Intro:

    Now here's something you don't see everyday, or even thought of perhaps. With portable MP3 players becoming more and more popular, and in dash car MP3 players being very pricey, or hard to find, how would you like to hear your existing MP3 player through your car stereo? Sound too good to be true? Not at all. This remarkably compact FM Transmitter is probably just what you have been looking for.

The packaging:

    My review sample arrived via FedEx. Opening the package I was greeted to the AudioBUG in just a plastic bag. It includes instructions, which we'll look at a bit more below, and the AudioBUG of course. The battery that is required is a 3 volt, CR2 battery. Not a completely common battery, but one you should find at most hardware, electronics, or just about any retailer. The CR2 batteries are generally used in cameras, so even if you had a camera shop in town, you should be able to track one down. Aerielle was kind enough to include one for testing purposes. Thank you. That saved me a trip into town.

    Note: At the time this review was arranged, a battery was not included. However, Aerielle is now including a battery with your purchase. I would suggest you find a rechargeable set of CR2 batteries if you planned on using the AudioBUG frequently. Batteries can be costly.

 

(1) The package	(2) The packaging

Instructions:

    The instructions cover how to use your AudioBUG. The instructions are printed on a 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper. Short, but very adequate with things like a small FAQ, and product specifications. I'll go over the more important information below.

 

(3) Instructions side 1	(4) Instructions side 2

Specifications:

 

Frequencies (FM):	88.1, 88.3, 88.5, and 88.7 MHz
Input:	3.5mm stereo plug
Power requirement:	1 "CR2" battery
Battery life:	40+ Hours typically
Audio range:	15Hz - 15 KHz
Signal-to-noise ratio (weighted):	>60dBA
Total harmonic distortion:	0.3% max
Channel separation:	40 dBA typical
Channel balance:	+/- 2 dBA

The AudioBUG itself:

    The unit is very compact. Measurements are approximately, 2 1/4" long, 3/4" tall, 1 1/2" wide, and finally, the input cable, which doubles as the antenna is about 8" long to the end of the 3.5mm plug. In picture 5, you can start to imagine why this is called the AudioBUG. It really looks like a bug! The on/off switch is disguised somewhat as an eye. Picture 6 shows the selection of frequencies that you can tune your FM output to. Taking the advice in the instructions, check your frequencies beforehand, and find one with the least interference. A weak signal exists in my area with 88.7, but I was able to drown it out perfectly with the AudioBUG. For further testing, I did switch to 88.1 which was clear of major interference in my area.

 

(5) The AudioBUG	(6) Frequency selection

    The bottom of the AudioBUG is not very spectacular, and it doesn't need to be. It has the FCC ID number on it, where it is made, copyright information, and the patent number. Below in picture 8, you can see the 3.5mm input plug a bit better. It looks as if it is gold plated for better signal transfer.

 

(7) The bottom	(8) Sound input

The battery and compartment:

    Sliding back the side of the AudioBUG reveals the battery compartment. A small diagram is on the bottom of the compartment to help  make sure you insert the battery in correctly. Insert your battery, put the battery panel back on, and unless you listen to classical, country, easy listening, and so on, you are now ready to rock!

 

(9) Battery compartment	(10) Battery installed

Using the AudioBUG:

    I'll spare you the pictures of hooking the AudioBUG to a sound source. The instructions do give some great advice about signal strength though. Some 'Line Outs' may not put out a strong enough signal for the AudioBUG to work optimally. All you need to do then is hook the AudioBUG input into the headphone jack, and adjust your volume to get the optimal sound. I did some testing hooking up my line out on my SB Audigy, and found that corresponding with the instructions, the FM transmission sounded optimally at about 3/4 volume.

    I was successfully able to transmit from my PC to a shower radio in the bathroom located down about 8 feet through the ceiling, through the bathroom door/wall about 20 or so feet away. Optimally, your source should be up to 15 feet, but I was able to get a bit more out of the AudioBUG. There is nothing like listening to some music while enjoying a shower. If that doesn't help get you going in the morning, or afternoon in my case, maybe you should just take cold showers then.

    In further testing, I put our laptop in the car, loaded up a nice mix of MP3's, tuned my radio to 88.1, and the sound was crystal clear through the six speakers in the car with very good stereo separation. That could have easily been a portable MP3 player, a mini disc, player, portable DVD player, and so on.

 

Using the AudioBUG continued:

    Other uses suggested by Aerielle, or I have dreamed up are: Sitting on your deck with a radio playing your MP3's off of your computer. The AudioBug will be great for those summer barbeques coming up now. If you were taking a road trip in two vehicles, and were able to remain close enough, the other car could tune into the signal and enjoy what is being transmitted also. Heck, drive down the road with a sign on one of your windows, "FM 88.1" People out of curiosity would tune in I bet. Or how about this? Broadcast your MP3's from your computer to your huge surround sound stereo in the living room or den wirelessly. So even if you had a cassette player in your vehicle, and could still tune in a radio station, you could use this with your portable CD player. See how endless the uses are?

Personal experience with an FM Transmitter previously:

    Sorry, one more for you folks... Many years ago when I was younger, I worked in a restaurant. All we had was a radio for music in the kitchen and the dining room area. Guess what we did? Yes, we had a CD player in the back room, and transmitted tunes to the loudspeakers. Nothing like some good old Metallica cranking when you are scrubbing floors. *Cough* And notice, I said old Metallica..."Back in the day, we didn't have no MP3 players, and had to walk uphill both ways to..." =D

    One thing that I failed to mention until now, and follows that last point about transmitting a signal over the loudspeakers is, if we forgot to turn off the transmitter, and boy, it did happen, the batteries would drain to nothing when we came back the next day. Aerielle has taken that into account also. If the AudioBUG detects no signal for around 80 seconds, it shuts itself off, thus saving your battery life. A really great idea!

Summary:

    So, uses for this little gadget? You bet! This should be a god send to all you MP3 buffs out there. It's time to start really using that new iPod you just saved up to buy. While an FM transmitter is really nothing new to the market, I think now is a great time to see a resurgence of such an item. I mean, remember that microphone you could sing into as a kid that would go over the FM radio. How annoying was that? The AudioBug however, has great potential to connect sound devices wirelessly via FM radio where it probably isn't possible without great wiring skills, or just plain impossible to do.

Pros:

• Good clarity and transmission over FM frequencies

• Very easy now to put your portable audio device to work for you

• Works though obstacles such as walls

• Great battery life (40+ hours typical)

• Automatic shut off

    If you think the 15 feet may just not cut it in your scenario, there is a simple little trick you can do. Basically, the input wire is the antenna. So, if you got a male to female 3.5mm extension cable, you could increase your range. I had a 25' extension cable laying around. I hooked that to the input source on my PC, and the AudioBUG into the extension cable. I was then able to get over 100 feet of reception! If you want to do that, you know how to now, but you chose to do so at your own risk. Thanks for coming by. Until next time...

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