Scanner audio distribution throughout home?

[phillydjdan]

I'm trying to come up with a way to monitor all of my radios and scanners anywhere in my house without disturbing the Mrs. I'm thinking a simple DJ mixer will do the trick for combining the audio, but I'm not sure where to go from there. Any suggestions? Wireless headset maybe? FM transmitter? Let's hear your suggestions.

 

[quarterwave]

Sounds about right...one of those headset deals made for TVs. A bluetooth base if there is such a thing...

I thought about buying a PA amp with 70v line distribution so I could put my radios in the shop/garage and listen there, then pipe the audio to a speaker in the office, and one in the basement each having its own volume control.

When I worked in radio communication service, I had about 9 channels and 4 receivers remoted from the loft/attic of our building down to my office with 4 of those nice OLD Motorola TSN speakers with the volume controls on them. Antennae were on a 50 ft tower out back. We had a Desktrac base in my office with remotes in the building for our comms, but I had VHF Hi and Lo monitors and a scanner all piped in. It was cool and worked well. Mostly it was to monitor our 24/7 contracts.

 

[Stupidfatkid]

You could stream the audio over Wi-Fi

Do you have a wireless router in the house? You could setup a streaming audio server using the output of your mixer as the audio source. From there you could listen to the stream over your wireless network using any device supported by the streaming audio server (i.e. laptop, iPod Touch, iPad, smart phone, etc..) -- of course you could use headphones on any of those devices. There are several options when it comes to streaming audio servers/clients.

 

[phillydjdan]

The only question is whether those wireless headphones for TVs would reach from the 2nd floor to the basement. I doubt it would. I do have a wifi router. The streaming server might be a good way to go, if it isn't rocket science to setup.

 

[majoco]

Your original idea is what I use - unfortunately both parts have now disappeared from the catalogue! A 4 channel mixer kit and a stereo VHF FM transmitter. Easily covers my half-acre and a couple either side. A small receiver in my pocket with earbuds under my ear defenders when I'm mowing the grass - works well!

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=KC5448

http://electronics-diy.com/schematics/BH1417_fm_transmitter.htm

 

[W2NJS]

Get a bunch of 8 ohm to 70 volt audio transformers and a like number of small, boxed, 8-ohm speakers. Connect the scanner's low-impedance output to a transformer and at each remote location hook on to the 70-volt line as primary with the 8-ohm secondary wired to the remote speaker. An L-pad on each speaker will allow local level adjustments. Don't overload the scanner's audio capability and you'll have a great system that will last many years with few if any problems.

 

[w2xq]

Perhaps a lower-cost AM or FM transmitter from Ramsey Electronics might be an easy solution for you. I still have and use their FM chip tx acquired in 1978; helped me to chase USA counties on 14336 without having to be continuously at the radio. HTH.

 

[phillydjdan]

Get a bunch of 8 ohm to 70 volt audio transformers and a like number of small, boxed, 8-ohm speakers. Connect the scanner's low-impedance output to a transformer and at each remote location hook on to the 70-volt line as primary with the 8-ohm secondary wired to the remote speaker. An L-pad on each speaker will allow local level adjustments. Don't overload the scanner's audio capability and you'll have a great system that will last many years with few if any problems.

Yeah, routing wires, especially that many, is completely out of the question, as I am renting. I guess I'm looking for a low-cost FM transmitter at this point. One I don't have to assemble.

 

[NYRHKY94]

Phillydjdan:

I use a digital FM transmitter from C Crane to broadcast the scanner audio from the shack on the first floor of my house to several other rooms where I have tunable FM radio's located. The Crane transmitter does a good job with reception & distance and there is even a simple Mod that can be done to increase the range. Once you set the Crane with an open FM station to broadcast your scanner on, you just tune that station in on the FM radios in the other rooms. Sometimes I hook the Crane up to an individual scanner and other times I hook it up to my main PC in the shack and broadcast from there.

Not sure if this is the type of set-up you are looking for, but it works well for me.

FM Transmitter 2 - C. Crane Company (800) 522-8863

Thanks - Mike

 

[Rt169Radio]

That is interesting NYRHKY94, are you able to hear the scanners if you go outside and tune into whatever FM freq it is set on?

