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Sporster 4 FM transmitter

2831 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  BCScott
The transmitter on the Sportster 4 is terrible, tons of static. Much worse then the Starmate. I have looked around it seems that I will need wired fm modulator to plug into my radio's antenna. Has anyone used one of these things? Do they work ok? Where can I get one?
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Thanks for the link, North of Calgary! Works like a charm and gives a decent signal around the house. Great $3 investment.
This little mod just gave me reach to a cabin 350 ft from the house! I have a JVC system in that cabin so it must have stronger reception than the Panasonic units in my other 3 cabins as reception wasn't as good in them even though they're closer. Even in the JVC cabin, the reception isn't stellar, but it beats the crap out of listening to a crystal clear CJ92 from Calgary. Now to figure out a way to boost it a bit.
The wave length of an 88.1 signal is 3.4 metres, and my fm out wire is 170cm, do you think if I made one 6.8 metres and strung it outside, I'd get much better broadcast strength? Since 2 phono plugs came with the $3 package, I guess I'll just have to try it out.
Failing this, are there boosters available?
Even easier, there's a chart at the bottom that does the calculation for you.

http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/EDDOCS/wavelength.html

A question, though, does the measurement start with the wire, or with the tip of the plug?
I finally got around to trying to boost the fm broadcast strength. I ran a 17 metre (5x3.4 metre) antenna outside. It made a small gain in the signal, but not much. Any ideas on how to boost it a bit more?
The chart I used said that for 88.1 frequency, the wavelength should be 3.4 metres. I wanted the run to go outside to see if the broadcast would reach farther. When comparing the 3 antennas I made, 85cm, 170cm, and 17 metres, the longest one does work marginally the best, giving me the strongest signal in my farthest cabin. The 85cm one works fine in the car. I was hoping for a bigger improvement with the longer run, but can live with it for now. I see that Sat. Radio Source is now selling a short fm out antenna that looks good for $12.99. All told, my 3 antenna experiment cost me $14.00.
I'd still like to find a way to boost it a bit more though.
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