eBay FM Transmitter Any Good?

[Arteom]

I have a quick question for yall, but first, maybe you wanna know a little about me...

I just started my journey into Light-O-Rama!

I LOVED Christmas lights since I was 6 years old, I started decorating the house alone when I was 9 & continued to do so till now (Im 17) and decorate houses for most of my family and cousins. Just this week I ordered my first Light-O-Rama on the summer sale... I wanted a Light-O-Rama FOR EVER and finally after a summer as a helper in a child's summer camp, i made some money, I have a few friends near my street and each year we think of new ways to decorate and we always try to out decorate one another, like a little competition, each year On December 1st we see who has the best lights, I was on a winning streak for 6 years, till the past two years I decided my display was too Childish, so I decided to modernize it with straight lines, not much yard decor, making everything look simple and crisp. I obviously lost for the past two years, but this year, its not gonna happen Im doing a simple display plugging in a wall of lights with 13 channels one channel a roof line, one a ground outline, and one miniature trees. Since I have only 16 channels I figure its not worth setting up the entire house to only 16 channels. It looks... bad honestly from what i seen on you tube.

I started a sequence for Mr.Sandman & so far so good

Since I'm low on cash, and I did not win the TryForFree Promotion ... Yet [fingers crossed] I don't want to spend $120 on a FM transmitter.

What do you guys think of this simple one on eBay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1mw-FM-Transmitter-mini-radio-station-PLL-stereo-1mw-fm-radio-sation-Golden-/261064524953?pt=US_Ham_Radio_Transmitters&hash=item3cc8a88499#ht_2516wt_1397

[Shubb]

I don't have any experience with that transmitter, but after using many I have come to one conclusion.

---> You get what you pay for. <---

The $30 and $40 units I tried were a waste of time, effort and $30 and $40 plus shipping.

Since you are just starting out you may want to go with a stereo and a couple of small speakers in the yard. I'm sure your neighbors won't be too happy if your blasting Metallica at midnight, but if you keep the volume down and reasonable hours you should get by.

P.S. Welcome to the hobby.

Scott

[TJ Hvasta]

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain..

First, under no circumstances should you buy the Whole House Transmitter, unless your goal is to not hear it outside of the room it in.

The "so-called $30-$40 waste of time" units work well, for the most part, the only caveat is that they are not FCC Type-Accepted, it is possible, that they can cause interference on adjacent frequencies. But picking a freq to operate on that is away from others should allow limited operation without having your neighbors discover they are getting your show music on their microwave. Picking the .1/.5watt (preferably the .1watt) Chinese eBay radios has worked well for me for three years, and no visits from large black windowsless vans with gov't plates, driven by men with no sense of humor wearing black suits and dark glasses.

The model for the link you put up should work well. Do not change the antenna or try to mod it in any way. Tenth of a watt, (100milliwatts) is the same power your walkie-talkies you had as a kid had. 'hunderd milliwatts will be more than enough to give you a clear signal up and down your street. There will be no need to put it on the roof or upstairs. Your street length is all that is needed. You cant see your house from blocks away, so why should it be heard (it prob will anyway, thats why NO mods)

At the top of your list should be the EDM (www.edmdesigns.com) kit radio, either the RDS (radio texting) or non-RDS models. But it is a kit in name only as you have to solder on the power wire, that's all.

Do a thorough search here for transmitter recommendation threads.. there are a LOT. Read thru all of them and choose accordingly. But stay away from the WholeHouseJunk..

Edited August 21, 2012 by TJ Hvasta

[George Simmons]

I have no experience with extremely low price models either, but I'd like to add my word of caution to Scott's. It's uncommon for people to be pleased with products in that price range unless your expectations are extremely low.

[Shubb]

Maybe that's how I should have worded it.

The cheaper units I used didn't hold the frequency, would fade in and out if somebody walked by it, and at best sounded marginal.

Unfortunatly, I waited until near show time to find out they sucked and had to buy one based on availability and shipping time.

It turned out to be a great unit, and I am still happy with it 6 years later, but was more than I had planned on spending.

[lightzilla]

You can buy a $55,000 pick up & it can be junk. You can buy a $23,000 pickup & it runs way better. A high price tag does not mean it runs any better. However, this type of FM Transmitter does fall under " You get what you pay for". Sounds like you cannot afford the Edm FM transmitter so maybe try Mobile Black Box or just keep looking.

This lustful addiction just gets more costly as the years go on......start a sequencing job & it can pay for your stuff.

[scubado]

You're gonna spent more than you expect on your display, DON"T cheapen it with crappy sound. The major concensus is going with the EDM. You're not going to hold an audiance if you're sound is subpar. I myself do not have a transmitter yet, I'm lucky enough to be able to use large speakers with a decent volume, a transmitter is in my plans and it will be an EDM when I'm ready.

Welcome to the madness!

