Please provide factual information if possible about Phil Boylan of SSTRAN being fined $$$ for selling built AMT-3000. As far as I am aware this is NOT TRUE.
There was another person who was fined for doing this but it was not Phil. See this link:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-1271A1.txt
Neil
"As far as I am aware this is NOT TRUE."
Thank you Neil. I certainly HOPE not! 3rd party info. That link goes nowhere. But, there were warnings...I'm sure of that...and someone DID pay a fine over the AMT-3000. Sorry I stuck Phil B with that. That source came from FaceBook...figures.
I digress. Why did someone pay a fine, yet imports from the UK are OK? Maybe I better leave this one alone...I like the SpitFire...
Doug
Ya know, a good Part 15 FM could cover a good-size apartment building. I like the idea of having a transmitter in each buidling and feeding a single audio source. There ARE ways around the idiotic (to me) 250 Rule. Not sure about penetration though. DOH! I mean building penetration! Thank you!
AM seems to do that fine. In my case anyway.
Doug
Thanks for the additional ideas. I've decided to wait until after the first of the year to purchase a transmitter (I cant justify buying myself a gift during the holidays.)
However, my wife has a birthday mid-January and I'm sure she's hoping for a brand new transmitter to make it the perfect birthday :p
Rght now, I'm thinking of getting a C. Crane for FM and still deciding on what to get for an AM transmitter, but pretty sure I want to do both.
Chance
I've used the older Talking House II with ATU for several years.
I found two problems which were easily overcome.
The first, an annoying warble sound when my signal mixed with a skywave signal on the same frequency. Not so much a hetrodyne, more of an FM'ing. Investigating this I first noticed the Talking House was about 80 Hz off frequency. Installing a small, air variable trimmer cap at the PLL oscillator crystal allowed putting the frequency right on. This also eliminated the warbling effect.
The next problem was the lack of low end audio frequency. Changing one electrolytic coupling cap in the audio chain lowed the response from 300 Hz to 30 Hz, greatly improving the sound of the broadcast.
So for a cheap system, used transmitter ($10 from Ebay) and a used ATU ($95 from Ebay) it works fine for me.
I finally ordered a C. Crane FM 2 transmitter and have been running it almost constantly for about 3 days. So far no complaints.
The range is exactly what I hoped for: just to cover the yard while outside.
Yesterday, I did tune in while leaving to run an errand and can recieve on a truck radio clearly for a block then fades to zero at about another half block.
I especially love not have to deal with drift as I had to with the Ramsey FM-10. I may give the FM-10 to my niece and perhaps help start another generation getting into Part15.
So far I'm pleased with the FM 2.
I'm still on the fence about which AM transmitter to get, so who knows.
Chance
Bob you got a good deal on the TH and ATU. As for Chris I am surprised of a block and a half from the C. Crane.
One good thing Doug about separate low range TX's in each building is FULL Quieting signals vs marginal reception.
Didn't realize there was a CCrane 2, just looked it up and it looks identical to the first, I wonder what the difference is? I too am surprised of the block and a half range, though I've never actually did any range test with mine.
As for "ways to get around" part 15 fm range limitations.. that just eliminates part 15 altogether. The only way to legally get around it would to go AM instead.
How big is the block? And how sensitive is the radio?
Didn't realize there was a CCrane 2 ...
Earlier, timinbovey posted some interesting test results of the CCrane 2 that he measured in October of 2016, using calibrated, professional-level field intensity meters.
See http://www.ironrangecountry.com/ccranetest2.pdf
Based on google earth to determine distance, range is somewhere between 600 to 700 ft. listenable reception in mostly residential area.
Reception was on a radio in a 2010 Dodge pickup.
Haven't tried past the yard with a portable:)
I really do appreciate no hum and NO DRIFT!!!
Chance
That is pretty typical for part 15 fm,
The FMT2 features some improvements from the original C Crane, most notably on-board processing as well overmod protection and improved LED indicator.
It might be typical if you have a good, sensitive, radio (and probably the truck radio is one of those - the C Crane was the ONLY transmitter that was tested and came in at legal field strength limits).
It's not typical for a standard portable radio - your range will likely be under 200 feet with one of those.