We all know that the iTrip from Griffin Technology is a great wireless FM Transmitter. But the 
problem is that it has a very short range before the signal starts breaking up. In most cases, moving the iPod to the backseat or even the passenger side will cause static and fading in the sound. Well the gang over at Spymac have been hacking the iTrip. Here’s what they’ve done to increase the range to almost 60 feet and the transmission over your FM station will be much cleaner and higher quality.
This was from Brock.Roberts in the Spymac forums.
I was sick and tired of how everytime I pulled up to a traffic light, my iTrip would cut out or hiss. I solved the problem.
1. First, i used a razorblade to pry the unit open.
2. Then, i got a paperclip and tightly wrapped a long section of copper wire around it like a spring.
3. After taking the copper wire off the paperclip, I slid it over the existing antenna, then with a section of heat shrink to seal it and you would not believe how much better it is.
4. Then I popped it back together, and now its AMAZING!
I have no static in it at all now. and i can go over 60-70 feet away and it also makes the highs and the lows better.
Another Spymac member, “TheIquana” took pictures of his take on the same above method. You can find them here.. very nice work.
http://theiguana.spymac.com/itrip/itrip1.jpg
http://theiguana.spymac.com/itrip/itrip2.jpg
http://theiguana.spymac.com/itrip/itrip3.jpg
http://theiguana.spymac.com/itrip/itrip4.jpg
As you can see from the picture above from edscoble on the Spymac forums, there are a few other hacks that the guys on Spymac did to their iTrips. Stop on over and check out the details and have fun modding!
Hacking Your iTrip
We all know that the iTrip from Griffin Technology is a great wireless FM Transmitter. But the problem is that it has a very short range before the signal starts breaking up. In most cases, moving the iPod to the backseat or even the passenger side wil…
[...] The Griffin iTrip is great but has a very short range before the signal starts breaking up. In most cases, moving the iPod to the backseat or even the passenger side will cause static and fading in the sound. Here’s how to increase the range to almost 60 feet. read more | digg story [...]
Hacking Your iTrip
The Griffin iTrip is great but has a very short range before the signal starts breaking up. In most cases, moving the iPod to the backseat or even the passenger side will cause static and fading in the sound. Hereâ��s…
[...] I tend to do a lot of driving, and being a huge music lover, it would be a big bother to have to carry hundreds of CDs with me any time I went into the car. Luckily, I have an iPod, and a little device no iPod owner should be without, the iTrip. The iTrip acts as an FM transmitter for the iPod making it a must-have car accessory. The problem with the iTrip though is that it uses a very weak FM signal as to not interfere with other cars’ stereos and so you may get static sometimes. There’s a quick little article on Surf-Bits about hacking the iTrip which will increase the signal to 60 feet and get rid of the static and all you need is a long piece of copper wire. Print Article You may also be interested in reading: [...]
Hey, I did this back in May. You can check out details and pictures here:
http://forums.ilounge.com/show.....adid=98944
[...] Surf-Bits has posted a tutorial for hacking your Griffin iTrip to maximize the quality and range of sound that it transmits. [...]
links for 2005-10-19
“Complete New Yorker” DVD archive is hard to use a good rundown on everything from the packaging to the technologies used [via] (tags: media nyc software) How-To: Get TV shows off of your TiVo and onto your iPod too…
[...] Surf-Bits, The Switcher’s Website » Blog Archive » Hacking Your iTrip Yes, I would like my iTrip to transmit 60 feet. Sign me up. [...]
[...] My biggest complaint with FM transmitters are their weak signal. They have to be weak by law and there’s nothing much the manufacturers can do about it. But there is something YOU can do about it. Got some copper wire and a razor blade? Well there’s an iTrip hack that takes very little skill and money but will boast your transmission to 60ft! Forget “dead” spots on your radio, this will over ride even strong existing terrestrial stations! Dude, I got to go to OSH, I need some copper… [...]
[...] A great tutorial on hacking your iTrip to get a much larger range. I, personally, am rather sick of the medeocre range currently put out by my iTrip, I’ll try it soon! By Mitch | posted in Asides Tags: geek, ipod, itrip, hack Trackback URL | Comment RSS Feed Tag at del.icio.us | Incoming links [...]
[...] I have no static in it at all now. and i can go over 60-70 feet away and it also makes the highs and the lows better. link [...]
This mod doesn’t seem to be working for me… I coiled the copper around the antenna and it I still get very poor reception. I don’t quite unerstand how this mod will imporve anything. It seems to me that it will de-tune the frequency, if anything. Doesn’t the antenna need to be proportional to the frequency? if so, how long should i make it. Please fill me in w/ a few more details.
Thanks in advance,
Owner
I have the iTrip for my iPod mini and I can’t seem to figure out how to open it’s casing. It’s not like the regular iPod body, this one is like one seamless body style. I found antenna at the top covered by a sticker but it’s just a flimsy wire that’s got 6 strands micro wires in it. I can’t figure out how to open the body to replace that wire with a copper one. These wires are silver or nickel I’m not too sure. But if anyone can help with that, I’d be very much grateful.