[TJ Hvasta]

Knowing the MBB-4000 is sold out and not likely to be restocked (hasnt been for quite a while) makes it not an option. The -6000 is a mono-only unit. Yes the EDM is the radio of choice, but you cant slam the Chinese units, as they do work well. I've been using mine for 3yrs, and the freq is stable with no splatter.

[jldavis1969]

I am using this unit and I have been very happy with it.

http://www.hllyelectronics.com/fm-transmitter/0.5w-fm-transmitter/0.5w-fm-stereo-transmitter-lcd-display-silver-color.html?cPath=1_50&

[james morris]

mbb 5000 is stero i have had one for two years love it i use all the time has good range and sound quallity but it is pricey

[Klayfish]

I LOVED Christmas lights since I was 6 years old, I started decorating the house alone when I was 9 & continued to do so till now (Im 17) I wanted a Light-O-Rama FOR EVER

Your qoute is priceless. You're 17 and have wanted a LOR "Forever". Kid-o, I've got t-shirts older than you are...

Seriously though, good for you for getting started at such a young age. I'm "middle age" and this is my first year venturing into it. I don't have a transmitter either and am shopping for one. I'm likely to go with an Ebay model this year. Yes, I understand the EDM is the users choice and I'll budget for one soon. But I've read many posts from people who say the Ebay models worked fine for their needs, so I figure I'll give it a shot.

Edited August 21, 2012 by Klayfish

[Arteom]

Interesting to read everyone's responses. If I am to dish out $40 now and $40 layer to replace it, maybe it's best to buy a good FM transmitter from the getgo. I'm not looking for super long range, but I would love high quality sound.

MBB-5000, Um, no thanks, For the $260 I rather get another controller

Here is a .5w FM transmitter on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Golden-FM-Transmitter-mini-radio-station-PLL-stereo-0-5W-500mw-fm-broadcast-/230824964827?pt=US_Ham_Radio_Transmitters&hash=item35be3d72db

.7W FM Transmiter http://www.ebay.com/itm/czh-7w-FM-stereo-PLL-broadcast-transmitter-/320669305021?pt=US_Ham_Radio_Transmitters&hash=item4aa96148bd

They are $50 - $60 are they worth getting, they seem to be nice units? Or should I save up and get something in the $100 range, I see the MBB V6000, it's around $110, Shipped, it looks like the hybrid version of what everyone is talking about here, not sure if it is any good? Any further intel would greatly benefit me, I'm ready to order

[columbus27]

This is the one I have. It came with a tuneable antenna. http://www.dagcoelectronics.com/store/0-5-w-amateur-grade-fm-radio-bundle-deal-42 I've had no issues. I think this model is on e-bay for $45 + 20 S+H

I run it at .1 with the volume down. Because a few years ago people were cranking up their radios. I got to keep the peace to keep the lights on.

[TJ Hvasta]

Arteom, do NOT pick the 7 watt model, that's waaaaaaaay too much power. You don't need (or want) to be heard several miles (yes, miles) down the road. You WILL be visited by the guys driving black panel vans with govt plates and no sense of humor!

Find one that is -no more- than .5w (POINT FIVE), even with half-a-watt, you can expect two miles or greater. Again, the china units work well, but do not do any mods to it or mount it up high, you wont need to.

Edited August 21, 2012 by TJ Hvasta

[Steven]

The cheaper units I used didn't hold the frequency,...

It's worth noting that the eBay unit from the OP uses the same transmitter chip (the 1415F) as the EDM. If properly designed, the frequency should be stable. There are many other factors in a transmitter, such as the final amplifier, which determines how clean the signal is (and thus how much it will interfere), the audio processing circuitry, which determines the quality of the sound, and the general layout of the board, which can determine how much noise the CPU and display will add to the transmitted audio.

This one may be worth a try. For under $40, the risk is not high. I started with a less expensive transmitter, and as my display grew, I upgraded to an EDM.

[Arteom]

So in your opinions, whats the BEST possible transmitter for the BEST price, looking at $80 - $120? But I mean at that price, I'm looking for something in the High quality range

[spomalley]

For guaranteed quality go with the EDM, some Chinese EBay Transmitters may be good quality but generally they are not built with care and can become faulty.

[columbus27]

So in your opinions, whats the BEST possible transmitter for the BEST price, looking at $80 - $120? But I mean at that price, I'm looking for something in the High quality range

I know the one I got came with a replacement warranty. And the owner help me out a lot on tuning the antenna and testing. Edited August 23, 2012 by columbus27

[MCas4380]

If you keep your eyes on Ebay you can find used transmitters some times that sell cheap. i bought a black box for 40$ last year. it's worked well so far.

[Arteom]

So I purchased the eBay transmitter for $49.50 Free Shipping. It's a .5W Model (500mW) for the $49.50 I figured it was not to large of a gamble, and if I decided to sell it in the future I can for at least half the cost. If you guys like, I can tell you guys about my experience with the transmitter as soon as I receive it

So Controller, Check

Fm Transmiter, Check

Speakers are next, then the sign.