Build A Long Range FM Transmitter (Homebrew Radio Station)

Have you ever wanted to broadcast your own radio station within the neighborhood? Ever get curious on where people get those "Surveillance Bugs" from spy and action movies? This small and simple FM transmitter is the toy that geeks have always wanted.
FM transmitters can be complicated to build, that's why I'm teaching you how to make a foolproof FM transmitter. There's no need to buy kits, this tutorial includes the PCB layout and the schematics.
Download: drive.google.com/file/d/0BwP5...
Full Tutorial: www.instructables.com/id/The-U...
Specs:
- 1/4 Mile Radius Range
- Powered By A 9V Battery
- Lasts For Several Days
- Adjustable 87-108mHz

[@Henpitts]

Amazing how things don't change. I built something like this in the 70's. I would recommend testing before hot gluing.

[@TechBuilder]

Henry Pitts Yes! My grandpa said the same thing. I guess this circuit is considered as one of the classics. :) Good idea on the test it first.

[@dang48]

@@TechBuilder Basic concepts that never change. Thank you for putting this up here. I really enjoyed watching your video and this helps as a refresher for me. Great job! (And yes, I'm chiming in very late here. 😏)

[@religionisapoison2413]

​@@TechBuilderwhat's battery life

[@mscir]

@@religionisapoison2413 I was curious about that too, it might be a nice feature to be able to decrease gain to be just enough to meet our needs, if it saves battery power.

[@religionisapoison2413]

@@mscir yeah, was thinking about deploying units to homeless camps to a central repeater. The unit itself would have virtually zero street value other and the repeater would be up in a tree or on a bridge somewhere with main battery. If it was possible to have long battery life you could manage a lot of camps at once and ensure safety when those persons don't have access to phones and are posted up in the woods somewhere. Thought about solar loRa mesh but those would have street value.

[@rdoetjes]

My goodness it's fun to see kids do this. I've done this (probably exact same schematic when I see the parts) back in 1987. Really cool seeing this again. You can even boost the power (and thus range) by using a 12V battery I don't know the specs of these transistors but the once I used back in 1987 actually go up to 30V.

[@zeref783]

Most are limited to 9V

[@Strongit]

I built this kind of thing back in college in 2004 as a final project. My team was the first ones to use wireless successfully in a final project, our idea was to use it to locate your keys when you lost them. Have a transmitter in a central location and a small, low power FM radio on your keychain. Wish I had this video back then, most of our time was spent researching and circuit building then starting over when the circuit didn't work right. Well done.

[@DAN985]

Thank you for this video. I have built this and it works perfectly. You were a better teacher than most of my university lecturers.

[@ET_AYY_LMAO]

That hobo way to get a 9v clip was genious!

[@runforitman]

+ET I know right, I can't believe that I had never thought of that before

[@HiwattGuitarsDDR]

+ET +runforitman I've actually purchased 9v battery clips, while all along I've been discarding them along with the 9v batteries to which they are attached. I never thought of this part as being retrievable, before watching this excellent tutorial.

[@blackbird1234100]

+runforitman I've been doing that since I was like 10 lmao

[@tylermcnee9441]

+Random_rapper20 I've done it since I was 6 years old

[@blackbird1234100]

Tyler Mcnee woah not a competition lmao

[@Afrotechmods]

You have some really well presented videos. Subscribed.

[@ofentsetshepe]

amazing ....

[@broboard9658]

oh man the boss comment. BTW he is a filipino.

[@l3p3]

BroBoard! Who fucking cares about the origin of ancestors?

[@crappyatlife]

@@l3p3 I do dumbass.

[@Dubswitcher]

That's a verified checkmark...

[@k1j1j1j]

I love how you played Kalimbia the entire time!!! That song is one of my favorites!

[@scottc346]

Watching this in 2019...no more Radio Shack.

