Is there a FM transmitter I can buy locally?

[Champion Sound Entertainment]

So my neighbors have been....shall we say less then enthusiastic about 3 foot tall loudspeakers filling the neighborhood with holiday music. Does anyone know if I can find a fm transmitter similar to the ones found on LOR's site? I would have ordered it directly but They told me delivery may take up to or more than three weeks and I wasn't sure if I would have had the controller in time, much less setup and programmed before Xmas.

Any suggestions? Radioshack, Best Buy, Frys Electronics? What exactly am I looking for to broadcast from my CPU onto airwaves?

[Dale W]

ebay

[Champion Sound Entertainment]

With it being 5 days til Xmas online sales and shipping is what I'm trying to avoid. There must be a transmitter that can be bought in store...

[Dale W]

If you want peace, pony up the $$$ and pay the shipping. It is worth it.


edit: Look and see if there is a CB Radio repair shop in your area. The staff working there might know where to find one.

[rwertz]

You might be able to pick up a Belkin Tunecast transmitter at Walmart, Radio Shack, etc. It is far from a great transmitter but it's cheap and quick if you can find one. There is a modification that will help some with reception. Search the internet for: Belkin Tunecast Antenna Modification.

Also distance and obstructions are critical for a weak transmitter. You might want to put it at a front window, or even further out in front of the house (the closer to your audience the better). Radio Shack sells a 1/8" stereo headphone extension cable. If you put it outside, be sure to protect it from rain. Some people put the Tunecast and antenna in a length of capped PVC.

We'll lecture you about reading the FCC regulations on unlicensed FM transmitters after the season is over

[MarkV]

Don't get the Whole House FM Transmitter 2.0. You will probably be more upset then your neighbors are right now.

[dstevens]

rwertz wrote:

You might be able to pick up a Belkin Tunecast transmitter at Walmart, Radio Shack, etc. It is far from a great transmitter but it's cheap and quick if you can find one. There is a modification that will help some with reception. Search the internet for: Belkin Tunecast Antenna Modification.

Also distance and obstructions are critical for a weak transmitter. You might want to put it at a front window, or even further out in front of the house (the closer to your audience the better). Radio Shack sells a 1/8" stereo headphone extension cable. If you put it outside, be sure to protect it from rain. Some people put the Tunecast and antenna in a length of capped PVC.

We'll lecture you about reading the FCC regulations on unlicensed FM transmitters after the season is over

The Belkin might be your only option if you want to buy one locally.

[Guest guest]

My suggestion would be to seek out a Ham Radio/CB Radio sales/service/repair center. Sometimes these places *do* sell FM Transmitters, but they are going to be quite a bit expensive! You'd probably fare just as well by buying an EDM that everyone is so gung ho about on here and paying for express shipping. That will probably cost you a lot le$$ than trying to find one in a local shop as those may and usually are very high end transmitters and have way more power than you will need or is legal for an unlicensed transmitter.

I plan on purchasing an EDM unit myself sometime early next year, just about everyone here uses them and have had very few issues, and what they have had seemed to be resolved very quickly by the folks at EDM or a user of the EDM here on the forums.

So if you really are having issues with the neighbors over your outdoor speakers and want to go the FM Transmitter route, spend the money on shipping, it'll not only get you a better transmitter, but will keep your neighbors from coming over and removing your speakers (cutting the speaker wires) or doing something far worse to your speakers and/or display!

I have outdoor speakers, but the volume is set very low and only for the folks riding by on bicycles or walkers on the sidewalk. If I can hear my SMALL speakers from across the street or in my next door neighbors yard, they are too loud and I wouldn't blame them for complaining, plus I could be cited for a noise violation by having them so loud the entire neighborhood could hear them, even if just loud enough to hear across the street or directly next door.

So do yourself and your neighbors a favor and spend the money on shipping, even if you have to pay extra for overnight express to get an FM Transmitter to use in your display. Believe me, it WILL be worth it for you and your neighbors.

