How To Install An FM Transmitter

If you have a digital music library, you likely also own a bevy of portable electronics, such as a digital media player, mobile phone, or GPS device, that can play the music stored on your PC. And although your music player’s headphones are great for listening to music while walking or running, wearing headphones won’t do (and in some states, is illegal) while you’re driving.

Alternatively, burning music to a CD can be substantially time-consuming, and portable or built-in speakers are a poor substitute for the speakers in your car. An FM transmitter gives you an easy way to play music from your digital audio player over your car’s speakers.

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Whether you want to listen to music, podcasts, audio books, or the sound from a movie playing on your media player, FM transmitters allow the entire car to enjoy the audio. Additionally, FM transmitters are portable and easy to install, so you can even take it on a road trip in a friend’s vehicle. In this article, we’ll examine what you should look for when purchasing an FM transmitter and walk you through the setup of an FM transmitter in your car.

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What Is An FM Transmitter?

Typically, an FM transmitter plugs into the headphone jack of your media player (some models use a proprietary connector and are exclusive to certain player brands or models), and it converts the audio output to an FM radio signal that your car’s radio can pick up. The FM signal is a low power output that has a range of 10 feet, under ideal conditions. Because radio stations in any given area may already be using many FM frequencies, FM transmitters let you select, either by choosing a specific frequency or switching among a preset list, an FM channel that’s free of interference.


Depending on the prevalence of FM signals in your area, strong FM signals may overpower your FM transmitter, so you’ll hear static or other radio stations bleeding over the audio from your media player. If you live in a heavily populated area, the FM transmitter may produce static on nearly every frequency you select. There’s a limited signal range because, by U.S. federal law, the FM transmitters can only transmit at full strength up to 10 feet, and after that, the FM signal must begin to die out. For best results, try the 87.7 to 91.9MHz frequencies.

They are generally free of radio traffic, because they are reserved for nonprofit radio stations. Check out our “Other Options” sidebar to find out another way to hear audio from your digital media player on your car’s speakers.

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