Like many people, I use an FM transmitter to listen to my ipod on the car radio, or in my case cars, as I've taken to hiring lately, as well as having 2 cars.
In Yorkshire it works fine on 88.1, as soon as I get in to North Wales, I get interference(Which is curious as I can't get sufficient signal strength to listen to the stations) and have found 90.0 works.
My question is: Does anybody know whether their is one optimum frequency with which I can travel throughout Britain without re-tuning?
This question has some significance as, if, in the unlikely event, the government's plans for a digital Britain go ahead, you'll be listening to DAB on a DAB to FM transmitter balanced on top of your dashboard/portable in six years!

There are supposed to be 'guard bands' at the top and the bottom of the dial. But there certainly aren't clear frequencies you can use UK wide. Also pirate stations tx anywhere they like.

The problem I always had was pirate stations, so I'd say no there isn't

Maybe I'll give the top end a try, instead of the bottom, it certainly seems clear here.

They had both ends covered here, but I guess there's a lot more pirates in London than Oop North.

On a side note, last spring I couldn't get any station to bring me a clear signal with an FM transmitter I used while vacationing in Portugal. It made the iPod completely useless as a music source for our travels, and it only came out at night if I had the chance to listen to a few tunes before going to sleep.

England must be so cool. We don't have a single pirate station here around Los Angeles...

Yeah

Is that not because an FM transmitter designed for North American use operates with different increments to an European one? - I can't remember the technicalities.

I'm proud to say that I was in the team that started the first one in the 60's, in retrospect running our aerial up the outside of the BBC.s Wood Lane building was a mistake - I never did get my reel to reel back from the General Post Office (They policed all the frequencies at the time).
I'd already had a warning for transmitting blues on the SW using a transmitter out of a WW2 tank

It could be, but the numbers on the transmitter definitely matched the numbers displayed on the radio. I also don't remember friends of the family reporting any troubles with car stereos they bought here in Canada on vacation and took back home with them (mostly in the 80's).

I actually meant to look this up when I got back last year, but it completely slipped my mind. At least we were able to return the FM transmitter for a refund.

Excellent! Which station?

Do you know, after 40 years, I had to ask myself the same question, I just can't remember what we called it: Radio free something. Making the post caused me to drop a line to a friend of mine, whom I haven't been in touch with since before the advent of emails, hoping that he hasn't moved.

Boxer, did you ever consider broadacsting from a blimp? If not why not?

I think that I'm nearer to the age of the Zeppelin, rather than the blimp. Funnily enough, I was in hospital in January with a guy who ran a company advertising on blimps and all sorts of other unusual platforms.
We did consider a historical connection: Transmitting from the roof of Selfridges, knowing that 2LO, the first radio station transmitted from there. For various reasons we had access - most people don't realise what a large multi storey car park Selfridges have(Or certainly had) at the back, with staff parking.
I think however girls, drink and the general social whirl of the swinging 60's blunted our enthusiasm by this time and the project dissolved!

I could be wrong, but I don't think the problem occurs on old fashioned car radios with a needle going up and down the frequencies, which would probably be the case in the 80's, but digital tuning can't cope with it.
I had a Blaupunkt with autotune controlled by a foot switch, which was just a motor pulling the cord over a capstan, it also had a cassette recorder: I used to boast that I had a car stereo, one better than the one in a Rolls Royce!

I think you're thinking of medium-wave -- FM is the same everywhere except Japan.

Peter

I was speaking to someone yesterday who did german to english translation for the sadly defunct Cargolifter project. I'd love to cross a continent by airship.

Selfridges still have their car park, don't think you can get up on the roof though

Thanks for that, my memory wasn't serving me well!

I'm not sure I'm following the conversation properly, so I might be arguing a point you're not making, but while the frequency band for FM radio is the same across the world, the US uses 0.2MHz station intervals, while the UK uses 0.1MHz station intervals. The vast majority of digital tuners in the US don't allow you to tune to even-numbered tenths. I imagine a digital autotuner might be able to find a station 0.1MHz away, though.