7W 1W Long Range FM Transmitter with LCD & 3.5mm Audio Cable - Ideal for Drive-in Church, School & Supermarket Events, Light Shows & Fireworks Display - Black

There are several version of these FM transmitters on Amazon. This version is the more powerful unit (1 watt or 7 watts). One watt is more than enough around the house. You want the telescoping antenna instead of the rubber duck most use. Has a cooling fan. Uses an FM synth chip. Seems well designed and well made.I'm feeding it from a PC. You will have to lower the PC's volume to prevent distortion. There isn't any visual indication of the proper volume, but with a decent radio, you can figure it out (basically turn it up to the point where you get good reception (loud) but not so much that the loud parts cause distortion. Fidelity seems to be as good as the receiver allows. Can interfere with USB/Bluetooth if it's too close to the PC.All of these FM transmitters will distort badly if fed a too strong audio signal. For the highest quality sound, get the Sound Lock (free) audio limiter app (Windows) which can be set to limit the volume of the audio signal the PC puts out and avoid distortion. Basically you listen on a nearby FM radio and up the maximum volume allowed until distortion is heard, then back off.Note: These types of FM transmitters don't put out a strong enough signal for good operation with analog tuned FM radios (like the old school pocket radios). You need to use a digital receiver so you can directly input the frequency being used. A popular frequency that should be clear in most areas (except LA and a few others) is 87.7 mHz. That's the frequency of the audio on the old analog TV channel 6. Only a few of those are still on the air on that frequency. While this is not strictly in the FM band, most FM receivers can be tuned to it.

edit: also check your local open frequencies, other users recommended 87.7/.9 but those are occupied where I live in the bay area, the only singular local frequency open here is apparently 97.7, but google it and if you don't get a result, don't use this, you will mess up someone's signal and they will find out eventually, and they will complain to daddy fcc about itI bought this to transmit audio from a plate reverb in my garage to my studio about 100 feet away, the first time I powered it on in the 7 watt mode in my room, it literally shut off almost every device in my house and made the garage door cycle open and close for half an hour even after I shut it off. The most superb device I have ever bought actually

Performance is very good. The only thing that prevented it from getting 5 stars across the board was the volume output control. There is no visual indicator to show you when you have gone too far and are into distortion land. You have to play with it on a receiver to find the sweet spot (not too soft to hear/not too loud to distort). But once you find the sweet spot, it sounds surprisingly good for something that was only 80 bucks. I have the 1 watt/7 watt version. 1 watt goes about 3 quarters of a mile. 7 watts goes about a mile and a half. Unit was just on the kitchen table on the first floor, so if you elevate it, you could probably do better. Seems more than adequate for a drive-in movie lot or church purposes. Best to use it on 87.9 or 87.7 where it won't interfere with anything.

Let's start with the item. Build quality looks and feels very solid. Instructions are clear and easy to understand. Simple to change between 1W and 7W settings, very simple to set transmit frequency. Sound quality is very good for the money, and in true stereo. I bought this to transmit music streamed from my PC around my house and out to the barn, and it does so very well. 1W easily covers my home and halfway down the block....which leads us to what needs to be discussed.The item has a legitimate FCC Part 15 number on it....but this item will EASILY violate part 15 on the 7 Watt setting. On a clear channel using the 7W setting, it will get out well over a mile. Put it up high outdoors, and the range doubles. The last thing you want to do is attract the ire of the FCC....but that only happens if someone complains. It behooves the user to ensure that nobody complains. Use the low power setting when possible. Ensure that you aren't accidentally trampling on a licensed broadcast. Do not broadcast anything that could be deemed offensive or vulgar. And shut it down when not in use. Be smart, and everything will be OK. So why does the manufacturer sell an item that can be used illegally? Well, every car manufacturer sells vehicles that will easily exceed legal speed limits. The onus for prudent use falls upon the consumer. FCC fines can be massive, so use common sense. If you live in a rural area with few neighbors, you can probably use the 7W setting with no problems. In an urban area, that's probably not a good idea.So there you have it. Fun little piece of equipment at a great price. Use it wisely, and enjoy.

it had a loud hum so bad you couldn’t hear the audio, returning it

Whoa... This thing has some power!!!In fact, it has so much power that when used in it's default HIGH power mode it interferes with my WiFi, which is right next to it. I run enterprise wifi gear and any time the transmitter was on the Wi-Fi would die which never happens. Turning it off, Wi-Fi is back.Turns out it ships in high power mode and there is a low power mode you can set. As a good steward of the air waves, it's important to use only the lowest power possible to achieve your goal. While in low power mode the signal is still really strong and will likely be enough for your needs. In fact, in low power the signal can be clearly picked up many blocks away! And BENEFIT it doesn't kill WiFi!I wonder how far it reached in high power?!?!?!

Device constantly reboots if set to “High” 7w. Seems to work fine at 1w.

Does it job, you pick the station tuning, and it is a quality audio stereo signal. There is a small amount of Fan Noise, but everyone sleeps through it, so it is not Loud, but is Not silent.Will buy another.