Hello all,
About seven years ago I made a foray into Part 15 broacasting. Needless to say, I still own all of my equipment with the exception of the transmitter and I am once again toying with the idea of getting re-involved in community radio. The major difference stems from my previous operation being based in a suburb of Detroit--I have moved over the years and now live in a small college town of about 1800. A single Part 15 AM operation wtih an adequate antenna could probably cover the majority of the actual city (encompassing about 1000 residents and the college campus of about 750), while the outlying areas may be able to grab an occasional signal.
Hello all,
About seven years ago I made a foray into Part 15 broacasting. Needless to say, I still own all of my equipment with the exception of the transmitter and I am once again toying with the idea of getting re-involved in community radio. The major difference stems from my previous operation being based in a suburb of Detroit--I have moved over the years and now live in a small college town of about 1800. A single Part 15 AM operation wtih an adequate antenna could probably cover the majority of the actual city (encompassing about 1000 residents and the college campus of about 750), while the outlying areas may be able to grab an occasional signal.
The college has a 100 Watt FM operation in existence for the college's communication students and other interested parties. The format is entirely freeform, with some of the college's NCAA Division III sports being included in the broadcast schedule. In shopping around for a transmitter, I don't look to spend too much money--this operation will not need to do too much to look professional in comparison to the college's station (very poor production quality, very little local content and the like), but I'm not looking to spend a fortune on a transmitter regardless. I at one time used a Ramsey AM25 that has been lost/destroyed in my moves and I have a Ramsey FM25 that I only used recreationally.
I would probably take a freeform format as well, automating the operation with my WindowsCE PocketPC, with local and live content being the only diversion from the format. I have a good group of friends in the small town who are more than supportive of my efforts to get back on the air, and their talents would likely be somehow utilized on the station.
I suppose my biggest question is whether or not such an operation could perhaps garner regular listeners--I think that perhaps the small town base could help, but I have no broadcasting experience in such a market--my prior Part 15 efforts all involved parts of subdivisions, not entire towns.
Also, I have been out of the Part 15 loop for the better part of a decade and am curious as to any new transmitter developments that may have occurred--I'm looking for transmitters under $200 mark, although I wouldn't even mind using an AM1 should I get the sound I want out of it.
Thanks,
Michael Ryan
Hi Michael,
I can't answer your "biggest question" about garnering an audience, but I hope some other comments are useful.
From your description of the college FM station, it appears that they might have room in their schedule for your programming. Maybe you could use their facilities for your programming or you could be a volunteer production/producer staffer.
If you want to go part 15 AM then the answer to the technical part is it depends. I am currently using a SSTRAN AMT-3000 unit with an antenna of my own design. Since I use it for my own purposes and not for broadcast, range has not been my issue and which I have not tried to optimize.. I get about 200 feet with an indoor antenna.
I have also used a Ramsey AM-25 and I have mixed feelings about it. The range is good, but there is no provision to tune to the antenna and the biasing adjustment in the transmitter is really tricky. I use an oscilloscope for setup, and the best modulated waveforms result when the unit is not part 15 compliant in terms of power input. I retired it.
Check out the SSTRAN site for more information. Some have stated here and on other boards that they get ranges of 1 to 2 miles with an effective antenna. Another often mentioned transmitter is the Rangemaster and they also have a website that you can visit for information.
Neil