Ramsey FM 100B Radio Transmitter
In Spring of 2012, we purchased a Ramsey radio transmitter kit (Ramsey FM100B). This kit was a soldier DIY kit. I spent about 40 hrs soldiering it together. It worked great with one minor unidentified glitch. There are two audio inputs that get mixed within the transmitter. One channel of one input failed to work (Channel 1). That was okay, however, as we were only using audio from one audio source. Otherwise, the transmitter appears to be functioning well and we intend on using it in our 2012 display. We also retained our previous transmitter to use as a backup.
EDM FM Radio Transmitter
In 2008, we purchased an FM transmitter that gave us a range of about 1/4 mile. We carefully scanned the surrounding stations to identify an unused frequency that we could use with our unlicensed transmitter. We selected 99.3 FM as our transmission frequency. My dad (a ham radio operator) helped us trim the supplied whip antenna to the optimal length for maximum power transfer. With the transmitter, we were able to extend our show until 10:30 PM. The speaker carefully hidden in the bush still turned off at 9:30 PM and the radio transmitter stayed on till the end of the show. Aldo, we used a "for sale" sign that we picked up at the local hardware store to advertise the frequency. Tina painted the sign white and then the words "tune to 99.3" in black writing. We used a stake-in flood light pointed at the sign to light it up. We dedicated one channel to this sign so that we could dim the light during songs.
In 2007, we tried using an old Radio Shack 1.5 VDC AAA FM transmitter. This type of transmitter was used for folks that wanted to listen to their CD player in a vehicle that only had an FM radio. We quickly found that the range on such a device was only intended to transmit about 10 or 15 feet. Fortunately, we were able to assemble a speaker in the yard. The computer that ran the show was housed in the garage. We ran an 1/8" stereo audio cable from the computer to a stereo to mono adapter, to a mono RCA adapter, and then to a 1/4" mono male and into an amplifier. My father-in-law had given us a coil of old SPT lamp cord that we used to run from the amplifier out to a bush in the yard. My father had loaned us an old megaphone-like speaker that we placed in that bush. We put the amplifier on an old dial timer so that the audio turned off at about quarter to 10. We also carefully monitored the audio level so as to prevent sending our neighbors through the roof.