Product Review:

Belkin:

Tunebase FM with Clearscan

Reviewed by: Jason Gillard

Having an Ipod is great when you want to take your tunes on the go.  But what if your going to spend a long time in your car?  This is a review for the Belkin Tunebase FM with Clearscan.  If you haven’t already guessed by the name of the product, this is a way to get your songs on your car stereo without having to do any modifications. 

The Tunebase gets its power from your cigarette lighter, or power port as it’s labelled in my car.  Then there is a short flexible gooseneck which attaches to a holder that holds your Ipod in place.  It is made of mostly black plastic but it also has some silver accents around where it displays the FM frequency.

Now I should start by saying how this product works.  You plug it into your power port and then plug your Ipod in.  Then there is a button you can press called clearscan.  What this does is search all the frequencies for the clearest station.  Then it will tell you where to tune your radio so you can pick up the music on your Ipod.  I should also say that my experience with it can certainly differ from what yours, the reader might be.  This is because it will depend on your location and your antenna in your car etc.  If you live in a metropolitan area it’s going to be harder to find a clear station.  But if you live out in the country you probably won’t have any trouble finding a crystal clear station. 

The Tunebase comes with holders that should fit virtually any Ipod out there.  I should also mention the various buttons and features on this unit.  On the left side of the device are number 1 and number 2 buttons.  These are memory preset buttons.  So if you have a station that is consistently clear you can assign one of these buttons to it.  That way you can just press the button and go directly to the station you want.  This is definitely handy!  On the right hand side of the device you have a plus and minus button to manually go through the stations and there is also a button called pro.  This button cycles through three audio settings to try to improve its performance.

When I first used the Tunebase I was not too impressed.  I was able to hear my music fine but there was static that was bothering me.  I hit the clearscan button and tried again.  The next station was definitely better, but there was still some background static.  I used the pro button and by changing the audio setting it helped.  The problem is that there are too many FM stations broadcasting in my area, so it was really difficult to get a perfectly clear station. If you lived more in the country you could probably get something that was crystal clear.  This is definitely not a fault of the hardware it was just that it didn’t really have many stations to work with.  But I would say that it still did a pretty good job after me fiddling with it a little bit.  I wish the flexible neck was longer because where I have to plug it in is a little low.  If the neck was longer it would definitely help.  I really like that it has memory buttons so that if I find a station that is good I don’t have to search for it every time.  Overall at an MSRP of $89.99 it does a pretty good job getting your music on your stereo.  Plus it will also charge your Ipod, which is a bonus as well. 

I would have to give this a recommended for the person in a metropolitan area and if you’re in the country it would get a Highly Recommended.