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Cheap MP3 Broadcaster

Posted by Hemos on from the cool-toy-to-play-with dept.

Raffi Spock writes: "OK, this isn't new or anything, but with all that stuff on transmitters for MP3 that transmit through phone lines to an expensive receiver, I just thought I'd point the dial to Cana-kit who manufacture a little kit that transmits any audio source to a distance of about 150M. Cost is about $40 Canadian. I just built one of these, so I now can listen to MP3s without carrying a very heavy PC around. Oh yeah, since it just plugs into any audio output, drivers are unnecessary making it run on any OS."

109 comments

  1. and for more power and cleaner audio.. by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 4
    try:

    broadcast-warehouse.com (in the UK) sells REAL fm exciters and amps. yeah, beyond what's legal in the US, but the audio quality is 100% full pro.

    and if you're worried about too much power, just transmit into a dummy-load (50ohm resistor with enough wattage to take the output, at least 5 watts non-inductive).

    the ramsey kit (fm10a) is very well known and famous, but has spurs that, if amplified, will make you quite illegal. I opted for the synthesized broadcast-warehouse system since its known to be much cleaner (rf wise) and you have more options on the audio front-end.

    but be prepared to spend at least 2 hrs per kit to build it...

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    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    1. Re:and for more power and cleaner audio.. by GigsVT · · Score: 2
      But be prepared to spend at least 2 hrs per kit to build it...

      And be prepared to have the FCC knocking on your door if you trasmit at 1-10watts or more on the FM broadcast band, clean signal or not. They don't monitor generally, but if you are in the 1st or 2nd adjecent channel to a real station that is within 50 miles or so, the broadcast engineer of the FM station will sic the FCC on you. Even if you find a clear channel, you might be blasting one of the new LPFM10 or 100 watt stations out of the water with your signal, and they will get pissed and call the FCC.

      Don't even think about running illegal power on the FM broadcast band, unless you are ready to be constantly in a cat and mouse game with the FCC. Stay in the 900Mhz or 2.4Ghz public bands, you can run a few watts there legally. (but not from a kit, because the device must be type accepted as far as I know.)

      KG4JHX
      -

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    2. Re:and for more power and cleaner audio.. by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 2
      I know the BA chip well; have built MANY fm xmitters before. you get what you pay for.

      you have way less than 100mw output with the ramsey style single-chip solution. the audio qualtiy is so-so. there's NO limiter on it and its too easy to overdrive and over-deviate (fm modulation concept). and if you're at all tempted to add rf gain to it, better put in a very steep LP filter too else planes might start crashing into your house ;-)

      yes, the B-W unit is crazy expensive. but quality analog design's aren't free. the one-chip-wonder based on the BA chip was really meant to inject audio from a car changer directly into the FM antenna input of a car stereo. it was NEVER meant to actually broadcast signals thru the air.

      I did drop a lot of change on the UK kit but I wanted true CD quality (as best as you can get within the 15khz limit of US fm band) and this kit can't be beat. in fact, if you price PRO units (like what commecial stations use) you'll find that their specs compare but pre-built pro exciters and audio coders cost many times more..

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      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    3. Re:and for more power and cleaner audio.. by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 2
      oh, and with the B-W kit, you get a real measured 1 WATT output. that's good for, oh, say, 5 miles with a reasonable antenna...

      ;-)

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      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    4. Re:and for more power and cleaner audio.. by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 2
      I did say to run into a dummy load. that will cut down the power and keep you legal since the radiated amount of power is what's at issue and NOT the rf input into an antenna.

      you can legally run 1kw in the 88-108 band; just not into the air, that's all ;-)

      I get full house coverage (at home) running into a dummy load. and its keeps the finals happy and cool, too.

      1watt into a dummy load is so much better than 10mw into a reactive high-swr antenna..

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      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    5. Re:and for more power and cleaner audio.. by SubtleNuance · · Score: 2

      Yeah - REAL is right, real damned expensive: try this currency converter at yahoo to tell you how much broadcast-warehouse's least expensive unit (1W) costs: $329UK vs $40CDN.
      Hint: Its over $700CDN

  2. Boneheads by 1010011010 · · Score: 1



    Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005'

    [Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Could not start session.

    //global.asa, line 115


    .. MS Access as the database for their front page? Sheesh.

    ________________________________________

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    Napster-to-go says "Fill and refill your compatible MP3 player", which is a lie. It's not MP3. It's WMA with DRM.
  3. Digital Radio will give you fast internet access by cheekymonkey_68 · · Score: 1

    The register had an article a while back about Psion bringing out a Digital Radio which will have the potential for fast internet access

    Allegly the BBC here in the UK(according to this article in the register) will be doing just that in the not too distant future, hook the radio to your PC via its USB port and forget phone lines becuase in theory you could recieve data at up to 1.5 Meg per second.

  4. Exchange Rate by gtx · · Score: 3

    Let's see... $20 canadian, in the US, that'd be worth approximately...

    5 "Alpha-Bits" Box tops plus 3 dollars postage and handling, right?

