MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them

Many people unknowingly make the mistake about MP3 FM Modulators and mix them up with FM Transmitters. Even though they are very similar they can be very different and give you very different results. We will attempt to help clarify the difference between the FM Modulators and FM Transmitters in this article.

FYI, for the sake of simplicity we will assume that you are going to use this in your car and when we talk about FM Transmitters we are referring to a personal FM Transmitter you can buy off the shelf not a big commercial one or a homemade one.

Mistake #1 Installation Complexity

Most people do not realize that if you go with a FM Modulator instead of a FM Transmitter that you will be required to install it next to the FM Radio. This means you will have to pull out your car's FM Radio and hard wire it into your car's electrical system plus mess with your car's audio system.

This is not only time consuming but you can easily ruin your car's electrical and audio setup as well as potentially get yourself hurt. That is why most hire a professional to install a FM Modulator but that will cost money which could end up being more than the cost of the MP3 Player, Modulator and FM Radio combined.

Mistake #2 Transmitting

The second mistake people make about FM Modulators is they do not realize that the reason it needs to be close to the FM Radio is because it is transmitter the signal from your audio source, which in this case is your MP3 Player, to the car's FM Radio.

And since a FM Modulator typically only goes a few inches or a foot or two are best it needs to be very close to the FM Radio which requires the installation process mentioned above.

Mistake #3 Frequency Options

Third mistake most people do not realize when going with a FM Modulator is the number of frequencies you can select from. Since manufacturers know that you will not be able to change the frequency once it is installed they usually only give you one frequency to pick from or a few at best.

What that means for you is you have to either pick a frequency that is not on the public FM Band of 88.0 to 108.0 such as 87.7 or 87.9 FM for example or you will have to hijack a frequency that is on the public band and hope you do not run into a commercial station trying to broadcast on that frequency as well.

So how do you avoid making those 3 big mistakes?

Very simple if you want to broadcast the audio from your MP3 Player to your car's FM Radio (or any radio for that matter) you will want to buy a GOOD FM Transmitter. I say good because there are so many out there that just flat out stink. Either they don't go very far or the audio quality is just not acceptable. FYI, you can click on the links below to see a good FM Transmitter to consider.

So let's just assume for a moment that you picked a quality FM Transmitter. With it, you can use it not only in your car but also in your home, office, etc. if you wanted to. Plus you can easily power it without having to hard wire it to your car's electrical system. And you can plug in your MP3 Player without dealing with the car's audio systems setup. Finally, if you pick the right kind of good FM Transmitter you can also broadcast your other audio sources like your satellite radio, home stereo, computer and even your TV.

This way you can avoid having to deal with the cost and time of installation and hard wiring as well as possibly screwing up your car's electrical and audio systems. Plus you can transmit further than a modulator and on more frequencies so you won't have to compete with commercial radio stations.

MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them

FM Transmitter

MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them

MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them
MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them

FM Transmitter

MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them

MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them

BestCustomerReview

Wild Planet Radio DJ transmitter toy (FCC Part 15 AM)

Wild Planet Radio DJ transmitter toy (FCC Part 15 AM)

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Wild Planet Radio DJ transmitter toy (FCC Part 15 AM)
A toy "DJ mixer" that plays cassettes and transmits on 1610 AM. The quality of the signal is actually very good, as it appears to be crystal-controlled. The range of the signal isn't very far, though. One of these would be useful for playing your favorite music on an antique AM radio. It works better than many AM transmitter kits I've seen, from companies like Ramsey. The only limitation is that you can't change the frequency, at least not without opening it up and modifying the circuit.
Wild Planet Radio DJ transmitter toy (FCC Part 15 AM)

Wild Planet Radio DJ transmitter toy (FCC Part 15 AM)

Wild Planet Radio DJ transmitter toy (FCC Part 15 AM)

Wild Planet Radio DJ transmitter toy (FCC Part 15 AM)

MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them

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MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them

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MP3 FM Modulator Pitfalls - The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Unknowingly Make and How to Avoid Them

E3 PS3 Motion Controller

Product Review: Tactic AnyLink System

Summary

Product Review: Tactic AnyLink System

Pirate Radio Station

Pirate Radio Station

Video Clips. Duration : 6.00 Mins.

Pirate Radio Station
My friends low power Fm pirate radio station. His station transmitted with about 30watts of power. The antenna was a 5/8 wave about 20 feet off the ground. The range was 3-5 miles local coverage and about 6-10 miles fringe coverage. After moving from the location that this video was made, He used a 1/2 wave J-Pole antenna which worked just as well and required less space. See my other video "Pirate Radio Transmitter Components" on solutions to eliminating buzzing and humming noises. RF feedback is what causes these noises. Where to buy: www.jtcomms.com store.rf-modules.com www.ramseyelectronics.com www.panaxis.com
Pirate Radio Station

Pirate Radio Station

Pirate Radio Station

Pirate Radio Station

AnyLink is a small device that plugs into the trainer port of a transmitter. It works with a large range of different transmitters, including many of those made by Futaba, JR, Spektrum, and Hitec. Many FM and 2.4GHz transmitters are supported. Adapter cables that work with many of these transmitters are included. Adapter cables for other transmitters need to be purchased separately.

