ICMarshall
New Member
An alternative option is to purchase a band 2 radio adaptor for your iPod. These are available from Amazon and the like and work by transmitting (very low power) onto a spare channel on your FM radio.
These were illegal in the EU, but owing to public pressure and the realization that these things were being imported from the US and were not casuing interference to others, have been recently legalised.
These were illegal in the EU, but owing to public pressure and the realization that these things were being imported from the US and were not casuing interference to others, have been recently legalised.
burtonboy
New Member
Does your model have a tape deck ? - if so get a 3.5mm to tape deck adaptor (about £9 from argos) - this gives better sound quality than the FM transmitter & who uses tapes anymore ? you can hide the wire by pushing it between the fascia & the dash. I used an fm transmitter with my ipod in my old vectra & while it was ok it wasn't brilliant.
you can get an adaptor that plugs into the head unit, replacing the cd changer - but then you lose the changer!
you can get an adaptor that plugs into the head unit, replacing the cd changer - but then you lose the changer!
I have a 2001 TD5 with the Harmon Kardon uprated sound system, radio controls on the steering wheel.
I bought a Belkin cassette adapter, cost about 17 pounds, which plugs into the cassette slot, and, the good bit, this works the iPod controls, volume and track change.
Sound us excellent, and has worked well for over a year.
It also auto pauses the ipod if you change to radio or CD mode. Only problem is it does not charge the ipod, Go into a PC World or John Lewis, they should stock them. The Belkin stuff is really good, and designed especially for an iPod.
I tried a cheap one,and it was not good, The Belkin works very well, the sound is comparable to a cd, better than FM radio, and much better than cassette, I reckon the cheap cassette adaptors are a false economy. G
burtonboy
New Member
my £9 one from argos is a goodmans and i think the sound quality is as good as a cd & better than fm transmitter , especially if you're travelling long distances when you often get interference on an fm transmitter
But the belkin one at £17 sounds great if you can control the ipod with it, which the goodmans doesn't.
Right then, I looked at it just to be able to pass on the part number and surprise surprise, it's made by Griffin, not Belkin, and it's called a SmartDeck.
Apologies all round, but Belkin and Griffin stuff is sold in all the Apple stores and in the Apple site, so I presume it's of reasonable quality.
The sound is not quite as deep and detailed as a CD, no MP3, iPod or fm broadcast is as good, but if you're driving a TD5 with all the noise that generates, I reckon the Griffin is as good as it gets for 17 quid. And it works the controls on the steering wheel.
Sorry again for the mis-information.
G
burtonboy
New Member
great info - I've found on online for £14.95 - just ordered one to replace my goodmans .
here's the link - Griffin SmartDeck Dock Connector - Intelligent iPod Cassette Adapter
Delighted you found a cheaper one. I bought it from a Mac dealership and only discovered it did the clever stuff by accident.
I'd be interested to know what you think of the sound- you might want to try playing with the equaliser on the iPod to find the optimum sound. I reckon the best settings are piano or acoustic.
Best,
G
A thread from the dead indeed- almost five years ago....!
I never did find an adaptor, and my dreadful Discovery went on its way three years ago- it was the worst car I ever owned, a box full of trouble; one great feature among many of its idiosyncracies was then when it rained, all the dashboard warning lights would start flashing; it would lock itself into second gear - it had an auto box; and the oil pump fell off.....and the next bloke who bought it had the gearbox fail after owning it for a year. A very bad car indeed.
I've never seen a reliable adapter for a cd player, only for a cassette - good luck if you're still looking.
Best, G
I never did find an adaptor, and my dreadful Discovery went on its way three years ago- it was the worst car I ever owned, a box full of trouble; one great feature among many of its idiosyncracies was then when it rained, all the dashboard warning lights would start flashing; it would lock itself into second gear - it had an auto box; and the oil pump fell off.....and the next bloke who bought it had the gearbox fail after owning it for a year. A very bad car indeed.
I've never seen a reliable adapter for a cd player, only for a cassette - good luck if you're still looking.
Best, G
discodrivercumbria
Well-Known Member
yeh! i would like somebody to tell about one they have changed for a Landrover one as mine is ****e, i want 1 thats easey to fit and will work on the steering wheel controls and take an ipod to shut the fookin kids up
biggeeeee
Retired - Living the dream
As I do a lot of travelling in remote areas where the radio reception is very poor, I decided to have an aux socket fitted to my Factory fitted stereo to allow me to use the music stored on my phone.
I paid a well known company to do this, I was given the option to have the socket fitted to the face of the stereo or an AUX port with a length of cable to allow me to fit the socket where I wanted.
I mounted the socket on the centre console beside the cigarette lighter.
When the phone is plugged I can use it hands free and its mutes the music and the phone uses the vehicles' speakers.
Only down side is that the feed comes from the radio and if the phone is plugged in, no radio, its not a problem for me as reception is sometimes poor.
But best of all same stereo and steering wheel controls.
I'll try and find a photo of the AUX socket in situ.
I paid a well known company to do this, I was given the option to have the socket fitted to the face of the stereo or an AUX port with a length of cable to allow me to fit the socket where I wanted.
I mounted the socket on the centre console beside the cigarette lighter.
When the phone is plugged I can use it hands free and its mutes the music and the phone uses the vehicles' speakers.
Only down side is that the feed comes from the radio and if the phone is plugged in, no radio, its not a problem for me as reception is sometimes poor.
But best of all same stereo and steering wheel controls.
I'll try and find a photo of the AUX socket in situ.
