Showtime Central FM Transmission - STATIC Help?

[stuartpjr]

I am using a Showtime Central with FM Transmitter to run my show.  Lights do great but terrible static in the FM transmission (sounds like helicopter).  If I remove the audio plug from the transmitter it still transmits the static sound (listening on boom box nearly also in car).  Re-plug the sound and get both sound and static.

Different stations don't seem to matter since transmitter is sending the static.

Any assistance is appreciated.

[aesl1982]

Following along

[George Simmons]

If you've got the transmitter right next to your PC, you could try moving it farther away and/or plugging it into a different electrical circuit from the PC.  Check around to see if there's a motor anywhere on that electrical circuit, and if so, plug the transmitter in elsewhere.  If you have fluorescent lights in that room, turn them off and see if that helps.  Try reducing the output signal from the PC going to the transmitter.  If you're using a cheap and/or low-quality transmitter (like the Whole House garbage) you simply might need to get a better one.  

[Randy]

I had a problem with poor transmission and audio quality last year after transmitting successfully for several years at Christmas time...Nothing I did seemed to help....Changed out antenna, looked at all connections, changed out transmitter, etc. Still had static, weak signal, etc.

 

After messing with it for a long time, I finally figured it out...There was a licensed radio station that was adjacent to our frequency by .2 Mhz and we co-existed for many years.  Their signal was weak enough in the past in our hilly neighborhood that everything worked in the past.  But they changed transmitter locations and perhaps power output, and had a much higher signal presence in the neighborhood starting last year.

 

Open channels are at a premium here, especially since we are close to Mexico, but I did some testing on a much different frequency and the results were 1000% better.  It turned out to be interference from that adjacent station.  Since they're licensed, they win.  So I am moving my frequency this year, and have changed my radio sign, my announcements, etc...

 

So that's what worked for me...You might want to try a different frequency and see if that makes a difference....

[dgrant]

What kind of antenna are you using? Single wire, dual, coax to a small whip? Length of the wire?

[sax]

I had a problem with poor transmission and audio quality last year after transmitting successfully for several years at Christmas time...Nothing I did seemed to help....Changed out antenna, looked at all connections, changed out transmitter, etc. Still had static, weak signal, etc.

 

After messing with it for a long time, I finally figured it out...There was a licensed radio station that was adjacent to our frequency by .2 Mhz and we co-existed for many years.  Their signal was weak enough in the past in our hilly neighborhood that everything worked in the past.  But they changed transmitter locations and perhaps power output, and had a much higher signal presence in the neighborhood starting last year.

 

Open channels are at a premium here, especially since we are close to Mexico, but I did some testing on a much different frequency and the results were 1000% better.  It turned out to be interference from that adjacent station.  Since they're licensed, they win.  So I am moving my frequency this year, and have changed my radio sign, my announcements, etc...

 

So that's what worked for me...You might want to try a different frequency and see if that makes a difference....

Yeah, this is happening to me this year. Static. New station .2 away. I was hoping the .2 would be enough distance but no dice. Less static in the day. But night time....show time....more.

Halloween is going to suffer. For Christmas I will change the freq.

Boooooooo.

[The Snowman]

I had the exact same problem. Another member told me to download and run mp3 gain. Worked like a charm.