It's pricey, but in the long run, it's worth it. B+H in NYC sells them for $1,199 and free shipping. One could take advantage of installment payments. I did some tests recently, and 50mW into a 87.7 Mhz tuned copper pipe J Pole provided a solid stereo signal on a car cheap Best Buy car stereo in a 2 mile radius of my antenna. It's 30 ft off the ground in a valley. There's a 1,000 ft mountain 3/4 of a mile from my house....I didn't see any restriction on HAAT, but § 74.870(f) states " Unusual transmitting antennas or antenna elevations shall not be used to deliberately extend the range of low power auxiliary stations beyond the limited areas defined in § 74.831." I'm not sure how 'unusual antenna elevations' would be defined. Although the "Wireless Audio Device' has to comply with Part 74, SP H equipment certification rules, I don't believe the new Part 15 rules have that Part 74.870(f) height restriction...time to get the batteries, solar panel, and the 2.4 Ghz STL ready, too!
To put things in perspective, how many of you have spent almost $800 on a Part 15 AM transmitter and another $800 on a Inovonics 222? If you did, you already spent more than what a Comtek costs...are those units really worth it???
Well, the wife here has two horses and picks up some of the tab on my sons horse also to the tune of about $1K a month on average.
Meanwhile, I'm scrounging junk on Ebay.
I could have a top notch operation for that price. But, if moma aint happy, aint nobody happy.
The several remarks about keeping peace with the wife by subduing the part 15 budget have made me wonder.
Are any wives into Part 15 radio? We've already discussed whether any women are interested in the hobby, and we actually heard from a female member, which was reassuring.
But maybe full equality has yet to arrive in the world of Part 15. I don't know what that has to do with Comtek.
I've put alot of dough into Part 15 AM...it can be an expensive hobby. But, then again so can spouses.
Actually, I think my zoning allows raising chickens in my back yard...does chicken crap increase ground conductivity??
I already have that Part 15 AM rig and an antenna on hand.....
Ugh, yeah, maybe I need a new hobby.
Look at the bright side, ladies - your husbands could be into BOATING!!!
Proudly boat-free since 1994 🙂
SCWIS you are a Part 15 genius. It could be way too serious if we gave up micro-radio and got boats.
But what about the guys who have part 15 ON a boat? Do think they're married?
If there is a way to make money with Part 15, maybe it would become acceptable to the ladies. Then, when you are fooling around with Part 15, you're "at work." The Part 15 industry is pretty small, but it supports a few companies, like Rangemaster, SSTRAN, and Talking House.
Making money with Part 15 would be a winner at home, as Ermi Roos suggests, and that reminds us of Ken Cartwright, who not only runs his station as a business, but actually got married on the air, making a historic Part 15 broadcast that will endure for years of family anniversaries.
Here's a starter idea for the rest of us: team up with a wedding photographer and sell Weddings On Radio! Of course world wide streaming would do the real job of reaching out of towners, and in towners, but the Part 15 10-foot tower could be the centerpiece for the company image! And the CD Wedding Record would be a "radio transcription," making the station seem like an indispensable fixture.
The other half went so far as to get a Ham license since I had one and join the local club with me. I think she was making an attempt to work with me on this addiction.
Unfortunately, she ran for Club President and we found out about that "glass bubble" people talk about in business. We both quit the club disgusted with their attitude toward women and I became consumed with Part 15 to satisfy my radio psychosis.
MRAM thanks for sharing your story. It hurts my feelings to hear about that glass ceiling but I'm glad you also resigned in solidarity with your wife.
My wife was the CEO of our corporation, and was better than I would have been. But I can't guess how she'd have felt about Part 15, being a "loss leader" as it is (is that the right term?)
The Comtek is sounding better and better.
As I read Part 74 rules, I see that they apply to wireless mics and similar devices (like wireless electric guitars or perhaps wireless players), and are definitely not applicable to broadcast programming. IOW, you cannot use a Comtek BST 25 for private or community radio broadcasting to the public, but you could use it for wireless sound reinforcement.
It's been a fun morning here as I've gone over my wireless mics to see where they fit into the scheme of FCC regulation. The Sony WCS990 is fine, as it operates at 912 to 916 mHz which is still good for Part 15, but the Lectrosonics caused a worry.
The H187 transmitter at 184.3 mHz was previously good under Part 15, but now that spot is reserved under Part 15 for biomedical use, and I don't think streaming radio is biomedical, although a poet or philosopher might be able to argue.
However the Lectrosonics website reports that 184 mHz is good under Part 74, and because the unit is 50 mW no license is required for qualified users, which would include a radio production service.
To be sure, I'll talk to Lectrosonics on Monday, and I'd also enjoy any points of view from here at part15.us
"Unfortunately, she ran for Club President and we found out about that "glass bubble" people talk about in business. We both quit the club disgusted with their attitude toward women and I became consumed with Part 15 to satisfy my radio psychosis..."
That's too bad. My wife and I are members of our local club and we have never encountered that. She was president for 3 years and is currently vice president.
We enjoyed the club up to that point. I built a nice Radio Room at the Club House for them and we participated in Field Day and other outings. We were in the club about 4 years.
Well, that was a long time ago and probably most of those members have since left the club. The guy in the back of the room that said "we don't want no d*** women president" died a few years ago.
I have had a FCC license since 1967, including an Amateur License since 1978. I have taken most of the exams twice because I let the Ham ticket lapse. And I have "invested" thousands in equipment and organization and club dues over the decades. I have been a member of several clubs, started a club or two, been an organizational leader and removed from that position, been a licensing instructor, a volunteer examiner, an official observer, a lobbyist and a lot more over the years. One thing has never changed, even though people have; my passion and love for the ART of radio.
Even though I don't spend a great deal of time on the bands, I do listen quite a bit. There is an old adage, "I transmit, therefore I am." Frankly, nothing could be further from the truth. Those who love radio understand the exceptional value of learning how to listen. LISTENERS are what gives radio value.
When a club meeting has a person present who can't help but show their ignorance, the proper response is to confront the ignorance with truth and remove the miscreant from the meeting. I have learned to walk out never to return gives them license to continue to spread there ignorance. And the world simply doesn't need any more help in that area.
You see, you listened to what they had to offer, now its your turn to offer something a little closer to the TRUTH. I operate my transmitters because I want to and because the law says I can (as long as I operate within the boundaries established by govt. authorities). You might say, it is my opportunity to test my rights under the Constitution and the law.
I won't let the b____s wear me down. In the end, I win...and we all win.