Radio companies want the FCC to recall offending FM transmitters

It turns out that FM radio stations -- like NPR -- don't particularly like personal FM transmitters, such as the (pictured, blown-up) iTrip. While you're no doubt gasping for breath at this shocking revelation, we'll present the evidence. While certain countries have been hesitant to allow the use of FM transmitters, the use of such devices in the US has so far remained legal -- much to the chagrin of radio stations which "own" the frequencies that these devices broadcast on. Although the FCC has been investigating the issue of motorist's radio experiences being harmed by FM transmitters, specifically ones integrated into portable satellite radios from XM and Sirius, it seems that the radio companies still aren't satisfied -- to the point at which NPR has carried out its own investigation into the matter. Their findings were that 40% of the devices exceed FCC power limits, with a separate study showing that 75% of devices are too powerful. NPR's assessment that all offending transmitters should be recalled is a fair one, but their claim that "these modulators pose a significant threat" to public radio is a little dramatic. To us the solution seems pretty clear: if you are going to use an FM transmitter, make sure to choose a frequency that isn't occupied. You won't piss off other drivers (unless they're partial to a bit of static), and you'll get better sound quality. Everybody wins!*

*Except the companies that own the radio stations which you aren't listening to.

[chbob @ Oct 28th 2006 8:22PM]

I would like to know which fm transmitters they tested. My tunecast has a snowy sound sitting in my cup holder even with a modded antenna.

[Raider @ Oct 28th 2006 8:27PM]

A lot of them are far too weak... and end up sounding like crap, no matter what frequency you use. The good ones, that work perfectly, are probably those that are "too powerful". Well maybe if radio produced a wider selection of music, people would listen to that instead of other sources. But most radio channels have the same playlists from hour to hour and never play anything they are not paid to play. Those radio stations that play variety music, usually have crappy broadcast equipment.

NPR is another story. Deal with it.

[bophojones @ Oct 28th 2006 9:04PM]

yeah, you can use a frequency which has nothing on it, but when you live in a market where there are very few unused frequencies, everyone figures out which ones are blank. Thus, when the %#^*$ guy driving next to you has a way overpowered satelite radio FM transmitter, my little iTrip doesn't stand a chance. it is frustrating, and i agree that the FCC should look into it more.

[George T @ Oct 29th 2006 6:58AM]

It's not just NPR.

I'm using what is apparently a legal FM transmitter with my MP3 player in the car. Some days on my 15 mile drive to work, my listening will be interrupted many times by a stronger signal, sometimes from another car, that's over 100 feet away.

One contributing factor is the poor sensitivity of the typical car FM radio.

[Pfft @ Oct 28th 2006 9:33PM]

It'd be a lot easier if every car manufacturer included a 15� 1/8" stereo adapter in their cars.

[Paul @ Oct 28th 2006 9:51PM]

I fully agree with you, that would awesome

[Shane @ Oct 28th 2006 10:03PM]

They are already starting to add aux inputs...Chrysler and GM already have this in many of their cars. About 75% of the rental cars I have driven recently have had one.

[Nate MC @ Oct 29th 2006 1:53AM]

Shane,

I wish it was 75%, both 2007 Malibu, and Aveo that I drove as rentals (Enterprise) (I still have the Malibu) don't have AUX inputs.. and it really pisses me off because I have an iPod Deck in my car and rarely use CDs, had to burn a few so I wouldn't go nuts while waiting for my car to be fixed (any day now!)

The 07 Malibu does have a slot in the dash to stash your ipod, but this one didn't have the cable option added. Maybe next time (if there is a next time) I will specifically ask for a car with an Aux input or iPod jack.

[Richard @ Oct 28th 2006 10:18PM]

Oh Noes! The media won't have near as much power over the people now!

[Zach @ Oct 28th 2006 10:30PM]

if you actually use a FM transmitter you deserve shitty quality.

Take five dollars, run to your local CrapShack and pick up a 1/8" plug for your ipod or any other ipod!

What's that? You don't have a aftermarket radio or Aux-In plugs in your factory radio?

... then you deserve to listen to shitty sound!

[asif5th @ Oct 28th 2006 11:40PM]

Actually, I bought one for 25 bucks from Wal-mart, http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4694330 Sure....you might laugh because its from Wallyworld, but the fact of the manner is that I hear no static whatsoever. So why should I stop using my FM transmitter after I bought this $250 Ipod; I don't have to shuffle for CDs every time I want to change artists, but just turn the wheel for two seconds. In fact, I use my Ipod in my car more than using it with my headphones. So until they stop playing the melodramatic crap on the radio nowadays, I'll continue to use my own playlists. Like the guy mentioned before, why not just add an AUX input? Sure I might ruin other peoples' experiences, but I refuse to be another casualty of these businesses. Remember people, they don't care if you ruin the listening experience for someone beside you....only about they're bottom line.

[Mike @ Oct 28th 2006 11:49PM]

This has nothing to do with the power of the transmitters. Terrestrial (testical) Radio is dying thanks to the consolidation of ownership (ahem, ClearChannel, I'm looking at you) and the fact that they've kissed so much Conservative ass that you can't so much as TALK about farting on the radio without getting an FCC fine jammed up your ass.