    --


    "I hope I don't make a mistake and manage to remain a virgin." - Britney Spears
    1. Re:Exchange Rate by mrfiddlehead · · Score: 1

      Ha ha. You fucking yanks are a laugh riot.

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      :wq
  5. Duo-MP3, make use of your old cassette player! by edgrale · · Score: 2

    Check this one out. Cool or what? Too bad it's way too expencive, I wonder who will buy one for $250?
    The idea is great though, use your old cassette players. Second bad thing is that it can only hold 30min of music.
    They don't say how much the flash addon costs, but I bet it will be expencive also.

    Oh well, bed time, night folks!

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    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    1. Re:Duo-MP3, make use of your old cassette player! by NevDull · · Score: 1

      Besides the fact that the sound probably sounds like crap, why would anyone do this rather than get the MP3 player they like and plug it into one of those headphone jack -> cassette adapters?

      They've had the adapter technology for years... not that much of a biggie. Ask anyone who had a CD player in the car 8 years ago.

      The adapter goes for $20 or less, and you lose limitations imposed on the design of a Digisette

      -Nev

  6. what's the point? by cjd · · Score: 1

    Whoopdey-doo! Audio transmission...pretty new. Lets make some other 'new' interesting items to feature on slashdot...

    (1) MP3 Phone - Simply place our specially designed handset near your PC speaker and transmit mp3's across the world at the same quality as realaudio but without glitches or buffering problems!!

    (2) MP3 PPP - With our advanced audio technology, you can transmit audio to any point in your building without terminating any cables!!! Simply place our patented TransCan(tm) in front of your audio speaker and the RecieveCan (tm) at ear or microphone of recipient. Pull the string tight and you have clean uninterrupted MP3!

    (3) MP3 Wheel - This new Solid Object Design (SOD) is designed to roll much better than a normal square cement slab thanks to our super advanced manufacturing technology. It doesn't play MP3, but I figure that if you put those three letters in a post, it somehow becomes relevant.

    'When I was young I prayed to God for a bicycle.....Then I learnt that God does not work that way - so I stole one and asked him for forgiveness instead.'

  7. Receiver limitations by Matt_Bennett · · Score: 4

    Can't get to the website due to errors over there, but if this kit is based on the BA1404 chip like the Ramsey FM10 (which, for this price I think it has to be) you may have serious problems receiving what this thing puts out on many FM receivers. The BA1404 uses a tank circuit (an inductor and a capacitor) as the part that sets the frequency, and this can drift really badly. Many FM recievers today are PLL based (if it has a digital display, it probably is) and can't tune in an analog sense. If the signal drifts off of the FCC "channel" (they go in 200KHz increments, starting at 87.9 up to 107.9), many receivers won't, and if they do at all you get a really noisy signal. An FM discriminator can pull in a signal a few KHz, but they are generally designed to work within the frequency specification that FM broadcasters are mandated to follow by the FCC, which is *much* smaller than the frequency precision an L-C tank will give you.

    There are FM transmitters out there that don't suffer from this problem- they use a crystal controlled PLL circuit to set the frequency, Ramsey sells one. But it is much more complex, and more expensive (I think Ramsey's is about $150)

  8. Mr. Microphone by booch · · Score: 3

    Isn't this the same thing as a Mr. Microphone? They used to advertise them on TV for kids. It was a microphone attached to a small transmitter that you could pick up on a regular FM radio between normal stations.

    "Hey good lookin! Be back to pick you up later."

    --
    Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.
    1. Re:Mr. Microphone by jfunk · · Score: 2

      I prefer "Mr. Boom Mike."

      For the Canadian humour impaired, there was a parody of the "Mr. Microphone" commercial in an episode of SCTV. It was similar, but involved a very large professional boom mike requiring a boom operator.

      Oh man, I love that show.

  9. Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by cheekymonkey_68 · · Score: 1

    At my work, a bunch of us have 900Mhz wireless headphones

    900Mhz ?

    Was that before or after you overclocked them ?

  10. DVD/MP3 Anywhere by Jason+Levine · · Score: 1

    X-10 also has a "DVD Anywhere." In reality they're the same product. So while I've never used mine to play MP3's, my experience with using it to play DVDs might still apply.

    I used my DVD Anywhere to transmit DVD video from my PC to a TV screen over 24 feet away. The image is crisp and clear and the audio sounds great (except for some static when someone walks between the recievers).

    The remote's a pain to set up, but mainly because it's designed to be extremely flexible. Once it's set up, it's easy.

    Like bluestar said, it's $80, but they seem to be running a deal where it's only $70 (plus free shipping). Apart from some stuff for the remote control, I don't think there was any software to install to get the MP3/DVD transmission functionality working. So those of you running Linux boxes wouldn't have to worry about Win9x-only software. (And they have a Linux-version software for another of their products, so my guess is, they'd provide Linux software if the demand was high enough.)

    --
    My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
    1. Re:DVD/MP3 Anywhere by Overt+Coward · · Score: 2
      The remote's a pain to set up, but mainly because it's designed to be extremely flexible. Once it's set up, it's easy.

      Sounds like something else I've read about on /. -- frequently, in fact -- now what was it again... hmmm.. pain to set up... designed to be extremely flexible... darn! If I could just remember...

