• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Part15

Part15

License Free, legal, low-power radio broadcasting

  • About Us
  • Forums
  • Resources
  • Members
  • Contact Us
  • Log In
Forums
Main Category
General Radio Discu...
How to get started?
 
Notifications
Clear all

How to get started?

 
General Radio Discussion
Last Post by RFCCRadioAudio 6 years ago
15 Posts
6 Users
0 Reactions
1,238 Views
RSS
 Dave
(@daved)
Posts: 3
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Hi, I am new to Part 15 radio and would like to get started. It looks like AM is the best, where can I go online to buy the necessary equipment to get started?


 
Posted : 04/04/2020 5:35 am
Mark
 Mark
(@mark)
Posts: 2147
Member Moderator
 

Go to these sites..
https://www.chezradio.com/
http://am1000rangemaster.com/
http://www.talkinghouse.com/
Welcome to  the hobby. Assume you are in the USA so yes AM is better.


 
Posted : 04/04/2020 5:46 am
Mark
 Mark
(@mark)
Posts: 2147
Member Moderator
 

Any more advice anyone?


 
Posted : 05/04/2020 5:53 am
 Part 15 Engineer
(@part-15-engineer)
Posts: 190
Reputable Member
 

i just listed a talking sign in the classifieds section,,,,

it's a part 15 certified AM transmittter


 
Posted : 05/04/2020 6:40 am
 Dave
(@daved)
Posts: 3
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Thank you Mark.


 
Posted : 05/04/2020 11:03 pm
 Dave
(@daved)
Posts: 3
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Is this everything that I would need? Could you please give me more information on the talking sign? Thank you,


 
Posted : 05/04/2020 11:16 pm
 Part 15 Engineer
(@part-15-engineer)
Posts: 190
Reputable Member
 

at a minimum you would need a audio source (typically a computer) 12VDC regulated power supply, AM Audio processor and a 3m long antenna.

if you are going for minimum then am audio processor can run as a software program on computer.


 
Posted : 06/04/2020 3:54 am
ArtisanRadio
 ArtisanRadio
(@artisan-radio)
Posts: 1730
Member Admin
 

Here's some of the things that I've learned in doing legal, unlicensed, broadcasting over the course of 14+ years.

There are a great many self-proclaimed experts in this field.  There are entire websites and Forums dedicated to 'proving' to the world that the practitioners contained therein know more than anyone else.  I've never seen anything like it, and I've worked in the computer industry for decades (in which there are a great many 'experts').

Ignore the opinions.  Read as much as you can, gather all the facts that you can, and then come to your own conclusions as to how to proceed.

For there are no absolutes.  AM, even in the U.S., is not always better than FM.  It all depends on what your application is.  Who is your target audience, where are they located, what kinds of radios do they have, what kind of programming will you provide, what kind of sound quality do you need, and what may be the most important question of all, what is your budget?

Here is what I suggest.  Spend as little as possible and try out various options.  For in this field, almost more than any other, you really have to try things out before you can start asking the really important questions that matter.  Those could be as varied as 'How do I get better sound quality?' to 'Where can I get programming?' to 'How do I get better range?'.

Right now, you don't even know what questions to ask until you get some experience, and we don't know how to answer because we don't know what you're trying to do.

And remember, the 'experts' aren't always right.

Just as an example, the 'experts' will tell you that in the U.S., FM is suited best for around the house or yard broadcasting (i.e., to yourself, basically).

That is generally true, due to the limited field strength allowed to legal transmitters.  Virtually any obstruction or minute interference will attenuate your signal.  Add to that the fact that even good, portable FM receivers that most likely would be owned around the house are pretty deaf, with relatively poor sensitivity and selectivity.

However, let's say that your application was to broadcast within a parking lot, and the signal was to be received by a car radio.  Most car radios are extremely sensitive and reject interference from adjacent channels (almost as important) due to the nature of receiving mobile.  You can also elevate your transmitter so that all car antennas have direct line of sight to the transmitter.

In that scenario, it would be entirely possible that your signal could be received 800-1000 feet away.  And if you could place the transmitter dead center in that parking lot, you could potentially cover a parking lot 2000 feet in diameter.  Quite a difference from yardcasting.

Admittedly that is an extreme case, but it's pretty close to what I did on an island, where my target audience was the ferry lineup.

I'd advise getting an inexpensive Part 15 certified AM transmitter (Talking House, Talking Sign) and a Part 15 certified FM transmitter (Whole House, Broadcastvision).  Try them out.  See what's possible.  And then you can start to figure out what you really want to do.


 
Posted : 06/04/2020 4:03 am
 Part 15 Engineer
(@part-15-engineer)
Posts: 190
Reputable Member
 

I have a broadcast vision FM as well and would make you a nice package deal on them.


 
Posted : 06/04/2020 5:52 am
 Part 15 Engineer
(@part-15-engineer)
Posts: 190
Reputable Member
 

pics of talking sign (AM)

and Broadcast Vision (FM)

 


 
Posted : 06/04/2020 10:49 pm
 Part 15 Engineer
(@part-15-engineer)
Posts: 190
Reputable Member
 

talking sign sold


 
Posted : 07/04/2020 8:08 am
 Thelegacy
(@thelegacy)
Posts: 300
Reputable Member
 

hey part 15 engineer I heard that the broadcast vision FM transmitter is really clean on the spectrum analyzer. Plus I hear it has extremely good range. How much do you want for that because I don't trust my whole house 3.0. you could email me about that.

