The Basics:

The Roadmaster USA VRFM8 MP3 FM Modulator ships in a plastic blister pack, you know, one of those things you have to destroy to open. Inside the package, a cardboard insert serves as the main source of information, and is printed on both sides to provide a good deal of information on the features and operation of the device.


Additionally, a rather extensive, multi-lingual manual is included, and you can download the whole thing as a PDF from the Roadmaster USA website (PDF manual).

The balance of the package contents are shown below, and from left to right you have; a three foot audio cable with 1/8" stereo jacks on either end, a spare fuse, and the VRFM8 itself.


Zooming in on the display/control area of the device, we see it has a simple, but attractive layout with just a few buttons to control all of the available features. In the very center of the device is a play/pause button which also enables random shuffling of your music. A simple press of this button will start the playback in a sequential manner, while pressing it again will pause the playback. Pressing and holding this button enables shuffle mode, which plays the files in a random order.


The buttons on the left and right of shuffle button have dual functions. A simple press of the left button goes back one track in the list, a simple press of the right button advances one track. Pressing and holding the left button decreases the volume, while pressing and holding the right button increases the volume.

The button at the very bottom, labeled "CH" is where you select the FM station to transmit to. Your choices are 87.7, 87.9, 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, 88.7, 88.9, 106.7, 106.9, 107.1, 107.3, 107.5, 107.7, and 107.9. You definitely have more choices than on many other FM modulators, so hopefully you have no problem finding a clear channel to use. The button operates by advancing through the channels sequentially, from low to high, and once you reach 107.9 it starts at 87.7 again.

The display above the buttons only shows two things; the FM station you are tuned to, and the playing status of the device. We will see an example of the station display later in the review, but there is a small LED indicator above the station display that tells you that your are playing sequentially or shuffling. A slowly flashing red light indicates sequential play, while a rapidly flashing light indicates shuffle play.