- Wireless broadcast of any audio to any FM radio anywhere in your home, car or office.
- The FM Transmitter 2 uses FM radio waves to send sound from any device you choose to any nearby radio or stereo system
- AC adapter included, or use 2 optional AA batteries. FCC compliant
I decided to do the mod after finding instructions online. It was very easy. The VR2 needs to be turned
counter-clock wise on the FM2 as compared to clockwise on the original. After the mod the range is fantastic!!!
I can stream satellite music at work and send it to nearby rooms that I will be working in. Very satisfied
with this product.I purchased this in order to broadcast music throughout my apartment. I live near Milwaukee, so I knew the radio spectrum is pretty congested, but helped me find open channels.
Let me say, out of the box, this product was very disappointing. I tried multiple open channels, but I could only get reception on 1 or 2 of my radios at a time, not all of them. No matter what channel I chose, my broadcast was being swamped by other hardly audible broadcasts, even on open channels. So I did the following mod: . However, on this model I had to rotate VR2 counter-clockwise to get boosted transmission. Now it works beautifully and I have reception throughout my apartment.
One last thing worth mentioning: the Crane transmitter allows tuning the broadcast to half channels. I highly recommend using this. I found one of my radios picked up 101.5 best when I was transmitting at 101.5.5. The transmitter isn't going to be perfect, so it's worth toying with those to get the best sound quality.
---AlexThere are two excellent reviews on the web covering this newest model. Just do a web search for Radio Jay Allen C.Crane Fm Transmitter 2. For a second review search for HobbyBroadcaster C.Crane FM Transmitter 2.
Jay Allen works in the broadcast industry and explains why the FM Transmitter 2 sounds so much better than other FM transmitters. The other review by Hobby Broadcaster agrees with Jay Allen but mentions that their first review unit had a problem with a faulty soldering job on the antenna. This caused poor FM broadcasting range. They returned the first unit and received a replacement unit. Hobby Broadcaster gave the replacement FM Transmitter 2 a glowing review.
I agree with Allen and Hobby Broadcaster that this product has good range and sounds fantastic. I plug my iPod Touch into it and can receive the FM signal throughout my house. The sound quality is equal to or better than a regular FM broadcast station. The reason the FM Transmitter 2 sounds better than regular broadcast FM stations in some cases is because many broadcasters artificially boost the bass of the FM broadcast signal making it sound horrible on some radios this artificial bass boost makes male announcers voices sound "boomy".
I would give this product a 5 star rating if it weren't for the somewhat flimsy feeling construction. For example: the jack where you plug the power cord into the unit wobbles a little. (at first I thought I had a defective unit because the power was cutting out every time the unit was moved. The problem as that I didn't have the jack pushed all the way in. It is deceptive because there is sort of a "detent" which gives you the feeling that the jack is pushed all the way in when it really is not.) I've heard that the power usage is pretty low so I will try using the transmitter two AA batteries for a while.
PS. One other thing; as with all radio transmitters you may have trouble sending signals through walls with metal in them such as aluminum siding, steel siding, stucco walls with wire mesh, or insulation with foil backing. I've heard that you can modify these to increase the power output by turning a screw on the circuit board. I haven't tried this because the signal is strong enough for me. Just realize that your warranty is voided if you open the case up. If you don't want to open the case you may want to try an antenna extender. The one I have is manufactured by Tecsun. I will post in the comment section later if it increases the range.Good product for the money. I would have given it 5 stars if the mod wasn't required. Once the mod was made it worked great in my whole house. Transmitter is located on the third floor of the house close to stereo equipment. I have no problems with a strong signal in the basement or outside on the deck. (Even gets a signal in the car out in the driveway.) Mod is real easy. Remove 3 screws and turn VR2 counterclockwise. Without the mod I could hardly get a signal 10 feet away in the next room. I think the product is designed to have the mod done. (Maybe an FCC limitation???) I would highly recommend the product if you plan on making the mod. I you do not want to make the modification I would not waste your time or money.
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The C.Crane FM Transmitter 2 works splendidly. One misconception I had in setting up the transmitter was the notion that all digital transmitters and receivers mean what they say about the actual frequency. They don't. For example I had to set the reciever for 106.3 and the transmitter to 106.25 to give the best results for my application. When both trnasmitter and receiver were set to the 106.3, there was static and limited range. Yes, you may need to "tune" the transmitter to match your digital reciever. I suspect that this was the problem that other reviewers had with limited range. Also a good antenna on the reciever was a msut to get the best range in my application.To find the best FM frequency to broadcast you need to find a place between existing FM stations in your area. I found the website which will list the radio station frequencies and their signal strength in a particular zip code. You simply put in your zipcode and all the AM and FM stations in your area will be shown in a table. To select an appropriate FM brodcasting frequency for your area cut and paste the list from the web site into a spreadsheet and sort by FM Frequency. Look for the largest gaps between FM station frequencies for the weakest signal strength stations and set your transmitter exactly halfway between those frequencies. This will assure the least interference from the big boys.
My application was to get music from the front of a dance hall to a receiver driving large speakers in the back of the dance hall some 70 feet away, which is just at the limit of the device according to the manufacturer.
Good luck.
Dave
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