iRiver AFT-100 FM Transmitter

Pros: Simple to use, small and effective unit
Cons: At times, the unit can become dislodged in the car lighter

Here's a little story. About a man named Andyman. This man named Andyman has tried several FM Transmitters in order to listen to his iPod in his car. Tried and tried he did, but nothing worked well enough to be ...

Pros: sound is good, easy to operate.
Cons: if you travel around a lot, you have to change stations a lot.

I bought the iRiver AFT-100 for my husband for Christmas, so he could listen to his ipod (which I also got him for Christmas) in his 2001 Jeep Cherokee Limited. I think I paid $48 on Amazon.com for it. A little info from the manual & myself: The ...

Pros: Radio presets, car-lighter power and mount for stable positioning.
Cons: Weak, weak signal. I heard mostly static. Ultimately useless to me.

I really like this product's design and features, but I'm getting rid of it as soon as I can. The signal was just way too weak for my car and all I ever heard was the distant, staticky whisper of my music. It's a shame. I had high hopes for this unit ...

Pros: Powerful, high quality audio in a very strong transmitter.
Cons: Only operates from a 12 volt cigarette lighter/accessory outlet. Eventually becomes defective.

In a search for a solid FM transmitter for my work vehicle I began seeking out what was available on the market. I tried the Belkin TuneCast II because it seemed to be the most readily available in retail stores. This is the highest-end device Belkin ...

Pros: Stable Frequency; Ease of Frequency Adjustment; Plug-in Capabilities
Cons: Higher-frequency noise seemingly from the electronic ignition.

WHY A TRANSMITTER? We find that a portable DVD player helps to make long trips in the more enjoyable and relaxed for everyone. Due to the small speakers in the DVD player, and to fact that we do not want to put headphones on our 5 yr old, an ...

Pros: Powerful. over-powers weak signals in NYC area. 3 channel presets Crisp LCD Very compact
Cons: Flimsy wire. Wire a bit too long to be practical.

FM transmitters allow you to playback your mp3s from an mp3 player by broadcasting the output to a frequency that you choose and have your FM radio tuned to. Be mindful that, especially in a metro area, there could be many other broadcast signals ...

Pros: Merely adequate, nicer look and controls than competitors
Cons: Didn't always work, didn't sound great, and broke easily

We bought one of these on the recommendation of a store clerk at a big-box electronics store, after we had poor luck with two other lower-priced transmitters. It was OK, and the interface was a bit better, and easier to use, than some other cheaper ...

Pros: Clear, strong signal that gets rid of 90% of the static associated with FM transmitters.
Cons: Unit shuts off automatically when the volume in a song gets too low.

I have tried the iTrip (with my old iPod), the iRock and a couple Belkin FM transmitters for my iRiver MP3 player mainly because they were all cheaper than the iRiver AFT-100. They say you get what you pay for and they are right. The AFT-100 delivers ...

Pros: Transmitted music well from various sources, easy to tune stations.
Cons: Broke after 8 weeks. 90-day limited warranty is useless. iRiver customer service is horrible.

Transmitter worked well for 8 weeks, then would not power on. Took 7 phone calls and over 200 minutes to finally get through iRiver's automated calling line. Customer Service rep "Lisa Marie" was completely apathetic to the situation and sounded either intoxicated or half asleep during the entire conversation. After explaining my situation to her multiple times and repeating simple statements like "The model is AFT-100. It is an FM transmitter, not an MP3 player," she was very unhelpful and insisted that I fax my proof of purchase (original purchase receipt) to iRiver. I do not have a fax machine, so I was told that I couldn't receive service on the 8-week-old transmitter regardless of the warranty.

I would personally not recommend this product simply based on the total lack of customer service from iRiver. Spend your money on a reputable brand from a reliable company.

Pros: Everything you can think of in a unit - this is it.
Cons: None - works great as advertised

This thing is SO easy even - well, even I could do it! I opened the box, tossed the instructions away, plugged it in and hooked up my MP3 player. I turned on the car and saw the preset FM station on the transmitter. I tuned my radio to it and I had music. I pushed the other two buttons and figured out they were 'presets'. I found two other stations on my FM radio that weren't being used and 'programmed' them in with my preset buttons and then dialed in the iRiver unit to match them. It plays and sounds great - what else is there to say? I drove 200 miles and had to use one of the other presets. I hit the iRiver button to go to the 'second choice' and fortunately it wasn't in use around that area, then I hit the associated preset on my FM radio and I was back in the TUNES all while never going less than 70 mph.

Pros: works on any frequency, presets are handy
Cons: Doesn't work very well in my car. Broke after 6 months.

There were good days and bad days for this unit. Some days it was very staticy, some days it would auto-shut-off in the middle of the music, it is not a good choice if you listen to any classical music. And now the thing is broken, after less than 6 months. Shuts off after 30 seconds of playing, no matter what kind of signal is going through it. I'm looking for a different product to replace it. Ugh.

Pros: good sound
Cons: will it work in a big city?

ok, i've used for a total of five minutes, but it's way way way better than the five minutes with a griffin itrip. this unit works great: plug it in, and whatever static-ey sound on the frequency drops out, almost silent. then push play on the ipod and voila, instant music. sounds almost as good as my trusty cassette adapter.

one caveat: i live in a relatively small (at least for southern california) town, so i haven't put it to test going to los angeles. we'll see.

Pros: decent sound quality, better (initial) price point than competitors
Cons: disappointingly short lifespan

worked well for three months - not spectacular, the sound quality was decent, but not overwhelming. However, the auto-shutoff is now malfunctioning and turning it off after about 45 seconds, no matter what is playing. At $13 per month of use, I can't say it was worth the money.

Pros: Simple, intuitive design; strong performance even on frequencies with a radio station
Cons: Only works in a DC adapter (no battery option)

I was looking for an FM transmitter to play my Creative Zen Nomad MP3 player through my car stereo. I started out with the Belkin TuneCast II, as other reviewers have, and had serious problems (See my review here. I returned that FM transmitter and purchased this one for the same price. It is simple to use and a pleasure to listen to as it has provided a clear and consistent signal on multiple frequencies in both my 1998 Toyota Camry and 2004 Pontiac Vibe. It even works on frequencies with a relatively strong radion station already broadcasting. The 3 memory buttons are helpful. The only downsides are the relatively slow scrolling through frequencies (it would help if it would accelerate when you hold it down longer) and the fact that it only works when plugged into a DC adapter, so it's not portable to use with any stereo. For me, however, I only need it in the car, and use a wired connection if I want to attach it to my home stereo, so it's been a perfect match!

Pros: Works...
Cons: ....poorly.

Nice design, good features, and good price. The problem is that it doesn't work very well. In all fairness, it could be my car and the location of the antenna (I still can't find the damn thing), but I get a ton of static and a very unreliable connection.