FAQ’s
Below are some of our Frequently Asked Questions. Simply click on a topic to see the questions and answers for that topic.
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Comparing a DAGCO FM Transmitter to the Whole House 2.0 or Whole House Gold is similar to comparing a Harley Davidson to a Moped—they both have handlebars and 2 wheels and a seat, but in the end, there is no comparison! Sure, both the DAGCO and Whole House models are classified as FM Transmitters, but the DAGCO FM Transmitters are in a class of their own as a result of quality, range, weight, size, and sound! Our typical recommendation for whole house audio is the RangeStar 500 mW FM Transmitter, followed by the RangeMaster Adjustable 1 Watt FM Transmitter. With any DAGCO FM Transmitter, you get a high quality product with proven results, whereas with the Whole House products, you are paying for the thousands of dollars used to market their lightweight, moped-style transmitter that sells for the only a couple bucks less. If I had a dollar every time I have heard from customers, “My last transmitter was a Whole House Gold,” “My Whole House one just isn’t getting the range I want to get” or “That Whole House unit just wasn’t what I expected.”
Although the 2.0 has only been on the market a few months and may be a vast improvement from their outdated Gold model that came with a frequency range from only 106.0 MHz to 108.0 MHz that was adjusted by flipping a series of dipswitches, it has a striking resemblance to the feel and design of the Mobile Black Box V6000. The Whole House 2.0 is outweighed by the DAGCO Transmitters by over 10x-20x meaning the necessary components within must be extremely lightweight, or non-existent. The DAGCO Transmitters each have weights near or well in excess of one pound—our designers do not leave anything out or shortchange you!!! Unlike the Whole House 2.0’s plastic design, the DAGCO FM Transmitters have a metal chassis which are not only highly durable, but are also optimal for broadcasting.
One of the most important factors to consider with any transmitter is their output wattage and antenna design and flexibility. Whole House 2.0 has 0.2 W/200mW or less while the RangeStar has 0.5 W/500 mW output wattage. 0.2 W is typically a decent output for whole house use, but…they ruin it with their “antenna” made from a cheap wire, that causes mass amounts of reflection and makes it nearly impossible to pass through walls and obstacles, and also gives no flexibility to the user to optimize their signal. All of the DAGCO transmitters are equipped with antenna ports that allow the user to determine which antenna is ideal for them. As a result, DAGCO transmitters give users the flexibility of how far you want your signal to go. Even if you use only the stock antenna with your unit, you will be able to attain unforeseen distances with your DAGCO transmitters—GUARANTEED!
This is just a brief comparison between the DAGCO transmitters and the Whole House 2.0. If you have any other questions please email us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com.
DAGCO’s goal is of course to sell transmitters in the end; however, if you were to question our support if FM Transmitters are the best solution for your particular application, sometimes the answer would be, “No.” The most common application that we do not always feel that an FM Transmitter is the best solution would be in MP3 player/iPod to car stereo applications. Sure, FM Transmitters will work for this particular task, but often times you could have a car audio dealer install an AUX jack in your vehicle and have the same or even better results at a fraction of the cost of an FM Transmitter. However, in the instance that your application indeed has a need for an FM Transmitter, DAGCO’s FM Transmitters are definitely the best solution hands down! They have a proven track record and over their product lifetime have required little or no troubleshooting and rarely have to be returned as a result of defects. DAGCO Electronics strives to only carry the most effective FM Transmitters available in the world. We take it very seriously and will stop carrying an item altogether if they require more time than the average DAGCO FM Transmitter to troubleshoot.
What you see is what you get! Our kits come preassembled and as Plug N Play ready as possible.
If you read through this and are still uncertain, please visit our DAGCO FM Transmitter Chooser Contact Form and we will promptly assist you. Selecting an FM Transmitter is dependent on several variables, but the easiest to help with your decision is to determine the answers to the following questions:
All DAGCO Transmitters will work for your application, but once you determine the details, one or two of the DAGCO Electronics FM Transmitters may end up being a better solution than the others.
