The Digiana AudiaX DGT-301 FM transmitter from Merconnet is one of the better audio transmitters on the market these days. It has the ability to scan for the best available clear frequencies in your area, so you’ll get the best audio possible.
Hardware Specifications
Modulation:FM stereo modulation
Frequency:88.1~ 107.9MHz
Signal distortion: THD+N less than 0.5%
Test condition:1KHz, -20dB input, battery power 12V
Frequency response:100Hz ~ 15KHz
Channel separation : 420dB
Operating Range:10-30 feet {Depending on the quality of the FM radio receiver (limited by FCC regulations)}
Package Contents
DGT-301 FM transmitter
12V charger adapter
User’s guide
1 AAA battery
I like the AudiaX because it’s nice and small. At about 4 inches long, it won’t take up much space at all in your car or gear bag. It’s made of plastic, with a stretchy 3.5mm cable on one end and a small mono LCD on the face.
There is a skinny button bar on the top of the transmitter that gives you power, tuning and scanning features.
On the bottom side, there’s the slide open battery compartment door and the power connector for the included 12V adapter cable.
You can either power the AudiaX with a AAA battery, or a 12V power port (cigarette lighter jack) in your car.
Pressing the power button on the transmitter will cause the backlight to come on for a few seconds, displaying the battery charge status and the currently tuned frequency. I’m sure you probably already know what an FM transmitter does, but if not, here we go… FM transmitters transmit audio from an audio device like an iPod via FM radio frequencies to another radio tuned to the same exact frequency. It’s a solution for those of you that do not have iPod compatible vehicles or auxiliary audio inputs built into their car stereos.
To use an FM transmitter, you just turn on your car’s FM stereo and find a station that is all static. This can sometimes take a few minutes… But the AudiaX relieves you of this task as it has a built in scanning feature that will find the best clear stations for you. If you press and hold the Scan/Memory button for a few seconds, it will scan all the frequencies from 88.1 to 107.9MHz and will save the best four channels. You can then press the S/M button to toggle between these four channels. If you prefer to tune to a channel manually, you can use the up / down arrow buttons to tune to a specific channel. Once you have the channel set on the transmitter and the radio, you can plug the 3.5mm jack into the earphone jack on your audio device and start enjoying your music.
The DGT-301 worked wonderfully with my iPod classic, but unfortunately, the 3.5mm jack doesn’t fit an iPhone without an adapter. That’s not the fault of this product though, gripe to Apple for their design…
I found the audio quality to be very good. But it should be mentioned that like all FM transmitters, this will vary upon your location. If you live in a area that is saturated with many strong radio stations, you might not have good results using this type of product…
I can happily recommend the Digiana AudiaX DGT-301 FM transmitter. I like that you have a choice of using battery or a 12V adapter and of course, I really like the best frequency scanner feature.
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i appreciate this review!
i have bought several FM transmitters over the years but none of them would compare to this unit.
first, you can select from frequencies spanning the traditional FM listening spectrum as opposed to being limited to a choice of 4 or 5 frequencies (typically at the “low end” of the available spectrum). for those of you considering an FM transmitter purchase, this is an important consideration.
second, IT SCANS, no more putting everyone on the highway at risk while manually searching for an open frequency. but hey, if you like to do it yourself, you can; its nice to know that in the event of a malfunction of the scanning feature you still have a usable product.
Third, the option of 12v DC or battery powered operation. i like the battery option as it no longer tethers you to a vehicle when using the transmitter. you could find an open frequency on your boom box’s radio and share your audio library with friends around the pool or with your family while doing yardwork; sweet!
this will be a DEFINATE purchase the next time i need an FM transmitter. and while you can certainly can find a less expensive solution, you would be hard pressed to find this units options at a better value.
thanks for a great review!
Darrin:
Right now this is my fave FM transmitter :o)
But I typically use a SendStation and the AuxMod with my 2006 Mazda.