Customer Reviews

Belkin TuneFM Transmitter for iPod (Black)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Okay! I know it sounds too good to be true, or maybe it sounds like a sales pitch, but it isn't. I'm just a "Schmoe" like most everyone else and I wanted to pass along information on a product that really delivered the goods!

I did ALL the research and tried a bunch of FM transmitters - some turned out to be good, some turned out to be garbage, BUT this one finished at the top of the heap in my analysis.

Here's the top 5:

1.) Cost- the transmitter is fairly priced. It didn't break the bank like some of the other transmitters out there. (I'm sorry, but spending more than $50 on an FM Transmitter is ridiculous!)

2.) Performance- Forget about looking for a weak station to broadcast over. I live in the greater New York City area, and to prove my point, I found the strongest fm station I could find on the dial and this transmitter entirely trounced right over it! Sure an "unused" fm station provided near cd quality playback and is the obvious choice, but I wanted to prove a point, and that was, no matter what the signal strength, this transmitter flat-lined the original and dominated the frequency! Nice job Belkin, mission accomplished!

3.) Ease of use- All FM transmitter functions fully displayed on the iPod Video's screen, 4 easy to program frequency presets, all with their own handy button, and initial setup that took under a minute!...YES, under one-minute!

4.) Small and versatile- Matches up perfectly with my 30G iPod Video and only adds about 1/2-inch to the overall length of the entire device. MOST IMPORTANTLY- I do NOT have to remove my iPod from its protective case in order to use this transmitter! In fact, I believe this transmitter was designed for use specifically with a case in mind! There is a short collar you remove from the transmitter if your iPod is in a case. You only use the collar if your iPod is "in the buff" so to speak! Believe me, the fit is perfect! It is exactly how we would have designed it, if it was up to us!

5.) Dual power sources and auto charger- You can either power the transmitter off your iPod's internal battery or via the included car power adapter. Playing off your iPod's battery allows you to use the transmitter in a variety of places including your home stereo, a boom-box at the beach, wherever you might bring your iPod. Playing off the car adapter also charges your iPod.

The ONLY negative thing I can say about the device is a rather selfish one. I think with a little more thoughtfulness, Belkin could have devised a single power adapter that would offer BOTH an AC and DC power solution for this absolutely fantastic product!

This product is fantastic.
The box contains two things. One is the FM transmitter which connects to your Ipod via the IPOD dock. And it connects to ANY ipod with IPOD dock. Second is a car charger which connects to the bottom of the FM transmitter, just like the picture.

1. Flexible: You can use the FM transmitter with the IPOD alone and it will use the IPOD battery, brilliant so you can use it at home or at some impromptu party all you need is a radio. Of course you can use it in the car and power it with the included cig-lighter adaptor that also charges the Ipod. sweeet

2. Signal: OK if you enable the Japan frequency function on the FM transmiter you can tune it to 79.9 and that frequency is empty. Push 1 and 4 buttons at the same time then push up arrow. Most car stereos can go down as far as 79.7 but US stations start at 88.1 so that means you may have up to 3 empty stations with no distortion. I have driven all over the Dallas TX metro and accross the country and almost never need to change the station.

3. Sound: If you do as above and have a empty channel you can enable the stereo mode and the sound is almost CD quality.

4. Price: For about $40 you get a portable FM transmitter and a car charger. I have not found a better deal out there.

I was completely let down by this product. From what I read it was supposed to be a great tool to get your IPOD to play music over the radio in your car. After searching almost every station for better reception, none worked with crisp clear sound that would come from tuning into a radio station. Lots of static, thats about all I got. Waste of money! I will update my car stereo with a input jack instead of wasting more money on a similar solution.

It's worth the 50$ I got for it!

For the weekend I've tried it out; I like the Belkin TuneFM. It's a neat, asthetically clean device that fits slots into my iPod even with the case (a clear hardcase from Agent 18) & powers up the iPod so I don't have to worry about draining battery life while driving around. I drive a car w/ a rear antenna and through the extremely crowded New York city area. Within Manhattan you'll definately hear a little hiss and pop (especially in lower Manhattan); but that to me is tolerable. However, in the outer boroughs like in Brooklyn, Queens, & Staten Island the sound is near perfect. Tip for New Yorkers: tune your FM transmitter to 89.3 FM as the surrounding frequencies belong to college radio stations with relatively weaker signals.

It does have it's drawbacks. For one the wire connecting the transmitter to the plug can cause a little clutter. Another is that yes, when pressing a button it will cause the audio on your iPod to pause for a second. Finally, since it does use the iPod itself for the display you'll be potentially taking your eyes off the road in order to switch radio stations. But these, to me, are minor.

I have been researching the FM transmitters for quite a while now and finally decided to give this one a go and if it didnt work I can always return it. But it has worked wonderfully with my ipod. Super easy, directions are good and its extremely clear on my radio. My one draw back is how quickly it takes the battery life. but you cant win them all. I suggest this one for sure.

The TuneFM plugs into the bottom of your iPod. Pick a channel, tune your radio to that channel and you have sounds from your iPod on your radio. Works well, doesn,t need any power wire to operate (gets power from the iPod) but you can plug a car charger into it and it will charge the iPod also. Great device.

After reading several reviews of the TuneFM, I was excited about the prospect of listening to my iPod Nano in my car. But I've been pretty disappointed by the product's quality. Even when I can find a frequency that is interference-free, the quality of the sound is pretty bad. Not even FM-quality, in my opinion. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

This thing is sturdy. I'm pretty brutal with electronics, and this has lasted me for about a month. The only complaint is that the broadcasting range suffers if you don't have it plugged in. Comes in clear as a bell when plugged into the cigarette lighter, but unplugged it leaves much to be desired. Overall great product for the price.

It works well in some of the cars that I drive and in some others it's just ok. Overall, it is a good product.

This transmitter is very easy to use and works well in rural areas where you can find a clean station on the dial. Unfortunately I think this is a problem with all FM transmitters. They just don't let them make them strong enough to overpower interference. This unit allows you to select the station on the IPOD. It also has nifty presets so you can make a quick change if you encounter interference. If you live in a large city with lots of radio stations, don't bother. You'll just throw it out the window in frustration.