My order has shipped and I have seen the manual. There is no comparison between the original and this version. It appears from the photos to extremely well constructed. The radiating element is similar to the antenna employed on the Procaster. The mounting hardware is sturdy and it comes with 25 feet of RG-6 although one can use up to 100 feet. They make it very clear in the manual to use ONLY 75 ohm coax.
I will post photos when it arrives.
http://www.iamradio.net/range-extender-2.5.htm
It has arrived. The construction quality is excellent. Heavy duty! I can't wait to get this thing tested. I only wish I had Tim-in-Bovey's FSM LOL!
Good to see the antenna is aluminum like the Procaster is.
I'm also seeing some differences in the way this new ATU looks as well. The old one did not have a see through case and the antenna was a stainless steel whip which does not have the came electrical characteristics as aluminum does. I'm sure that in and of itself will give more Range.
And as we have discussed and some kept saying the height did not matter notice the 20 foot height recommendation. Now if I could get mine up that high I am sure the issue with the Deltaville Market would be eliminated and a straight Tecsun PL-365 could receive this station.
I'd recommend doing a few things in the tests:
1. Tecsun PL-380 or 365 with stock antenna at first to see range.
2. Car Radio such as the ones inside a Toyota Corolla or Delco Radio inside a GM vehicle.
3. Tecsun Radio with Terk AM advantage loop to compare your Range with mine.
4. A video on Youtube similar to my video to show how your station sounds. As you can see if you talk while the music is playing or don't play Top40 like Black Eyed Pees or Taylor Swift you should be OK. I played CCR and Jefferson Airplane but both songs were not in the Top 40 charts.
Keep us posted I'm really excited to see what this could do. Also I don't see why you could not use this ATU on an ASMAX2 transmitter as I am using 75 ohm coax and a home made ATU and have no issues at all with the transmitter. So now you folks transmitting in C-Quam AM Stereo and want a professional ATU/antenna can now use it on the ASMAX2.
For thought and discussion, below is a NEC4.2 analysis of the AM transmit system described there. The remote ATU is located at the upper end of the 25-ft coaxial cable, at the feedpoint.
The red lines along the conductors of that system show the relative distribution of r-f current along those conductors.
Observations:
- All of those conductors carrying r-f current and located above the surface of the earth are active parts of the radiating antenna system.
- The total length of that conducting path is limited to 3 meters by FCC §15.219(b).
- The analysis contained in this post is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of Physics.
First of all you have no idea how I am going to install this. We all understand the rules and the manual is very clear on this. Are you going to sleep nights knowing that the extender will be mounted on a fence post about 4 feet above ground. Please stop these unsolicited comments to the same crowd you've been preaching to for the last several years. We get it.
And reminder Mr. Physicist: The extender IS the final stage of the transmitter. Since you know everything, you already know that the internal tuner is switched out of the circuit when the external (final stage of the transmitter) is employed.
Now cut back on your sugar intake. 🙂
RE: "... the internal tuner is switched out of the circuit when the external (final stage of the transmitter) is employed. ..."
And that is the configuration of my NEC model.
Also, suggestions have been posted elsewhere that the antenna+ATU should be mounted at least 20 feet above ground level.
OK, Maybe I should restrict sugar in my diet. 🙂
Lol he just don't get it. We want to see and HEAR REAL WORLD Range tests as I have described. With and Without the Terk AM Advantage Loop sold on Ebay for $52 as myself has proven time and again your range WILL TRAVEL 2.5 MILES TO A GOOD RECEIVER!! So the first thing we have to get our listeners to understand is that their Radios are the issue not the fault of a legally operated part 15 section 219 compliant transmitter.
A Car Radio with a Steel antenna not that piece of garbage fin antenna should receive further too. I'm sure that the NEC software is for those garbage Emerson or Sound design Radios where as there is no sensitivity 2-3 uV just to receive a station is not good and we the hobby broadcasters need to educate the listeners on how they can receive part 15 stations. The only brands that need to be in their vocabulary are:
Tecsun, Grundig, Sangean, Directed Electronics, Carver, Macintosh. Basically Ebay is your listener's best friend for a Radio.
When the NEC software can show a Tecsun PL-365 , PL-380, 880, Grundig S350 DL on a Terk AM Advantage loop receiving a part 15 station accurately its a piece of rubbish and quickly disregarded. SHOW THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE LIKE I DID!!!!!
RE: I’m sure that the NEC software is for those garbage Emerson or Sound design Radios ...
NEC software analyzes the e-m fields radiated/received by an antenna system, including other conductors in the propagation environment if they are included in the model.
NEC software does not model the performance of receivers, or of complete transmit/receive systems.
I'm sure it can give you a guesstimate of what your Range is going to be like. But I say there is nothing morre realistic than a demonstration in particular a video of what your Range is.
Even some folks who wanted to narc on a Pirate used a video on youtube when describing the reception quality of the Pirate Radio station like the one a youtube video had in which the person authoring the video turned in the Pirate in Clearwater, FL. He showed that he was not just doing this as a hobby but rather selling advertising. And the station was off frequency. A video shows a thousand words. The viewer gets to see first hand the experience.
This is why I'm a stickler for those video Range demonstrations because it tells you what your going to sound like to would be listeners. Its really something we need more of.
I'm with you on this one, Legacy. If we're looking for the most listeners, the only test that really counts is the one to see how much turf our usable signal covers.
John
W9LWA
Below are two graphics from NEC4.2 to help understand and compare the performance of two AM transmit system configurations, for the ~similar operating conditions shown for them.
The first one shows the performance with an antenna system having a total radiating length of approximately 3 meters.
The second one shows a system using a remote antenna tuning unit (ATU) with its attached ~3 meter monopole and other conductors, having a total radiating length of about 13.2 meters.
The "bottom line" — the horizontal distance to the 100 µV/m groundwave field intensity contour from the system with a radiating length of 13 meters is about 1.8X greater than from the system with a radiating length of 3 meters.
Although this comparison included no houses, etc along and near the propagation paths, the effect of them is ~negligible, as they are small in terms of wavelength at this 1.65 MHz operating frequency.
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Or, just plug it in and see how it works...
John
W9LWA
Part 15.219 doesn't limit field strength.
The Talking House transmitter, combined with the ATU (and coax) has been FCC certified, and so if you use it as supplied, without adding a long ground lead to the ATU, the field strength (or the fact that the coax may radiate) doesn't matter.
What does matter is whether or not an FCC equipment certification overrides an FCC Rule applicable to that equipment.