That's true, we should all remember that everyone's experience is personal to them, and that would probably be good to add to an Internet 101 class fact sheet.
I have faith that people who read here know what's up about broadcasting well enough to use discernment about claims, just as we should seller's claims of range, power, etc.
The operators who don't really care about this stuff, are out there doing their thing, they wouldn't care about what's said here anyway.
As for AM noise, I think I have a noisy power line on my street. I was doing a range test by taking a walk with a portable radio, and had noise under the power line, weaker on the other side of the street.
I thought it was just AM band noise, and my signal was faded out, except for one thing, every few minutes the noise would cut out for just a half second, and I could hear my station pop in clear as a bell! It's like a snapping hiss with 120 hz modulated on it too.
It was slightly windy at the time, and maybe something on a power line was moving and there was an arc. Remember, that's only my opinion...
"The FCC limit of 250 µV/m at a distance of 3 meters from the transmit antenna applies no matter the power output of the transmitter, the maximum gain of the transmit antenna it uses, and the physical location of that system (inside or outside)."
A roller rink on a large piece of PRIVATE property! A sports arena? If my signal cannot be reasonably measured OUTSIDE my property...they have NO say! However, INSIDE they have NO jurisdiction!
Because...'Murica!
Doug
When I lived in Elizabeth City, NC I would hear a sound on the entire AM band that sounded like to me like it was some sort of AC unit because when I got closee to the businesses newr the place I use to live the noise was really loud. I noticed AC units on the side of the building.
Here I have a different noise issue on AM that sounds to me like data. It did take place before I had my router plugged in but too if I get close to my router now I hear it louder. I know in my 4 plex myself and the person to what would be on my left rear of the apartment if you look at it from the outside does have Internet.
I have not given up totally on trying to transmit on 1630 Khz AM with a decent AM transmitter with something other than the wire. Still trying to review my options.
My statement about private property assumes the FCC respects such. If your property is two miles square, and your FM transmitter puts out a mile circle within it, there is no "violation". Regardless of the 250 BS. I know. This is a dead horse. So, yeah...AM.
Air conditioners. Fans. Motors. There are some lighting systems guilty of noise too. When I switch off my SpitFire, it's just noise from 1430 on up. Our 1000 watter on 1400 is a noisebox as well. So is the 5000 watt 1280. I got NO chance.
At night, the damn thing barely gets across the street! So noise or nothing on AM. Or take your chances on FM...
Doug
I feel the need to echo a previous comment by radio8z.. These kind of theads irk the hell out of me when I see them on this forum.
If you want to pirate, then pirate... This is specifically a part 15 forum, if you are not willing to accept the limitations of part 15, then don't. But these kind of threads have no business associating itself with the objectives of instruction, advice, and promotion of legal part 15 broadcasting. It counter productive to the purpose of this forum and has a potential of misleading newcomers with misconceptions.
This is a Part 15 forum. It's all about legal unlicensed broadcasting. Discussions like this thread is not.
I believe to some extent threads such as this one do serve to teach to those that will listen, what LEGAL Part 15 is all about. No thread with an illegal bent to it gets very far without plenty of talk about what's not legal. I think as long as Part 15 forums exist there will be people who either don't understand, or endeavor to surpass the legal limits.
With the proliferation of illegal FM transmitters readily available I don't think it hurts to continuously explain what the rules are and what's wrong with the "Legal, Long Range 5 Watt Part 15 Transmitter" someone foisted upon the unaware.
TIB
One could get donations and separate several C. Crane transmitters putting them in waterproof boxes and then having to rent the land or utility pole to make your FM signal go 1-2 miles in a small town.
Assuming that a out-of-box unmodified C. Crane goes 75 feet. So every 150 Ft you would have to have a waterproof box with barix receiver, solar pannels, and of course the TX. It may cost you $30,000-50,000 when done so you better start off as an Internet station and then have a paypal button on your website. Next advertise that you want to start an On Air Radio station and get tons of money that again is if you can ever get people to trust you with the money and not think its a scam. OR...
Go AM and rent a building that allows an antenna on the roof or property and go with a Procaster which doing my reaserch looks easy to set up (Its what Timinbovey has) and has audio limiters. Figure how far the TX goes till fade out. Now rent another building at fade out.
You could "Charge" people to have the opportunity to be on air say $25/Hr. You will have to charge up the fanny in order to recoop your rental and equipment cost (par month) not to forget your equipment will not last forever. Maybe see if a high school would be interested and put up a remote broadcast there and the school could donate or you charge the students a little bit of money to be in your class. Since every yr the school would have new students you'd have a constant flow of money to support this verry expensive way to have a legal "useful range" station to cut through the noise and static on AM in areas that have issues with that.
Today's laws give you little options if you want to go by the books of law.
I am no longer a Pirate, but still have a bit of rebel in me, I guess! LOL! Part 15 can be frustrating. If you follow Tim In Bovey, you see that even a LEGAL Part 15 FM signal in one direction can be OVER in another. For someone trying to do any neighborhood 'casting, that is gonna be trouble.
