Mark and Everyone,
Everybody's kind of quiet. What's everybody doing? I got my Chez Procaster outside now. For now, it's only six feet off the ground attached to the chain link fence in the backyard. It gives a hard signal between 1/4 mile to almost 1/2 mile, then it fades little at a time in the car. Sounds a bit muddy, but that maybe the radio itself in the car. I talked to my Consultant Engineer, he told me to raise it up to between 17 to 20 feet to get a better range. I've been testing different channels between 1610 and 1700. My Procaster tunes better at 1700, but I am not using the ground lug for now. My Consultant Engineer now works as a field enforcement engineer for the FCC in the United States, so he's not going to advise me wrong. We both agreed that a simple copper wire from the ground lug of the Procaster to a copper rod isn't going to make no difference in a signal increase. It will help with lighting protection, that's all per his words. Now in Canada, they may not allow that, but since the maker of the Chez Procaster recommends it, my Consultant Engineer said it would be fine. He said the FCC in the United States right now is more concerned about catching Pirates on the FM Band, and even send notices to Property Owners if they have tenants running a illegal FM Transmitter, the property owner can be fined. My Consultant Engineer I don't think will steer me wrong.
H.
The forums are dead I know. I have stated my ideas as to why but that is up for discussion.
I think it's great you have an FCC agent as a consultant engineer! You can't go wrong there.
Nice you are getting good range. The radio itself can be the source of the muddy sound if the band width is too narrow. Radios do this as narrowing the bandwidth also removes more noise interference but with processing like a Schlockwood that has the NRSC frequency boost for treble should make bad radios sound less muffled.
Nothing wrong with 1/2 mile!
I created a thread with a few pictures like 7 months ago 2 times and neither was approved so I gave up on this forum. When the forum switched over to this crappy Wordpress forum there is a better Wordpress forum only like 7 to 10 members stuck around. Part15 broadcast nowdays is not worth if people are not listening to radio any more. If the low end of the FM band would be opened for licensed broadcast 79.1 to 87.3 with 250w and 180 ft high antenna that would get people to listen to radio again. Even 20w 35w with 180 ft high antenna would work to. If I were president I would try hard to get the low end of the FM band open for unlicensed broadcast with a lot of rules with 250w 180ft high antenna.
You and I and everyone knows this will never happen. The New Zealand model allows for 1 watt ERP unlicensed but you just have to be registered with your location and frequency and no protection if someone interferes with you. You can have any antenna and location as long as you don't exceed 1 watt radiated power from the antenna. They have from 76.1 to 79.9 and the upper part of the band from 105.1 to 107.9 if I remember correct where commercial stations can't go. If they expand the band(USA) to 76 it will most likely be to accommodate the extra stations that are overcrowding the band because of the translators.
But you bring up a point in that people are not listening to radio anymore.
So, let's say you had 100 watts license free, won't happen but... and you could put up a 180 ft antenna, and have an expanded band for hobbyists,
How would you be different to get people back to radio?
Also do you have any ideas to make the forum better as I don't want to see it die either.
Hi Mark and DJ,
In the United States, thanks to NPR, they want below 87.9. In radio world, they have been talking about the FCC letting these Franklin FMs on 88.7. I'm not sure about 76.1 to 79.9. There are no radios to tune that low here yet.
It is impossible to find open spots to run a Part 15 FM in urban or city areas here. These Translators and LPFMs have hogged the FM Band. My Consultant Engineer who is with the FCC has used small 100 mw transmitters for his church's special events that would only last a couple of hours, and also he is in a rural area. In a rural area in the United States, if Part 15 was allow to go 1/4 to 1/2 mile in field strength, that would be fine. What stops us is politics. On AM, some like me have almost 1/2 in good coverage. If I raise the transmitter up higher to atleast 20 feet, I should do better. It is amazing the Procaster is mounted only 6 1/2 feet high and getting out this well. My only grip is many of these AM Radios sound so narrow banded. The FCC allowed the manufacturers to do this.
This is why we have a increase in FM Translators for AM Stations in the U.S. The "Class A", 50 KW Stations that are owned by the big corporate owners are now using full powered FMs to rebroadcast their signal. Example us 1010 WINS in New York City. Audacy Media who owns 1010 WINS to one of their full power FM Stations that was running a Classic Rock Format switched the FM to simulcast with 1010 WINS, and changed the FM Stations call sign from WNYL to WINS-FM. See where I'm going with this?
I'm seeing this in the United States. If the AM Licensee can't get a FM Translator for the AM Station, if it is a AM that is not profitable, they will try to sell it dirt cheap to a religious broadcaster or just shut off the AM and turn in the license.
Please direct me to your response as to why the forums are quiet.
Must be back a bit now but me and another I think gave a few ideas as why.
Some opinions such as past moderators, everything has been talked about, repetition, nothing new to start a topic, posts by members not taken seriously were some of the reasons thrown around.