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  11. what do you expect? Re:/.ed already? by StandardDeviant · · Score: 1

    They use NT, to judge by the error message (characteristic of IIS) and all the .asp files on the google cache page's hyperlinks...

    Yet another example that NT blows. (note that it isn't a bandwidth problem or else we wouldn't be able to get to the server at all)


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    News for Geeks in Austin, TX
  12. Re:This is... by Grape+Shasta · · Score: 2

    If you talk to your landlord, he might not only allow you to run cables, he might do what mine did and pay for the supplies. My landlord is paying for cabling and a $200 router, and we're doing the work ourselves. We get networking, he gets his property upgraded for no labor cost. It's worth a shot!

    --

    "I am a cipher, a cipher, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce" -Jimmy James
  13. Re:So.. by bigdavex · · Score: 1
    What does this have to do with mp3, exactly? It's an audio -> FM transmitter. very common, you can buy kits all over the place, and have been able to for years. Same stuff old (and new) CD changers work off of.... very simple circuit to build yourself. How is this news?
    Maybe it's like the mp3-compatible 56k modem I saw at Best Buy.
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    -Dave
  14. Maybe it's just me... by kmcardle · · Score: 2

    ...but if I can't hear my mp3s in the other room, I just turn up the volume on my stereo. It works wonders.

    --
    then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel is just a freight train coming your way
    1. Re:Maybe it's just me... by John_Prophet · · Score: 1

      But try listening to your mp3s in your garage and your computer is 2 floors above you. I don't know about you, but my computer wont play that loud.

      That's because you don't have 250 watt monitor speakers and a 500 watt powered amplifier hooked up to your computer the way *I* do...

      of course, the neighbors complained and so we ended up spending a grand on soundproofing and insulation, but now I can go down and crank up my bass at 2 in the AM and be assured that nobody outside of the recording studio will hear anything louder than the sounds of a tv playing quietly in the next room.


      -The Reverend (I am not a Nazi nor a Troll)

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      -The Reverend (I am not a Nazi nor a Troll)
      =(.\')=
    2. Re:Maybe it's just me... by John_Prophet · · Score: 1

      500 watt powered amplifier

      So sorry. a powered amplifier is completely redundant. I meant powered subwoofer.


      -The Reverend (I am not a Nazi nor a Troll)

      --
      -The Reverend (I am not a Nazi nor a Troll)
      =(.\')=
    3. Re:Maybe it's just me... by LoRider · · Score: 1

      Sounds cool dude.

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      LoRider
    4. Re:Maybe it's just me... by LoRider · · Score: 1

      nit picky coward.

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      LoRider
    5. Re:Maybe it's just me... by LoRider · · Score: 1

      You gotta love it. I was being an extremist, I would hope you wouldn't get shot for playing music, but you never know.

      BTW. What type of hardware are you running on your system to get the great sound, my system sucks. What sound card, etc?

      --
      LoRider
    6. Re:Maybe it's just me... by kmcardle · · Score: 1

      My neighbors do have guns, but they're just for hunting. :)

      I've got a Turtle Beach Montegeo. Other than Turtle Beach having binary only linux drivers, the card works like a champ. I run the output from the card into my 75 watt/channel receiver and out to speakers with 16" bass cones. I've got a EQ hooked up also, and I use that to tailor the sound. The receiver, EQ, and speakers are Kenwood stuff I bought back in the 80's.

      Processor wise, I'm just running a p2 400.

      --
      then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel is just a freight train coming your way
    7. Re:Maybe it's just me... by LoRider · · Score: 1

      And then someone enters your home and blows your brains out for being a numbnut. Of course your solution works if you live in a one room apartment. But try listening to your mp3s in your garage and your computer is 2 floors above you. I don't know about you, but my computer wont play that loud.

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      LoRider
    8. Re:Maybe it's just me... by kmcardle · · Score: 1

      I've never been shot at for excessive stereo volume. Usually the neighbors ask me to turn it up.

      Oddly enough, the only people who ask me to turn my music down are my kids. :)

      --
      then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel is just a freight train coming your way
  15. Radar detectors are only illegal in Ontario.... by MartinD · · Score: 1

    Radar detectors are only illegal in Ontario, the rest of Canada believes in Fair Play (tm).

    1. Re:Radar detectors are only illegal in Ontario.... by Digital_Quartz · · Score: 1

      Uhh, no.
      In Quebec, it is illegal to POSSES a radar detector. Even if it is dismantled/disabled/not plugged in/in the trunk, etc... It's a $1000 fine and seizure of equipment.

    2. Re:Radar detectors are only illegal in Ontario.... by shepd · · Score: 1

      >Radar detectors are only illegal in Ontario, the rest of Canada believes in Fair Play (tm).

      I figured that. But that wouldn't have sounded nearly as good in my rant. :-)

      --
      If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
  16. (OT) Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by Chris+Pimlott · · Score: 2

    Offtopic, but which ones? How do you like them? How is the range? I've been considering wireless phones...