FM Transmitter

Product Review: Tactic AnyLink System

Once plugged in, your transmitter can be used to control any Tactic receiver. Hobbico has also just released about a dozen different small model airplanes that come with these receivers pre-installed. They are called Tx-R ("transmitter ready") airplanes.

Product Review: Tactic AnyLink System

No URL

Tactic transmitters do not require an AnyLink device to communicate with the Tactic receivers. Also, SLT refers to "secure link technology". It's the specific 2.4GHz signal encoding used by the Tactic systems.

Tactic Brand

From the looks of it, Tactic is to Futaba what Spektrum is to JR. In other words, it's a sister budget brand. Tactic radio transmitters are definitely lower-end than most Spektrum radio systems. Tactic transmitters don't have digital displays and are only available in 4 and 6 channel aircraft versions. All current Spektrum transmitters, except for the DX5e, include digital displays.

The Good

The AnyLink device itself only costs . That's a good deal. A 6 channel Tactic receiver goes for , which is reasonable. The receiver only weighs 8 grams. There's a reasonable variety of airplanes already available with the Tx-R feature. In other words, they come with a Tactic receiver pre-installed.

The Tactic 6 channel transmitter with a 6 channel receiver retails for 0. The 4 channel transmitter/receiver combo is . The Spektrum DX5e, the least expensive radio system in that lineup, retails for 0. The Tactic systems definitely have the advantage as far as price.

The Bad

The Tactic receivers are currently only available in 3 and 6 channel versions. If you need more channels than that, you are out of luck.

The range of the AnyLink is just 1,000 feet. That's good enough for most situations, though I would be real careful with a thermal duration glider or any other model that could get far from you.

The Ugly

The top of the line Hitec Aurora 9 radio system is not supported at all. Neither is the new Spektrum DX18 radio system, though the Hobbico website could just be out of date.

Almost the entire current Spektrum line up of radio systems requires a 0 adapter cable. Ouch! The only exception is the DX6i, which works with an adapter cable included with the AnyLink.

Conclusion

I'm no marketing genius, but I'm having trouble seeing the compelling use case. Buying a receiver separately from an ARF airplane and plugging in the servos into it is pretty easy. Installing the servos correctly is much harder. I guess the hardest part of a receiver installation is plugging in the servos into the right channels. It would seem that a Tx-R airplane's primary appeal is to those relatively new to the hobby.

Somebody just starting out will just buy a Tactic transmitter and a matching Tx-R airplane. Given the convenience, I would probably buy another Tx-R airplane as my second airplane. There is some value there for the end user, at the cost of limiting your airplane choices.

For a current Spektrum transmitter owner to pay +0 = 5 just so that they can use a Tx-R airplane would be nuts. I don't see it happening.

I suppose there might be a market for those owners of older FM transmitters wanting to move up to 2.4GHz that do not want to spend much. Whether is a reasonable price for these cheapskates (I mean, frugal folks) is debatable.

I have a hunch that the AnyLink system was overcome by events before it was released. Not supporting most of the current Spektrum lineup out of the box is going to seriously limit its acceptance.

On a positive note, it does offer reasonable value to those starting out that have purchased a Tactic radio system.

Product Review: Tactic AnyLink System

FM Transmitter

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Switcheasy Colors for iPhone 3g (Mican)

Switcheasy Colors for iPhone 3g (Mican)

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Switcheasy Colors for iPhone 3g (Mican)
Thanks so much! Switcheasy Check out ApsProStore! apsprostore.com Use Promo Code "Obey" for 10% off. They have alot of cases, they might have this one too!SUBSCRIBE now to know when I post new videos, and possibly giveaway videos! Check out the website: www.obeybrandon.webs.com You can buy this product here www.switcheasy.com Price: .99 + 3.00$ Shipping Check out my channel: www.youtube.com SKYPE: ObeyBrandon Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com iMob Friend Code: 120-379-381 Mafia Family Code: 589-792-268 Please Rate, Comment, and Subscribe! Questions and Comments? Get at me in the comment box.
Switcheasy Colors for iPhone 3g (Mican)

Switcheasy Colors for iPhone 3g (Mican)

Switcheasy Colors for iPhone 3g (Mican)

Switcheasy Colors for iPhone 3g (Mican)

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Welding Glasses