There's a fuzzy rat running around in my head...

I don't know what to comment as I don''t know what you are referring to (LGL's)

Do I Understand Correctly?

Did AMRadioLegend just ask: "I would like to draw in information from a touchy subject: LGL’s"

Providing space for the Lithuanian Gay League would never meet ALPB approval, but if it worked to obstruct RF I'd like to see it tried.

Long Ground Leads

Now That We Know

AMRadioLegend I think the road is clear for you to open a new discussion about the now-famous LGL since the old discussion reached no conclusion.

There's never any getting away from the issue of the three meters, it always has and always will be an intricate yet convoluted aspect of part 15. From my observations of   historic and established use, the primary concern has always been more focused on ensuring the range is limited (that's why there is a 3 meter rule), but it's strikingly evident that the FCC has  extended consideration and leniency concerning the length of the lead providing the range remains limited.

Again, this is observation only, and there is no documentation which directly addresses it (although I suspect it is in redacted portions of the field agents manual).

So that said.. What's your fuzzy rat have to say about overcoming obstructions?

I agree, RichPowers, I'd like to hear more, even if it risks getting into what might (or might not, depending on interpretation) be called an LGL.

And there are antennas that you can make that don't require a ground and work pretty well.

And as far as range goes I invite you to look at the red horse antenna on YouTube it has a coil at the top is all I'm going to say and this Santana got him 2 miles to a portable radio.

I'm still going to say it if you're operating in a very large radio Market then 300 ft to a thousand feet is probably your best bet. Operating a talking house am transmitter with a wire in the middle of Austin Texas or some big city like that is probably your best bet. But if you live in a rural area when the range extender comes out for the talking house then try that if you have a talking house and you can try better transmitter like a pro Caster or a rangemaster for those of you who must have a certified unit.

There is another forum on Facebook that has gotten so paranoid about the certification rule that we are no longer allowed to talk about Kit transmitter like the c-quam AM stereo transmitter because the moderator of the group says that we are not allowed to run kits that transmitter's must be home built and cannot come with a schematic or a pre etched circuit board.

The moral of the story is that the FCC is more concerned with interference that is the thing that the agent told me the most. Also rather or not you are trying to compete with other broadcast radio stations my running advertisements. If you're not doing any of these things and you're running a clean radio station and you're not doing something ridiculous like trying to run a 10 watt radio station and call it part 15 I think you're going to be okay for the most part. There are things that are just blatantly pirate and then there are things that are well gray areas as I call them. Everyone has gotten way too paranoid after the Kim Cartwright situation but I think people really need to read the entire story or try to do some research and get the whole story The Long ground lead wasn't the issue there were other personal vendettas involves and him getting a NOUO.

Just my observations they might not mean a single thing to some folks. I have a broadcast engineer helping me with my transmitter so I think I'm pretty good he's made sure I'm not causing interference and he does use the proper equipment. If most people did the same thing I don't think they'd have to worry about getting any sort of citation.

Over the years the FCC has cited many AM Part 15 operators for ground leads that are excessively long and as such become radiators as well. There is no dispute from me on this point.

What I have noticed in these NOV's is that often the ground lead is running down the side of a mast, attached to a tower or just plain TV stand-offs screwed into the side of a building. An example might be the Part 15 operator in Hamtramck, Michigan where he had about a 20 foot ground wire running down the side of his home.

The point I am making is that in most if not all of these cases the radiating ground lead is in close proximity to some sort of obstruction. That being said, maybe it's possible that some obstructions have little or no effect on MW signals?

Comments?

Red Horse must own stock in an electrical tape business.

Religious Faith

Mister AMRadioLegend had this to say: "The point I am making is that in most if not all of these cases the radiating ground lead is in close proximity to some sort of obstruction."

I truly believe that a radiating wire along the side of a building transmits a very well-defined signal in all open directions, bolstered by the "in-phase" nature of being at the same plane as the wall thus producing no multi-path owing to reflection from the wall.

I further believe that the presence of the building puts a notch in the pattern of the AM signal, the majority of power being sent in open directions.

If you truly believe in me then good for you.

RE:  ... maybe it’s possible that some obstructions have little or no effect on MW signals?  Comments?

Comment:  Yes, that is a "given"except in the near field of re-radiating obstructions.

If the obstruction is a non-conductor then it has no near field of its own.

My comment to AMradiolegend,

Don't think it matters to the FCC where the ground lead is, whether against a wall, a tree, a pole, conductor, non-conductor....to long is too long. That's all that matters.

Over the years the FCC has cited many AM Part 15 operators for ground leads that are excessively long and as such become radiators as well. There is no dispute from me on this point.

I'm not disputing that either. That's not what I meant. I was only pointing out that longer than 3 meter installs (such as grounded elevated transmitter pole mounts) have always been the norm and so long as the range is maintained to a reasonable limit (IE: less than a mile).

Yes, there have been over 30 or so NOUOs for AM since 2002, and they have all been for long ground leads, I was by no means suggesting otherwise. So please don't misunderstand the point I was making.

Mark: You totally missed the point I was making.