Jupiter Jack or other in-car transmitters?

[gridbug]

Saw that hilarious infomercial for the Jupiter Jack (hands free talkies while you drive! oh hai!) and got to wondering if I could use it to listen to Pandora or mp3's on my Eris in the car. Seems pretty hit and miss (one reviewer said it didn't work for his Droid, not sure if he meant the Moto or the HTC Eris) and was curious to know if anyone in this rogue's gallery has tried this out, or any other wireless transmitter for music playback? Not concerned with the "handsfree phone in car" part since I use a bluetooth when I drive.

Thanx!

 

[Bswartz95]

I don't know about compatibility, but in my experience, FM transmitters aren't very good, especially if you live in an area with a lot of stations. You'll get a lot of background noise and local stations will walk over your device.

What you'd want to install is an FM modulator. However, when I went to Best Buy they had a great deal on some stereo/cd players w/installation, so it was cheaper for me to get one of those with an AUX input, rather than go the modulator route.

 

[Stretch2m]

I've never tried the modulator but the transmitter was a piece of junk. Like Bswawrtz95 said - interference is a big problem. You'd have to sit there scanning for open stations the whole time, so it would really only be practical if you weren't moving around. But that defeats the purpose of having it in your car.

 

[graphitedv]

I got a JJ as a gag Christmas gift and it does work fairly well. There are only two stations to choose from and reception is okay for calls, but Pandora is like listening to an old transistor radio. I live in Chicago and there are strong stations near the frequencies, but the key is to have the phone up high and in line with the cars antenna.

 

[varkie]

An fm transmitter is how my satellite radio (sirius) works and I live in a large metro area with a lot of stations. Trick is to get one that allows you to select a station throughout the entire fm band. The Jupiter Jack I believe only has 4 (or less) preset stations to choose from. My sirius receiver is set at something like 89.7 MHz. I also have a Belkin fm transmitter that I have used with an MP3 player but it only has 4 presets and doesn't work very well. Its presets are for exisiting stations in my area. If your car still has a built in cassette player (as mine does) you will get better sound out one of the cassette adapters. Or pop the money and put a direct line out into your stereo, most auto stero shops can do this with an after market adapter.

 

[gridbug]

Great replies! I actually tried a cassette adapter for my stock stereo but because it automatically flips the tape, the adapter wouldn't stay in the deck. A common thing from what I've learned. I do have a new stereo with an aux in that I've been meaning to install but (not to get too techie here and hijack my own thread) there's a compatibility issue with the wiring harness that's causing me grief (don't want to hack into the stock wiring in the car) so I'm exploring other options.

 

[varkie]

There is also a bluetooth receiver that is built into an audio cassette but I believe it requires a power source so it would have to be plugged into the cigarette lighter port. For me thats where my phone craddle sits.