iPod and iTunes Hacks

Turn Your iPod Mini into a Radio Station

Turn your iPod mini into a mini radio broadcaster.

With an iPod, you have in your hands a ton of music. Ever wanted to be a DJ at a radio station? Just add an FM broadcaster (the iTrip mini) to your iPod and, with a little hackery, you can be broadcasting your own little local-area radio station.

Here’s what you’ll need for this hack:

• An iPod mini

• An iTrip mini

• Additional iPods, iTalks, and iTrips (all optional)

Getting Started

To become your own pirate broadcast station, you’ll first need to increase the range and signal of your iTrip mini. It’s not obvious, but there is an antenna built inside the iTrip mini. All you need to do is remove the top sticker-like protective covering that hides the antenna and then, using tweezers or your fingernails, pull out the antenna. I’ve found that this produces a 20% to 30% increase of range, on average. Be warned, though, that this likely voids the warranty.

The iTrip mini allows you to install and broadcast to all the stations on the dial. Make sure you’ve installed all the stations, because when you’re on the go you might need to be able to switch to other options. Remember, the iTrip is an FM broadcasting device, intended to broadcast 10 to 30 feet to an FM radio.

Next, choose your broadcast. It can be any song or a spoken-word MP3; don’t worry, I have a few suggestions. A lot depends on the situation you’re ...