Digital Wireless Broadcasting: the Digiana Audia-x FM Transmitter v2

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.merconnet.com/product_info.php?products_id=426

The concept is pretty simple: a small FM broadcasting unit, with enough power to reach a few feet, connected to any sort of media player with a mini jack on it. You tune the FM broadcasting unit to the same radio station as the one your car it set on, and you're listening to whatever is on your media player. I've tried two units like this before, and never bothered to keep them for one reason: it's notoriously hard to get the dials on the broadcasting unit set perfectly to match the car radio station. Modern cars have digital radio tuners, but the transmitters I tried were analog. Until the Audia-x v2, sent to me by Merconnet.



I tested this unit with a Creative Labs Zen Micro, Dell Axim X50v, and an Orange C500 Smartphone - it worked well with all of them. The range on the Audia-x is two meters on paper, and while I never moved the unit beyond four feet, it maintained the signal perfectly - which is more than I can say for the other units. The thing that makes this unit really stand out though is the digital tuner - by having a digital tuner on both the transmitter and the car radio, it allowed for a fast and painless signal lock. Audio quality is about what you'd expect - it's FM radio, so while it sounds passable, it pales in comparison to a CD. But that's not a surprise, and the Audia-x does the best it can within the limitations of FM quality.

The unit retails for $39.99 USD, and includes an auto adaptor for power and a battery, which is a nice touch - it has everything you need. The audio cable is attached to the unit so there's no danger of missing a piece when you most need it. If you're looking for an FM transmitter solution for your audio device, I can highly recommend the Digiana Audia-x FM Transmitter v2 as a solid solution.

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.merconnet.com/product_info.php?products_id=426

The concept is pretty simple: a small FM broadcasting unit, with enough power to reach a few feet, connected to any sort of media player with a mini jack on it. You tune the FM broadcasting unit to the same radio station as the one your car it set on, and you're listening to whatever is on your media player. I've tried two units like this before, and never bothered to keep them for one reason: it's notoriously hard to get the dials on the broadcasting unit set perfectly to match the car radio station. Modern cars have digital radio tuners, but the transmitters I tried were analog. Until the Audia-x v2, sent to me by Merconnet.



I tested this unit with a Creative Labs Zen Micro, Dell Axim X50v, and an Orange C500 Smartphone - it worked well with all of them. The range on the Audia-x is two meters on paper, and while I never moved the unit beyond four feet, it maintained the signal perfectly - which is more than I can say for the other units. The thing that makes this unit really stand out though is the digital tuner - by having a digital tuner on both the transmitter and the car radio, it allowed for a fast and painless signal lock. Audio quality is about what you'd expect - it's FM radio, so while it sounds passable, it pales in comparison to a CD. But that's not a surprise, and the Audia-x does the best it can within the limitations of FM quality.

The unit retails for $39.99 USD, and includes an auto adaptor for power and a battery, which is a nice touch - it has everything you need. The audio cable is attached to the unit so there's no danger of missing a piece when you most need it. If you're looking for an FM transmitter solution for your audio device, I can highly recommend the Digiana Audia-x FM Transmitter v2 as a solid solution.

[kevin]

that is cool... i can use it to listen to my daily Podcast feeds on the drive to the office. i have had trouble getting the volume right w/ the ear piece on my SMT 5600, so hopefully this gadget can free me of this annoyance.

combined w/ my free podcast client (smartfeed.org), I am now envisioning a relaxing drive to the office

[Jonathon Watkins]

Now that is really, really nice. Shame they are illegal in the UK due to the licencing laws.

[Mike Temporale]

I've got one of these - well, one similar to this. We bought it a couple years ago when we purchased our new car. At the time, buying a MP3 enabled stereo was too expensive. So instead we got a FM transmitter, and a MP3 CD player (Koss $50). It works like a charm, regardless of what we plug into it. I don't tend to use my Smartphone with it too often because it's too much of a hassle if a call comes in. But I have used my Pocket PC with it.

[TimeHunter]

Belkin has had a similar unit out for nearly a year. My US market model can use any freq available on the dial, not just a selection of presets. I use it all the time.