[rwertz]

From the EDM website:

"NEW ORDER PROCESSING WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL 9th JAN, 2012"

http://www.edmdesign.com/orders.html


(I have no idea if there are other sources of the EDM still taking orders)

[Champion Sound Entertainment]

I'll just turn it down a bit. Were in the process of buying a new house and moving out of this rental - so at least I'll be more prepared at our next location.

Thanks anyways & merry Christmas,
Champ

[Guest guest]

rwertz wrote:

From the EDM website:

"NEW ORDER PROCESSING WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL 9th JAN, 2012"

http://www.edmdesign.com/orders.html


(I have no idea if there are other sources of the EDM still taking orders)

Doesn't affect me. I'm currently using an MBB Eclipse 4000 with a 10dB attenuator to keep it within FCC guidlines.

My plan is to purchase an EDM in late January or about mid February. Still not sure if I want to go with one that has the RDS(? I think it is) feature or just a plain simple unit.

I'm still weighing in on that due to I use an DC-MP3 Showtime Director and still not exactly sure how I'd use that option to send out a message or song titles from the DC-MP3 Showtime Director, or if that's even possible to do from the director units.

[bisquit476]

I think you need to use a pc to run the command line stuff, which is what the RDS uses, the director won't do it, but I may be wrong.

[Jim Saul]

CSE - go big or stay home
http://www.fm-transmitter.com/tx1000

Bisquit / Orville - you need to run a windoes program for the RDS, you also need an serial port.
I'm thinking you could program the EDM from the computer to say somthing like Mery Christmas for Orville, then unplug it from the computer and connect it to the director, but not posative.

[Greg Young]

Champion Sound Entertainment wrote:

I'll just turn it down a bit.

Champ

Given the time of year, that was going to be my suggestion - turn it down a bit.

That is the reason most of us went to FM transmitters when we first started - concerns for our neighbors....

Greg

[Guest guest]

Jim Saul wrote:

CSE - go big or stay home
http://www.fm-transmitter.com/tx1000

Bisquit / Orville - you need to run a windoes program for the RDS, you also need an serial port.
I'm thinking you could program the EDM from the computer to say somthing like Mery Christmas for Orville, then unplug it from the computer and connect it to the director, but not posative.

I think if the message is PRE-PROGRAMMED via the computer that message would still be in the transmitter, as the only thing connecting the DC-MP3 Showtime Director to the FM Transmitter is only an audio cable (out from Director - in to Transmitter). So hopefully I would be able to program something like Merry Christmas and just have that scrolling by. Since I don't have an RDS radio in my vehicle or anywhere else, so there would be no way for me to test it out. That's why I'm trying to decide if I will go with an EDM that has the RDS or one that doesn't.

Doubt I'll ever operate a show direct from my computer, always via the Showtime Director, so I keep thinking maybe I really don't need to spend the extra money for the addition of RDS that I may never use or possibly couldn't use.



Guess LOR needs to redisign the Showtime Director units to be able to add the commands on the SD card to display the song or other information. If that would even be possible. Probably be a major hardware change and increase the price quite a bit if the Director units could handle the RDS stuff.

[TJ Hvasta]

3' speakers? Really?? I cant imagine the neightbors not liking that!! I have both small amplified computer speakers and the CZH radio.. the speaker volume I have set so you can hear it clearly standing on the sidewalk in froont of the yard (50% of the visitors are neighbors walking in the evening), but not hear it across the street on the other sidewalk. And after the show ends(10pm), I pull the speaker line out of the splitter and have general carols playing only over the radio for the varying intensity lights (30%-50% fades) for any drive-ups after 10.

I am planning to sell the CZH transmitter and switch to the EDM w/RDS in the Spring.

[eurbani]

TJ Hvasta wrote:

I am planning to sell the CZH transmitter and switch to the EDM w/RDS in the Spring.

I just bought the CZH. It seems fine. Any reason other than to add RDS?

[TitusCarnathan]

if you would use small speakers I am perty sure your neighbors would not be mad about it
3 foot speakers
I use speakers that are about 4 inches and you can hear it perty good
just my 99 cents plus tax

[TitusCarnathan]

There was plans on my display to use both speakers and fm transmitter but that idea went out the window with the 99 dollar not even close to the whole house fm transmitter version 2 point no