Sitting in our car for review over the last 7 days has been the latest incarnation of the Griffin iTrip the Auto, it retains those essential features of size, quality and cost but can it compete with systems like those installed in brand new cars?

The Griffin iTrip Auto is the latest in a long line of FM transmitters made by the company and one of just many FM transmitters we have tested. It works by taking the output from an iPod either 3rd, 4th or now 5th generation model and transmitting the audio over FM to your car radio, which is then tuned to pick it up like any other radio station.

At this point we normally have to point out that technically its use in the UK contravenes the radio telegraphy act that bans us from transmitting on the FM band without a license. However there is a move led by the liberal democrats in recent weeks to overturn this crazy decision for very low power units like the iTrip. After all you are hardly likely to run a pirate radio station with a useable distance of around 10 meters, it would be easier to use a speaker! So the 12.5 x 72 x 85mm iTrip Auto may not be legal but the chance of being caught and also prosecuted are not worth being concerned over, what is worth some worry is whether the iTrip is actually any good?

Unlike pervious iTrip's which relied on battery power this one has a 12 volt lead to plug up to the cars cigarette lighter, this not only powers the FM TX unit but also charges your iPod, we feel this is a worthy trade for an unsightly cable. The power cord connects to the main iTrip Auto unit which is available in either ice white or new iPod black, it sports an LCD screen so you can see the frequency the transmission is set to and a pair of tuning buttons. After tuning the iTrip to transmit on a free bit of FM spectrum we tested to see if it remembers the frequency after being powered down and it does, which is just as well because there are no presets you can store on.

However having selected a nice clean frequency we were quickly able to hear our 3rd generation Apple iPod through the car stereo and the signal seemed both strong and clear, at least the same volume and quality as Radio One. Further listening tests did show we were losing an amount of bass with some tracks sounding a bit washed out but this was to be expected from an FM system, there was a remarkable lack of interference from the cars electronics or other signals.

Over the course of the week we left the iTrip Auto tuned to the same frequency as we worked our way around London each day, in a few areas we did get some momentary cut through from local FM stations which must have become strong enough to over ride our iTrip. On a few occasions there was some static or hiss which became quite annoying and forced us to change frequency and this was where the lack of presets hurt. With some other FM transmitter units you can store maybe 4 preset frequencies to transmit on, plus then store the same 4 on your radios presets. This makes it very quick to change frequency, just two presses in fact. With this Griffin iTrip you need to re tune using the LCD (while driving) and then re tune your radio too! all in all a quite dangerous operation at speed.

We also noted that it would have been nice if the iTrip had come with some form of cradle to hold the iPod, as it is the cables and iPod tend to rattle around in what ever cubby hole you have to stash it in.

Priced at £40 it is certainly good value for money and on the whole works well, be careful that you don't expect a stunning sound or 100% reliability, however for the price it's the quickest way of connecting your iPod to your car.

Published - 28/05/2006

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