    1. Re:(OT) Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by Eponymous,+Showered · · Score: 1

      Spent 80ish bucks on a set from Radio Shack (900 MHz) a few weeks ago so my daughter could fall asleep to Blue's Clues books on tape without strangling herself. They sound decent - maybe like a $20-30 pair of wired 'phones. They have a very nice feature in that the (broadcasting) antenna also has a plug to recharge the batteries on the 'phones. Range is quite nice, too. I was all around the house with them no prob.

    2. Re:(OT) Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by Dice · · Score: 1

      I have a Sony MDR-RF950RK and my one of my co-workers has a RCA WHP150 which is also nice. I get better sound quality on my Sony's but his RCAs are easier to recharge (you just plug the lead from the basestand into the headphones, with mine you need to swap the rechargable batteries with the ones in the stand). The range is nice, I can hear them just about anywhere on the floor I work on, certainly no problems just in the lab.

  17. Re:an fm broadcaster does the job too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Well, write up instructions and post it on slashdot then.

  18. The have a webmaster ?? by Lennie · · Score: 1

    They have a webmaster ? Didn't you see the 'nice'
    metatag generator Frontpage ? ;)

    --
    New things are always on the horizon
  19. Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by terpia · · Score: 1

    Dare I say......
    A beowulf cluster of 900 mhz overclocked headphones receiving the words penis bird
    spoken by none other than Natalie Portman,
    in mp3 format - this truly is an amazing age.

    --
    .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
  20. Please don't use these near my house... by isaac · · Score: 2

    These cheap 900mhz analog transmitter/reciever pairs just blanket the band with crap, squashing my ricochet service (which uses the 900mhz band for the mobile radios) and rendering 900mhz cordless phones useless. I don't know how the FCC allows them.

    -Isaac

    --
    I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
    1. Re:Please don't use these near my house... by homebru · · Score: 1
      I don't know how the FCC allows them.

      They are allowed under part 15 of the FCC rules and regs. You can get a real eye-opener reading part 15. It describes multiple frequency bands (902.0MHz - 928.0MHz is just one) that are basically "garbage bands".

      Oh yeah, the rules say that everybody is expected to play nicely together and not interfere with anyone else. But you have seen what happens when multiple companies each decides that they own the band.

      A decent set of notes about Part 15 and how it applys in the real world are here.

  21. Blame Canada! Blame Canada! by sharkey · · Score: 1

    It seems that everything's gone wrong, Since Canada came along!

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    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  22. Re:Best use: Univeristy Campus by PotPieMan · · Score: 1

    How large is your campus? That 150 m distance limit might be a problem, you know.

    Personally, I know I wouldn't be able to use one of these in this manner. I wouldn't be able to get very far on my campus. And that's not even taking into consideration the interference I might encounter.

  23. Headline by Some+guy+named+Chris · · Score: 1

    When I first read the headline, I thought it was a story abount a discount radio station.

  24. Re:Is it certified by Microsoft? by ybme · · Score: 1

    Hmm...how would a GPF error sound on an MP3 player?

    We regret that your system has performed an illegal operation. Your position has been marked via GPS and the police have been notified. Error code 194.

    PostScript: yes, I'm assuming the parent post was written tongue-in-cheek. I can't contemplate a naitivity so incredible that wasn't accompanied by brain-death.

    --
    There is no problem which cannot be resolved by the judicious use of firepower.
  25. Why Is This Interesting? by Syris · · Score: 1

    Plain fm radio transmitter kits have been relatively cheap and readily available for some time now.... Why is this one better, for MP3 or otherwise?

  26. Let this be a lesson to you all by sporri · · Score: 1

    [Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Could not start session.

    Don't use a simple database (access, mySQL) or be slashdotted!!
    1. Re:Let this be a lesson to you all by swdunlop · · Score: 1

      Why not use MySQL? Slashdot does. =)

      --
      Weapons of Mass Analysis
  27. Re:Just what we need by Atticka · · Score: 1
    not just for MP3's!

    if it connects to the stereo out on your comp you can pretty much broadcast ANY type of sound from your computer.

    Atticka

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    No sig here...
  28. Sound quality by Pacer · · Score: 2

    Great! Now I can listen to music filtered through the MP3 codec AND through a $40 low-power transmitter/receiver set!

    Pacer

  29. Automated radio station? by squiggleslash · · Score: 2
    Ok, build one, but with components that allow it to transmit with a much higher amount of power. Now add a Linux box with thousands of MP3's (together with song titles), and a speech synthesis program. Put in a simple script to generate phrases like "That was Metalhead's 'Bite My Taco' followed by Deathgurgler's 'Wouldn't it be cool to beowulf cluster these things', now let's hear some Barfbreath...", and choose songs at random (or with some minor logic, you know, rate each piece as slow/fast/loud/quiet and put opposites together in the usual way)

    You could then hide the "station" somewhere where it can't be linked to you, and see how many people start to listen to it before the FCC finds the box and shuts it down.

    The possibilities are endless. You could set up "phone in" competitions using GOP telemarketer numbers. You could spread news and rumours (ie "And I've just been told that KFCs all around the city are going to give out free chicken to anyone who comes in within the next 30 minutes and says the words 'I'm a chicken, cluck cluck cluck' to the cashier".

