This year, we decided that annoying the neighbors with the flashing lights was enough, and that we didn't want to add the speakers to the mix again, so we opted for a FM transmitter. I picked up a Belkin Tunecast II, but was not very happy with it for the display. It worked great with my iPod in my car, but anything more than 5 feet or so, and it would fade out. I installed a longer antennae on it, but was only able to increase the range by about 10 feet. Scouring the Internet, I found that others are using the Ramsey FM transmitters. Trying to keep this years budget low, I opted for the FM30B kit. Now, I was a little nervous about soldering up an entire PCB, since my prior component soldering experience was only replacing input jacks and pico fuses, but this kit made it a breeze! The instructions were very clear, and the build took you through the various subsystems to help you better understand the operation of the unit. It took about 5.5 hours to construct. I was afreaid I would turn my creation into a melted ball of goo after I first turned it on, but low and behold, no smoke appeared! I plugged in my laptop and tuned a portable radio to an open frequency, programmed the unit through the front panel and was amazed at the clarity. To test the range, I took a little walk outside, expecting to get no further than the end of the driveway. To much surprise, I was able to get a good 350 feet away!

This was probably the best purchase this year (besides additional light controllers).