Griffin iTrip AutoPilot

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of autos will produce better results, but this unit, in an RX-400h is totally unsatisfactory. This unit gets tossed into my obsolete junk box. "0" stars for performance, 4 stars for concept and and built quality. Averages out to 1 since performance outweighs concept. $57 for naught.
Amazon shipping however, remains excellent as usual.

Griffin iTrip AutoPilot

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supposedly radio-free frequencies it finds are actually full-blown radio stations, and they're pretty strong ones. It has yet to find a frequency that is weak enough for the built-in FM transmitter to overpower. This despite the fact that there are a few genuinely free frequencies in this area.

SmartSound - Supposed to improve sound quality. Seems to turn the volume up a hair (kind of like the old "loudness" setting on some CD players of a decade or two ago). Yay! Louder static!

Radio Data System (RDS) - Supposed to broadcast the track and artist name along side the music to radios equipped with such capabilities. Doesn't work. Generally sends gibberish even when the audio signal can get through.

FM Transmitter - The weakest part of the whole package. If this part worked, the rest would be forgivable. It doesn't. It can't even overpower dead/empty frequencies consistently. This is the weakest iPod-style FM transmitter I have ever used. This is unacceptable, and I'm not even sure how this got out of the development lab. You'd figure it should be able to do what it was designed to do, but I guess not.

Bear in mind, I live in a city of less than 100k and there aren't that many powerful stations in this area. I was hoping to be able to retire my old iPod and use my iPhone exclusively. Unfortunately, this unit is not capable of performing as advertised. This is the third piece of Griffin Technology that has failed. I will never invest in their brand again.

Update 6/15/08:

I've tried this unit a few more times after seeing several "B" level reviews, and after discovering an "Easter Egg" hidden feature of the transmitter. Though I wouldn't say this makes me want to give it any more stars (I'm sticking with 1/5), it may make some difference to someone. More importantly, it may help those of us who were foolish enough to purchase this unit.

You can make this unit tune to 87.9 FM to broadcast. This is a "hidden" feature (a.k.a. Easter Egg) of the device. If you go into the settings menu under "Mode" you have the option to do Stereo/Mono on the right and to enable/disable "SmartSound" on the left. In the middle there is simply the logo for "Griffin" displayed on the screen. Normally it's at the bottom of the screen (bottom center). If you press and hold the center button under it for about 10 seconds, it will jump to the top-center position. This will open the transmitter up to transmit on frequencies less than 88.1 FM.

Why is this important? Legally, radio stations in the U.S. are restricted from broadcasting lower than 88.1 or so (there are exceptions), so it's almost always a fairly open frequency anywhere you go in the U.S. (not necessarily true in other countries). Most car radios can tune that low as well (for use in other countries).

I found that using that trick, the unit seems to be in a stronger broadcast mode. I'm not sure if it is a power boost or if it's just due to less interference from terrestrial radio. Either way, it's a huge improvement over the out-of-the-box settings but still barely average for an FM transmitter in my early testing so far. The AutoScan still doesn't work (in a semi-rural area with only a few moderately strong radio signals). The RDS doesn't work consistently. Still a huge disappointment vs. my Kensington.