[@trentselectronix837]

@Ryan Sanborn i have a "raidioshack" here where i live,it is just a electronics store with the radio shack licensing

[@big_o1952]

wait what but i still see it in Cairo festival mall

[@V0R73X]

2021 now

[@arjuhama]

This'd be cool for the next Paranormal Activity movie. Hearing the ghost's voice from a mile away with your friends sounds awesome.

[@LittleWolfBindery]

You can change the tuning range of the transmitter by reducing or increasing the number of turns in the coil. To raise the tuning range above 108, simply use fewer turns and you can use audio of TV channel 7-12 on an analog TV set or a "police scanner" as a receiver, or increase the number of turns for TV channel 2-6.

[@emmanuelmuganza3426]

i have built one and it works and surprisingly mine sounded even clearer than yours, every word of the transmitted music is easily recognised up to about 15 meters , thanks a lot man !

[@renekenshin6573]

I remember making one of these just to jam my neighbor's loud fm stereo. Instead of using trimmer cap, I used the one from an old am radio, the plastic type variable cap for ease of tuning. Removed the mic and replace it with a female phone jack so I could input various noise making gadgets in it XD

[@TheLinuxGuy88]

Great way to get the FCC involved. Intentionally causing interference. LOL

[@WhitemenaresoSexy]

The Linux Guy 88 , lol...

[@renekenshin6573]

+The Linux Guy 88 We don't have FCC here, but we do have NTC which don't give a crap on low power transmitters lol

[@rohanmadane8774]

Are you real?

[@dolendoge1611]

rohan madane i ask myself that everyday

[@mayura4718]

Old is gold. anyone didn't teach me how to make pcb, thanks bro

[@hapybrian]

"It wouldn't hurt to add more, so... I added more." I Chuckled. Simple, clear directions. Well done!

[@cemomaher1650]

My favourite transmitter. I used for Q2 2N3553 , L1 five turns or on board ,R7 100ohm (that one need Wattage), and distance would be several km

[@MeastrasElKachelino]

I build the similar device as a kid almost at the same age when you did this, in the early 2000's...nice to see someone with the same interest.

[@samuelalexander9488]

Wow! Very neat and professional!can't wait for 2nd week!

[@theredlabcoat]

Nice job, excellent video. Good enough to rival the videos of some professionals I've seen.

[@cbxk1xg]

That's what a call a bright kid! Since this video is kinda old I just checked and realised you stopped making videos some time ago. You really shouldn't. You are awesome!

[@youssefabdulmuti9854]

The first transistor is an audio pre-amplifier and the second one is a VFO and this is the simplest mode ever from 80's, but we consider this oscillator unstable. I have made too many projects in 90's starting with 7 watts transmitters till 60 watts using the PLL technology which is very stable and used in all Tranceivers. Best memories ever in my life.

[@ChristopherJones16]

As soon as he started prying open that battery the like button was instantly clicked

[@tylermcnee9441]

Lol

[@mrhacktuber2657]

+Christopher Jones i just read the tittle and subscribe

[@tylermcnee9441]

+MrYOUsuckcorp I've been subbed since this came out

[@Kamal_AL-Hinai]

Noice

[@andreyrumming6842]

You realise you can get the 9v clips for less than a dollar, right?

[@anu_start]

you should rename the video "How to get your door kicked in by the FCC for less than 10 dollars"

[@WhitemenaresoSexy]

7h3 m057 4u71571c y0u7u83 Ch4n37 3v3r , Funny!!.., but so true!!...

[@Hackanhacker]

7h3 m057 4u71571c y0u7u83 Ch4n37 3v3r xD i like your channel name ahahahahahahahahahah

[@TheGreatUtopiaCat]

is that really how it works?

[@danijeldan5360]

no

[@LMF5000]

Isn't this covered under Part 15 (low-power transmitter on the FM frequency band with range of less than 61 meters)? Here's the reference: www.fcc.gov/media/radio/low-power-radio-general-information

[@johnishikawa2200]

That was very clever the way u made ur own printed circuit board like that. So that 9volt battery provided enough power to drown out the broadcast station in the vicinity of ur house-awesome!

