In-car FM Transmitter

Strictly speaking, and as I understand it, they're illegal to use without the correct licence. :-(

Yeah that seems to be the case:

Fairly out of date legislation if you ask me. In the US, these are legal provided they broadcast below a certain power output, which seems to make much more sense.

No they are not! As the signal remains in the vehicle and is not tramsmitted it is perfectly legal!

Hello,

Operating ANY transmitter without a licence in the UK is illegal - and you will not get one for operating in broadcast bands.(refer to the OFCOM website and direct any arguments against UK Law towards them) If the device transmits a signal and a car radio (or any other nearby radio) can be tuned to that signal then you shouldn't use it as it is illegal to own and operate. It's also debatable whether selling it in the UK is legal as other companies have been prosecuted for selling transmitters operating between 88 and 108MHz. It will transmit for some distance outside the car - try it. The signal will be radiated outside the car unless it has no windows and is a completely screened metal enclosure! The other alternative is to use one of the cassette type adapters in a car, or AUX inputs and a suitable lead.

PMR radios are fine with no license, along with some other things like remote controls and keyfobs and things.

But you're no doubt right about things that transmit onto commercial radio frequencies.

How can the signal remain in the vehicle? It has to escape and reach the (externally mounted) aerial.

There is a minimum power under which it is legal though. Otherwise any clock line in your PC around 100 MHz would be generating illegal radio waves.

No they send the signal directlr into the aerial connection. If wired correctly there will be no transmission outside of the vehicle.

Yeah, that's one type where you actually have to pull out the stereo and plug the cable into the antenna port on the back of the head unit. But I'm talking about the other sort, which actually transmit FM, as opposed to just modulating it onto a wire.

That is an FM modulator, not an FM transmitter. Different toy all together.

FM modulators are on the whole crap, FM transmitters work much better, but as said are illegal.

as someone said there legal in the US so maybe a bit of a google search could get you one from the states?

Very much so. It's possible to get your hands on them, but not always easy of course.

Live life on the edge, just get one,.its a stupid 55 yr old law anyway.

Dead easy to get one, ebay or one of the iPod specialist retailers will have a selection to choose from.

Oh god yeah, the only think likely to get you busted is if some stupid old fart gets his radio 3 interupted by your rage against the machine MP3s, as you drive by, and he gets your number plate, even then, there has to actually be someone to answer the phone at the police station when he illegally calls on his handheld mobile.

The law was made to cover a different situation, and enforcement is hardly simply even if someone somewhere thought it was a priority.

But said 'some old fart' is never in a million years going to think, "My lord, that passing car must have an FM transmitter!" are they :) And i bet if you ask a police man or 10, most of them wouldn't know it was against the law...

Picture the scene. You get pulled over for doing 86mph on the M1, the copper starts writing out the ticket when he spots the FM transmitter sitting on your passanger seat. "Ello ello ello what do we have here then? An FM transmitter I see! Well well, you have been a naughty boy. You'll be doing some hard time for this one my son!"

I have a legal version, an FM modulator. You install it in the aerial lead and it provides a pair of sockets that you can plug an external device into. It then outputs the signal on an unused FM channel.

IMO, they are utter s**te and best avoided.