strange antenna effect...

Possible, if it is one of those cheap free-running oscillator things where touching the antenna de-tunes its frequency. Then the radio might sit on 88.9MHz and you xmit has drifted a few hundred kHz up or down. That is why I plunked down a few bucks more for our TV modulator and got one with a digitally programmable PLL transmitter.

Regards, Joerg

Radio has sliding mute. When signal gets weaker, mute is gradually effected. Touching the TX antenna makes the signal stronger. I doubt you get good stereo too (usually mixed to mono with weak signal)

Buy the CD/MP3 solution. I use it 3 hours a day while commuting, MP3's, podcasts, E-books etc. Could not survive without. Had to kick out the stock radio...replaced it with a JVC 4x50W.

A USB stick I/F is also nice though...

There is *no way* an FM TX -> radio sounds better.

So this is normal - touch an antenna, signal gets stronger?

Do I become an extension of the antenna? (I'd thought I would be a ground...)

Yes you're right. I'd meant if I wanted to listen to the local jazz FM station, the radio sounds very nice.

Not sure if it's the radio or the speakers, that has such good bass...

The device is opperating with too short of an antenna. I have a device installed in one vehicle thats has a permanant Tee connection to the radio antenna. The Target device seems like it should opperate with enough effective radiated power, to give full noise quieting, but the settings may be off on the radio. There should be muting control on the radio as well as full off or on, as well as city settings. Yes you do act as an antenna. In my car installation, I put a jack in to manually feed the power amplifier if I want to play my CD/MP3 player, to bypass my deck alltogether. greg

At FM broadcast frequencies (88-108 MHz), you body is a pretty effective antenna itself - plus,you're adding a little bit of capacitive loading to an antenna that's too short, and changing the matching at the output stage. Do you have any clip leads? (you can get a 10-pack at RS for a couple bucks) Clip one of them on the xmitter antenna, and just let it lie there, and see if it has any effect.

Good Luck! Rich

installed in

manually

Now that's brilliant! Where exactly do you solder the jack wires? Do you solder on the same wires leading from the tape play head?

Do you also have to use an empty tape (with the tape ribbon removed) to force the player to switch from radio to Tape mode?

installed in

manually

Wow, you put a jack in... details? schematics, photos...? Just solder wires from the tape head, or would this be a bad idea?

Nope. There are too many variables to make that statement. Sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker, sometimes no apparent effect. It depends on the frequency, the device, the antenna where it is touched and so forth.

Ed