Sometimes something just works, and it's a joy to own. I bought something like that recently: a Roadtrip FM transmitter for my iPod. I don't have a cassette deck in my car, so to play music and audiobooks on the road I've had to burn (and burn, and burn…) CDs.
aside:
It's actually called the “RoadTrip!” but I just can't bring myself to type those silly InTerCapiTal letters. I reluctantly drop the case of Apple's i prefix for the iPod, but I'm drawing the line there. And as for that presumptive exclamation point—I'll shout when I wish to, thanks.
end of aside
I'd thought about getting an FM transmitter for a while, but the reviews of most of them have been mixed, and they seemed pretty expensive for what you get. I'd also looked into a direct hookup to my radio's antenna, but that's even more costly and getting it done would have been a pain. I'm all about immediate gratification, and I shop accordingly.
I was finally goaded into a purchase by the Roadtrip. It was partly because I was impressed by this recording [5.8MB MP3] of a shootout between the Roadrip and a couple of other transmitters that showed the Roadtrip could easily overpower static on its frequency—an important consideration since here in Toronto every point on the dial is either a loud station or loud static.
But mostly it was because, at $19.95, the Roadtrip is cheap.
aside:
It comes with a money-back guarantee, but frankly that's useless. The guarantee doesn't cover shipping and duty, and those accounted for half the cost of getting it into my hands. It just wouldn't be worth the time or cost of sending it back, and I'm sure the Roadtrip guarantoligists know that.
end of aside
Unlike most transmitters, which give you a range of selectable frequencies, the Roadtrip is locked to a single frequency. It comes in either a 87.7MHz or 107.7MHz version. I picked 87.7.
It arrived today, and I was happy to note that it doesn't come with an instruction manual. The better the design the smaller the manual, and nothing says “this thing works well” like having no manual at all. Of course, nothing says “this cheap-ass piece of junk won't last long enough for you to read the instructions” like no manual either, but I was hoping for the former. The Roadtrip doesn't feel very solid, though: the wire is quite thin, and the 12v plug feels very insubstantial. I think I'd better be careful not to yank on it.
Using it couldn't be simpler. One end plugs into the 12v cigarette lighter, and the other end into your iPod (or other MP3 player, or stereo, or I suppose anything with a headphone jack). Then you tune to your selected frequency and voila. Or “VoiLa!” if you work in technology marketing.
I like the fact that it'll work with anything that has a headphone jack. Next time I pull into a rest stop on a road trip I'll be able to watch a movie on my PowerBook with surround sound. Fun will abound, which is a good thing for fun to do.
The first time I used the Roadtrip was one of those very cool moments of neat gadgetry. I tuned the radio to 87.7, and I could hear the loud static of an adjacent station. But then I plugged in the Roadtrip and the static instantly went dead. I was overpowering the station! Very cool.
It was too quiet until I cranked the volume on the iPod, but then it sounded fine. I'm sure I'll often get blasted by forgetting to turn it down before using headphones, and I wonder how much cranking it will affect how long it'll play before requiring recharging.
In all, I love this new toy. It's a real bargain at under twenty bucks, and there's something very cool about driving around with your own mini radio station. If I added a mic I'd feel like Christian Slater in Pump Up The Volume. But, you know, without the later drug problems and the punching a cop problems and the picking terrible movie roles problems.
So if you find yourself in Toronto driving behind a black Cavalier with a strikingly handsome shaven-headed fellow at the wheel, tune in to 87.7 to catch my show. “On the air and on the road, listen to All Nude Radio on CARY-FM.”
I'm still working on the slogan.
