Well... as a hobbyist, I'm a Part 15. But to pay the bills, I've got a 50kw commercial FM station. My confiscatory property taxes are due Friday... and my confiscatory FCC Regulatory Fee is due September 27. Anybody have any good recipes for peanut butter and saltines??
I feel the same way. About the time I think I have recovered from the previous years taxes, we start over again. For me, its property taxes, sales taxes (every month), income tax, payroll tax. I have taxes on my taxes. I work so I can pay taxes.
Heh, looks like the Full Power I'm at only has to pay about $1,600 this year.
The only perpetual motion that we can prove actually exists is the constant reminder that we have to pay , pay and pay again just to earn a few bucks. I wear a snorkle so i can breath while I am buried under all this debt.
I was the 1st person on the air. First one fired too! 🙂 Lotsa history since then! LOL! Now, I'm back in Maine after 20 years...
Doug C.
Well, hello there Doug! Loooonnng time! Don't own Kiss now. We sold that and our other two stations in a deal to Clear Channel back in 2000. But Natalie and I couldn't sit still and enjoy an early retirement. No. We had to get ourselves back in trouble and buy another station in 2005. We're having fun, albeit on a smaller scale. Nat said she heard you on the air several years ago in Florida, and gave you a call. Are you still in radio?
I'm retired now. VA Pension. I did have KLW 1560 on the air here, though! My little TH5 died though. So, I just bought another SSTRAN 3000. I've built three of these as I said. One for me and two for friends.
KISS-94 was certainly an interesting time of my life! What, 1982? Ha haa! Yep! I had still not adjusted from living in Europe. Mark, do you still see Natalie? She was a Crystal Gayle-Goddess! Elegant lady! I was a turd.
I ran two radio stations in Florida. I actually helped build one, like I did with you. I actually bought and installed the studio equipment though. Sunny-106.3. Jerry Bellairs. You know him? Lives in Orland Beach FL now.
I sure hope my SSTRAN AMT-3000 gets here soon! I'm having withdrawal symptoms! AAARRRGH!
Doug
Sounds like you've been busy, Doug! Natalie and I are still business partners all these years later. I don't know Jerry, but I'd sure like to have a station located in a warmer climate like his!
Ha! I don't think you'd want the nightmare Jerry went through! I have YET to find ONE Florida radio station...that did things right! Everybody's greedy! WSUV-FM was in the same bldg as Talk-1200 WDCQ, a 10,000 watt Cape Coral station. We barely got outta there!
Threats of lawsuits, violence...the two stations seemed to be at war! All that, and I ended up back at 'DCQ! Operations Manager/Executive Producer. I made good money in Florida. As a night time disc jockey, playing Oldies, I made $40,000 one year! Can't do that today! LOL!
Now, I do radio MY way. If i can get a decent damn transmitter! Phil B. of SSTRAN has taken too long to respond. He has a hundred bucks 'o my money! No reply to several emails/phone calls.
Maybe I'll find a Hamilton or a ProCaster somewhere. They seem to be the only two solid companies...
Doug
It does seem pretty scary to think that more and more manufacturers are getting out of the park 15 business. One has to stand back and wonder why this is the case? Is there something Brewing that we really don't know? Think about it first Ramsay gets out of the FM scene and as it is there's very few certified assembled am transmitter left 4 part 15 operation and most of them you have to pay buku bucks for.
If you paid for your SSTran with a credit card, you could of course notify the credit card company and you'd get your money refunded. I'd be doing that right about now.
Yeah, Mark. This Fri I'm cancelling the transaction. That will be three weeks. I guess 1560-AM goes dark. Damn.
Doug
Admittedly this isn't a particularly large hobby, I'm glad we have the companies we do. If you need an AM Transmitter I have one that does AM Stereo and is frequency agile. Granted I do want a pretty penny for it. Otherwise there are tons of TH transmitters on ebay for $25-50.
The Ramsey shutdown was a bit of a suprise to me.
The audio is not good for music on those. Speech only. Sounds like a telephone. But...Radio Systems makes the iAM Radio Enhanced Audio Talking House for $295. The TH covers downtown Augusta with room to spare. That's with the wire antenna hanging out my 2nd floor window!
I might go that route...
Doug