As such, people are bailing from terrestrial (testicle) radio and paying for Satellite Radio. Why else are they targetting Sirius and XM radios in particular?

[Jim @ Oct 28th 2006 11:39PM]

FVCK THE FCC!

[rhandir @ Oct 29th 2006 12:18AM]

The problem in a nutshell is most NPR stations are trapped down around 88-92 Mhz, where almost all portable transmitters are preset to broadcast. Bad "coincidence", but it means that in urban areas, if you like NPR, you usually get a dose of hip-hop, Howard Stern, or dethmetal mixed in with your Morning Edition. It doesn't take much guesswork to figure out that if Clearchannel owned stations were being interfered with the FCC wouldn't have ever approved these mini transmitters. Their corporate lobbyists pwn NPR's. Engadget editors, there's probably a really interesting story here if you go digging.

The mini transmitters, even the kits, ususally can't be shifted much in frequency by the end user. There's some engineering reasons for that, btw. Hopefully this will go away in time as line in jacks become standard equipment.

Note on frequency "ownership"; the license to use FM radio spectrum is really really expensive. I don't think that it is an accident that politically weak organizations like NPR had to fund their own research on interference. An FCC run by conservative appointees is unlikely to look out for the interests of a supposedly "liberal" set of institutions.

And for all you FCC haters - if it wasn't for their meddling, the only radio we'd be able to hear would be 10,000kwh stations in Mexico that would be solely owned by the highest bidder, and the spectrum to run things like emergency communications (or our precious, precious cellphones) would be drowned out by competing RF skript kiddies. The fact that they do a crap job of regulating swear words on public broacasts doesn't make them useless, just dumb.

[nick @ Oct 29th 2006 12:49AM]

Not everyone wants to pull out their dash and add equipment or change out their radio to accomodate an iPod, satellite radio, or like device. I really hate that stupid wire that sticks out of some dashes as your input, when you do it yourself.

For me, an FM tramsmitter works really well. I don't have crappy sound, which I was always told that I would have prior to buying one. There are actually some pretty good ones out there. About the only time I have interferance is when I go to the gym, which is also using FM transmitters to listen to whatever is on their TVs.

If my car supported these inputs stock, I would certainly use that instead. Would it kill the stereo manufacturers to make an input that connects to the front of the display instead of back?

[kryptn @ Oct 29th 2006 1:20AM]

i like the powerful ones cause i can (note: CAN) take over the horrible rap stations. and i do it

pretty funny when you see some guy bouncing around in his car to rap and then suddenly hear Mudvayne or Cradle of Filth (or even Rammstein!)

[adam @ Oct 29th 2006 1:07AM]

my stereo in my car is a jvc arsenal line unit from 2003, the model # escapes me though but thats not the point. the thing i love about it is that it does have a 1/8" input jack in the front made just for mp3 players. i have my ipod nano hooked up to it and i love the convenience of it.

[Charles R Hamilton @ Oct 29th 2006 2:09AM]

"Terrestrial (testical) Radio is dying thanks to the consolidation of ownership (ahem, ClearChannel, I'm looking at you) and the fact that they've kissed so much Conservative ass that you can't so much as TALK about farting on the radio without getting an FCC fine jammed up your ass."

Ah that didn't take long. It's Bushes fault! What a tool.

The answer to this is Bluetooth. Why there isn't a Bluetooth ipod and a line of Bluetooth Car Stereos to match it is beyond me. Griffin alone has made millions on the itrip alone. Stevie j wasn't using his thinking cap on this one.

[A5-14 @ Oct 29th 2006 10:12AM]

So how much did NPR pay for their portion of the FM Spectrum?

[Rick @ Oct 29th 2006 10:38AM]

I'm just amazed at what ppl will buy. Sirius shouldn't even exist. Why in the world should I buy something that already can get for free?? Oh btw: when the station plays an ad, they got these cool things, called a button. You press one & voila, new station!! wow

[dan @ Oct 29th 2006 10:49AM]

OK, Forget about these transmitters, let's play the Radio Company Game.

I can guarantee you that the radio stations are transmitting higher then legally allowed level. All it takes is someone with the right tools to start taking these measurements to turn this ball around.

also, give up the fm transmitter and hardware via aux. if you have a gm car for $50 bucks most radio shops will put in device that will connect to the cd changer and give you aux. input

[kevin @ Oct 29th 2006 10:53AM]

A5-14, you would clearly broadcast at the frequency you paid for (and they've been around for decades...not like some ClearChannel startup running at some abandoned or unused frequency range), and running circuits at a lower clock speed is always a nice thing. Besides, this is frequency modulation radio so it doesn't matter when you're up in that range, but the effects of having someone else broadcast can be dramatic.

dan, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. They are clearly broadcasting in the FCC allowed ranges or they wouldn't be on the air and the FCC would revoke their licenses. The FCC is well aware of the need to have a signal carry out hundreds of miles away from the transmitter and so the power of the signal has to be high enough anyway.

