A/V DEVICES & ACCESSORIES

Works on all of them except the ones stuck to your eyeballs. Corrosion-Be-Gone is a gel made to remove the schmutz from all types of battery terminals, circuit boards and contacts, on everything from cars to computer boards. Our each is a 0.3 oz jar.

Don't toss it and buy a universal remote. (How many things are really universal, after all?) Try this jar of Keypad Fix, designed to clean and restore conductivity to the carbon on the keys and the copper PC board pads that make up the rubber-coated switches on remotes, game controllers, and security keypads. Contains enough to coat over 200 button contacts.

Hear about the antenna wedding? The ceremony was nothing special, but the reception was excellent. Same goes for this amplified HDTV digital antenna from TriQuest. It doesn’t stand on ceremony--just offers excellent reception by marrying several types of antennae. Use it with satellite or cable for the best reception of local channels. Has a 6-1/2" loop for UHF frequencies, a pair of 32" 5-draw dipoles for VHF, a 50" coax cable with a gold plated "F" connector, and an inline 25dB amplifier powered by an included 12VDC 100mA adapter. Base has a 8-3/4" x 4" footprint. Works on all TVs.

Build your own quartz antenna. These (2) 4-3/8" x 3" x 1-5/16" plastic boxes each have (2) boxes of quartz crystals inside and (2) aluminum U-brackets that are attached to a single screw terminal on one short side of the box. Back in the early 70's, they were originally made to be used in pairs as part of a 300 Ohm antenna. Not sure if they will work with today's TV's but all you need is cabling to connect them and give it a try. Made in Brazil, the antenna capital of South America, probably.

These 36-Ohm ear buds have 15-foot leads, so you could practically leave your pod/pad/phone in another room, with the standard 1/8" plug at the the end that isn't in your ears. We'll send (2) pair because we know you keep losing these things or ripping the wires off (although 15-foot leads may just take care of that little wire problem).

Get plugged in with this pair of jacks, one each: 1/8” (3.5mm) feminine jack to 1/4” plug; and 1/4” feminine jack to 1/8” (3.5m) plug. Both are TRS--tip/ring/sleeve--wired. You get (4) jacks in all, you lucky thing, you.

This 3-way passive audio crossover has a 5A circuit breaker, prewired leads with quick-disconnect terminals and spring speaker terminals mounted on a 4-1/8” dia housing with a 5-1/8” dia plate. Plate has foam on the lip and (4) countersunk 5/32” mounting holes. Has what appears to be a Butterworth filter at 8 Ohms, and frequencies will be approx 800Hz and 3000Hz. Maximum 50W in.

This little package of take-out parts is from a marine public address system, but you don't really have to be on the water to use it. You'll get a 15K-Ohm handset mic (1/4" out) with an 11-foot cord partially coiled, an in-line level control with a telephone plug input, a mount for the mic and a 20-foot DIN-telephone plug cord.

You’re not alone. Lots of people pretend they’re rock stars in the bathroom, and you can enhance the pretense with this 9” long, red-handled hair brush with a built-in electronic microphone (“…we’ll be back to pick you up later!”),1/2W amp and 1” speaker in the handle. Will also play sounds from a media player or phone via standard 1/8” input jack on a 4-foot jumper cord. Has power, dual-level volume and mic kill buttons. Runs on (3) “AAA” batteries that you add. Brush is removable for cleaning.

Now you can share your music with your friends, Romans, countrymen, and even strangers on a train. Just plug your buds into the standard 1/8” headphone jacks and you’ll both be tuned in. Slides into a little black rubber case that has a 7/8” slip ring so you can hang it on whatever. Bonus: the bottom of the case is a touch stylus. We’ll pick one in red, black, green, blue, pink or purple.

We’re pretty sure it was furbished by RCA, since they’re the folks who are selling this refurbished indoor HDTV/VHF/UHF/FM antenna. Has dual 37”, 6-draw pivoting poles for channels 2-13 and a tilting 6-1/4" loop for channels 14-69, all of them in digital and analog up to 1080HD, on a 6-5/8" x 4" base with rubber feet, a 12-position tuning switch and 6-foot lead with an F-type COAX connector. You like free TV, right? Yeah, us too.

Indoor reception--always the safest choice. You know, in case it rains. But seriously, folks, do you love watching TV as much as we do? Pull in your stations with this refurbished passive indoor antenna from RCA. It’s passive--just like TV-watching! Has a pair of 5-draw 39" dipole antennas (or do you say antennae?), a 7" x 4" loop and a 54" cord with a coax “F” connector to hook to your TV. Base is a compact 5" x 3-1/4" x 1-1/4" so it’ll fit pretty much anywhere and won’t hog space, unlike some pets on some couches.

No, really. This amplified HD antenna is a product of the Monster® brand. Measures 8-3/4" x 9-3/4" with a waffle-ish pattern in black plastic. Called the EDGE60 model, it’s marked 4K ULTRA HD READY. Uses a standard coax cable connector and comes with mounting materials for table or wall. For indoor use only, it receives HDTV, SDTV RCA’s DTTV and analog signals.

We’re gonna level with you. The ball point spy pens we got our hands on offer high-def video and audio recording, a 4GB micro SD card, a USB to mini-USB cable and a rechargeable lithium battery. Thing is, not all of the batteries hold their charge. Some hold for 24 hours. Others, not so much--and we tested a bunch. So here are your options: (1) buy a few, hope one has a good battery; (2) buy one and use your soldering skills to replace the battery; (3) forget about the battery and just use the 4GB micro SD card, which is worth our discounted price alone. Pen is 5-3/4” long, by the way, and fancy-looking in black and gold. Camera and mic are virtually invisible on the side opposite the pocket clip. We recommend a good 24-hour charge and formatting the SD card before embarking on your espionage mission.

...tooth. These rechargeable Bluetooth® wireless earbuds are made for gym rats, or at least people who exercise and don't want to sweat all over their electronics. Sport hooks keep them securely on your ears as you jog, step, skip, hop or whatever you do at the gym. Buds themselves are sweat-resistant and comfy. Also tangle-free with a built-in mic, which also controls pause/play/call pick-up. Wires are approx 24" long.

Devil Music? That’d be Tartini’s ‘Sonata In G Minor’, saxophones and anything you play out of this cute, lightweight Bluetooth speaker. Don’t be fooled by its size—this little red egg with horns has a nice full range of sound, and recharges via USB port so you can listen to the devil on your shoulder bag, bicycle or wherever you go. Just hang it by the attached wrist strap. Plus, you can pair (2) for stereo sound thanks to the magic of True Wireless Technology. When paired to your phone or tablet, you can use it as a remote shutter for taking selfies or use the built-in mic for hands-free phone calls. Has a range of about 10m (33 ft.) and glowing LED indicator eyes.

OK, we don't know how to pronounce the Scosche company's name, but we like saying a skosh more, so we did. Anyhoo, this Scosche TUNEIT is a digital FM transmitter made to play music over your car stereo. Connect to the output with the integrated AUX cable, find an unused FM frequency on your stereo (the dial is full of them), and you'll be dancing on the roof in a matter of moments. Compatible with Apple iPhones and iPods, Samsung Galaxy, Android, MP3 players or anything with a 3.5mm Aux output. The oversized backlit display is on a flexible neck and has control buttons to scan between (100) radio stations and preset (3) of your favorites.