Which antenna do recommond for under $250 for am, what is the max height it can be mounted & what range should I see in a large city
Which antenna should I get
Huh? Could you be more specific? What kind of transmitter? Frequency? Etc?
Looking for a antenna for the AM band
What kind of transmitter? Frequency? Etc?
DJbout,
An antenna for AM use can be anything from a length of wire to a base coil loaded antenna mounted above buried ground radials. The particular choice depends upon your choice of transmitter. For an example, click on the SSTRAN link at the left and read about this transmitter and the antenna links in the site. Also click on the AM 1000 Rangemaster link. Both sites have information about antennas.
Regarding range, it is entirely dependent upon what signal strength you can deliver compared to the ambient noise. Unfortunately, in an urban environment, noise on AM is quite high. A signal which would be acceptable for a quarter mile in a rural area may not be so in a noisy environment beyond a few hundred feet. It is not possible to predict in advance what the range of a part 15 AM system will be, but realistically, an audience using a typical AM receiver would probably not get a usable signal beyond several hundred feet from the compliant transmitter. I only say this so you do not get unreasonable expectations on what to expect and not to disallow a better range. A range of miles is not realistic for a compliant transmitter and antenna.
Neil
Howdy DJboutit,
I'm not flamin' ya er nuthin', but if you really want help, you need to give more info. Other than tunable loading coil tank antennas such as this (check model 200-B for price):
http://www.isotronantennas.com/ambroad1.htm
... and the all-in-one Part 15 certified Rangemaster and Procaster units you see advertised on this page, there is really no such thing as an all-frequency AM band transmitting antenna. Most of us experimenters are following the advice of those who went before us, researching in these pages, reading books, perhaps sitting down with calculators making our best attempts to run the numbers for the frequency we want to use (one which is empty, no other broadcasting in our neighborhood), many (including myself) winding our own loading coils and constructing our own antenna systems. I'm going to test one this afternoon.
Remember, this group isn't really about pirate radio ... at least in the sense of real transmissions through real air. I've certainly found it's interesting but not so easy to get an inexpensive transmitter or TX kit and then construct, place, and tune an antenna system matched for a given frequency, and also be as legal as possible. It's always going to be a little different given different sets of circumstances for each station, in order to get good range from one tenth of a watt.
That's why everyone is asking you for more info.
I plan to get a sstran or north country part 15 am transmitter
Now we're beginning to get somewhere. Try here:
http://www.radiobrandy.com/PART15AMANTENNA.html
$350 for a part 15 am antenna is there a cheaper antenna that still works good
Look closely at the drawing. You can build this antenna from Home Depot parts. Buy the coil if you like.