    I mean, wouldn't that be cool?
    --

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    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    1. Re:Automated radio station? by Vegeta99 · · Score: 1

      I actually plan to do that, but licensed. Shouldn't be to awfully hard. alt.radio.pirate isnt just pirate radio. It's a real good newsgroup for help with any type of radio questions.

    2. Re:Automated radio station? by Cre8oR · · Score: 1

      If you do it in a legit way you could have your automated station with a web site that takes requests... think about it, log on to the site, select a song, it either gets added to a queue or put up for voting (most votes comes on next). Alternatively you could let users type a short dedication which the computer could read over the air... endless possibilities...

  30. Re:And so? by wsdorsey · · Score: 1
    Dude, I wanna know where you buy your hardware.

    I could really use a laptop for if I could find one for under $30. I might even get two...

    -Dorsey

    --

    -Dorsey

    If you can't beat them, exploit them. *Then* beat them... -Milk & Cheese

  31. Re:And so? by SomeOtherGuy · · Score: 1

    FM is emitted out the other to, say, your car stereo

    Yea as long as you don't drive more than 150 feet from the source!

    --
    (+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
  32. Re:Radio Shack by marcop · · Score: 1

    Similarly, they sell a video transmitter that broadcasts to channels 2-5 (I think) so one could broadcast there Divx;)'s to other rooms of a house. I believe the unit costs around $150. Sorry, don't have my cuecat (blah!) to check the price out (it's been dismantled). :)

  33. The CanaKit Product by SubtleNuance · · Score: 2

    You can find the reference to CanaKit's FM Transmitter (thas has been /. ed) via Google's Cache here . Thanks to our friends at Google!

    Note to submitters/slashdot editorial staff - why not provide a link to the google cache when linking to tiny sites like CanaKit in future.

  34. Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by ToastyKen · · Score: 1

    That's the same as most cordless phones. Yes, it's 900 MHz. They also have 2.4 GHz phones.. It has nothign to do with clockspeed.. It's just the carrier frequency of the signal.

  35. Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by kenydl · · Score: 1

    imagine a bew.. oh never mind

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    .sig (insert funny sig here)
  36. This isn't really news by bugg · · Score: 1
    It's a low power radio transmitter. Surely you wouldn't have posted an article saying "Canakit sells radio transmitter kit", so they throw in MP3 as a buzzword and everyone buys into it.

    The technology has nothing to do with MP3. Much as how people say they use their minidiscs to play MP3s when in actuallty their listening to their MP3s reencoded into ATRAC, the term "MP3" has not hing to do at all with what's really happening.

    A headline "Cheap Radio Transmitter" would have been more accurate, and it certainly would NOT have been news. Music over radio is certainly not new technology, and after the transistor became popular and cheap, broadcasting inexpensively became a no-news issue too.

    No offense to anyone, but I think that slashdot has been suckered into giving this company free PR.

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    -bugg
  37. Re:/.ed already? by sh3rp4 · · Score: 1

    the error message i got says ODBC Microsoft Access Driver couldn't open the Jet engine. IIS _and_ Access?! they must be sadists.

  38. Re:wow, that was fast (Google cache link) by Lothsahn · · Score: 1

    Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005' [Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Could not start session. //global.asa, line 115 Notice our favorite company doing what it's best at again.

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    -=Lothsahn=-
  39. This is... by SquadBoy · · Score: 1

    what I've wanted for along time since I rent running CAT5 is not an option but now I can listen to MP3s in another room without having to run cables or buy new hardware. This is very cool. As soon as they are done being /.ed I'm going to order one for sure. This is just perfect for those of us who rent. :)

    --

    Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
    1. Re:This is... by alanjstr · · Score: 1

      Gee, I just punched a small hole through the drywall to connect the two rooms. When I move out, I'll spackle the holes. They repaint anyways, and I'll be there for at least another year.

  40. wow, that was fast (Google cache link) by inquis · · Score: 5

    Be careful about putting these small companies on the front page, you might break them!

    Google cache of the front page: http://www.cana kit.com

    -inq

    1. Re:wow, that was fast (Google cache link) by philipdl71 · · Score: 1

      true, true

    2. Re:wow, that was fast (Google cache link) by slashdoter · · Score: 2
      Thx for the link, I had forgot about Google's cache. Haaaa caching lets us have some much fun. Check out CNN from a month ago, or how about Yahoo. and yes we have to look at slashdot from the 26th. Kids can you say "time travel". Lets look at some more wired,Linux, and MSNBC. you to can have fun, just change the web address at the end of the URL and WOW! http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:www.msnbc.com

      ________

      --
      Does anyone actually have a Java program designed to control air traffic, or for the operation of a nuclear facility?
  41. Yes, do it by scruffyMark · · Score: 1
    As a Canadian, I can confidently say, we are not siphoning your root passwords North.

    Please, buy this kit. Install it. Listen happily to your mp3's Dance about the room with abandon, not looking at your computer's process monitor. Life is too short to worry about such things, music will make you truly happy.

