8828 Radio 4 here there and everywhere

I'm a great fan of the 'internet radio'. You already have an adsl wireless setup, so one of these things (oddly, very difficult to come by in Italy) shoud fulfil all your requirements. However, my internet radio (UK sourced) is committed to mains power (through a little adaptor), but - perhaps someone else can direct you to a battery powered internet radio device? Maybe worth checking out the argos site in the UK - they do a cheapo Bush internet radio which maybe works on batteries (much more convenient for the garden.)

If you don't want to go for this 'stand alone' solution, there are many 'gizmos' which will transmit the audio to another audio receptor source. Going the VHF radio route is tricky - only because finding a 'free' frequency in Italy is extremely difficult. (I'm speaking as someone who asked the garage to disconnect the aerial from the car radio so that the i-pod transmitter could log onto a reliably station free frequency....so now I don't get the traffic updates...some you win....!!)

You might have a look at this [URL="http://www.lusonic.com/proddetail.asp?prod=imp01&cat=90"]Internet Radio Wi Fi, Internet Radio[/URL]

I'm not sure if it needs mains power or batteries but if you have a wireless router you'd be set.

[quote=elliven;83063]can I get a device that transmits the audio from the headphone socket to a VHF radio I can carry about the house with enough range to work on the terrace in summer for Wogan with breakfast?[/quote]Yes, there are many such devices. The market for them is really connecting iPods and the like to car radios. If you were to search on eBay for "MP3 transmitter", you'd find hundreds of items. This, for example:
[URL="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FM-TRANSMITTER-for-Iriver-Creative-mp3-mp4-player_W0QQitemZ150215045307QQihZ005QQcategoryZ58350QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]FM TRANSMITTER for Iriver/Creative mp3/mp4 player on eBay, also Car Kits, Apple iPod Accessories, MP3 Player Accessories, Consumer Electronics (end time 19-Feb-08 23:00:00 GMT)[/URL]

(which has a quoted range of 20 metres. If that isn't enough, you might find one elsewhere that is a bit more cavalier about respecting "low power" rectrictions.)

It occurred to me today that I have no idea whether such FM transmitters are legal in Italy. Until quite recently, it was illegal to use them in the UK, although I doubt if anyone was ever prosecuted. It [I]was[/I] legal to buy or sell them, which made the whole thing ridiculous.

Such laws tend to be harmonised across the EU, so I'd assume it was now legal to use them in Italy too.

Thanks for the thought Steve , in this kind of area don't ask don't tell seems to be the best policy as further enquiry results in confusing information.

[quote=Steve Graham;83129]It occurred to me today that I have no idea whether such FM transmitters are legal in Italy. Until quite recently, it was illegal to use them in the UK, although I doubt if anyone was ever prosecuted. It [I]was[/I] legal to buy or sell them, which made the whole thing ridiculous.

Such laws tend to be harmonised across the EU, so I'd assume it was now legal to use them in Italy too.[/quote]

They aren't.

But a bigger issue is going to be range. The ones for car use are designed to be used in the car so only need to reach from the power outlet to the car radio. The one on Ebay claims 20 meters. I'm not sure mine would work from the back seat of the car :no: Different brands but imagine driving down the autostrada and everybody running one of these things. If the range was really 20 meters everybody would be stomping on everybody else.

Well, I've just tried it.

25 metres was no problem at all. Loud and clear on a small FM radio.

The FM transmitter I have in the car is powered from the lighter socket, so the test was conducted with the device inside the car (doors closed!), inside the garage with the receiving radio in the garden. That's a more demanding situation than just house to garden.

Around the 30 metre range I was picking up some interference from a real radio station, but some fiddling with the frequencies would improve that. My device can be set to transmit on any of over a hundred radio channels, so a bit of experimenting would locate one that is "clear".

The one I orginally pointed out as an example could only transmit on 4 different frequencies, but more flexible ones are easily available and cheap. (Mine was £11 and is a combined transmitter and MP3 player.)

Other drivers [I]would[/I] be able to tune in to my device if we were close together. I don't think most of them would care for my taste in music though.
:winki:

[quote=Steve Graham;83266]

Other drivers [I]would[/I] be able to tune in to my device if we were close together. I don't think most of them would care for my taste in music though.
:winki:[/quote]

The problem isn't that they can tune in but they will
be forced to listen if they were tuned to the same station. Mine outputs onto one of four channels. One of those is a normal OTA radio station. Obviously you can't have both playing at the same time.

I was given a set of Phillips rechargeable wireless headphones for Christmas, which suits me fine for listening to Melvyn Bragg while pottering around my flat! I haven't tried the garden, so I don't know the range.

Nothing obsessive - that's what we addicts all say!

Dora

Elliven
You've probably had all the advice you need. But just in case ... for several years now I've had a BT Voyager DMP gizmo linked up to my system. Fundamentally, a USB-linked gadget transmits internet radio wirelessly from my computer to a quite decent radio (which can run on batteries, and also does the standard FM, AM stuff) upstairs. It will also play other sound files from the computer, so that one can listen to CDs etc.
Here's a link: [url=http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/voyager.html]BT Voyager Digital Media Player[/url]
rgds
Eddie B

To anyone contemplating the internet radio idea, carefully check that the unit will cope with real player which is used by the beeb as I know for a fact that some of the cheaper ones will not. As for the FM transmitter idea , could be a goer!

:winki:
Thanks everyone for your very sound advice (no pun intended) as I spotted the Knopex FM transmitter in my local co-op hypermarket, about 19 euros and you plug it into the headphone socket of the laptop, adjust sound levels to about midway on windows and on the BBC player and it transmits Wogan etc to any FM receiver and well over the 10 m range suggested, in my case to the terrace from an upstairs room. About 4 different frequencies available and it cuts thro' any interfering stations very well!
Possible drawbacks? uses two AAA batteries and I don't know how long they will last, co-op ones not too expensive, alternative cigar lighter lead but I bet you could improvise with either a simple regulated power supply or even draw power fro the USB socket (?)
Happy listening!