[@jffqnn]

Awesome Job!! I have a couple of Nephews I'm trying to get Excited about Science/Electronics and I think after watching this, They'll be wanting to build one for themselves!! Thank You for the Downloadable PCB Layout!! Sincerely, JeffQ

[@aaronsood8594]

What is this 2014 or somethi-

[@abasahmed]

I like the way you made the coil, Genius ! :)

[@malekpro1805]

How many the power of résistans

[@dawn4138sun]

I appreciate you for sharing your crafty and impressive project with us.

[@electricmic]

Terrific project and excellent presentation!

[@d74g0n]

Amazing, I cannot wait until I build up the confidence to leave the bread board. Once I have the confidence in my skills I will definitely be making one of these.

[@tjtube263]

d74g0n start today. confidence will follow. doesn't even matter if you wreck it. besides, its actually so much simpler & easier this way. (with a pcb as opposed to a breadboard, that is)

[@IchitheLover]

+d74g0n there's a middle ground between the DIY etched board he made in this vid and breadboards. For something this small and simple you just need a generic little protoboard and solder connections together as needed. You'll have more practice with soldering that way, too, so by the time you spend hours making your own board like he did, you won't immediately destroy it

[@tjtube263]

I'm still curious how to make it work with a greater power source.

[@poorkidd]

+tjtube263 More Batteries in parallel. Or what are you talking about?

[@tjtube263]

Christopher Kidd Sort of, yeah. I imagine it's more complicated than simply using a bigger power source, though.. Right? Won't the resistor values etc. need changing and so on?

[@xxxlee67xxxx]

crap they shut down all the radio shacks lol

[@britjohnson4478]

you can still buy the stuff from their website (or, if your lucky, there are still some stores in larger cities)

[@mcdonnelldouglasmd-1184]

Brit Johnson There's a Radio Shack in Woodfield Mall.

[@larrycaine6673]

RS sucks in the past decade. Use to be the place for parts. They died from the net

[@larrycaine6673]

Yea, You can salvage all this junk from an old VCR some one threw in the dumster. Most of my part are salvaged. Just remember as a kid RS has everything and then some you needed to build something. THey were killed from the net.

[@LionWithTheLamb]

+larry caine Their staff also had no clue what parts they sold. They were all deadset on phones, cell phones, and lost their base customers.

[@charliebrownn6622]

With the threat of nuclear war stronger than ever, this is valuable knowledge for building basic radios! You should cover more of these topics! Felicidades! Congratulations !

[@pelletubbies]

Smart kid. Keep it up my man, you're doing great.

[@JaviBLENDer]

Congratulaciones, you're just a Child, but a genius Child!!! Thank you for your videos that are, amazing!! A greetings from Uruguay! You have my " like"

[@AlexWhittemore]

Really well-done video man!

[@proget2]

cool

[@ingenierocantor]

With this video/project you have won a new subscriber

[@adarshshetty1882]

Amazing job man. I rarely say this but, it worked.

[@metricmine]

I remember building a circuit similar to this decades ago. The frequency is very unstable. Simply moving your hand next to the circuit or antenna changes the frequency. The range is good enough for the house. These days you can buy digitally tuned, stable frequency with LCD frequency display, FM stereo transmitters for under US$5 and a simple modification can increase their power into illegal range.

[@speedyL70]

Can you be more specific, I’m interested

[@cosmiccheetah6906]

A bit complicated for my brain, but very cool!

[@olegkotletov7857]

Ну ещё бы, ты же тупой как пробка!

[@darthgumby2406]

I was wondering how you were getting sound to the transmitter, then I noticed the mic. Makes sense now. Nice project.

[@mohamedsh4093]

Amazing this is the first time i can build a radio by my self with the available components i have.

[@NathanHassall]

be honest it's the second time.

