iPod® Vehicle Interface and Controller

[Jeffe]

Has anyone used the Harmon-Kardon Drive+Play Drive in their boat? If so tell me all the pros/cons about it.

http://www.harmankardon.com/product_...%201US&sType=C

[dogbert]

The big concern is that it's an FM transmitter. If you live in an area with crowded airwaves, it can be a problem because you get interference. It's a great choice when you're tied up with friends because then you can all rock out to the same playlist (they tune to your station).

[Jeffe]

My new boat will have an Alpine headunit with the ipod docking station built into it. This was just going to be to control the ipod from outside the glove box.

[Razzman]

I have a Drive+play i bought for the Tigé but never installed. Plan on adding to the new boat soon. What Dog says is correct unless your head unit has a CD changer port in the back and you can get wires to it. With the correct changer port cable you can hook it direct to the deck and avoid the FM transmitter issues. From what others have said it is also picky as to available voltage when the boat is not running, but i can't confirm or deny that one.

[Razzman]

The biggest issue i have with the deck controlling the ipod is that you loose control of the ipod, the deck takes it over which is then a major pain to find your tunes. My Pioneer in the Tigé was the same way and i hated it, hence the Drive+Play as it controls the ipod as if it was in your hand. Currently i have an ipod cable hooked right into the deck which retains ipod control but it has to be in the glovebox, another pain.

[da.bell]

My HU handles the Ipod interface farely well IMO. Once you are in the menu's, you can navigate into the submenus but it isn't like the IPod completely so it does take some time to get to know it.

Already had a situation this year that the GF attempted to navigate the menu system of the IPod via the HU only to increase the balance of the speakers from one side of the boat to the other.

[Jason B]

I have it in my boat. I partially installed it so that I can yank it out with no permanent scars on the boat if I don't like it. So far so good. I've only used it a couple times, but so far no complaints except the cords are a little short so it takes some creative instalation to make it work properly.

I try and remember to repost here after I have a little more time with it.

[shake-n-bake]

Ive got one in my boat. I had the dealer install it on my boat last summer and it worked great all summer, but in the fall it quit working, so the dealer installed a new one. This has worked great so far. Mine is plugged into the aux. input on the back of the stereo and the control unit is mounted right next to the other stereo controls. You cant control everything on the ipod with it but the important things. You can change playlists and select any song that you want. I keep the Ipod in the glove box. I really like have it, it drove me crazy last fall when it quit working.

[xpjim1]

The big concern is that it's an FM transmitter. If you live in an area with crowded airwaves, it can be a problem because you get interference. It's a great choice when you're tied up with friends because then you can all rock out to the same playlist (they tune to your station).

You can also direct wire it. I have used mine but it is not permantly installed in the boat yet

[dogbert]

I just replaced my H/U with one that allows me to control my iPod.

[rogersbm82]

Pioneer makes one that you can control the ipod from the H/U or the Ipod directly with a thing called passenger control mode. I would check into that as well. I have the old version of without so I can only use the H/U to contol kind of sucks but this new one you can use the Ipizzle.........

[Jeffe]

It took me a while to figure out what H/U meant

[FacePlant]

Haha, I just used a small piece of velcro to mount my Zune on my dash right below the Speedset controls yesterday. Ran the wire behind the dash and back up into my MP3 jack. Clean as a whistle!!