 

[K9DAK]

Modified Baby Monitor

You might try something like this: Convert the Fisher-Price Baby Monitor into a Repeater

When I lived in San Diego there was exactly one spot in my house where my BC-220 would get everything I wanted to hear. With this little repeater (I used a Radio Shack model and added a switch so I could still use it for its intended purpose) I could leave the scanner there and still go work in the yard, garage, whatever, just taking the monitor receiver with me. It also kept the scanner from getting banged up, dropped, etc. I still use it to this day, plugged into the line out jack of my ham rig upstairs, parked on 50.125 so I can hear any 6M band openings.

 

[Thayne]

I think you are kidding yourself if you think she won't get hacked off no matter how you do it--

The only way I get any slack is by starting an argument as a diversion then kiss and make up the next day.

 

[redsnow]

I stream mine through the house and pick it up on the IPhone. Its really easy and best part is its Free if you already have a wireless router and a computer.

Another plus is you can listen when not at home, just requires a little more set-up (port forwarding).


You can use either of the programs below:

ScannerCast Configuration and Usage Guide

ProScan

 

[phillydjdan]

I decided to go with an FM transmitter:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CZH-05B-Mini-Stereo-Transmitter-100mW-500mW-FM-76-108Mhz-Range-Antenne-
Adapter-/180932415112?pt=US_Ham_Radio_Transmitters&hash=item2a20698e88

I'll use an old DJ mixer I have to combine the audio:

Amazon.com: Gemini PMX-1100 19" Full Size Stereo Preamp DJ Mixer: Musical Instruments

And a small AM/FM walkman with earbuds will be the receiver:

Sony srf m32 personal AM FM radio walkman talk music news pocket | eBay

I'll let everyone know how it works out.

 

[RadioDaze]

I have been using the FM transmitter method for years, and added a 3-channel mixer/headphone amp a year or so ago. Very versatile, and can be picked up on such a variety of table and portable radios around the house. I almost always have my sony am/fm walkman clipped to my waistband and an earphone in my ear. GRE-PSR-600 on mixer channel 1, RS Pro-197 on channel 2, and my computer audio on channel 3 so that I can hear streaming.

My mixer has a "pan" control for each input so that you can move it toward the right or left channel.
http://www.amazon.com/ART-POWERMIXIII-PowerMIX-III/dp/B0002E583S

 

[phillydjdan]

Ok, I got the FM transmitter and it works great. The problem is the mixer. When I connect the radios to each channel, then connect the mixer output into the input on the transmitter, I get a very obnoxious hum. It's unbearable. I connected it directly to one of my scanners (my PSR-800), and I still get a slight hum. I connected a ground wire between the ground side of the antenna connector on the transmitter and the scanner, and it all but silenced it. If I try any other scanner, it still hums. What should I do to remedy this? Help!

 

[QDP2012]

This might have nothing to do with the specifics of your situation, but are the impedances mismatching? Some mixers have Hi-Z and Lo-Z connections for input/output to external equipment. A pad or active-direct-box can help in some cases. Some pads/ADBs offer a "ground-lift" feature that can help eliminate related hum. ...Just a thought.

 

[phillydjdan]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3.4; en-us; SCH-R720 Build/GINGERBREAD) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

QDP, it might be. I did not think of that. Im used to connecting DJ equipment to a mixer, and 99 times out of 100 its all plug and play. Now that Im connecting two-way radios and scanners, its a whole other animal, Im sure. I was also thinking it may be an isolation issue, since they share a common ground and the connection of a ground wire appears to help. I was going to try using resistors, but Im not sure which ones to buy and exactly where to install them (in line or across the circuit).

 

[Stormscanner]

I use 4 of the Radio Shack 900Mhz wireless intercoms throughout my house. They are VOX and have worked well for several years.

4-Channel 900MHz Wireless Intercom with VOX Mode : Intercoms | RadioShack.com

 

[KWs]

I hook up the Discovery Channel Expedition Wireless Speakers to my scanner .... crystal clear sound.
The range is fantastic for the deck, garage, lower home level.