Belkin TuneBase - FM Transmitter for iPod

I bought this FM transmitter for my 80GB ipod for use in my car. I have found it very easy to use and program in. The transmitter fits into the cigarette lighter socket and is adjustable with the strong flexible connection, it looks smart and charges the ipod. I have a 35 mile journey each way to work and have used it every day and found it to be brilliant, it keeps my ipod fully charged every day.

My only minor gripe is that the connection to the cigarette socket is slightly difficult to remove once fitted, because there is a rubber connection around the plug to create a firm connection. Because of this I do not remove the unit unless I have to as, if I did I think that the rubber would eventually come away, but obviously leaving the unit in the car can advertise to the low life that could break into your car.

I'm not normally one to write product reviews but after buying this item and using it I felt obliged to!

I cannot praise this unit highly enough. I did a bit of homework researching the different options available to allow me to play my iPod in my car and this was one that greatly appealed to me.

However there was a distinct lack of UK reviews available on the internet - another reason for me writing this.

I was concerned with the review that iLounge (www.ilounge.com) gave this product; it hardly filled me with confidence of its technical ability but I decided to give it a go anyway, with the peace of mind provided by Amazon's 14 day returns policy.

Since it arriving I have been nothing but impressed with it! It tuned into an FM station easily using the iPod's colour display as its own and the first frequency I tried (99.8FM) provided crystal clear sound.

At present I have not had to change frequency once, so cannot comment on the usefulness of the Memory Functions, having only filled 1 of the four available slot, but this I feel only serves as further evidence of the TuneBase's broadcasting strength.

I am not going to go through and analyse each feature in depth, this would just be repeating the Product Details page - the main reason I have posted this review is to inform other UK iPod users that this product will do the job you want it to do and do it well!

I cannot understand how iLounge got such poor results with this, perhaps this is due to it being tested in America, I personally don't know.

All I can say is buy the thing and give it a try and I can bet you won't be disappointed - I know I wasn't.

And please, if you do, then leave a review to let other prospective buyers know your experience - good or bad.

Enjoy your TuneBase!

I went ahead and bought this as the reviews on balance, are very favourable. For less than a tenner, it was worth the risk.

The form factor was ideal for my vehicle as it has a couple of cigarette lighter sockets that are fully exposed and angled at 45 degrees (C4GP Exclusive). THis meant that positionally, it was a winner. However, for me it was less than great in two areas.

Despite trying a number of different frequencies, I found the background hiss to be very distracting between tracks and where the music was quiet or laid back. Sonically, I can only report the results as 'unmusical'. This sort of listening assessment is very subjective and depends on the sort of music you listen too, how you normally listen to music and whether you are used to hi-fidelity results from your other audio equipment. Hi-fi buffs beware...

Secondly, the controls on the TuneBase were extremely frustrating. When I adjusted the output frequency the display on the ipod didn't change with the adjustment until many seconds later (and usually, only when I went back into adjustment mode to see where I'd got to) which meant you had to guess what was happening - six key presses means it is now at this frequency, adjust the radio to see if it is there etc. This control latency existed across every adjustment parameter. Perhaps it is a faulty unit and I should just return it? I would need to know if they all behave like this first...

So it was a bit of a let down but worth trying out for the low cost.

These FM transmitter units shouldn't really need to exist if car manufacturers got their act together. My car was new in January this year and is a very high trim level but doesn't have an auxiliary input laid on to the Radio head unit (I appreciate some cars do, and some much cheaper than mine). Talk about spoiling the pudding for a penny's worth of sugar...

Disappointing unit, but very cheap.