[@CamdenBloke]

I totally wanted to build mini fm transmitters like this from kits in the back of popular science as a kid to spy on people. The ones I really wanted were expensive (and tiny), but I did build a slightly larger one (about the size of a travel toothbrush holder). I left it in the room with my parents a few times and went into the other room to listen on my walkman and spy on what they were saying, but it was never interesting.

[@neerajnarwal9558]

nasty🤣

[@MrRJ2K10]

Smart kid! I remember seeing you in Philippines news. Keep it up bro!

[@TechBuilder]

Thanks!

[@slinky211]

TechBuilder can you solder a aux jack instead of a mic and get a clearer sound

[@TechBuilder]

slinky211 Yes, just solder it to U1's collector pin. Please visit the link for more detailed instructions.

[@jbdawinna]

What do you mean by U1??

[@JihadHorse]

I built this on a breadboard in 2017 for a uni project and it was the greatest thing I ever made after it worked

[@Tutterzoid]

Love the way you made that coil :)

[@smartindiaOfficial]

nice

[@OpticalLimit]

Really well edited video and good content. I am a little confused as to how this transmits FM waves versus producing AM waves. What in this setup is actually doing the frequency modulation?

[@noimeballeser1248]

great help for my FM transmitter project! Thanks!

[@05445273488]

how did you make good reception antenna. mine is transmitting a lot of disturbance

[@YoummaLove]

love it i just love how awesome this project is!!

[@hindustanmechanosolutions110]

La Mexicaine here you can find it www.amazon.in/gp/aw/s//ref=mw_dp_a_s?ie=UTF8&k=Hindustan+Mechano+Solutions

[@mendez31971]

Great video ,keep them coming . Could i ask how would you use the multimeter to tune the transmitter

[@anwarozr82]

BC 107 or BC 109 metal body transistor will help to get more range

[@Reelmoana]

You can be the DJ of your neighbourhood 💙. This is amazing

[@aaarod75]

I used to build his things when I was a teenager like you. But I used to make the antennas a lot longer than that. At one time I ended up bugging my sister’s House across the street about four houses down. What I did was I hooked up the antenna to the copper strip that seals the front door sometimes front doors have a copper strip around them to keep the air from coming in and out. And it worked flawlessly

[@user-np3bt2ls4g]

Hello. I am writing from Ukraine, but you are so clearly explained that I, too, will produce a bug .Ty took very good video. I write myself through Google translator. Thank you.

[@JohnyPaprikas]

Радиолюбитель Максим lol

[@weezyntifan]

Радиолюбитель Максим Your sentence was very entertaining,hilarious to be honest,but hey,good luck man,you made my day :D

[@ltschriscrucker]

Радиолюбитель Максим Stop killing people in Donbass.

[@user-np3bt2ls4g]

ltschriscrucker if I could.It does not depend on me

[@Geroskop]

+ltschriscrucker wrong number dude, tell it to idiots and sellswords in Donbas. Someone is using a "palestine scenario" there.... free beheaders and child molesters stuff.. you know...

[@juelpereira9404]

Really, I hope is every week, that will be cool

[@miguelimbach5995]

Good tutorial! Nice beat! Thnx man!

[@picaxesucker]

Very impressive. Thanks for a great video!

[@pramodravikant3047]

That WinRar is paid version? :p

[@TechBuilder]

P Ravikant Nope, it's the trial.

[@TechBuilder]

I would rather use the legal trial version. :)

[@MegaMidoZ]

TechBuilder do u mind making a video about A/V transmitter

[@TechBuilder]

MegaMidoZ If I can find a good working schematic then yes!

[@MegaMidoZ]

TechBuilder i find a good one but i cant find some component in the circuit www.radio-circuits.com/transmit8.htm 22pF trimmer is not available near where i live

[@MrStickman3000]

Instead of the microphone, connect a headphone jack (maybe need a amplifyer), and connect to your phone. Nie u van connect your phone with car radio ^.^

[@RandomLearner]

Thank You, buddy. I just have passed my electronics project course by this video.

