20 watts on AM would cover a 30 mile range easily. But really 20 watts on FM would be really pushing it. Think of it this way a 2 meter Ham Radio which is 20 watts onto a magnet mount antenna can easily talk simplex on 52 15 miles and alot of the time be full quieting. Even a HT running 2 watts can talk simplex 2-3 miles full quieting. I'm not a licensed Ham but did study and did mess with one with a licensed Ham beside me. FM Radio would be almost the same and I'm saying 1-2 watts FM Stereo is plenty of reasonable power for any unlicensed hobby broadcaster before your just a monster causing chaos on the air.
I do hope maybe someday they will come up with a micro broadcasting license for those of us wanting to be DJ on FM. I'm sure at least one license per rural city maybe 2-3 as these stations will go 2 miles at most with 1 watt on an inside or even outside rubber duck or whip.
Again I am not for hell raising on FM or the broadcast bands, just an even playing field for the hobby micro Radio station. There is quite a it if difference between 500mW, 1 Watt and 20.
"20 watts on AM would cover a 30 mile range easily. "
Also: "
Unlicensed, legal, low-power radio broadcasting
The discussion is purely academic.
ack-ah-dem'-ic , adjective, - Speculative abstract scholarly discourse.
Example: I have an academic interest in hacking.
The Hobby forum talked about a Part 15 outdoor installation that was physically destructed by persons unknown. Apparantly all there is to go on is speculation as to who might have done it, guesses ranging from righteous HAMs to anything else, like neighbors who didn't like how it looked or maybe an ex-wife who felt ignored due to the radio hobby. I think the "ex-wife" idea is my own, but it's as good as any.
Brings up an important subject... the security of outdoor installations. People have had their $1,000 Rangemasters stolen.
How about an electric cattle fence with WARNING: HIGH VOLTAGE.
Or, how about a phony "bait" transmitter that would release a skunk?
you're putting the onus on the public to be servile instead of putting the onus on the FCC to bend to the will of the people who pay taxes to pay these idiots who wouldn't survive a week in the private sector. if we're allowed to run a couple of watts as free men on am/fm in a radio thunderdome, i'd prefer that over milliwatts between blowtorches. it's pretty bad that CB band is the only slice of radio spectrum where unrestricted free speech is allowed.
The allowable milliwatts for part 15 AM do achieve muzzling of radio speech by home-casters, and probably no one would disagree that the government would prefer people to shut up and stay indoors watching commercial tv, but on the other hand there are no content rules regarding programs on part 15 stations.
The restriction of speech on part 15 radio is achieved indirectly by restricting legal power.
The allowable milliwatts on CB is 4,000 on AM.
Hello... I am running a Ramsey B100 and maybe getting 34 mile or so according to a car receiver. Transmitter is very clean FM and audio is well processed. Using studio grade console, Dual,CD, player ,a Russco cue master turntable two audicord and one ITC cart decks for PSA's and such.. Mic is an AKG perception 220 condenser. When not on àir...studio doubles as a production facility. I have a 1watt upgrade kit and am considering its installation. I only broadcast on Sundays and for about 3 to 4 hours
If you are in the USA I would not push more then your doing from your range id guess your TX is 500mW. Now we already know technically you are over part 15. Leave well enough alone or you could get a NOUO especially near metro areas. Be careful too of boasting because someone who maybe anti FM micro broadcaster may narc you off air. Be happy with what you have please don't hurt yourself by being a power monger. On the positive note you sound like your station would sound sweet. What kind of music do you play?
We are looking to get help asking the FCC for a field strength for a Mile or just a little shy of it. It will take time but we need more pro FMers. Hope your using .1 .3 .5 .7 .9 and no even numbers after the decimal point. Be sure after 6PM to go off air for a few seconds and check for nothing but Fffff and if you hear a station its time to go off air till the inversion is gone.
The transistor for the 1 watt upgrade is VERY sensitive to static electricity and SWR. If my memory serves me it is a GAL5. It is also surface mount as you know. I agree with the previous post. Leave well enough alone. 🙂
The Ramsay FM100B is rated at under 10mw output, and the range being reported is probably typical using the internal telescopic antenna. It is a decent transmitter, but definitely well above the U.S. Part 15 field strength limit of 250uv/m at 3 meters. You can create a sufficient mismatch with that telescopic antenna to get it close to Canadian limits. With a good elevated quarter wave antenna you can get several miles range to a car receiver, which is significantly above both U.S. and Canadian legal limits.
Unless you're a full fledged pirate, which is definitely NOT condoned here, the 1 watt upgrade is not required.
I should have alos mentioned that the 1 watt option cannot be used with the internal antenna . So you would have to use an external antenna. Besides high SWR, lightning static will torch the 1 watt transistor.
This too was the same reports I got on those oter forms about TX's higher than 500mW to around 700 mW. So even when its legal (hopfully) I'd go for an Outside antenna or dipole if you can use that. Again I'm amazed that 50 mW will get out 3/4 mile to a telescoping antenna when it takes 500mW to a rubber duck to get the same range. I guess a rubber duck antenna was worse than I thought. Especially if it only takes 50mW to do what a 500mW can do using a rubber duck. How was your Stereo separation? Did it stay Stereo till the 3/4 mile and drop like a rock? Or did it sometimes have a signal? My experimenter that did it with 500mW had the result of a sharp drop after 1/4 mile from Stereo to FFFFf. Maybe the rubber duck had something to do with it I don't know. Its just an interesting result you got out of 50mW that others needed 500mW to achieve.
This will also help us study power levels and antennas when we do get to petition stages.
The Ramsey 25B, 100B and 30B are actually 25 mW each using the GAL-5 which is very sensitive to static so you need several extras. All these with the stock telescopic antenna put out a lot more than the legal limit even in Canada.
The FM 35B is a 1 watt version of the 30B and the Fm 100 with the add on transister stage brings it to 1 watt also but the GAL-5 then becomes the pre-amp not the final.
I agree with the other posts to stick to the 25mW it came with. You don't need the extra power.
If you have a car that works fine, why do you need to supercharge it when you can't use it legally anyways(just a comparison).
Mark