DAGCO Electronics FM Transmitters have power supplies that are compatible with both 110 V and 240 V applications. The only compatibility issue will be adapting the power cord to your outlet.
Set up of a DAGCO Electronics FM Transmitter is not intended to be at all complicated or entailed. Typically you could have any of our products installed and broadcasting within 5-10 minutes, the complexity of the antenna is what typically lengthens installation time. Our instruction manual will guide you through the process; however, as a result of the perplexities of the science of radio, you may have some brief troubleshooting to go through. At any time you feel that you do not understand something, feel free to contact us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com.
DAGCO FM Transmitters are able to broadcast from a minimum of 88.0 MHz to 108.0 MHz with a 0.1 tuning step (i.e. 88.0, 88.1, 88.2, 88.3……107.7, 107.8, 107.9, 108.0). However, some of our FM Transmitters have the capability of going down to as low as 76.0 MHz.
The distance a DAGCO FM Transmitter will reach is dependent on the wattage/power of the FM Transmitter, what antenna is being utilized, where the antenna is located, and what you are broadcasting to. For instance, when determining modulation range, the easiest way for us to figure is to drive to the location. Many times our engineer’s car stereo will pick up the signal of the RangeStar over 1 mile away, but when using a Peltor FM Headset, we will pick up our signal around 100 yards away from our transmitter that rests on top of a desk within a room of our headquarters. It can still be heard past that but there is no bleed over from other stations until a little past the 100 yards. Typically, an MP3 Player gets similar results to the FM Headset, but its headphone wire is the actual antenna, which is not at all as ideal as a FM Headset.
To a car stereo and the stock antenna, out of the box the RangeStar 500 mW FM Transmitter will reach ¼ to ¾ mile radius, the RangeMaster 1 Watt Adjustable FM Transmitter will reach ¾ to 1 mile radius at full power (15), and the RangeStud 20 Watt will reach 4 to 6 mile radius.
Often times this is the first question I ask when doing a custom project because it is probably the most important factor. The beautiful thing about FM Transmitters is the ability to broadcast to anything with a FM Stereo built in to it. Most cell phones and MP3 players are even finding it to be commonplace for an FM Stereo to be built in. Other devices among the most common are a boom box, home theater receiver, car stereo, and FM headsets. The device is not as important in determining which transmitter you should purchase as is its antenna’s reception quality. For instance, a car stereo will receive a signal much clearer and with much more quality than your MP3 Player/iPod not because of the device, but because of their antennae. The car has a very powerful metal antenna, whereas the MP3 device uses the headphone wire as their antenna. MP3 devices are wonderful receiving devices, but the distance that an FM Transmitter broadcasts may be greatly affected by how far the device is away from the transmitter and may require a bit more Watts or a simple antenna upgrade to reach these devices.
DAGCO FM Transmitters can be utilized to broadcast audio signals from a host of devices. As of now anything with a headphone jack, auxiliary jack, RCA Outputs, etc. will work with a DAGCO FM Transmitter. You may need to also purchase an adapter such as a RCA Male to 3.5 mm Male Audio Cable to make broadcasting possible, but other than that, anything from an iPod to a DVD/Blu-ray Player will work with your application—GUARANTEED!
The most powerful FM radio receiving device is typically your car stereo. However, it may be difficult to use a car stereo in all applications, so we typically recommend you to pick out your FM receiving device first, and base the rest of your application around it. FM headsets, MP3 players, cell phones, home theater systems, hand radios, boom boxes, and several other devices are all commonly equipped with FM receivers.
Of course our transmitters are ton more robust and powerful than your standard car FM Transmitter. The beauty of working with DAGCO Electronics is our creativity and willingness to find a solution. Our RangeStar is probably the best solution for a car vehicle adaptation application, but out of the box, it will not work without the addition of a cheap power adapter or a power inverter, you will achieve a solution for your car in just a few minutes.