[@bucketbuster4077]

Dude you got my sub and just to say awesome job

[@Duskryn]

Wow, how old are you? Because this is actually a pretty awesome project! Seriously the whole video was very professional and the project seems awesome. You could have a real future in the tech industry.

[@TechBuilder]

I'm 16 :))

[@Duskryn]

TechBuilder Keep it up buddy!

[@akshatsingh7231]

The next nikola tesla

[@AB-cf4zc]

TechBuilder Nice, did you make that circuit?

[@matteoZattera]

Can I use two 10pF capacitors in series instead of 4pF capacitor? Please reply (Sorry for my english)

[@OsamaAlsaiari]

can I place an audio jack instead of the mic. to connect an mp3 player for example

[@poorboy5wagpoorboy5wag77]

Yes

[@madhuradharme9131]

Afcourse

[@itsourlife]

Yes you can. I did that around 20 years ago and would carry my Sony Walkman around neighborhood to check the range. I used to put the channel near existing FM stations. It was fun.

[@sunnykamkam3128]

Great video! Nice house by the way!

[@sebell69]

very nice project ............. thank you posting it for us

[@dj505Gaming]

The PERFECT rickroll device :D

[@tonyanderson2809]

I have worked like this circuit since 40 years ago and it was coverong a distance of 5 km by used a 3 transitor type 2N 3866

[@erikpratama320]

Have schematic?

[@hazzaaalayoubi7617]

Great job, amazing experience , you reminding me when i was young but with less budget :)))

[@whatelseison8970]

Very nicely done.

[@Andrew-my1cp]

Is there a way to use lower voltages with this transmitter? Such as switching resistor values or something like that? Thanks in advance.

[@JohnAK72]

3:43 UFO! they're back.

[@roelkemps9387]

Welgodvergetengrafkankertering. Net doend of ik Julie it's her head an maar godverdomme ophouden!Wat juice eropsl

[@reddunkey9267]

Its free energy

[@devanharripersad5730]

great vid , nice presentation

[@numazavaleta206]

You explain very well .

[@unnamed715]

Now I can see if my friends are talking shit about me when I leave the room. Thanks!

[@shutdahellup69420]

Lmao

[@cristiancazacu9771]

Jcsvuycygyycvxtg xc ju knkfkm!fvkjjukkjn!ngnmjumjkj!nkloini.Y Kiljhjdjvju!,?mnl

[@unnamed715]

@@cristiancazacu9771 Wtf kind of Elsa gate bullshit is this???

[@latzobear]

I remember you from the google science fair

[@realcartoongirl]

no you don't

[@turolretar]

@@realcartoongirl wow thats rude

[@rajneeshfriend9195]

Amazing video! Thank you for sharing every detail of it. Hardware dimistified, (even pcb) 😂😀❤️👍

[@gfr2023]

you achieve a good performance from this simple circuit !!! i have experimented with similar devices but I had to move on the CB band to not be "muted" by powerful commercial FM stations

[@hippiebeetle]

any tips for someone building this for the first time? (newer electronic hobbyist)

[@gfr2023]

@@hippiebeetle look at my video about FM bugs and check the description

[@lancelotxavier9084]

The part that is educational happens when you explain how the components make a transmitter.

[@UkrainianBazooka]

How to play porn sounds through the radio at your local low budget store that uses a standard radio.

[@Niko-gr3yo]

Holy shit. Never thought of that, you can really mess with people listening to radio 😂

[@TheFrostSnowball]

@@Niko-gr3yo I don't want to destroy your party but it's illegal to interrupt radio in public areas.

[@RetroPlus]

It's not as if anyone would find out, imagine how unlucky someone would have to be to get caught.

[@Uhohspaghetti0ss]

You can do it at any school or place that uses fm radios or walkie talkies

[@pixeiatedsan5609]

@@Uhohspaghetti0ss with apple watch walkie talkies?

