Topic: iJeeping

[Jeffy]

I'm sure curious how many other Jeeps out there use their iPod or similar devices for their music.  I moved from cassette to CD's back in '94.  The cassette player was ok but then it got old and just turning the volume up caused stadic.  I bougth my Alpine CD Receiver on the recommendation of a locak stereo shop who at the time, would only use Alpine's for their Boat customers.  If it's good enough for a boat then it should be fine in the Jeep.  It had been a really good stereo.  I've had water and dust poured into it and it still keeps on working.  It started to get finiky on which CD's it would read but that was fixed with a little cleaning.  The down side to CD's is you only have 12-15 songs on each one and the CD's and the player can easily get damaged.

So, recently, I ended up buying an Apple iPod.  This thing is awesome even if you're not a Apple person.  Mine holds 20 gig's, which I've found to be plenty.  I only have about 13 gig's on music on it which is about 5 day's of music playing 24 hours a day.  So instead of being stuck with the CD's I bring with me, I now have them all at my finger tips.

Now there are several ways to get the iPod to play in a vehicle.  One is to buy an CD receiver from Pioneer or Alpine for around $170 and then another $100 for the controller box that allows you to control your iPod from the deck.  This is a pretty good deal for those who are going to replace their receiver anyway.

The other option is for those who have an amp and speakers setup already.  With a mini-to-component you can plug the iPod into the amp and play it directly.  This would bypass any head unit.  Probably a good option for those who don't want a radio in their Jeep anyway.

The third option is to use an RF Transmitter to play into the FM Radio of the deck.  This is a good option for those who want to do it cheap or move from vehicle to vehicle and want to be able to take their music with them where ever they go.  There are a few different products that allow this.  iTrip my Griffen.  This attaches to the top of the iPod and runs off the internal battery.  Another product is made by Monster, of Monster Wire fame.  This plugs into the data port at the bottom of the iPod.  It then plugs into the cig. or Acc. port on the dash.  It is able to charge the iPod while it does it's thing.

Now Monster sells a few different AirPlay's.  One has 6 preset frequencies.  The one I recommend has 3 storable slots and it's able to use most of the FM Band.  This is great if you live in an area that has a lot of FM radio stations.  The preset units sometimes leave you with stadic.

In any case, I think this is the way of the future.  Digital music storage seems to be a lot more flexable then CD, Cassette's or even 8 Tracks.  Being able to play music in a vehicle and not have to worry about skipping in almost any situation is a great option.

Anyone else gone digital? (wow, this could have been added to the How-To or reviwe section)

[StefanBidi]

A few of my friends have iPods with the RF transmitter.  I'm too poor and low tech for that stuff!  Still use the old CD player, but only for the road.  My suspension is really stiff, and causes a cronic skip with CDs when off-roading.

[trailblazer95]

I've got an Ipod shuffle and Sirius satellite radio in the WJ.  For the Sirius, the unit came equipped with an FM transmitter built in.  This worked OK, but faded very often.  So, I found out that Audiovox (who made the unit) made an "FM booster", which attaches to the base, and plugs into an "FM out" jack.  It then runs to a box which connects to the radio antenna.  What it does is send the signal to the box, which in-turn overrides almost all FM signals except the one set for the transmitter, and gives you the same quality sound as plugging it in directly.  I like the technology, I wish they made more systems like this.  

For my Ipod Shuffle, I haven't used it in the YJ yet, but I've used it a lot on my boat.  I bought the cheapest receiver I could find (due to vandalism last year), which happened to be this $29 unit from wal-mart.  After I got it home I realized it had a 1/8" Mini jack right on the front.  It works great, and for $29, it's the cheapest unit I've ever seen with an aux in jack.  

My girlfriend uses her 20GB ipod in her TJ with the Monster FM transmitter/charger.  It's OK, but the frequency selection is pretty limited, and the signal isn't very strong.  In the interim, she's been using the cassette adapter.  She's looking to upgrade to the cradle FM transmitter, due to it's larger selection of transmitting frequencies.