NOTE: The most common application that we do not always feel that an FM Transmitter is the best solution would be in MP3 player/iPod to car stereo applications. Sure, FM Transmitters will work for this particular task, but often times you could have a car audio dealer install an AUXILIARY ADAPTER in your vehicle and have the same or even better results at a fraction of the cost of an FM Transmitter.
The device you are broadcasting from must be connected to the DAGCO FM Transmitter via an audio cable or audio adapter cable of some sort. All DAGCO FM Transmitters are equipped with at least a stereo 3.5 mm Female Input and stereo MIC Input, and some have also been designed with RCA Inputs. DAGCO Electronics carries a wide variety of different grades of audio cables and accessories to adapt to your application’s variables.
All DAGCO FM Transmitters can be used with any device with Line Outs or RCA Outputs. The Line Out on most PCs is color coded as green and is usually used for your desktop speakers. You could also connect to any computer via their 3.5 mm headphone jack. The RangeStar and RangeStud have only a 3.5 mm input, while the RangeMaster has both a 3.5 mm and RCA Input.
All DAGCO FM Transmitters are equipped with at least a stereo 3.5 mm Female Input and stereo MIC Input, and some have also been designed with RCA Inputs. DAGCO Electronics carries a wide variety of different grades of audio cables and accessories to adapt to your application’s variables.
All DAGCO Electronics FM transmitters broadcast in Stereo sound. However, the RangeMaster 1.0 will indeed broadcast in either Mono or Stereo.
The convenient part of DAGCO’s FM Transmitters is being able to so easily troubleshoot and diagnose the true cause of static or hum. The number one most typical cause is the power supply, followed by the antenna being improperly grounded, the third most popular cause is the audio cable lacking RF Noise Reducers (ferrite beads), it could even be the environment or atmosphere you are broadcasting from, or perhaps there is an actual transmitter problem. The best thing to do after testing another power adapter would be to contact us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com.
One of the most common problems with any FM transmitters is that the audio line in causes RF interference. If you are finding that this is indeed the case with yours, the most feasible and cost effective solution would be to try another audio cable, and if still apparent I would recommend getting a ferrite bead/RF noise filter, or cable equipped with one already.
The easiest way to attempt to correct broadcast range, is to seek out several open stations. However, if you have attempted this, the key to getting good range is typically in the antenna, followed by replacing the power supply. For some applications, it may require an antenna upgrade and I typically recommend obtaining a tunable antenna. Ideally you would like to get the antenna at a maximum height and as much slack out of the cable as possible. Ensure the antenna is tuned properly and check to ensure that reflection is at a minimum.
Sometimes, however, it may make less sense to replace/upgrade the antenna and attempt to correct broadcast range problems by simply replacing the power supply. Any 12 V power adapter will work with the DAGCO FM Transmitters, but try replacing the power adapter with a similar one. For instance, if you were given a 12V 2A power supply, try replacing it with the same. If your power supply is under 90 days old, please contact us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com and we will replace it. Never upgrade the power supply to something over 12 V and please understand that most DAGCO Electronics FM Transmitters only contain heat sinks to cool the units, when you exceed the recommended power supply, you may burn up the transmitter chip and void warranty!!!
All domestic shipments are typically sent within 24 hours of their purchase; however several things may happen once delivered to the post office. The most common problems for delayed orders are incorrect shipping addresses and international customs issues. DAGCO Electronics does its best to proactively limit extended shipping times, and we ask that you do the same. On a rare occasion, DAGCO has failed to ship altogether and we have done our best to minimize this occurrence. To prevent this from happening, please ensure that you receive tracking information within 24 hours. If you do not receive in a timely fashion, please contact us immediately at sales@dagcoelectronics.com and ensure we know who you are.
DAGCO Electronics does its best to expedite the shipping process. Once delivered to the post office, it is out of our hands and we have limited control. All shipments should take 6-10 business days to get to your location and sometimes this process is delayed as a result of your country’s customs office. Please contact them first to attempt to locate your package because I am typically unable to do anything about it.