[@VR2ZXP]

You did a very good job. Now the next step to do is QRO by an amplifier, then broadcast to the city. : )

[@anindhyajasminaningdhyah39]

thankyouu so much, I feel helped from this channel

[@TheTimeRay]

hey, man... your resonate tank frequency band is in range of 2.5 MHz to 8 MHz... how did you manage to catch 87 MHz signal on your FM radio ? :D

[@mddanishakhtar9025]

No brother..... From my calculations, the resonate tank frequency is around 79.61 MHz~approx 80 MHz

[@charlesorlain5184]

How did he connect the audio from the computer to the transmitter?

[@theengineer7265]

Hey mate! This is a really impressive project and a well made video. How long does one battery last?

[@msayed6189]

You remind me by this fucking moment, when I was young (15 years old) & built a transmitter.. after several tries and hard working it worked successfully.. I was soooooo fucking happy with it and was "playing" with it all the next day since I woke up.. at the evening the same day cops were in front of the door !!!!!! It was a black day and gray days after I won't forget.

[@gustavoyanez7818]

Perfect friend great proyect

[@havbaba]

Can i use aux input instead of a mic? Or does someone else have a great tutorial on that?

[@dcfuksurmom]

it would be possible, you would have to convert the stereo output (left/right) from a headphone jack to mono (single line), connect the positive of the now single output to the positive of the microphone connection, and the outputs negative to the negative of the microphone connection. just dont turn up the device that its connected to up very loud, as it can and likely will cause distortion, if it is to quiet turn up the volume on the radio itself

[@buttersstotch2014]

Yes

[@MagicalPorkStudios]

I want to do this to stream the whole Three Dog dialogue + Fallout 3 oat

[@mikeg6991]

That handheld radio is pretty bomb.

[@pennywise3605]

Nice work

[@nathanmead140]

Is it possible to have it go over all the frequencies to stop other people from listening to regular radio and only be able to listen to spotify from my phone for 50/100 miles???

[@ZLP-TM]

I think so but you'd have to have a massive broadcasting tower and energy to overtone it. I'm not an expert and that's just my Theorie

[@thatziggs4062]

That's where it gets illegal. The FCC Part 15 rule is voided if you go over a licenced frequency.

[@ragabelsayed2547]

I don't find 40pf or 20pf trimmer cap I find 33pf fixed with 0.1uH then what's the frequency broadcasting??

[@idris110]

1/2π√LC

[@joshuaandrian2888]

i cannot access the google drive link you put on description box, because you don't allow me to read or download the files, but i was very happy when watching to your videos tutorial, because its increase my knowledge..thank you

[@anokhautomation4453]

Nice project 👍👍👍👍

[@childofthemosthigh5485]

ME: STARING AT MY SON AND HE JUST GONE KEEP PLAYING POKEMON

[@EmilySucksAtGaming]

The FCC wants to know your location

[@eat-myshorts]

Philippines

[@Mr850man]

"the land of the free"

[@dang48]

I have some projects planned for the new year and I believe I may just incorporate this one into one or two of those projects. Back to the drawing board. And yes, I've seen this before in magazines during the 70s and 80s. One of my teachers built a baby monitor using a transmitter during the 60s and he built a few more for his wife's friends when they were impressed with it. Unfortunately, the frequency was a tad off and the local police station was getting signals on their frequency. He had to round up all the units and dismantle them or he would have faced charges. I can still hear him chuckling with an amused look on his face while he told us about this.

[@blessingismyname5833]

Thanks for the excellent vid

[@MrFiver1111]

In my country you can go to prision for this, if the range blocks out the whole area

[@CWGminer]

One thing to note is that the diagram in the download file that shows where the components go on the custom PCB is missing the 4pf capacitor.

[@jeromecolico3536]

thanks bro, its a great video =D , SUBSCRIBED

[@yank3656]

thanks for sharing TechBuilder