What FM Transmitter for NW-A3000?

[Ripsilver]

Hey guys,

Have just bought a new car, which has a CD player and I want to get an FM transmitter so that I can play my Walkman through my stereo system. My previous car had a cassette stereo so I could use one of those tape adaptors which was ideal!...so any recommendations?!

Cheers

[JustAnUnCoolCat]

Recommendations eh..??

1. Total waste of space, those domestic VHF FM transmitters, if the idea of having a quality bit of kit linking a quality audio deck to an quality car deck's VHF FM radio is concerned.

Ok, if it's the only way you can link up - fair play, but the nicest 'fair on all' method (aka causes least RFI) is what's commonly referred to as a 'modulator' solution.

I can't recall any product examples to quote, offhand, but what a modulator variation does is plug between the antenna lead coming into the car deck and the antenna (so it's in-line) and the second input is the audio input (usually either line-level or intended for phones aka pre-amped level).

The output from the 'modulator' (it's an RF output) goes into the antenna input of the car deck.

Then it's a matter of tuning the radio into the output freq of the modulator, and to tune to any other radio service in the band, tune appropriately.

If you are stuck with a radio solution, this is the nice-guy method as it's a really localised transmitter and provided the whole coax run is good and not leaking, the amount of residula RF leakage to the outside world is so low that in the common instance of cars with metal bodies, bugger all of any really measurable level of RF will leak beyond the car itself.

Remember, folks, just because using an untethered transmitter proper may not cause interference to surrounding buildings, it sure can create unnecessary and not-desirable interference to other nearby vehicles re their in-car VHF sets.

So if you must go VHF FM link, go with a cabled modulator - dont consider inductive types (these use a coil that takes the RF output and induces the signal into the cable run via the coil, as the actual output level you need to overcome inductive losses makes em pretty damn ropey performers).

2. If it costs you something for an MBUS adaptor or whatever equiv it needs to allow you to adaptor a phones out/line-level into the (assuming it's present) CD Changer input (intended for input from a sep mount multi-changer unit) - then that's a way better option.

In general..

Go with the least interference solution if going with VHF FM linkups.

In preference, adapt the AF (audio) output of the portable deck to suit an available aux or cd/line level input on the car deck.

For the benefit of those thinking of buying a new in-car deck - look for something with a CD-changer input and an available adaptor.. and budget for that instead (cleaner and way better quality), or for simplicity, go with a in-car unit with a front-panel aux input...

It costs nothing to research and find simple options, a lot cheaper than retrofitting

Hope this all helps, and i make no apologies for crapping over the utterly dire quality of domestic VHF FM transmitters - i've done a lot of (under workshop test-bed conditions that were fully legal to do, unlike acutal in-car use, in the UK.. and they all stink big time.. to a serious radio user's POV) .

Be Cool ..

'Tom Kat'