I just gave this a shot with the iTrip for my mini.
I took 18GA copper wire, wrapped around a straw from a can of compressed air. I made the copper wrap just a bit shorter than the antenna from the iTrip. I also stripped about half of the wire jacket from the iTrip’s antenna. I left a bit of copper wire straight at the bottom and fit it into the “antenna groove” of the iTrip. I replaced part of the tape or sticker for the iTrip and here it is:
http://www.tnttech.us/troy/iTrip_mini.JPG
http://www.tnttech.us/troy/iTrip_mini_2.JPG
Kind of crude, but it is my first attempt at something like this.
It works GREAT! I don’t have any “official” measurements, but without the mod, my iTrip and mini would barely work three feet from a radio.
WITH the mod, the iTrip and mini work from one end of the house to ther other (line of site) which is around 48 feet!
The sound quality seems to be much better as well. Before the mod, the sound was kind of muddy. The highs were dull and kind of muffled. The lows were ok. Now it sounds much closer to a CD (well, maybe not that good). It does sound better than any of the stations broadcasting in my area.
Any the choice of music is alot better! 
Hope this helps.
Troy
I don’t want to be a party pooper, as this mod is quite ingenious. Just be aware that your modded iTrips are probably in violation of FCC regulations. Those regulations are the reason why the iTrip is so low-powered. Just be careful
Sounds like everyone here has made possible my first dream when I heard of the iTrip –
Mobile Pirate Radio!
Drive around, and overpower other folks radios, just keep the iPod out of sight, don’t stare and laugh!
Just focus on the local commercial stations. This would be an EVIL mobile advertisement system, as well. Not bad for short-lived ad work, but the odds that someone from the broadcast community would take interest in your antics is just too high.
You could have nice informal podcast rallies, and broadcast your mix, comments, whatever to small groups in public. Just pick the right meeting place.
Modded mine exactly as photos show – didn’t help me a bit. I still have exactly the same range (5-10ft reliably) with plenty of static and hiss if I turn my ipod the wrong angle (edge end facing a receiver). I found that if you put the antenna back into the casing and it touches the small silver box (or anything else really) it will cause massive static and problems, but even with it carefully bent away from any contact I found no improvement. This mod does nothing at all imo – good idea, but no results.
Don’t bother prying open your iTrip guys, save your krazy glue. The only thing that honestly should improve the signal is more power, but I was hoping this was for real. Not so much
Holy cow, this worked great!
JMS: I highly doubt that the FCC is going to bother hauling us in for such a trifle when they seem to be obsessed with broadcast flags and naughty words.
The fcc wont be bothering you since the output power is the same. The fcc sets a cap on max legal output power. this is arround 0.25 watts in the US (if i rememver right… I could be off a lot..) Since power is measured without an antena adding wire will not affect the legality of the device… it is simple, better antenas have better quality and gtrenght of emmision.
I dont know mutch about rf design but I would tend to think this would work or not work a lot like an rf choke… Is is just cleaining the signal?
This really really really works! I work in a lab with lots of high-tech machines and lots of electrical motors. Before I was lucky to get a signal 6 feet from the transmitter: now, and this is no exaggeration, I get 70ft line of sight clear signal. I did however, make the antenna a little longer than in the pictures, and I drilled a hole in the top of the iTrip and extended the antenna straight up… I also used a section of white heat shrink (shrunk) to firm up the antenna.
Outstanding!
[...] Boosting my iTrips Range I have a iTrip, which is an FM transmitter build especially for iPod. Well, the range on them sucks, but I found this hack to boost the signal by a large amount. I am going to try this with mine. I’ll let ya know how it works. [...]
[...] Surf-Bits, The Switcher’s Website » Blog Archive » Hacking Your iTrip [...]
The power output has changed because part 15 devices are limited by the ERP- Effective Radiated Power. Have fun, but know that if you modify your part 15 transmitter and cause interference to any legally licensed station you are breaking the law. The FCC is starting to care, as radio stations are taking notice.
Guys…PLEASE don’t do these hacks! Part 15 signal levels are intentionally low for a reason –
to prevent interference with licensed AM & FM operations. The radio station engineering boards
are TEEMING with reports (especially from public radio outlets between 88.1 & 91.9) of massive
interference to their signals. There’s a lot of physics involved here, but apparently a lot of
car stereos are actually re-radiating these signals out MUCH further than you’d think; in some cases
as much as 1000-2000ft away. That’s pretty bad! I shudder to think what it’d be like with a hacked
iTrip.
And if you think it’s cool to blow away some poor college or public radio station’s signal. Just
remember how frustrated you were trying to get your iTrip to work. Then multiply that by several
dozen listeners around you (and hundreds more around all the other hacked iTrips out there).
The picture at the top shows an iTrip plugged into a laptop so it appears as if the tab next to the headphone jack has been removed. Will the iTrip still work if the tab is removed? Thanks…
This mod WORKS.
Thank goodness!
I’ve been dealing with Griffin and getting no results. I was ready to put it on Ebay when I found this place!
Now I can use my ipod in my car!