Tuning a FM radio antenna is not as complex as it sounds. It is simply a mathematically matching a frequency range to an ideal electrical length of antenna. Basically, if you fail to tune your antenna to the ideal length for the frequency you are broadcasting from, you will cause reflection. For instance, you may have a 1 Watt of power being put out by your FM Transmitter; however, your antenna is causing reflection of 0.7 Watts meaning that in reality you are only transmitting 0.3 Watts into airspace and 0.7 Watts are being directed back into the transmitter. In a 1 Watt Transmitter, .7 Watts being reflected will not cause the transmitter to fry in the short run, but if 70% of the radio waves were being reflected back into a 20 Watt FM Transmitter, not too long after your purchase, the transmitter will eventually stop functioning!
Each DAGCO Electronics FM Transmitter comes equipped with a free, stock antenna which will work with your FM Transmitter. Depending on your FM Transmitter, an upgrade may be desired for your application. To figure out which antenna you require, the easiest thing would be to report as many details of your application as possible. Our goal is to minimize email correspondences and get you up and running as quickly as possible. Here is a simple list of details required to decide on an antenna: 1) which FM Transmitter you were looking at, or going to be using, 2) where you will be using your FM Transmitter, 3) how far you would like your broadcast to cover, 4) what type of FM receiver you will be using, 5) where you will want your antenna to be.
Needing a DAGCO Antenna Upgrade is fully dependent on just a couple variables:
The most common reasons for the FM Antenna upgrade not getting better range than the stock antenna is a result of either not tuning the antenna properly, the type of broadcast cable used to transmit is not ideal, or the broadcast cable is too coiled, or too close to the antenna. All of these may cause reflection and the easiest ways to correct antenna range problems is to test the antenna with an SWR meter.
SWR is Standing-Wave-Ratio. In layman’s terms this means the ratio of your transmitter’s driven power compared to the power reflected back down the feedline by the antenna. If the SWR is too high (too much power being reflected back into the radio) you are not getting full power out of the antenna and eventually you will most likely fry your FM transmitter.
Although all of DAGCO’s ground plane antennae and antenna upgrades contain instruction manuals and antenna tuning charts, this does not qualify as tuning your antenna. DAGCO Still recommends a SWR meter for the FM Radio Band that will be compatible with your output wattage of the FM transmitter.
DAGCO Electronics currently does not make recommendations of what brand of SWR Meter you should use. If you are unsure, we recommend contacting a refutable source to assist you in choosing a SWR Meter.
For information on FM radio transmission please visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/radio/radiowaves.html, it is very helpful!!!
Of course they are safe. They are being emitted all around us. For more information please visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/radio/radiowaves.html
Virtually any education level from reading age through twilight years can set up DAGCO Transmitters to function with at least 90% accuracy. For information on how radio waves work, please visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/radio/radiowaves.html
DAGCO Electronics does not endorse any unlawful use of any of our devices, and we try to give you as much common sense help about normal and lawful use as we can. In addition, DAGCO Electronics makes no representation as to the following discussion being legally correct – it is simply offered as an introduction to the responsibilities that a user must realize. It is the policy of DAGCO Electronics that knowing and observing the lawful use of all transmitters is first responsibility end users. For additional FCC information, go to the FCC Home Page – http://www.fcc.gov/.
One common misconception of lay people is in regards to the FCC limit on FM Radio Transmission between the 88 MHz and 108 MHz. Many people believe the limit is determined by wattage and that the FCC deems that anything over 0.1 W is illegal. However, this section, according to popular belief is for other devices, not FM Transmitters. In fact, nowhere in Part 15 of the FCC’s Rules (May, 1990) did they discuss the limitation of transmitters in wattage. The technical standards for 88-108 MHz are very different, primarily concerned with band width and RF field strength.
