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Henry Plainview 
Forum Senior Member 
Joined: May 26 2008 Location: Declined Status: Offline Points: 16715 |
 Topic: Are any FM transmitters actually good?Posted: September 21 2010 at 00:43 |
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With classes this fall I have about an hour and a half commute in the morning because of traffic, and the classical station just isn't cutting it anymore. But I've used ones that I didn't own before, and I was extremely not impressed with the sound quality, although they weren't all that expensive. My car is 10 years old and doesn't have a line-in jack, and it seems like the cassette adapters are even worse than the FM transmitters. Are there any solutions? Should I just buy music on cassette? There are still new albums being released on cassette, after all!
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if you own a sodastream i hate you
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Catcher10
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: December 23 2009 Location: Emerald City Status: Offline Points: 17845 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 01:14 |
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Yeah I've tried a few with horrible results. Seems if you are in a decently populated area with good FM radio coverage the FM transmitters are not good. The freq you tune into is probably too close to a broadcasting station which severely skews the signal and at best sounds like bad AM. I was in the same boat...as my Grand Prix stock system had no Aux input....So I bit the bullet and replaced my system with a Sony Xplod with a Aux input. I don't regret one bit......90% of the time my Zune mp3 player is plugged in playing all the tunes.....I don't listen to any FM radio anymore...Other than NPR news.
Depending on your stock system, you might be able to find an integration module...check out soundgate.com first before you replace your system.
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Dean
Special Collaborator 
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout Joined: May 13 2007 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 37575 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 02:12 |
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I've used them and they work fine as long as you remember where your car aerial is and that your car is a steel-box that acts like a Faraday cage. The only downside to them is they eat batteries and the ones I had would drain their batteries even when switched off.
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What?
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Tony R
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: July 16 2004 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 11979 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 03:10 |
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You can get a car CD/radio with MP3/iPod/USB connection for the cost of 2 transmitters and the gazillion batteries they use up.
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Slartibartfast
Collaborator 
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam Joined: April 29 2006 Location: Atlantais Status: Offline Points: 29630 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 06:06 |
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Priceless advice.  I have yet to get a transmitter that worked well. Even if you can find a reasonably good frequency to use, I believe there are government imposed signal strength limitations, which basically make for a result like listening to a too distant radio station.  |
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Snow Dog
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: March 23 2005 Location: Caerdydd Status: Offline Points: 32995 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 06:09 |
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I don't even understand any of this.
I just turn on my radio and listen to stations.
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 16 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31169 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 09:43 |
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I've only tried one, but it absolutely sucked. Never again.
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Easy Livin
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: February 21 2004 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 15585 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 10:30 |
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I used one on my previous car instead of the cassette player without any problems. As long as you have a range of frequecies to choose from to avoid interference, you should get on fine. Mine cost pennies from an Amazon market place site.
The transmitter came with a USB connector for the power, so I wired it into a 2 way USB adapter (Poundland), plugged into the cigar lighter socket thus powering the MP3 player from the USB too. NO batteries!!
All sounds very complicated and it did look rather Heath Robinson, but it worked well.
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout Joined: May 13 2007 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 37575 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 10:36 |
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^ for the benefit of people living on the wrong side of the pond, Heath Robinson is like Rube Goldberg (or those living on the wrong side of the ditch, Storm Petersen)
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What?
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Snow Dog
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: March 23 2005 Location: Caerdydd Status: Offline Points: 32995 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 11:20 |
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Why do I not know what you guys are talking about? I must be naive.
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout Joined: May 13 2007 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 37575 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 11:31 |
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Do you not have an internet search function where you live Ian? |
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What?
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 16 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31169 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 11:34 |
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Dean, for a truly snarky response you need this: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=FM+Transmitter
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: December 30 2007 Location: Raeford, NC Status: Offline Points: 32524 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 11:53 |
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Yes, but Dean was more subtle in his snark. Notice how he left a parenthesis out of the link, so that when poor Snow Dog goes to click it, he will get: Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. Please search for FM transmitter (personal device in Wikipedia to check for alternative titles or spellings. |
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Slartibartfast
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam Joined: April 29 2006 Location: Atlantais Status: Offline Points: 29630 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 11:54 |
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What the hell's a radio?
This has been tech talk for Neanderthals. |
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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jammun
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 14 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3449 |
Posted: September 21 2010 at 21:31 |
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My transmitter actually sorta kinda works, sometimes.
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Can you tell me where we're headin'?
Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
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Henry Plainview
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 26 2008 Location: Declined Status: Offline Points: 16715 |
Posted: September 22 2010 at 00:06 |
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Soundgate is apparently dead. And yeah, I could, but this car has 162,000 miles on it, so I feel like any investment in it won't really be worth it.
The classical station is the only station I would like to listen to since FM rock is intolerably bad, and classical is not helpful when I'm sitting in traffic with road rage. |
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if you own a sodastream i hate you
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Catcher10
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: December 23 2009 Location: Emerald City Status: Offline Points: 17845 |
Posted: September 22 2010 at 00:33 |
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Snow Dog...ur funny dude.
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Snow Dog
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: March 23 2005 Location: Caerdydd Status: Offline Points: 32995 |
Posted: September 22 2010 at 04:14 |
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You guys are mean.  Still don't get it though. This device converts your MP3 player to a radio?
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout Joined: May 13 2007 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 37575 |
Posted: September 22 2010 at 04:35 |
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What?
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Easy Livin
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: February 21 2004 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 15585 |
Posted: September 22 2010 at 13:09 |
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Spot on SD. Instead of listening to an MP3 player through headphones while in the car, you plug this device into the MP3 player headphone socket. The device broadcasts the music on an FM wavelength and you tune your car radio to that wavelength, thus playing the music through your car stereo.
It's useful in older cars which have cassette radios, and even newer ones which do not have MP3 players.
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Are any FM transmitters actually good?
Topic Options
Tony R wrote: