iPod and iTunes Hacks

Build Your Own FM Broadcaster

Increase the range of your FM transmitter and broadcast audio around your home.

If you read “Broadcast Your iPod to FM Radio” [Hack #5] , you might have noted that the FM transmitters discussed seemed to work like very weak FM stations. Unsurprisingly, that is precisely the function of the mentioned FM transmitters. Their power, and thus range, is limited by FCC regulations. This hack details how to amplify the signal from an FM transmitter to cover a larger area.

Here’s what you’ll need to complete this hack:

• An iPod

• An FM transmitter

• Various electronic components (listed later in this hack)

• A soldering iron

• Fearless voiding of the FM transmitter’s warranty

Building the FM Transmitter Amplifier

Strictly speaking, you don’t have to build anything, because there is a wide variety of available kits and prebuilt devices that will save you the trouble. One example is the FM100B Super Pro FM Stereo Radio Station Kit (http://www.ramseyelectronics.com; $269.95). This solution will provide much better quality than the following design, but it has a few drawbacks. The first is that it costs $269.95, and the second is that it is much more interesting (and cheaper) to build something like this from scratch.

Warning

Before I get to the specifics of this hack, let me note that if you’re living in the United States (or one of several other countries), this hack is illegal. ...