    Ecretsay Anadiancay odedcay essagemay: enwhay ouyay ootray eethay umbday Ericansamay, ontday ill-9kay ythingankay atthay ookslay ikely anay usicmay ogrampay

    --

    What is the robbing of a bank, compared to the founding of a bank? -- Bertolt Brecht

  42. Radio Shack by OmegaDan · · Score: 1
    These are pretty common things ... I had one when I was a kid, I'd stick a radio in the xmas tree and scare the shit out of people by talking to them as they walked by (had a built in mic) :)

    ahh, the folly of youth ...

    --
    Free Techno/Jazz/DNB/MI Music by guys obsessed with monkeys!
  43. Re:Best use: Univeristy Campus by ashpool7 · · Score: 1

    I live within 150 meters of the library and about 50% of the other buildings I go to. I was thinking I would boost the sigal strength for the rest of them. :)

  44. And so? by JurriAlt137n · · Score: 1

    I just built one of these, so I now can listen to MP3s without carrying a very heavy PC around.

    Laptop, portable MP3 player? Sorry, but I don't really see the use.

    --

    People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
    1. Re:And so? by lizrd · · Score: 1
      Yea as long as you don't drive more than 150 feet from the source!

      These products are usually intended for use with a CD or MP3 player mounted inside your car. If your car is in excess of 150' long and this becomes a problem, you probably need to use so much concentration while driving it that having musical entertainment isn't your biggest concern. :) My truck is only 17' long and some days I have a hard time parallel parking. I can't even imagine trying to drive in city traffic in a vehicle almost 10x that long.
      _____________

      --
      I don't want free as in beer. I just want free beer.
    2. Re:And so? by swdunlop · · Score: 1

      This isn't an Mp3 player.. What the submitter is trying ever so awkwardly to day, is that you stick an audio source in one end, FM is emitted out the other to, say, your car stereo.

      This isn't nearly as novel as it sounds, and you don't need to buy Canadian. Circuit city et al. carry similar equipment, albeit usually with shorter ranges, for CD adapter kits for vehicles that are incompatible with audio-tape adaptors.

      --
      Weapons of Mass Analysis
  45. Re:My GOD, the Canadians have invented. . . by jfunk · · Score: 2

    Actually, it was a Canadian (Fessenden) who invented radio as we now know it. He was the first to transmit an audio signal through the air. Before then, it was all morse code.

    I definitely have to agree with you on the Mims books, though. I learned sooo much from them when I was a kid. I even remember going to Buffalo, NY to get the 3 mini-notebooks that weren't available in Canada at the time. For some reason, back then, there were three exclusive to the US, three exclusive to Canada, and three you could get in both countries. Now they're all available anywhere and there are new ones. I also highly recommend his "Getting Started in Electronics" book and the new flashy ones, "Basic Electronics," and "Basic Digital Electronics," written by other people, as well.

    In fact, buy every book in that store. Nowhere else can you easily get excellent beginners electronics books for so cheap, especially since McGraw-Hill stopped the book clubs. :-(*

  46. an fm broadcaster does the job too by capefearsenior · · Score: 3

    I built one of these using an cheap fm broadcaster from ramsey electronics. http://www.ramseyelectronics.com It works very well and did not costs 40 bucks.

  47. /.ed already? by jsewell · · Score: 1

    Only 13 comments and thier webserver is already a smoking heap on the side of the road...

  48. Compare Kits by SubtleNuance · · Score: 4

    You can find a excellent comparison of Ramsey's and Cana and other exciters/low power transmitter kits here.

  49. My GOD, the Canadians have invented. . . by kfg · · Score: 3

    RADIO!

    I hope they don't patent it.

    Seriously, go to the library, get out a book about hobbiest electronics, then go to Radio Shack and buy the bits for five bucks or so. Hell, buy the book at Radio Shack for a $1.99, Engineer's Mini-Notebook-Communications Projects, by Forrest M. Mims III.

    You might even, God forbid, learn something in the process.

  50. So.. by mindstrm · · Score: 3

    What does this have to do with mp3, exactly? It's an audio -> FM transmitter. very common, you can buy kits all over the place, and have been able to for years. Same stuff old (and new) CD changers work off of.... very simple circuit to build yourself.

    How is this news?

    1. Re:So.. by MasterOfDisaster · · Score: 1

      People will throw a computer buzzword into anything to get you to buy it. this is proof of it.

      --
      The opinions in this post are ficticious. Any similarity to actual opinions, real or imagined, is purely coincidental.
  51. Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by cheekymonkey_68 · · Score: 1

    Sorry Yes I knew the 900 Mhz was frequency not clock speed... but I couldn't resist, call it the lure of the dark side. You spend all day on a computer, see 900 Mhz in a post, and go on admit it, the first thing you think of is over clocking!

  52. Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by motardo · · Score: 1

    i wonder what kinda heat sinks he has to throw on them to get them to 900 Mhz ;)

    -motardo

  53. Best use: Univeristy Campus by ashpool7 · · Score: 1

    I want one so I can put them on and stroll around campus with them. Nothing is more boring than a walk to the cage to get your car. Or, music in the library.

    Now if they only came with two-way computer interfaces to skip to the next song.

