New England Off Topic and Banter as Most Brilliantly Proposed by Cape Cod MINI

[jwardell]

That's why I said buy the AUX part for $40 and wire it yourself in 5 minutes.
It will be higher quality and easier to use than an FM transmitter, especially if you travel into different areas where the station may suddenly be used.
But if you want there are several FM transmitters and power adaptors and such for your ipod, Griffen makes the best, here's their newest one.
Or yes you can spend tons of money to get the official BMW ipod controlling adaptor installed, but I bet that's not what you want.

[holdenontoit]

many thanks josh, this looks like just what the doctor ordered. Jock

[Pamlico]

Just to repeat what's already been said re: the FM transmitter. They work pretty well once you find an empty spot on the FM dial. Once you start traveling about (and you don't have to travel very far) that previously empty spot will be filled with some station which will totally swamp out the iPod and you'll have to find another empty spot. As you continue to move about, that process is constantly repeated which soon becomes an annoyance. In my '02 I didn't have a choice, but one of the first additions to my '05 was the Aux input adapter. No more searching for stations. I use the adapter for both the iPod and the Sirius radio. Works great and is easy to install.

[holdenontoit]

so what you're saying is that my 02 is a problem? (I don't have harmon cardon either-wasn't available when I got my car)

[Pamlico]

Tha Aux adapter can't be used on the radios in the '02 models. It can be plugged into the rear of the unit, but it doesn't work unfortunately. I had to use an FM transmitter when I had an '02. It works fine, but can be a pain when there aren't many empty spots on the dial.

[GBMINI]

There are a few AUX options for the early radios, such as this from MikeyTheMINI:
https://www.newministuff.com/new/sho...uctshow&id=245

Otherwise, you can try to find an '03 or later HU on eBay or where-ever ...

[MaxaMiniBro]

Quote: Originally Posted by holdenontoit

Hey Bert, could you find out the particulars of this for me.from the little I've researched , the dealer gets HUGE money to hardwire this thing , the only advantage being that some of the multi function steering wheel buttons do work with the ipod.Thanks, Jock

Sounds like they've got you covered Jock. I think my daughter just has the iTrip, and only travels the local area. In my car, the FM reception isn't the limiting item - it's the lousy speakers that came with the car. Haven't had the spare cash to upgrade, there's always something/someone else in line...
When I had my old Nissan Maxima the Bose stereo that came as part of my upgrade pack was really quite nice, but I'm sure some of the aftermarket setups in some of your Minis are probably like being inside a speaker!

[m2smith]

If you MUST FM then find a transmitter with 87.9 - This is your best shot at not getting walked on (except near Albany) - DLO has a unit that is a gooseneck that plugs into the lighter socket and has a dock with a digital display of the channel it is broadcasting on. Works well but leaves something to be desired in terms of volume.

[MGB Boy]

Quote: Originally Posted by NoNo

Ooooh.....Bruins/Lightning. Somebody loves you

Sure, nothin' wrong with a B's/Bolts game! Normally I'd agree and not be too excited about Tampa. Even though they won the Cup, it's still Tampa, and it's hard to get excited about Tampa, it's not like an Original Six game like Toronto or Detroit or Montreal. But Tampa has my boy Martin St Louis (reigning MVP and University of Vermont class of '97), so that makes me happy. Lightning tickets are actually a bit of a big deal around here, they send buses up to Montreal when Tampa plays there so people can go watch Martin play. No lie. When he won the Stanley Cup, he brought it back here to Burlington and people lined up out the door...

Quote: Originally Posted by NoNo

Whereas some guys go to stores and use a passing woman to estimate the size of something to buy for their significant other, Ricardo uses me to estimate the size of hockey bag to get. I'm not sure how to take that.

It's quite a compliment coming from a goalie. You should be flattered!

-Ricardo

[GadgetGav]

I got my S in Dec 02, but I guess it's an 03 model because the input into the back of the head unit works for me. I also rigged up an Apple remote with a circuit from Ian and have full MFSW control..! Sweet..! As far as other options go, we have a first gen iTrip and I'm very unimpressed by it. The interface to change channels is tricky to use (clever, but horrible to use) and it seems really weak and is constantly getting swamped. The new gen one with the LCD display at least gets around the retuning issue, but I still think the iTrip is a weak transmitter. I've heard better things about the ones that plug into the car lighter as they either pull more power from the car, or they can use the car wiring as an antenna. I just got Jane a new 5th gen iPod and a Smart Cassette adapter - her car is old enough to have a cassette. I haven't tried it yet, but I doubt the quality is any worse than the iTrip and it has the advantage that the cassette controls are linked back to the iPod.
Me, I got a couple of MINI key chains, a small remote control MINI, a nail gun & compressor set, a router and snow shoes (hence all the snow has melted around here). The family invasion is going well - they've all gone to Sunday River for a few days so we've got a break before they're back for New Year!

[jwardell]

Gav, did you never see the 30-second mod for the original itrip (internal) antenna? Supposedly simply folding it differently quadrupled its range.

And while we're at this discussion of radio frequencies, Griffin also provies a great little (and free) program to find the best unused frequencies for every area: Station Finder
I've used it many times when setting up peoples' satellite radios.

[NoNo]

You are correct, Gav. I picked up Vinny in December 02 (come to think of it, today's his birthday!) and he's an 03. Therefore, the aux input works for me as well.

[Pamlico]

Quote: Originally Posted by GadgetGav

...As far as other options go, we have a first gen iTrip and I'm very unimpressed by it. The interface to change channels is tricky to use (clever, but horrible to use) and it seems really weak and is constantly getting swamped. The new gen one with the LCD display at least gets around the retuning issue, but I still think the iTrip is a weak transmitter. ....!

I had a first gen iTrip as well and had the same experience. As long as I was able to stay in a (very) local area it worked pretty well, but if I wanted to, say, drive to work, I had to switch stations on the iTrip at least once, and sometimes more than that depending upon who knows what. Yes, it was a clever way to change stations on that thing, but not easily done. Eventually I got another transmitter that had a digital display of whatever station it was transmitting on and that was quite a bit better. After installing the aux input on the MINI I gave the newer transmitter to our daughter who is in college in a rural area where she can pretty much set it and forget it until she drives home.

[chs4]

Quote:

I picked up Vinny in December 02 (come to think of it, today's his birthday!) and he's an 03.

Happy Birthday Vinny!

Looks like he and Emma share the same b-day...though Vinny is, how shall we say...a bit more seasoned!

Received an email today with well wishes for my MINIs 1st birthday:

[NoNo]

Hmm......I didn't get a card, nor did I visit Graceland. This can't be good.