Here are a series of the most notable of the FCC’s limitations that DAGCO Electronics would like to further discuss and help you understand:
The best method of communication with DAGCO Electronics is via email at sales@dagcolectronics.com where you will always receive a prompt response either by email or by phone. However, we can also be reached via Windows Live IM at dadagers@hotmail.com or SKYPE at dadagers. Because doing business in a global marketplace is a 24 hour 7 day a week task, DAGCO Electronics chooses to not openly disclose our phone number or address. Privacy is still an important part of our business. The best method to receive a phone call is to email us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com with a phone number and the best time to reach you. We will call you promptly in 100% American English!!! If you have a language preference outside of English, we can communicate through Google Translate, so simply send us an email or IM and we will find a convenient time for us to chat.
DAGCO Electronics is located in the outskirts of Fort Wayne, Indiana. We are currently only a web based store, but have a long term goal of having a brick and mortar business also. Shoot us an email at sales@dagcoelectronics.com with your phone number and we’ll give you a call
Are DAGCO Transmitters In Stock or drop-shipped? How long until my item ships?
99.9% of the time DAGCO Electronics transmitters are in stock at the time of your purchase and we try to minimize out of stocks. However, on rare occasions, shipments may be delayed as a result of out of stocks. In the event of this rare occurrence, all customers are offered a choice of cancelling their order, or waiting it out.
Please add the item to your cart and click the Estimate Shipping button from the cart page and it should get you an actual shipping quote. If you feel that the shipping is extremely out of line, please contact us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com and we’ll get you an actual price for shipping there.
DAGCO Electronics default shipment process is United States Postal Service Priority Mail (2-3 days domestically, 6-10 days internationally). We typically ship once per day and all orders received by 7 am (Eastern) Monday through Saturday will be shipped out on that business day. For instance, if you place an order on Tuesday at 8:30 am and do not pay additional for same day shipment, we will be sending your order on Wednesday. For special shipping arrangements, please contact us immediately at sales@dagcoelectronics.com so we can expedite your order. All same day shipments will incur a flat $15 charge in addition to the actual shipping cost for your package.
Our warranty and return policy can be viewed at www.dagcoelectronics.com/ but if ever you have a specific warranty or return policy question, please contact us immediately at sales@dagcoelectronics.com.
One of DAGCO Electronics’ many strengths is our ability to tailor to your applications. Our support department prides itself in creativity at reasonable prices. See our custom project form here or contact us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com.
To sell your items, or make recommendations to DAGCO Electronics, please email us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com. Please have a description of what the item (s) is. We will contact you on a case by case basis, so be as detailed as possible and include links and pictures of actual products.
The ability of DAGCO Electronics to customize your application for you is one of the main reasons for our success. We pride ourselves on flexibility and creativity, many large businesses cannot accomplish as a result of minimal entrepreneurial spirit. Contact us and we will help you find it at a great price. If you think we should have this item on our site permanently drop us a line at sales@dagcoelectronics.com.
We do offer all of our items at wholesale prices when purchased in quantities larger than 10 units. Please contact us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com and we will negotiate the details.
DAGCO Electronics does its best to make as many tweaks to pricing as possible to make it a good deal, but we cannot predict every combination of products being purchased. If you are in the middle of shopping and feel that you are entitled to a discount or deal, please do not hesitate to contact us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com.
DAGCO Electronics prides itself with a philanthropic heart. If your organization would like to contact us in regards to a charitable donation or discount for your church, school, or organization, please email us at sales@dagcoelectronics.com and we will see what we can do.
We handle advertising on a case by case basis and if you feel your product would benefit from web presence on our website, please contact us and we will negotiate a deal sales@dagcoelectronics.com.
DAGCO Electronics is a privately held company based in suburban Fort Wayne, Indiana. As of now we do not have stock available in our company, but if interested doing business together or for business venture suggestions, please contact me at sales@dagcoelectronics.com.
DAGCO Electronics currently specializes in only FM radio applications. Television signals will require a different type of transmitter that we are currently trying to perfect. For now the only television broadcasting DAGCO can accomplish is the TV’s audio throughout your house. We typically recommend the RangeStar 500 mW for whole house applications.