pleased. The articulating arm works very well, allowing you to place the iPod just where you want it. I love that the TuneBase charges the iPod while I listen. And it's easy to put in and take out-- no wires. If I had a $2000 stereo system in my car, I probably wouldn't be happy with the sound quality. But for me, it's fine. 5 stars for Belkin on this one.

Pros:
- Tight fit, sturdy gooseneck.
- Line-out jack in case you have an aux/mp3 input for crystal clear sound.
- Turns off ipod automatically when the ignition is off.
- Charges the ipod while playing.

Cons:
- So-so FM transmission performance.

However, I did accidentally found a trick to increase FM performance. Just connect a mini-stereo cable to the line-out jack, and the radio reception became noticeably better. This worked in both of my cars. I guess the cable acted as an external antenna for the FM transmitter. I suppose a headset will also work if you can't find a mini-stereo cable, for that matter.

I drive a 2001 BMW 325ci with a factory BMW radio (not Harmon Kardon). The Belkin will charge through the cigarette lighter but does not fit quite right, it wiggles around. When I use the attachment ring provided in the box it won't fit at all. The iPod will charge and play when in the cradle but no signal transmits to the radio. I literally spent 1.5 hours, first by myself, then with a gadget-knowledgable friend, going through every single FM frequency. Nothing but silence, even with the iPod volume turned all the way up. The iPod works fine with head phones, by the way.
Granted, I may have gotten a defective Belkin, but I won't be trying another one for the simple fact that it won't even fit my cigarette lighter snugly.
BMW Owners- be sure to read the return policy carefully before you buy this!