  54. Re:Also from x10.com by Yax-Pac · · Score: 1

    Is it just me or does buying things on the X10 web site feel really slimy. I mean they've got cool toys, but I keep expecting to get an offer for a free set of Ginsu knives with ever 2.4ghz purchase... But wait! There's more! Hurry, this offer ends soon!!! ;-)

  55. Re:900Mhz Wireless Headphones by Nerds · · Score: 2

    clotheslining yourself while rolling around the lab sucks

    Yeah, but getting co-workers is kinda fun...

    --
    My other .sig is 'The Art of Computer Programming'
  56. Not for sale to the US by wytcld · · Score: 1

    Ramsey explains why Americans can't buy these terrorist tools. No shit.

    --
    "with their freedom lost all virtue lose" - Milton
  57. Also from x10.com by bluestar · · Score: 4

    X10 has what they call MP3 Anywhere. It's just an RF audio send/receive pair, but it works well. It's more expensive ($80 US, but includes an excellent remote) and they haven't Slashdotted (yet). I can't get through to canakit.com...

    http://www.x10.com/products/offer85.htm

    --
    "The cost of freedom is eternal vigilance." -Thomas Jefferson
    1. Re:Also from x10.com by terpia · · Score: 1

      I for one, will freely admit that Im more likely to buy something being sold by a hot chick. I like tits, many people do. Their ad is SO obvious in that manner its nice. They know thta they will appeal to the people that like tits and pretty girls. Other people might be offended, but isnt everyone truly sick of catering to every little PC whim of some part of society? If ya dont like a product or its advertising dont buy it. Quit your bitching.

      --
      .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
  58. use your monitor as a transmitter by drwho · · Score: 1

    Since you don't really care about quality of the music you are broadcasting, and you don't seem concerned about the range, why spend the money? Use a better hack and transmit AM with your monitor!

  59. Don't do it! by Evil_Way · · Score: 4

    Don't buy it -- It's an evil canadian trick! Think about it... what does Cana-kit most sound like? That's right: Rootkit! Even worse, what's its main purpose? To transmit.

    But wait, you say. It's just transmitting music.

    Ah ha! That's what they want you to think. While it may be sending music on one channel, this is only a front. Its _real_ transmission is on a much lower frequency, right above the 20m ham band. This enables it to bounce signals off the atmosphere and RIGHT INTO CANADA! They're secretly sending all our root passwords to canada!

    In sum, I encourage everyone to boycott this nefarious scheme. We Americans control the world and it should stay that way. G-d bless apple pie and the American way!

    1. Re:Don't do it! by WillSeattle · · Score: 3

      Don't buy it -- It's an evil canadian trick! Think about it... what does Cana-kit most sound like? That's right: Rootkit! Even worse, what's its main purpose? To transmit.

      Funny. Actually, though, most "US" satellites and telecom devices are Canadian, except for the other ones made in other countries, so it's too late.

      They want "one million dollars!" for the data. To you, that's not much, but it's like a billion Canadian dollars, with the current exchange rate. In fact, the entire Canadian banking industry almost collapsed when Bill Gates accidentally wrote a check in US dollars to buy out a Canadian firm instead of the quoted Canadian dollar amount.

      --
      --- Will in Seattle - What are you doing to fight the War?
  60. Re:Slashdot should cache all topic targets by inquis · · Score: 1

    Of course, one could also argue that Slashdot is a DDoS tool. The master (CmdrTaco and the rest) order the "zombies" (eheremm, us) to attack a site (our poor little mom and pop businesses that get posted on the front page o-so-often) and takeit offline.

    Now wouldn't it be funny if one of these sites sued /. for bringing their site offline and hampering sales?

    Nope, it wouldn't ;)

    -inq

  61. Why just MP3? by Cavio · · Score: 2

    I prefer to use an array of them as a repeater net for my home surveilence system. So far, my efforts have been concentrated around the area of my female roommates bedroom... ;)

    --

    Please bid on this Karmann Ghia! Please pleas

  62. I anally raped your mother with a butcher knife. by Karma+Sink · · Score: 1

    It's nice to finally see these things drop in price, but what sort of an impact on quality are we having to deal with here? I'm fairly interested in making sure that my MP3s, already a lossy format, don't sound any more shitty than they are.


    Mod Me Down.
    Ignore the submission guidelines.

    --

    When encryption is outlawed, ?o'AZ-,++o+i++##4AoA+-/-C++bI+/.+~
  63. Re:Probably only for Canadians by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    That's a beautiful troll. Very subtle the way you bring up Canada, and thus a possible flamewar. Also the implication that granny could die from one of these devices was masterful. Very accomplished, and carried out with aplomb. Keep it up!

  64. Re:Probably only for Canadians by SquadBoy · · Score: 1

    Nope according to the frontpage they are more than happy to ship to the US. The key is range. The microwave could kill Grandma also. As low power as this bad boy is it would be fine with the FCC. This is the same thing as those mike/radio things that Homer got for Bart that one time. :)

    --

    Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
  65. A neat toy... I can't think of practical uses by Sodakar · · Score: 1

    Er... cute. Sure, I'll buy one to play with. Then again, I have a FM transmitter, a portable mp3 player, and wireless headsets.

