My Station

Lefty,

The Low Power Hour News Truck will be parking in front of your house this week, to cover your opening activities for Low Power In the News.

We will need to stay in your house and have use of your refrigerator for a few days.

When the report goes to air it will be condensed to 20-seconds.

Thanks for sharing, Lefty.

If there's one thing I've learned during my years of doing unlicensed radio, it's that you have to actually try things out - simulations and theory just don't cut it when you're attempting to predict final results. There are so many factors when you're using micro power (environmental and otherwise) that can dwarf any assumptions you or software might make.

I think I am going to buy a SS 5000 this week.
The Talking house just can't handle my CBS compressor.

I will be doing some more tests , but after hearing the SS 5000 MP3 on Phil,s site I think it is the best way to go for audio..

Perfect choice, Lefty.

I run both SSTRAN AMT models, the 3000 and the 5000, and they BOTH have far cleaner audio than I ever heard on AM radio.

Of course the 5000 has the extra benefits of built-in high-efficiency loading coil and power adjustment which allows grabbing every drop of legal power, and the close to 100% efficient RF output stage.

Could a transmitter be better than the AMT5000? Maybe if it was attached to an ATM loaded with $100 bills.

Both the Hamilton Rangemaster and the ChezRadio Procaster produce great audio as well. The Procaster is easier to set up. For me, the fact that the SSTran's are kits is the big drawback. If I can ever find one assembled, I'd certainly give it a try (again, I've found that you need to do your own tests and get your own results before making any conclusions).

I experimented with a Rangemaster, outboard compression provided by a Symetrix 321 I believe, and into an Inovonics 222 - I managed a consistent 1 mile range and in some directions, over 2 miles.

The problem that I had was that the Rangemaster is not certified in Canada; if it ever does get that certification, I would certainly use it consistently.

Here is one more but so far lesser known certified pre-built AM transmitter for low power use, from Grain Industries

http://www.waynemillerassociates.com/GI/GIindex.htm

I do not know if it's certified for Canada.

I admit to having been limited in my frequent mention of the AMT line from sstran.com, which I have done since I'm so pleased with my 3000s and 5000.

These other pre-built and certified transmitters are also an important part of the low power universe and I promise to be more inclusive in mentioning them.

The balance created by having pre-built and build-your-own transmitters serves all needs.

Then you've got Neil Radio8Zs efficient self-designed transmitter, shared and posted on this site, which of course would be a build-it-yourself project.

Thanks, never heard of that one before.

Carl do you think I could make my ATU work with the 3000 ?
And would it get out better than my TH ?
Reason I am asking is I am not rich and I need to watch my money.

I really want to have my little station have a solid one mile range .
I can hear my talking house at two miles in some places but it is very spotty and I want to get a solid one more range.

Thanks to all of you for the comments as I am now working very hard to make my station great for the listeners.

I do not know, but I have one doubt.

I think the ATU is designed for 50-ohms, the standard U.S. RF impedance for medium wave, but the AMT5000 is designed for a different reality.

The AMT5000 expects a 3-meter antenna and the ground system that would exist with such a system.

However, maybe there is a way.

The real guy to ask is PhilB.

I'd check with Phil B.

If it is not designed for 50 or 75 ohm impedance, perhaps a change to the output coupling would remedy that and Phil should be able to advise.

It could be as simple as changing the winding ratio of the output toroid transformer.

In addition to the technical issues, there is another one. I hesitate to bring it up because of the controversy surrounding the Talking House/ATU, at least here, but I will (at the risk of opening up another can of worms).

The ATU and Talking House are certified together and thus legal. Whether the ATU operating with another transmitter would be considered legal is another matter.

But then I would have to have the Transmitter out side and then run lines to it.

Simply using it as an antenna ground mounted should be no problem.

The big question, is it OK to separate it from the transmitter with coax as the Talking House is certified to do.

Of course it would make no difference if you could verify the field strength meets Part 15.209. Then it doesn't matter what you do.

Of course the argument then is field strength doesn't matter under Part 15.219 and for that, most believe the range is better.

One of my favorite issues to raise at times like these is the definition of "the final radio frequency stage" as stated in 15.219.

Conventionally this has been taken to mean "the final ACTIVE stage", which is the final RF amplifier of the transmitter.

But in the certification for the TH/ATU the final RF stage appears to be the ATU (a PASSIVE stage), and this changes the game in my mind.

I believe a stage is a stage, whether it's active or passive, and a loading coil or ATU, which is in practical reality a loading coil, becomes the final RF stage when employed.

By my logic, any part 15 AM transmitter can feed a coax of whatever length to a distant loading coil or ATU, and comply with 15.219.

If you don't agree with me I promise not to quit and start my own forum website.