Fox Tango International

[W4CLM]

Hello to all Zune users.
For starters I’ll just say how much I love my little Zune with thousands of songs and genre, it’s wonderful. That being said I wanted to use my Zune in the personal vehicle so I did what most anyone would do and bought the Zune car pack kit with its small FM transmitter. Being very candid in my evaluation of the FM transmitter add on, it didn’t work worth beans! At best it barely worked on the car dash and it did not work at all when sitting on the passenger seat next to me.

Without posting my resume on line, I’ll tell you this much. I have been a radio amateur and electronics technician for over thirty five years. One of the first things you learn as a novice in radio is that the radio station is no better then its antenna. It doesn’t take much power to transmit however if you have no antenna you might as well be talking to a brick wall. So I had to take a look at the inside of the transmitter and find out why this thing barely worked in my car.

Keep in mind this unit meets FCC regulations for part 15 low power transmitting device and we will not increase its power. The power is extremely low from the Zune transmitter and this modification will not bring the Federal Communications Commission crashing into your house. It will however allow the Zune transmitter to transmit up to approximately 8 to 10 feet reliably. This modification is not for those weak in the stomach when it comes to soldering or opening electronic gadgets.

First thing was to open the Zune transmitter and find out just why this thing would not transmit reliably beyond a foot or two. Disassembly of the transmitter requires a little patience and care so you don’t destroy your case. Once opened you will note the Zune transmitter basically breaks down into two circuit boards. The case will pry apart with a small flat head screwdriver. Again be careful and don’t expect to have a warranty any more once you try this.
See: http://www.foxtango.org/Zune/Zune%201.jpg

Bottom line was a very simple diagnosis to the problem, it basically has NO antenna. The genius that designed this thing used a metallic spray to coat the inside of the transmitter case making the case itself the antenna, I’m sorry to say but this just didn’t cut it. Notice the little tab labeled TP15, this little copper contact is all there is to connect your transmitters output to its antenna.
See http://www.foxtango.org/Zune/Zune%205.jpg

You can see in this photo the sprayed on copper that lines the inside of the transmitter case. This is your antenna.
See: http://www.foxtango.org/Zune/Zune%204.jpg

The goal here will be to add a little antenna to your Zune transmitter and make it work the way a transmitter is suppose to work. This is not rocket science so most people with a little technical ability should be able to perform the modification. First you will need to heat up a soldering iron with a very tiny tip, remove the copper tab as in photo 5 and replace it with at least 19 inches of wire. I used 24 inches of easily acquired white 22 gauge hook up wire.
See: http://www.foxtango.org/Zune/Zune%203.jpg

After soldering the wire in place, I punched a small hole in the back of the transmitter case using the tip of the hot soldering iron, the case is plastic and melts easily.
See: http://www.foxtango.org/Zune/Zune%202.jpg

Simply solder the wire in place of the copper tab and pull it back out through your new hole in the case! Carefully resemble the Zune transmitter case and Ta-Da success! I was able to walk around my living room and the Zune played perfectly through the kitchen radio some 8 to 10 feet away. That’s all we are looking for, we are not trying to make a broadcast station out of the Zune for all the neighbors to hear. The goal was to provide enough signal from the Zune to our automobile antenna and produce full quieting of the receiver without the hash and hiss that accompanies a low power signal.

I hope this modification will be useful to you. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at foxtango@foxtango.org with the subject line ZUNE FM TRANSMITTER. I’ll say it once again, if you try this modification, don’t expect Microsoft Corp / Zune to honor any warranty on your Zune car pack. However if you’re like me and you find out the transmitter does not meet your requirements you now have some information to work with here.

Regards
CLM
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http://www.foxtango.org