[kevin @ Oct 29th 2006 10:56AM]

Tens of miles away, rather. You must take into consideration that AM and FM signals must be as strong as they are since each has its own quirks. FM wins out in terms of bandwidth but the distortion can be just as great.

[Lemon Curry @ Oct 29th 2006 11:55AM]

No one has yet to mention that there are several FM transmitters that cover the entire FM broadcast spectrum. Only the cheapest units have presets down in the "NPR band". At least that's the way it is with stand-alone transmitters. I don't know about transmitters integrated into satellite radios.

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 29th 2006 11:24AM]

This shouldn't even be an issue with HD radio set to take the country by storm, right?
(derisive snort)

I haven't listened to "regular" radio since last Christmas when I turned on my first Sirius radio.

If "free" FM was giving folks what they wanted this wouldn't really be a topic for conversation, would it?

[Anthony @ Oct 29th 2006 11:40AM]

When I travel & am in a rental I use 87.9 as virtually no one uses that frequency (except in the Bay Area).

If anyone lives anywhere near other people, most of the FM transmitters are absolutely terrible- regardless of their power output.

[jptech @ Oct 29th 2006 7:50PM]

I stopped listening to radio. All the stations in Miami are owned by clear channel broadcasting.

the one I used to listen to was a classic rock station. they played the same 25 songs every day all day.

when they weren't playing the commercials that is.

too many commercials and bad programming is what it boils down to

[kevin @ Oct 29th 2006 12:43PM]

Personally, I don't like the idea of having an individual each have an FM transmitter because we do have a lot of inconsiderate people in this country, who would just turn it on and if it works, regardless of what frequency it is at, will continue to use it even if there's a conflict.

[kevin @ Oct 29th 2006 12:45PM]

And there is the question of FCC violations for broadcasting too great of a range on frequencies already occupied. I think the right thing to do is for the transmitter to search for an unused band, report it to the user, and then transmit with very little power considering that the distance to the receiver is not as great.

[Jonathan Marks @ Oct 29th 2006 2:59PM]

I think NPR's claims are over hyped and do not represent the real world, where these FM Txs are great if you don't have a jack connector. Interference to beloved NPR on another car? Very difficult. Blame the car industry for being SO SLOW in adapting to the needs of the car user.

[icerabbit @ Oct 29th 2006 5:29PM]

You can't even get NPR in half of my state ...

iTrips & alike too powerful. Pffffff. No way. Mine is not powerful enough.

[Naegling @ Oct 29th 2006 4:44PM]

So a crappy Govt subsidised ultra liberal radio service is pissed
because people would rather listen to their personal music and spoken
work podcast selections, rather than having NPR's liberal agenda
shoved down their throats? Wow I can't believe it! what a shocker!

NPR ( for the few that listen ) should have gone the way of the dodo
( or doodoo ) years ago. Essentially they were podcasting their views
before there was pod-casting. I say The Govt. drops them all together
or gives them a nice little website and a bit of bandwidth with
which they can spew their hate for all things conservative or
logical.

If companies like Clear Channel aren't bitching - I can hardly
see where an piss-ant in the world of radio like NPR has any room to
complain.

[aaron @ Oct 29th 2006 7:18PM]

FM transmitter reception can suck even worse if you have after-market tint on your windows. Some tint has a metallic component that further degrades the signal.

[The loser @ Oct 29th 2006 10:02PM]

My friends used an FM transmitter/karaoke microphone to do a drive-by embarrassment. Our NPR station in Nashville is 90.3 FM, and since there was some modification to get the transmitter out of 87.9 MHz, we had no trouble finding good candidates while interrupting a program of "Prarie Home Companion" with a rendition of Irene Cara's "What a Feeling" - in cognito. To spot NPR listeners, just notice what kind of car they are driving - any Volvo, Toyota Camry, Subaru Forester or Legacy, and any Volkswagen Passat.

[Rob @ Oct 29th 2006 8:07PM]

hmm.. i've bought a heap of FM transmitters from TalkingElectronics.com , and haven't had problems.
i was able to manually tune between 80mhz and 120mhz.

[Kevin @ Oct 29th 2006 9:13PM]

XM and Sirius have some pretty sweet ways of getting around this... XM's new transmitters attach DIRECTLY to the antenna, and come with a piece to impede incoming signals form outside sources. It also works with the new "in-window" antennae. This is all within FCC regs, and should work perfectly! (Unless you are one of the few people with those retractable antennae, in which case you're screwed.)

[smoke Tetsu @ Oct 30th 2006 12:45AM]

I use an FM Transmitter and I would be surprised if it interrupted anyone's radio. In fact it's more common for me to get interrupted like for example there is this one intersection where I constantly get interrupted by the soundtrack of some television programming like teletubbies or sponge bob squarepants. MY FM Transmitter doesn't seem to have enough range to even affect the car next to me much less cause enough trouble to be recalled. The only problem to me is the cheaper modulators don't come with enough choices of frequencies to use.

[Earl @ Oct 30th 2006 9:27AM]

Sounds like someone is doing FM radio a favor by transmitting over their frequencies! Let's face it, radio has been garbage for at least the past 10 years. I personally haven't heard FM or AM in about 4 years. Since I got my iPod