Off the shelf FM transmitter

**Franchise** · 07-30-2012, 09:02 PM

I know this is a DIY forum, but I have run out of time. I want an FM transmitter and I just want to buy one off of the shelf. From looking through old posts, it looks like something like this is what some people have recommended:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/home-Digital...#ht_5141wt_931

Is that OK or can somebody recommend something else?

**angus40** · 07-30-2012, 09:10 PM

I just ordered 1 of these it came recomended by members at ACL that use it .

it comes with everything needed .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...E:L:OU:CA:3160

**Franchise** · 07-30-2012, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by angus40

I just ordered 1 of these it came recomended by members at ACL that use it .

it comes with everything needed .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...E:L:OU:CA:3160

Thanks. What is ACL?

**angus40** · 07-30-2012, 10:05 PM

http://auschristmaslighting.com

**dirknerkle** · 07-30-2012, 10:21 PM

This horse has been beaten so many times it thinks it's a mule.

For those of you who are so eager to pull the trigger, realize that the regulations for non-licensed radio transmissions differ from country to country. Here in the U.S.A. either one of the transmitters highlighted in this thread are way more powerful than is needed, or actually allowed. If your signal bleeds over anything else (which cheap transmitters certainly can) and someone in your neighborhood registers a complaint, the radio police (FCC here in the States) may be paying a visit to your home.

Please spend some time reading some of the information presented in ad-nauseum in the Radio Waves forum. You'll likely find that most of the transmitters used by DIYC members are in the 20-30mw range, and that's more than adequate power for visitors to hear your music from either side of your display. It does you no good to pump out a signal that can be heard all over the neighborhood or in some cases, several neighborhoods over. All it may do is attract the wrong kind of interest...

**Jrd** · 07-30-2012, 11:52 PM

+1 For Dirknerkle.

You still have plenty of time to build an antenna even if you are making a halloween display. It's super easy. I would suggest the FM-02 as a better transmitter. You don't have to put it in a fancy enclosure just keep it safe from shorting.

**barbotte** · 07-31-2012, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by Franchise

I know this is a DIY forum, but I have run out of time. I want an FM transmitter and I just want to buy one off of the shelf. From looking through old posts, it looks like something like this is what some people have recommended:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/home-Digital...#ht_5141wt_931
Is that OK or can somebody recommend something else?

i have 1 of those and i am happy with it .. it does go far enough for my liking ( almost 1 km each way ,,, i also have a Fm-02 but as a back up but i had never had to used it yet .... as for the one from Angus ..ho ley crap Richard do you want the hole city to listen to your music lol ,,, cheer

**angus40** · 07-31-2012, 04:03 AM

Originally Posted by barbotte

i have 1 of those and i am happy with it .. it does go far enough for my liking ( almost 1 km each way ,,, i also have a Fm-02 but as a back up but i had never had to used it yet .... as for the one from Angus ..ho ley crap Richard do you want the hole city to listen to your music lol ,,, cheer

The source that recomended this measured its range @ 2 blocks . I will make sure i do not use any frequencies in my area all is good .

**Capt'n Jack** · 07-31-2012, 07:16 PM

I'm using that one and have no complaints. I don't know how far it will reach but gives a great sound at the road which is what I needed.

**Franchise** · 08-01-2012, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by dirknerkle

This horse has been beaten so many times it thinks it's a mule.

For those of you who are so eager to pull the trigger, realize that the regulations for non-licensed radio transmissions differ from country to country. Here in the U.S.A. either one of the transmitters highlighted in this thread are way more powerful than is needed, or actually allowed. If your signal bleeds over anything else (which cheap transmitters certainly can) and someone in your neighborhood registers a complaint, the radio police (FCC here in the States) may be paying a visit to your home.

Please spend some time reading some of the information presented in ad-nauseum in the Radio Waves forum. You'll likely find that most of the transmitters used by DIYC members are in the 20-30mw range, and that's more than adequate power for visitors to hear your music from either side of your display. It does you no good to pump out a signal that can be heard all over the neighborhood or in some cases, several neighborhoods over. All it may do is attract the wrong kind of interest...

Sorry, I have to disagree with you a bit. I went back 10 pages in the forums, which is about 3 years ago. I only found maybe 3 that talked about off the shelf systems, with everything else being kits or Belkin type things with a soldered on antenna. (Obviously, I might have missed some and if I did please point me in that direction.). For the couple of ones that I did find that were off the shelf kits, some of those the links were outdated. I understand that this is a DIY forum, but at this point putting up even my very modest Halloween show, sequencing it, taking it down, putting up my very modest Xmas show, sequencing it and taking it down takes too much time away from my family. That being said, I'll check out the FM-02 again.

A friend helped me with a Belkin transmitter several years ago, but I never got enough range to reach the street which is just 30 feet from my front door. Maybe I am a bit gun shy about doing a kit because of the time wasted trying to get that to work.

I feel kind of stuck now hearing that the couple of off the shelf transmitters I was interested in are too powerful.

Thanks for all the responses.