 

Voodoo [email protected]


 
Posted : 07/04/2020 8:13 am
 Thelegacy
(@thelegacy)
Posts: 300
Reputable Member
 

I was reading I'm one of these forms I can't remember which one but there was a gentleman that had a Scosche FMFreq in his house connected to a cigarette lighter adapter to AC.

The gentleman also posted it on a forum on Facebook that was ran by Michelle Bradley I've already seen it. So I posed the question would that still be legal since the transmitter was originally met to be in a car. The transmitter was certified because the gentleman posted a picture of the transmitter with the label on it and it had the FCC ID number on to it.

Now according to Michelle Bradley it was totally legal to do that and the gentleman was getting well over 300 feet in his house with that transmitter using the AC adapter as I described earlier.

Because of my situation I am thinking about trying it until I can get the am transmitter fixed because I would get a few people with that distance especially on car radios nearby.

 

The broadcast vision transmitter that was talked about as artisan said I have read plenty of range reports of 1000 ft plus on that particular transmitter but again it's certified so I'll run it at least you have the deniability because the back of the transmitter is labeled which is the first thing the FCC looks for because when I was visited that's what they looked for a label on the transmitter with the FCC ID number. Depending on the agent that might get you off if that transmitter happens to be a little bit over but a car transmitter connected to a converter for the house to me is questionable and might not give you the same deniability. But then again at this point with a shortage of transmitters I'm willing to try something. I'll be waiting a long time until this coronavirus is over with because now rumor has it in Virginia we can expect it to be until July.


 
Posted : 07/04/2020 8:36 am
 Part 15 Engineer
(@part-15-engineer)
Posts: 190
Reputable Member
 

email sent off to "@TheLegacy"


 
Posted : 07/04/2020 3:08 pm
 RFCCRadioAudio
(@radiofreecedarcity)
Posts: 36
Trusted Member
 

<p>The car transmitter guy here...</p><p>The Scosche FMFreq has a couple of model numbers.</p><p>The current model on Scosche's website, the FMTD10 has a 3.5mm input, so any 3.5mm male to male audio cable will work. I bought mine on eBay for about a third of or half the retail price, but there's not many left.</p><p>The old model FMTD8R, which there are a few still on eBay, has a 2.5mm input, so you'd need a 2.5mm to 3.5mm male to male audio cable, which can also be found on eBay.</p><p>The FMTD10 is a little easier to work with, but the FMTD8R is pretty good too.</p><p>If you run out of luck getting a Scosche, Insignia has their Universal FM Transmitter (Best Buy and eBay should have it) and rivals the range of the Scosche transmitters.</p><p>Expect to pay between $10 to $40 for a good "car FM transmitter".</p>


 
Posted : 11/04/2020 5:04 am
Forum Jump:
  Previous Topic
Next Topic  
Share:
Forum Information
Recent Posts
Unread Posts
Tags
  • 13 Forums
  • 7,613 Topics
  • 62.8 K Posts
  • 3 Online
  • 2,243 Members
Our newest member: RaphaelKal
Latest Post: Jelly Roll Blues
Forum Icons: Forum contains no unread posts Forum contains unread posts
Topic Icons: Not Replied Replied Active Hot Sticky Unapproved Solved Private Closed

Primary Sidebar

Online Members

 No online members at the moment

Recent Posts

  • RichPowers

    RE: Public Domain Radio

    Sounds good.

    By RichPowers , 5 months ago

  • ArtisanRadio

    RE: Public Domain Radio

    I'd also like at some point to do a show, hosted by mys...

    By ArtisanRadio , 5 months ago

  • ArtisanRadio

    RE: Public Domain Radio

    When I played music that was not in the public domain, ...

    By ArtisanRadio , 5 months ago

  • RichPowers

    RE: Public Domain Radio

    The core concept of Part 15 AM has always been to provi...

    By RichPowers , 5 months ago

  • RichPowers

    RE: Public Domain Radio

    √1 - I guess there's not, but the potential exist, so f...

    By RichPowers , 5 months ago

Recent Topics

  • RichPowers

    Innovative "Syth-a-Sette" Turns Objects Into Music

    By RichPowers 5 months ago

  • Mark

    Neil Sedaka dies.

    By Mark 5 months ago

  • RichPowers

    Elvis AI?

    By RichPowers 5 months ago

  • RichPowers

    CB RADIO: Illinois CBer cited for 'broadcasting' on Channel 19

    By RichPowers 5 months ago

  • RichPowers

    Stamped pits vs organic dyes: CDs vs CD-R

    By RichPowers 5 months ago

Topic Tags

  • Carl Blare3
  • KDX RADIO3
  • WINDOZE3
  • Transmitter2
  • Radio Phvern2
  • station upgrade2
  • archive.org2
  • playlist2
  • Zara Radio2
  • Carrier Current1
View all tags (74)

Copyright © 2026 · Part15.org · Log in

‹›×

    ‹›×