[david97tj]

I have a PalmOne Treo 650 Cell phone PDA.  I currently have a 512MB SD card in it.  I threw about 30 songs on it and that works for me.  I use PocketTunes which is an awesome program!  I listen to mp3s while I am at the gym, on the road, whereever.  PocketTunes will also do steaming internet feeds.  With my SprintPCS Vision account, I have unlimited internet access from my Treo650.  I often listen to streams from Live365 on my way to work.  I think there are some ways to connect it to my stereo, but my stereo is crap.  So a headset works great!  It is bluetooth enabled, so I am hoping they come out with some bluetooth enabled stereo and then I won't have to worry about all these adapters.

Technology is awesome!

[Jeffy]

For my Ipod Shuffle, I haven't used it in the YJ yet, but I've used it a lot on my boat.  I bought the cheapest receiver I could find (due to vandalism last year), which happened to be this $29 unit from wal-mart.  After I got it home I realized it had a 1/8" Mini jack right on the front.  It works great, and for $29, it's the cheapest unit I've ever seen with an aux in jack.  

My girlfriend uses her 20GB ipod in her TJ with the Monster FM transmitter/charger.  It's OK, but the frequency selection is pretty limited, and the signal isn't very strong.  In the interim, she's been using the cassette adapter.  She's looking to upgrade to the cradle FM transmitter, due to it's larger selection of transmitting frequencies.

For some reason only the really cheap receivers have those mini jack inputs.  I'm not really sure why the higher ones don't do something similar.  They added them for a cheap way to add CD to the receiver without actually having to add anything.  Having derect inputs will beat out any FM Modulator in quality.

I take it she has the 6 channel Monster AirPlay.  From everyone I've heard who uses them, they say the presets stink if you live in the city which is why I op'ed for the programmable one they sell.  Not to mention I got mine for well under $99 which is the retail price.  The only downside is that when on long trips I may have to switch stations.  It does take a few trips to find the perfect station.

Oh and there is one other option for those who have a CD changer already.  Monster sells a box that connects to the controller for your CD Changer that will hook up to you iPod.  Only problem is that you need a Changer with the RE Modulator already in there.

Oh and I believe in most states, if not all, using stereo headphones while driving is illegal.

[trailblazer95]

Why the high to mid-end systems don't utilize the mini jack boggles me also.  It's such a great feature.  

Yes, her setup is the Monster AirPlay, and i'll add that it sucks in the city.  My dad has the DLO TransPod, it's pretty nice, pricey, but nice.  So far, no signal drops.

With the Audiovox FM modulator on the Sirius, the sound is just as clear as it was using the cassette adapter, which was pretty damn clear.  I'm really amazed at the quality.  I used to be an audio engineer, so I can clearly tell the differences.  There's more harmonic distortion with the cassette adapter than with the FM mod, which was incredible.  It's a great system, and I believe this technology will be showing up quite a bit more in the future.

[Jeffy]

The reason they don't want to put the mini AUX jack in is because they want you to buy their higher models. Sanyo makes one I know.  JVC used to also.  It was common when CD players were first coming out and there were a lot of people with Discman's. (Remember those?)  Now with in-dash CD's, it wasn't really needed until, the iPod came out.

I forgot to mention that Kenwood has the Audio Keg which you download music into and store it like a CD changer.

With FM Modulation, you loose some highs and lows though.  So you won't get CD quality sound.

I really like my Monster AirPlay Plus.   I'm not sure of those with docking station would fit in some cars and trucks unless you don't need to look at the screen.

On my old commute, I'd have to change the station once and I was driving through two big cities, which is pretty good.  With some tinkering, I was able to find the perfect station though.  It helps if you have a passenger to tinker with it while you're driving.

I haven't tried this but I should.  I'm wondering if the signal from the modulator is strong enough to work without the antenna in the receiver.  That would get rid of all the strong station.

[Jeffy]

I should mention this is probably a good time to buy an iPod.  All of the 20, 40 and 60 gig's are price reduced.  Why?  Becase Apple jsut announced that they are going to make all od the iPods color.  Color as in having color screens.  Well, some of you might ask, well the iPod Photo is already color.  Yes, it us but they are not going to make a destinction between the iPod and iPod Photo anymore.  So, if you won't need a color screen and you want to get an iPod, this is a good time to get one.  I believe the 20gig is priced around $260.