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whats a good FM transmitter?

billy.the.binman - 2010-09-19 07:15

in the uk preferably and suitable for something that is not just an ipod. decent price too ftw

davebush - 2010-09-19 08:27

plenty of power in this one andy...

not just for ipod either......its in the uk somewhere near bolton....i think rock fm transmit from it so it will defo be ok for boombox....

not to sure about price though....£14-99 springs to mind


blaster - 2010-09-19 08:32

I use an itrip for my ipod...works very well for me...

http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-Grif...&hash=item41465f27ad

but the crane is awesome ive had it before and can transmit if you like in another room in your house...awesome...i would get it again...

http://www.ccrane.com/radios/f.../fm-transmitter.aspx

plop - 2010-09-19 08:43

I bought one of these from ebay. Sound quality is ok considering the price, but as with all these devices regular music needs to be processed for FM broadcast otherwise it sounds kind of flat. Range is quite good as well. I tend to use mine to play music from my PC so the supplied USB power cable plugged into the PC does away for the need to power it with 2xAAA batteries.

Be mindful that you are only allowed to use a FM transmitter upto 50nW erp in the UK (and EU) without a broadcast licence, anything higher could land you with prosecution from OFCOM. Rules for USA are different.

I also use Hans van Zupten's very fine and free Stereo Tool to process the sound for FM modulation. There is an option to inject RDS through that as well (registered version only). link

3.db - 2010-10-07 04:25

These blow practicably everything else away:FM10C
I'm not sure if it's available in the UK, but if not it would be worth having it shipped.

plop - 2010-10-15 05:58

quote:
Originally posted by +3 dB:
These blow practicably everything else away:FM10C
I'm not sure if it's available in the UK, but if not it would be worth having it shipped.


This is probably fine in the US at 10mW (0.01W or ten milli Watts) and at such a high wattage it is understandable why it would "blow practicably everything else away", but here in Blighty we have to stick to EU regulations for a carefree life without being pestered by OFCOM (the UK equivalent of the FCC.) and not be labeled as hosting a pirate radio station and slapped with a hefty fine and prospect of a prison sentence and criminal record. That limits us to 50nW (0.00000005W fifty nano Watts) Of course if you have a valid commercial licence in UK you can broadcast up to whatever power rating that licence allows, but for most ordinary people here we can neither afford or suffer all the paperwork to apply for a temporary licence to broadcast on FM.

fins5 - 2010-10-15 15:16

I have the Ramsey FM100 model, and use it when I want a few boxes going throughout the house. It can be set up to 1 watt. But set lower, at 100 milli watts, it sends clear FM stereo anywhere in the house, even over 3 levels of floor and ceiling. At full power, you get reception a few city blocks away. I haven't had any visits from the po-po...yet. Big Grin

I've also got a much weaker unit for the car, the Blackberry VM-605 visor mount. Lets you play music (streaming or mp3 files) on a BBerry or anything with bluetooth on the car's sound system. Works well, but it's weak enough that I sometimes get interference from other (stronger) FM transmitters in the cars next to me. Sounds great when the channel is clear.

Finally, just recently picked up a Blackberry music gateway. This little box physically connects to your stereo inputs, and receives its signal from your BBerry or other bluetooth device.

3.db - 2010-10-24 04:36

quote:
Originally posted by plop:
...but here in Blighty we have to stick to EU regulations for a carefree life without being pestered by OFCOM


I've run much higher power than that on both FM (1W 1/2 wave antenna 35 ft up) and AM (25W into a 250ft coil-fed longwire and ground radials) off and on for years and never had a problem. Yes such things are illegal here, but truth be known as long as you're not being a total nuisance or interfering with communications or a "real" radio station you have nothing to worry about.

But, of course that's here.

From what I understand London alone is LOADED with pirate FM stations. If that's any indication at all I doubt they would be too concerned with a little 10 or even 100mW transmitter feeding a signal that reaches your close neighbors. A couple of hundred feet doesn't exactly make you Wonderful Radio London or Radio Caroline. Big Grin

3.db - 2010-10-24 04:43

quote:
Originally posted by fins5:
I have the Ramsey FM100 model


Nice. Hook that bad boy up to a good antenna and you'd be surprised what it will do.

reli - 2010-10-24 08:20

After my experience with iTrips and how horrible the sound is, I've been hesitant to get a better unit. Isn't some of the sound output lost no matter how good of a unit you get? Like it just doesn't sound as crystal clear as it should?

blaster - 2010-10-24 09:33

I tried various myself....some sound mono-ish...some dont lock in well in reception...the i-trip i use is decent in sound best so far from the minis ive used...and the closer the better reception you get....the crane is strong even from a distance and very clear....but your never gonna get 100% crystal clear compared to direct plug-in with any at least with the many ive tested...but they are very cool to use at times.... Smile