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Any cheap transmitters with good range?

P

phils07

My Whole House FM broke because the antenna came out of the hole and can't put it back in. Is there any cheaper AM or FM transmitters with good range?
 
So tell me what FM transmitter will cover a 'whole house'. I tried a couple of FM transmitters at retail... really designed to transmit from an I-Pod or other mp3 device to a car radio. They won't reach to the other end of my 12x20 foot man cave/office/studio up above the garage, much less the rest of the house.
 
Not too long ago I published the Whole House FM Transmitter 2.0 Review on my web site after performing a technical evaluation of it and a side-by-side comparison of several other Part 15 transmitters. As far as the Whole House transmitter goes it will cover greater than the whole house ... if you use the included "International Antenna Extension Kit" which is nothing more than 130 inches of wire used to extend the antenna.

As manufactured, all the transmitters met the Part 15.239 when measured with a Potomac FIM-71. Obviously, using the "optional" antenna "kit" would bring the field strength of the Whole House 2.0 past Part 15 levels. We measured 1,000 µV/m at 3 meters with the untuned kit attached. Because there was some doubt in my mind on the accuracy of the two FIMs used for the tests our Potomac went to the factory for service. I plan on repeating the tests so I can confidently publish numbers.

Mind you, my tests weren't meant to be "certification lab quality" but more reflective of what a end-user might see as typical performance for a product off the manufacturing lines. Personally, between the marketing hype on the site and my past conversation with those in charge I could never see myself purchasing any Whole House transmitter products.
 
So much depends on the quality of the receiver too. I have several radios which can't pick up my
FM bug in the next room. But I can get it in my car down to the nearest corner.
 
FreddyE1977 said:
So much depends on the quality of the receiver too. I have several radios which can't pick up my
FM bug in the next room. But I can get it in my car down to the nearest corner.
Click to expand...

Quite true, FreddyE. In many of my tests, a Part 15 compliant FM signal only worked about 75 to 100 feet on what I would consider the "typical" portable radios I had available in my test lab. The car radios would received a signal about twice as far but keep in mind that the tests were performed in unobstructed space. In a typical home you'll have obstructions which will lessen the effective range.
 
Bill DeFelice said:
FreddyE1977 said:
So much depends on the quality of the receiver too. I have several radios which can't pick up my
FM bug in the next room. But I can get it in my car down to the nearest corner.
Click to expand...

Quite true, FreddyE. In many of my tests, a Part 15 compliant FM signal only worked about 75 to 100 feet on what I would consider the "typical" portable radios I had available in my test lab. The car radios would received a signal about twice as far but keep in mind that the tests were performed in unobstructed space. In a typical home you'll have obstructions which will lessen the effective range.
Click to expand...
That's good info Bill...I have a 1 watt exciter feeding into a partially extended paper clip for an antenna and it covers the whole house (slightly above average sized ranch) and carries maybe 200' on the car radio before a low power (80 watts/110' HAAT) translator 24 miles from here squashes it. I don't have access to an FIM but numbers like you're observing tell me if this thing isn't exactly compliant, it's mighty close.
 
I had one of those WHT's go over two miles when positioned outdoors using the 'international antenna' outside of a house high on a big hill. I was amazed! Needless to say, I tried this only once because, with that much range, obviously, it was not part 15 compliant. :eek:
 
For sure, johnsummers. Now that I have a factory calibrated field strength meter I hope to do another battery of outdoor measurements before it gets too cold out. Considering it's 28 degrees right now I'm not exactly running out the door to do that now.
 
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