Kensington FM Transmitter/Auto Charger for iPod (White)

by Kensington

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 3 x 6 inches ; 6.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002XM01C
• Item model number: 33159
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

This Kensington FM transmitter/auto charger transmits your iPod tunes through your car stereo while simultaneously charging its battery, making it a versatile two-in-one bargain. The unit includes such features as red and green LED indicators that signal the transmitting and charging states, phase-lock-loop technology that easily connects with one of eight FM channel options, and ClearFM technology, which provides crisp highs, deep lows, and up to 50 dB of stereo separation. Adding to the topnotch sound quality is Kensington's patented Aerielle wireless technology, which ensures premium sound with far less background hiss than other FM transmitters. And even though the transmitter/charger is designed for the car, the transmitter portion also works inside the home, with a range of up to 15 feet. Compatible with any iPod with a dock connector--including the iPod nano 1G, iPod nano 2G, iPod mini, iPod 3G, iPod 4G (Click Wheel), iPod color, and iPod 5G/5.5G Video--the Kensington FM transmitter/charger is backed by a five-year warranty.

What's in the Box
FM transmitter/charger, user's manual.

Product Description

Kensington 33159 Auto Charger and FM Transmitter for iPod, iPod Mini, or iPod Nano

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Did not work; unacceptable hiss and static, October 6, 2005

By 

Island Reviewer (Alameda, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kensington FM Transmitter/Auto Charger for iPod (White) (Electronics)

Bottom line, unacceptable for me, although it might possibly work in your car. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I drive a Mercedes E class. I also tried this unit in a friend's Nissan Sentra with identical results to those reported here.

This unit is, in essence, a tiny FM radio station that uses the connecting wire for the unit as the FM transmission antenna. In theory, this mini station transmits from inside your car to your car's FM antenna where the signal is picked up and listened to on your car's radio like any other radio station. This unit allows you to transmit on the frequencies 88.1 MHz through 88.7 MHz inclusive and 107.1 MHz through 107.7 MHz inclusive. In my area at least half of these frequencies are "blank" which I define as tuning to the frequency and receiving only white noise and no trace of a signal from any station.

I hooked up the unit, which was easy, and leaving out a lot of experimentation, I got no meaningful reception in the 88.x MHz range. I tried the upper reaches of the band in the 107.x MHz range and got the unit to work as well as it would work at 107.5 MHz.

I distinguish between two problems: the quality of the FM transmission, and the sound quality once the signal is received by the car's radio. For my car, the FM transmission is simply unworkable. There is a constant, obtrusive, background noise which I would describe as white noise; this noise can be lessened by moving the unit around but not eliminated to the point that it is not obtrusive. The general effect was as if listening to a distant FM station where the signal is starting to fade out to the point that background noise is coming through and interfering with the sound. I tried a number of different placements of the unit all over the car. There were moments - but only moments - where the unit worked flawlessly. In a way those few moments only made the overall effect more frustrating since they seemed to indicate that this technology could work but it wasn't working for me.

The sound quality, apart from the background noise, was quite good, at least as good as an FM transmission. Fussy as I am about sound, I found the sound quality - as separate from the noisy transmission - to be perfectly fine and as good as any other in-car sound source. This is one of those really frustrating situations where we all want to buy this product if only it would work.

How do we reconcile the differing reviews of these products - some of which are downright laudatory and some, like mine, highly critical? I think the difference must relate to the individual auto's FM system. In different cars the antenna will be in different locations relative to the placement of the unit; further, the FM signal shielding provided by the car's metal frame will vary according to the car's construction and the relative location of the car's antenna. Also, specifications like noise rejection and signal strength sensitivity will vary depending on the type and quality of the radio provided in various makes of car. So, my suggestion would be: 1) reviewers state the make and year of your car to create an information resource; 2) find a way to try this thing out before you buy it: if it works in your car, and it probably won't, you will be happy.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very Staticky, October 26, 2005

By 

Ryan D. Mcginty "Mic" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kensington FM Transmitter/Auto Charger for iPod (White) (Electronics)

I live in the LA Area and there is not a single frequency on the device that is not in use. When in use, static is very common.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars works exactly the way you want it to, April 15, 2005

By 

J. Maurand (MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kensington FM Transmitter/Auto Charger for iPod (White) (Electronics)

Before buying this, I checked out various FM transmitters, as I only have a cd player/radio in my car. The iTrip and similar top-mounted transmitters all had very inconsistant reviews, and I didn't particularly like how they looked on the iPod. Then I noticed Monster's iCarPlay, which seemed like a good idea, as it charged and transmitted, and I assumed it could be a better transmitter because there was simply more power for it. Looking around at other, similar products, I found this Kensington product.

I decided to buy this over the iCarPlay because it blends so well with the iPod and because it was "Aerielle Enabled." I actually had no idea what that meant, but upon further investigation, it seems that it is a new, patented method of transmitting which is supposed to be quite good.

It is. I plugged one end into my cigarette lighter, and my radio, which was already set at 88.1, went from static to total silence. That was when I knew this was a great product, because the complaint with tramsitters is that they transmit a little bit of static themselves, but this was completely silent. I was a little worried because all of the 107 sations are taken in my area (North of Boston), but all you really need is one empty station (you can only set this transmitter for 88.1-7 or 107.1-7). I plugged in my iPod and turned on the music, and there it was on my radio. It didn't sound weak at all, but it was a noticable downgrade from CD. So I played around with the settings. I turned up the bass on my stereo and set the iPod's EQ to "Acoustic," which worked very well; the sound was crisp high and low, and a good balance. That may just be my stereo though, so try different combinations if you're not satisfied, but I truly cannot tell the difference between a cd and my iPod now. I'm sure there is some lost quality, but none I'm going to notice, as I am driving a car, and cars can be quite noisy. The EQ can drain the battery a little faster, but it's charging, so it works out great. A nice touch is that when you turn your car off, the iPod automatically pauses, so you don't have to worry about leaving it in your car overnight and coming back in the morning to discover you have no music for the commute.

I recommend this product to anyone. Well, anyone with an iPod and a car.