    Hmm.

    Incidentally, I'm writing this with 10 comments... and their web server is already dying....

  66. Uh.. that was quick by Wepeel · · Score: 1

    I went to slashdot and this story wasn't there, logged in and it was, followed the link, and it was already dead. Can anyone cut 'n paste or summarize info for the rest of us? Thanks.

  67. 900Mhz Wireless Headphones by Dice · · Score: 5

    At my work, a bunch of us have 900Mhz wireless headphones that we use to listen to music (clotheslining yourself while rolling around the lab sucks). The cool thing is that we can all tune into eachother's frequencies. So in a way it's kinda like we have our own mini radio staitons :)

  68. Re:Probably only for Canadians by shepd · · Score: 1

    [I'm just joking. Don't the following too seriously.]

    I guess you Americans don't need the top few meters of your Northernmost contiguous states. I mean, you wouldn't want any Americans dying from pacemaker failures or brain tumours from our poor DOC regulations.

    Don't worry, we're making good use of them hectares right now.

    And remember, if you bring your clocks over to this country, you need to modify them to count from 0.0 o'clock to 9.99 o'clock metric time in one day, or else you'd miss the train.

    If you aren't taking the train, don't forget to bring your SUV to drive over the sparsely settled land -- it gets really rough [say it "ruff", not "roof"].

    (back on topic) Canadians going down to the US: Don't forget to ditch those 900 Mhz scanners. In the US you are only allowed to listen to portable phone conversations, and not cell phone conversations, since this makes all cell phones much more secure. And don't even think of mentioning the NDP party down there. You Canadians know what I mean.

    For Americans coming up to Canada, don't forget to ditch those radar detectors, since in this country those are banned. But why would you need one anyways? The land up here is too rough and barren to drive over the limit anyways. ;-)

    --
    If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
  69. Ramsey's FM transmitter works too. by LoRider · · Score: 1

    The only problem I have found with broadcasting MP3's is that the poor quality of MP3's is amplified.

    --
    LoRider
  70. Re:Slashdot should cache all topic targets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    No, because if I get a link to my site posted on Slashdot, I'm going to squeeze out every banner impression I can. This is the single biggest reason why caching will not work in this application.

  71. Re:Slashdot should cache all topic targets by QuMa · · Score: 1

    So? Cache like google. No url rewriting, or at least no tag rewriting. That way, your banner will be still be viewed as much as possible, but /. takes the burden for the pages. As long as your ad-server can handle it, you get all the impressions you want...

    The big problem is legal. It's mirroring without permission, which may or may not be illegal (I'm not touching that one with a ten-foot pole).

  72. Haha.. also by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    Someone mentioned the 'Win 95 compatable' power strip. Also known as the 'plug & play' power strip.
    Also, I've seen plug&play UPS units (though they arent' actually manageable, so they act like a power strip).

    Then there's the 'soundblaster live mp3+' which is really the exact same hardware as the 'soundblaster live x-gamer', and the 'soundblaster live value OEM (though the oem one is missing 1 smd resistor pack and the digital CD in, but you can add them yourself).

    Then there's 'digital ready' headphones.... that's funny. let's see.. what else....

    or like 'Cholesterol free' or 'Fat free' bran flakes during the cholesterol retail wars.... yeah. They were ALWAYS fat free. Funny.

    There are a plethora of 'plug&play' and 'windows XXX' compatable serial/keyboard extender cables (just cables.. not active components).

    I know there was an even dumber one I saw.. I can't recall what it was, it was so dumb. Something like a keyboard dust cover or something that was 'win98 compatable'.

    Of course, there's the new buzzwords too, right?
    'p2p' for napster/gnutella stuff. How is that new?

    There's the SAN (storage area network).. which really isn't something new.. though it's certainly come of age.
    When I think 'storage area network' I think of ip over scsi! not some kind of fc-al disk array...

    Ha.

  73. Re:A neat toy... I can't think of practical uses by Sodakar · · Score: 1

    Oh wait... If I were in a college dorm, I could be the super DJ of the dorm! Woo...

    Okay... not too useful... I'll sure be looking to these boards for some creative and useful uses, since I can't think of any...

    Am I still getting one? LOL. Probably.

  74. Re:I anally raped your mother with a butcher knife by Karma+Sink · · Score: 1

    BTW, 23rd post bitches! Hail Eris! All Hail Dischordia!

    Eris mmust love this place... So much disorder through ignorance...

    Down with Greyface! Up with people! Down with Aneristic Vibes! Up The Academy!


    Mod Me Down.
    Ignore the submission guidelines.

    --

    When encryption is outlawed, ?o'AZ-,++o+i++##4AoA+-/-C++bI+/.+~
  75. Stereo Xmitter by inKubus · · Score: 3

    Why not just buy a nice STEREO FM transmitter from http://www.ramseykits.com/ ? 34.95, transmits up to 1/4 mile to any FM radio in the house. I got one and they rule. Seriously.

    --
    Cool! Amazing Toys.
  76. busted by lamp77 · · Score: 1

    They didn't stand a chance, ODBC errors all over the place. Smoked