A while ago I purchased a new BroadcastVision BV900 (actually branded Sports Select) here in Canada by mistake (the model number wasn't listed, and the seller indicated it covered the FM broadcast band). I decided to keep it since it was a real deal, and I already owned a 900 Mhz Sennheiser wireless headphone/transmitter for my TV - the transmitter for that is crap, and the Sports Select works much better, with far greater range (I believe here in Canada you are allowed up to 50 mw output on the 902-928 Mhz band for unlicensed use, although I'm too lazy to verify that right now).
Anyway, my Landmark FM-350 finally gave up the ghost (a bad capacitor, I'll eventually get around to debugging and fixing it). I own a Decade CM-10 that I'm underwhelmed with and it doesn't work very well above 92 Mhz (there are literally no free frequencies under that frequency wall in my area). So I decided to put the Sports Select into play. The transmitter works very well to cover my household, with absolutely no interference (something that didn't happen with the CM-10). It also helps that the Sennheiser headphone receiver that I use with it is phenomenal.
You can vary the receiving frequency a bit on the headphones, which corresponds to Channels 15 & 16 on the transmitter. I don't know what frequencies that represents. The transmitter has 16 channels in total.
I haven't bothered to check out range yet, but I would imagine that it would be several hundred feet if I put it in a window sill. Something to try out when I get the time and inclination.
If you don't care about an audience other than yourself, then this solution would be a good alternative.
Hash Tag Me Too
That is, I also have some devices in the 900 MHz band.
These are a pair of Sony Model WCS-990T wireless mic components which I intend testing for STL (Studio-Transmitter-Link) application.
The story behind these is worth telling because it explains why I expect they will serve very well.
During the 90s while operating an audio/video/print service I first acquired a very costly Lectrosonic Wireless Mic System, consisting of a receiver and small cube-transmitter that plugged at the XLR of any hand-held microphone.
Seeing the Sonys for much less I wondered how they compared, so I purchased a set and noticed that the included electret mic sounded like a tinny-telephone, but using a professional mic the Sony matched the Lectrosonic in every way, so I purchased a second one, since they have 2-selectable channels.
To be continued
Part 2 Sony Wireless
Each component, the two transmitters and receivers each require 2-AAA batteries.
By designing an audio-pad to reduce line-level to mic-level we will feed studio audio into the transmitter and receive it at the other end to drive an AM or FM transmitter.
These have an FCC ID Number.
The range has yet to be discovered.
Ya, those BV900s were made for gyms where you worked out with headphones and the transmitted music.....guess where it wasn't a TV set large screen and an FM frequency for sound.
Don't know if I would want to have 900MHZ headphones on all the time to hear my station.
A simple frequency counter will tell you the transmit frequency if it's sensitive enough.
Speaking of alternative Frequencies for Hobby Broadcastiong or an STL Wall Mart use to sell a Wireless Headphone set that when I checked out the FCC ID it was transmitting on 84.9 Mhz.
Doing some research since a friend had one and his Range was well into the thousands of feet I read a review that one person lived on a lake and he was able to transmit a mile. Remembering that those Tecsun Radios go down there and some Japanese car Radios there would be nothing stopping anyone from simply using that as a Radio Station. You give out the frequency and tell your vriends to by a set of these or simply use a Radio with the Japanese FM Band.
This may be a well kept secret for if that is true that trumps the idea that you can't transmit on the old analog space where TV channels 2-6 were. 84.9 Mhz would have to be channel 5 if I'm not mistaken. I'd like to find out more and see if I could do that.