Speaker requirements

[Rainlover]

I have my transmitter, but I don't really know what to get for outdoor speakers and what I need to power the speakers. ICan I use an old boom box and put it on my covered front porch and run speaker wires out to the yard?
I have pretty much blown my budget on controllers, wireless tx/rx, 12v controllers, led lights etc.... so I can't afford anything extravagant this year.
What do you experienced people use? I am open to any and all suggestions.

John

[budude]

Mine was really hi-tech - a $12 clock radio in a 1-gallon ziplock bag stuck in a tree in my front yard. The nice thing about this is that you know your transmitter is working as well (or not...).

[WWNF911]

John,

You have my curiosity pegged!   

Perhaps I'm not aware of your situation but normally, if you have a transmitter, why would you need outside speakers? Seems if you'd rather go that way and your neighbors don't mind, you wouldn't need a transmitter.
Still, many have the transmitter so as to have a show and not bother the neighbors. Hence the request between songs to have people NOT blast the music with the windows or doors of their cars open.

Just curious.

Leon

[Rainlover]

Leon,
We live in a small town and when it is not raining, we always get a lot of foot traffic in our neighborhood to see the Christmas lights. We would like the pedestrians to be able to hear the music. We have already talked to our neighbors about playing music and nobody has a problem with it. We have great neighbors and almost everyone puts up a static display.
Also, we have a singing pumpkin Halloween display planned  for the trick-or-treaters. We normally get 200-300 kids depending on the weather.
I hiope this answers your questions

John

[dmaccole]

Mine was really hi-tech - a $12 clock radio in a 1-gallon ziplock bag stuck in a tree in my front yard. The nice thing about this is that you know your transmitter is working as well (or not...).

Things are real expensive in the big cities like San Jose -- I spent $5 at the local Goodwill store for my radio that's in a *garbage bag* (again, cheaper than a zip-lock), which sits under a bush next to the sidewalk. I have the radio on a lamp timer, as the clock-radio's "wake up" function only runs about two hours and I need the radio on for a full four. I had to root around the pile of radios at Goodwill to find one that would come on when the power came on -- it has a real on-off switch (the newer ones have contact switches and don't work that way).

HTH.

\dmc

PS: Again, like John, the radio is helpful for people who are on foot and for those who don't get the hint (from the LED sign and elsewhere) that the show's audio is transmitted on FM.

[blearning]

I have a $8.00 radio (Big Lots) in a Kitty liter bucket ($0.00) with a couple of holes in it .. Of course the cats already have the kitty liter under control in a different venue. 

[jnealand]

I have two outdoor speakers mounted under my eaves and use those in addition to the transmitter.  For Halloween I have the sound up quite a bit during the trick or treat time, but at Christmas it mostly for me to hear when I am out in the yard testing.  i turn the sound up until I can barely hear it standing on the curb across the street.  The neighbors say they don't hear the speakers and listen on the radio.  They like it.  We never get people walking about after dark as far as I know.