Imagine ...

You're lying on your favorite sun lounger in your garden - okay maybe not at this time of year, but use your imagination.

There isn't a cloud in the sky.

You can feel the sun's rays on your skin and there is a gentle breeze blowing through your hair.

There is a wooden table to your right. On the table is a tall glass. Inside the glass is your favorite ice-cool drink.

Next to the glass is a radio. From the radio you can hear your favorite old time radio show and when that one finishes another of your favorites will start without you ever having to move a muscle.

Life is good!

Okay, you can stop imagining now and get back down to reality. The reason for me wanting you to imagine that scenario is I wanted you to feel just how good it is having a little gadget called an FM transmitter. Some of you reading this will know what I'm talking about, but for those who don't let me explain.

An FM transmitter is a rather clever gadget that allows you to transmit sound directly from your computer to any radio in your house. It's completely wireless and works just like a normal radio station, but on a much smaller scale.

Here's what happens. It's really easy.

Step 1 - You plug the device into your sound card.

Step 2 - You select a frequency on the device that you want to broadcast at. For example you might select 92.5 FM.

Step 3 - You pick a radio show you'd like to listen to and start it playing on your computer.

Step 4 - You go to any FM radio in your house and tune it in to 92.5 FM.

Step 5 - You sit down and enjoy

The radio needs to be within a certain range, which will vary between 15 feet and 300 feet depending on the strength of the FM transmitter you are using and the number of walls and other obstructions the signal need to pass through to get to you.

The wonderful thing about FM transmitters is it allows you to listen to all the MP3 files you have stored on your computer or you could use it with RUSC-On-Demand. Using RUSC-On-Demand you could set up a playlist of all the shows you want to listen to, click on play, and then sit back and enjoy the shows anywhere in your house on any normal radio.

Luckily, the price of FM transmitters has dropped dramatically over the past few years and you should be able to pick up a decent FM transmitter that will work throughout a typical house for $50 or even less.

There are a few things worth looking out for when deciding which FM transmitter to buy. Most important of all is the distance the signal covers. If you live in a tiny apartment there's no need to spend the extra money on a powerful unit that will transmit 1000 feet, unless of course you want the whole neighborhood to be able to tune in to your broadcast. On the other hand, don't buy one that will only transmit 10 feet if you want to listen at the bottom of the garden which is 150 feet from your computer.

A second thing to look out for is a digital display. Some units have no digital display telling you what frequency you are tuned into and require you to turn a screw on the back to adjust the frequency. This can be quite time consuming as it requires quite a bit of experimentation. The end result is exactly the same, but with a digital display it is easy to set the FM transmitter to a specific frequency by reading the numbers on the display and then set the radio to exactly the same frequency.

Some units don't have a digital display or a screw to turn they have a switch that can be set to one of several pre-defined frequencies, usually there's a choice of three. These are easy to use as you just select one of the pre-defined frequencies and then tune your radio into the same frequency. If the first one doesn't work very well just try the second and third until you find the clearest.

Lastly, some units run on batteries whereas others will run from a power supply. If the unit you buy runs off batteries make sure that it has an auto-off facility that will allow you to set a period after which the unit will automatically turn itself off. If you don't have this you'll find yourself wasting a lot of batteries.

FM transmitters are ideal for transmitting around your house, but the same technology can also provide an ideal way of listening to your MP3 player in your car without having to invest in an in-car MP3 unit. Just plug a battery powered FM transmitter into your MP3 player and then tune your car stereo into the same frequency. You should be able to pick up a small FM transmitter for less than $40 to do this.

In the Amazon box at the top of this article and to the right hand side are several FM transmitters that are worth taking a look at or click on the link below to go to the J&R web site.

J & R Electronics Store - iTrip FM Transmitter for iPod