What Is The Cable With The Red & White RCA Jacks For? This is a special custom made cable enabling you to broadcast from devices like DVD & VCR players that do not have an earphone jack but only RCA jacks. You can also use it to broadcast from a home theater or stereo tuner and some satellite radio units. The in-line volume control allows you to adjust the output volume into the FM transmitter. If you were to plug a RCA jack lineout directly into the FM transmitter it would over power the audio and sound distorted. You can purchase this cable from us so make sure you keep it in a safe place when not in use.
My Retractable Cables Got Tangled Up Make sure you pull from both ends of the cable at the same time when you want to extend them.
I Think All Of The FM Frequencies Are Used In My Area? Some people report that all 7- transmitter channels are being used. This is not possible since the FCC requires blank channels between commercial stations. What they are hearing is bleed-over noise from a commercial station. When you select one of these blank channels the FM transmitter will broadcast over the noise. It is best to listen for open stations from a ditigal radio like your car radio for example.
Will Leaving My Whole House FM Transmitter™ On All Day & Night Harm It? No, The Whole House FM Transmitter™ is designed to run non-stop 24 -7.
Why Doesn't My FM Transmitter Turn On? • If the red power indicator LED is on, your FM transmitter should be working.
• Are you aware that there is a power switch on the front just below the red LED?
• Is the power cord firmly attached to the FM transmitter?
• Is the AC adapter plugged into the wall?
• Have you tried to use batteries or the USB Power cable with your computer to power it instead of the AC Adapter (or vice versa)?
• Make sure the audio cable is firmly plugged into both devices.
• If you are using the RCA jack adapter make sure the volume is not all the way down.
• Make sure your audio device is working.
Why Don't I Hear Anything? • Is the audio cable firmly attached to the Whole House FM Transmitter™ and your audio source?• Is the volume turned up on your audio source?
• Is the volume turned up on your FM Receiver source?
• Make sure the audio cable is firmly plugged into both devices.
• If you are using the RCA jack adapter make sure the volume is not all the way down.
• Make sure your audio device is working
• It's that darn Rock n' Roll, it ruined your ears! ... :-)
My Audio Source Doesn't Have A Volume Control Does it use an RCA plug? If so, use our custom volume control included with your FM transmitter.
I Lost My AC Adapter Can I Use Some Other One? NO, using a power supply other than the one included with the FM transmitter WILL damage the unit and void the money back guarantee. Visit our accessories area to purchase another one.
What is the Power Output & Distance the FM Transmitter will go? The power output of the Whole House FM Transmitter is designed to comply with FCC Part 15C (Section 15.239) click here for more information about this rule. The distance the FM transmitter can go will vary greatly depending on your environment and quality of FM Receiver so providing an exact distance for your situation is not possible. We do guarantee a radius of 150 feet when setup properly. Click here for more information about why the FCC uses microvolts (µV) to determine the power output of a FM transmitter.
Is this FM Transmitter Designed to be FCC Compliant and What Exactly are the FCC Rules? Yes, the Whole House FM Transmitter is designed to be FCC compliant with Part 15C [Section 15.239(b)] which states: The field strength of any emissions within the permitted 200 KHz (88 - 108MHz) band shall not exceed 250 microvolts/meter at 3 meters. The emission limit in this paragraph is based on measurement instrumentation employing an average detector.
Since this is a question the FCC receives a lot they have also issued a FCC Part 15 Public Notice dated July, 24 1991 that helps clarify the maximum distance you can transmit without needing a FCC license. They provide an "Approximate Maximum Coverage Radius" of 200 feet. Read the FCC Part 15 Public Notice dated July, 24 1991. The FCC also has a section on their website dedicated to low power transmitters and Part 15, click to see that site. Also, here is a copy of FCC Part 15 dated August 14, 2006. It is 155 pages so it may take a while to download depending on your connection speed **Please note the information we are providing here is for educational purposes only, we do not claim to be experts in FCC law.
Why Does the FCC use Microvolts(µV) to Determine the Power Output (Field Strength) of a FM Transmitter? Great question, the best source we've found to help explain that is at Ramsey Electronics.com. Below is a copy of what they say: The new FCC Part 15 Rules specify a maximum "Field Strength" of your transmitted signal. Since it is unlikely that you have the equipment to carry out accurate field strength measurements in microvolts, it is useful to understand at least the theory of field strength so that you can understand both what you can expect from such transmitters, and what limits the FCC intends. Previous limits on nonlicensed FM-broadcast band devices were defined as a maximum field strength of 40µV per meter measured at a distance of 15 meters. The June 1989 revised rule specifies a maximum of 250 µV per meter, but measured at 3 meters from your antenna. The term, "250µV per meter" means that an accurate field-strength meter with a calibrated and scaled 1-meter antenna may indicate a maximum signal field strength of 250µV (In contrast, non-licensed operation from 26.96 to 27.28 MHz, your standard CB walkie-talkie, is limited to a field strength of 10,000 µV per meter at 3 meters). In all cases, the field strength of a signal decreases in direct proportion to the distance away from the antenna. Power decreases by the square of distance: for every doubling in distance, the signal power is quartered, but the field strength voltage is only halved. Using this theory, we can construct a simple chart to show the maximum permitted performance of a non-licensed FM band transmitter. The theoretical figures assume a simple 1 meter receiving antenna in all cases and do not take into consideration that reception can be greatly enhanced with larger, multi-element antennas and preamplifiers on the receiver. In the following chart, the field strength (theoretical minimum) gets stronger as you move from the edge of these circular boundaries toward the antenna:
Distance From Transmitter Antenna | METERS | FEET | FIELD STRENGTH (µV) | TOTAL AREA RECEIVED | 3 | 10 | 250 | 314 FT | 6 | 20 | 125 | 1256 FT | 12 | 39 | 63 | 4800 FT | 24 | 78 | 31 | 19113 FT | 48 | 157 | 15 | 1.8 ACRES | 96 | 315 | 7.5 | 7.2 ACRES | 192 | 630 | 3.8 | 28.6 ACRES | 384 | 1260 | 1.9 | 11.4 ACRES | 768 | 2520 | .95 | 458 ACRES | 1536 | 5036 | .5 | 1830 ACRES |
This "exercise in meters and microvolts" demonstrates that the FCC clearly intends to limit the theoretical range of non-licensed devices operating in this band. It also shows the potential for causing interference at a home down the street from you. But it also shows that you can legally put out quite a good signal over wider areas than you might have imagined. For other kinds of radio services, the FCC restricts such factors as transmitter power or antenna height, which cannot really limit the possible "range" of a transmission under good conditions. By restricting the maximum field strength at a specific distance from your antenna, the FCC clearly plans for your signal to "die out" at a specific distance from your antenna, no matter what kind of transmitter power or antenna you are using. On the other hand, the FCC standards do make it legal and possible for you to broadcast on a school campus, campground or local neighborhood, as long as you remain within the field strength limitations and do not cause interference to broadcast reception.
What Are the Terms of the Full Replacement Coverage? Please visit our Warranty Terms page for more details.
I’m Still Not Sure What Else To Do, Who Can I Call? Feel free to call our technical help line at (877) 203-5852 we will be happy to assist you in fixing the problem or feel free to email us. |
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