The iPod & iTunes Pocket Guide, Second Edition

The iPod & iTunes Pocket Guide162

one end (the end you plug into the iPod) and two

stereo female miniplug connectors on the other. Plug

a pair of headphones into each female connector, and

you’re set. SmartShare, a $15 headphone splitter from

Griffi n Technology (www.griffi ntechnology.com),

sports separate volume controls for each output.

iPod to car stereo

This one’s a bit trickier. Increasingly, car stereos

include an iPod Dock connector or miniplug jacks

for plugging devices such as your iPod into the car’s

sound system. If you have such a connector or jack,

you’re in luck. Just use the appropriate cable, and

you’re ready to rock. If you don’t have a connector,

a technician at a Ye Olde Auto Stereo Shoppe may

be able to provide one by tapping into a hidden

connector on the back of the car stereo. (That same

technician may be able to recommend an in-car

iPod system that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.)

If taking your car to such a tech sounds like a bother

(or just too expensive), you have two other options: a

cassette-player adapter or an FM transmitter.

Cassette-player adapter

If your car has a cassette player, you can use a

cassette adapter. This thing looks exactly like an

audiocassette, save for the thin cable that trails from

the back edge. To use one of these adapters, shove it

into your car’s cassette player, plug its cable into your

iPod, and press the Play buttons on both the iPod and

the cassette player. Music should issue from your

car’s speakers.

Chapter 6: Accessories 163

These adapters cost less than $20. Note, however,

that an adapter that works in one cassette player

may not work in another. Be sure you can return it for

a refund in case your player exhibits an aversion to

these doodads.

FM transmitter

These devices work like radio stations, broadcast-

ing whatever is plugged into them to a nearby

FM radio. FM transmitters work in a very limited

range. Move them more than a dozen feet from

the radio’s antenna, and you’ll pick up interference.

For this reason, most are not ideal for use with a

home stereo.

Their effectiveness in an automobile depends on

how heavily populated the airwaves around you are

and how sensitive your car’s antenna is. A strong

radio signal will overpower these devices, rendering

them ineffective. If you live in an urban area with a

plethora of active radio stations (or plan to travel in

one routinely), you may want to explore a hard-wired

connection or a cassette adapter.

When seeking an FM transmitter, fi nd one that can

transmit outside the normal FM range—to 97.9, for

example. U.S. radio stations are forbidden to broad-

cast at this frequency, but many car radios can tune

it in. If yours does, and your transmitter broadcasts to

this frequency, you’ve got a better chance of getting

a clean signal.

Also look for a transmitter that can broadcast in

mono, such as the $50 and $70 iTrip transmitters