AM is the magic band! You see how noise can inhibit you, and how you can get around it. My answer to the FM problem is open up the 87.1 to 87.9 frequencies for Hobby Broadcasters and experimenters only. I know analog TV channel 6 is OFF up here. But, 2 problems arise with this:
One is, most radios and tuners in the US do not go that low. Two, I think they might have other plans for those frequendies...
Doug
BV transmitter for a later project (possibly a leaky cable FM system in a nursing home) i have currently dropped FM at home in favor of a combination of neutral loaded carrier current (15.221) and a remote 15.219 site on AM.
i cover two neigboring apartment complexes that way which is what i was shooting for.
This is my issue with AM but if somehow manufacturers could come up with a carrier current system easy for a Blind person to setup and not get electrocuted Yes I’d be open minded to this. I feel that in my small town it could work and I’d “legally” be able to operate an unlicensed station with “usable coverage.”
I don’t think this should be too much to ask. Plus it would be a good idea to get manufacturers, the FCC, and Hobby Broadcasters as well are Radio engineers to have a round table discussion to try and come up with a reasonable compromise that would not cause harm to the outside Radio environment and allow a hobby broadcaster to operate in a small portion of the broadcast band such as 87.1-87.9 Mhz or 1610-1710 Mhz.
However I have beaten this stinky rotten dead horse since June 5th 2015 and I feel its time to bury it unless we were to get 100+ people to construct, propose, and have an adult-like round table discussion to bring things to a “touchable level” for hobby Broadcasters. 87.1-87.9 was the very thing I proposed and I have a few folks @ my Elite section of my site that agree with this.
But so far all this talking about it on sites where as people really don’t need to have nor give a rip about any “usable audience” range or they have no spouse or “life issues” preventing them from spending $20-50K on multi-transmitters, remote on/off controls as well as Wi-Fi repeaters will only cause ill feelings and eventually someone will want to retaliate against you.
People know by now about our site. If they really wanted to they would ask for or find out what it takes to gain membership and become an active participant. But if they have NOT or chose not to for what ever reason done so since the site has been developed, they never will no matter how many times we keep on with the same old broken record.
The definition of “insanity” is what? Repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. This is not good for your mental or physical well being. So unless there is some magic wand that will stimulate the public to actually take action you can forget it. You may have a better result going to sites where as people don’t follow the rules and ask them to join such a cause but I have done that too and found little results.
Why do you think other petitioners gave up? Jeffrey Gill was another person who tried to petition for AM being allowed more power and getting rid of the antenna ground restriction and it looked like he had some lead ahead of the game. Somewhere that failed and to understand why we have to again study human behavior and psychology. If you ever watch Shark Tank you’ll see that there were a lot of wonderful products and great ideas shot down because they felt it was too risky to try.
So we have what we have the Rule Followers and those that are rebels and don’t always follow every rule. One person won’t change it.
OK so that was my tame version of my rant and I hope this one won’t get me into trouble here. Free speech in America is something that soon will no longer exist. You know where to to openly talk about this.
It does seem to be waning a bit, doesn't it? But forums such as this one prohibit certain topics. It's like someone's house. They can throw you out! Freedom of speech in America has a very narrow definition.
But, I am SO glad to be able to talk freely "over there".
Doug
lol
Oh come on.. This isn't a matter of freedom of speech! It's about appropriateness.
If you were an atheist, would you go to a baptist church to express the liberties that you have from it, and how the members of that church are limiting their freedom by conforming to the rules imposed upon them by their religion?
Sure, you have the freedom to say it there, but it would be an inappropriate thing to do, it's simply not the place for it, it's nonsensical.
Maybe a odd comparison to make, but it's The same type situation. Why talk in a pirating lean in a part 15 forum? Is it just a spite reflex? Or do you not really see the why it’s objectable?
And as for the "petition".. It makes no sense. Part 15 is purposed as a means to limit intereference.. we as hobby broadcasters fit in a little iny-winy-tiny portion of those part 15 rules.. we're permitted to utilize those portions to broadcast freely and without further stipulations other than to heed the limitations.
What the petition is essentially asking is to permit increase of interference, which inturn signifies an increase of all interferences under those codes, not just us with our neighboorhood transmitters.
Part 15 is not nor has ever been really about hobby broadcasting, but provisions had been made to permit it without a license. Part 15 is only about interference.
The petition you wish to persue needs to be something outside of Part 15. It would have to be a low level licensed venue to make any sense - asking the FCC to permit increase interferences is total folly.
Why talk in a pirating lean in a part 15 forum? Is it just a spite reflex?
Good point. I don't know about "spite", as I've never had trouble from the FCC.
Or do you not really see the why it’s objectable?
Yeah. You make that clear. I did not feel there was ZERO tolerance here, as there is at HB. Guess I was wrong. Cool. I'll dial it back...
Doug