Brando Air-Wave FM Transmitter

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

February 10, 2005

Product Requirements:
An FM Radio and an audio source with a 3.5mm headphone jack, one AA battery (included)

It's the age old dilemma - how to best listen to one's music in the car, when said music is all contained on a player that is not hard-wired to the auto's sound system. One of the easiest and most effective ways that I have found to solve this problem is with the use of an FM transmitter. Today, I'll take a look at the Air-Wave FM Transmitter, available from Brando.

The Air-Wave measures 2.54" tall x 2.33" wide x 0.73" thick and weighs 1.5 ounces. It is composed of glistening matte silver plastic and features an LCD screen on the front as well as two buttons for advancing or reversing the broadcast band number. The Air-Wave's compact design is quite clever in that it has a six inch cable which wraps around its own diameter then plugs into a receptacle for efficient storage. The device itself is quite solid as I was not able to detect any creaks when I purposely tried to torque and squeeze it.

The back holds the battery compartment...

To use the Air-Wave, the 3.5mm plug must be released and then inserted into the music players head-phone jack.

The Air-Wave is turned on by pressing the + button, and a pretty blue side-light will illuminate the LCD screen.

You'll note that the Air-Wave that I received has a slight defect in that the two vertical bars on the far right LCD's digit do not show up at all. While this was a bit inconvenient for use and testing, it did not affect the Air-Waves performance.

Because the Air-Wave will allow the user to select any FM station from 98.0 to 108.0, there will hopefully be a clear channel available for even those that live in the largest cities.

I tested the Air-Wave in my auto and found that its range was very short. If I moved it more than a foot from my radio I got a poor reception and lots of static. While this is unacceptable for my own personal use, I understand that there are users out there that live in areas where a far reaching signal could get them in trouble with the law. While I am not suggesting that anyone necessarily do anything illegal, I am just going to say that it would probably be easier to get away with using this particular transmitter.

One of the things I like about the Air-Wave is its compact size and the fact that the one cable on it stores away so neatly. However, I do wish that instead of being battery powered it had either included a 12v cigar lighter adapter or an internal rechargeable battery. I suppose that some may think that I have become spoiled, but I really hate having to buy AA batteries anymore. The good news is that I tested the Air-Wave while it was hooked up to my player and broadcasting, and found that I was able to get approximately ten hours of use from a single battery.

Well, obviously I had some issues with the Air-Wave. Mine has a messed up LCD which is probably a quality control issue from the manufacturer, and I felt that its signal was inadequate for my use. However, I was quite satisfied with the Air-Wave's battery life and design. I like that it is small enough to keep in the glove box of an auto or a gear bag pocket. The addition of a 12v power cable would be nice, but for this price I can't complain. If you are in the market for an FM transmitter that doesn't broadly transmit, then you might want to take a look at the Air-Wave FM Transmitter, available from Brando.

Price: $22

Pros:
Compact design with efficient cable storage
Can choose from any FM dial increment between 98.0 and 108.0

Cons:
Mine has a messed up LCD
Extremely finicky and weak FM signal