It is clear to me that a lot of his posts on other forum boards and in articles he's written are desperate attempts to advertise his part 15 website. His signatures almost always includes free advertising for his site. He also did the same in that Radio World article. Notice how many times his website URL is mentioned?
I was surprised he didn't mention me. As you can see, according to Bill, if you operate an FM transmitter, there is NO question about it, you're a BLATANT PIRATE! I hate his use of both words BLATANT and PIRATE, he can't have one word without the other in the SAME breath.
All he seems to do is defend AM RADIO, a radio format that in my opinion is DEAD IN THE WATER already! I am sorry, but AM is dead and here is how I know this. We did a local survey before I launched my on air radio station.
Do we go AM or FM? Out of a large group of people, NO ONE was willing to listen to us, if we tried AM.
I know a guy in Jewett City, CT. that runs a AM station called Wolverine radio @ 1690 KHz using a Chez Procaster on his roof, he tells me that if it wasn't for his station being on tune-in, that no one would listen to his station. http://tunein.com/radio/Wolverine-Radio-s237551/
Why doesn't Bill lobby for FM part 15 to be allowed a ONE watt power output? One watt covers a pretty good area as based on information I obtained from some other forums I visited, where one watt was legal for unlicensed operation in the FM broadcast.
Why not make an attempt to get that power output allowed here in the USA? At least it would give part 15 FM a chance.
I'd be happy covering my block with ONE watt! But no, all Bill gives two craps about is AM radio and nothing but AM radio!!! That is what all of his fights and arguments are nothing but support for AM. A band you won't get one teenager to listen to!
He's barking up the wrong tree and in a one-way mode that supports nothing but a dead-end radio band.. AM! Why do you think all those licensed AM radio stations are trying to move to FM? So why fight for AM? Can someone give him a clue please?
He is part 15 hobby's worst nightmare.
I have to disagree with your assessment of Part 15 AM radio. I believe the reason few listen to AM radio is the poor programming (it's been a cultural wasteland for years). Provide some incentive for people to go there, and they will.
If your market is teenagers, then you're already (in my opinion) fighting a losing battle, as they're better served by licensed stations - they tend to play the same modern stuff (I changed that last word several times to be nice) over and over. The only chance Part 15 radio has is to provide the types of programming that the others don't, and to audiences that the others don't cater to.
I don't think that the FCC, Industry Canada or other regulatory bodies are going to increase Part 15 FM power levels anytime soon. There would be just too much resistance from the licensed broadcasters. Part 15 AM - perhaps another matter entirely. Part 15 just might be able to take advantage of the lack of interest in the AM band from the licensed broadcasters, and get some relaxation in the rules. Maybe.
It's also a sad fact of the Part 15 world that most listeners will tune in via an Internet stream. Range is just too limited for over the air listening, unless you're in a car, and even then you generally move out of the broadcasting area for any Part 15 station pretty quickly. I found that with FM here in Canada (where the rules are somewhat more relaxed), so it's not limited to just AM.
I do happen to agree with you that Bill sings his own praises too much. And I do think that he's overly paranoid about pirates (that's based on the article plus other things that he has posted, including your experiences). But overall, I thought that the article was pretty good and delivered the intended message about Part 15 broadcasting - that we are legal, and we shouldn't be lumped in with the frenzy about pirates relating to potential lack of FCC enforcement.
ArtisanRadio what rules in part 15 AM would you like the FCC to relax?
I do not totally disagree with that article, just the final conclusion that anyone who operates an FM transmitter is a pirate.
The distance an FM transmitter is allowed to cover is repeatedly stated as a few feet. Why can't that be raised to a 1/4 mile? I mean what harm can a part 15 operating a signal at 1/4 mile cause? Once you're 1/2 mile away the signal is practically gone.
Okay, perhaps the point I am missing here is that FM part 15 is only intended for sending Ipod audio into a car's FM radio. What is the part 15 AM radio service intended for? Miniature radio stations?
Still, I can not understand the continued strictness that continues to plague the FM broadcast band for part 15 usage. FM must be considered a valuable piece of real-estate if they can't allow at least one watt for hobbyists, thinking it is going to cause major competition or other related issues.
Also, why does the FCC not allow what Canada allows? Has it been proven in Canada that those allowances are causing issues with their licensed stations?
There also has to be a major reason that the FM broadcast stations are holding and policing their turf, I believe it is because they know that their major listener base is right there in that band. They know that and I know that.
People want FM for the stereophonic sound. AM requires two transmitters, two frequencies and two receivers to hear both channels. Or, a AM stereo transmitter and AM stereo receiver, to which both are rare.
The basic problem with Part 15 FM is that the FM band is indeed a very valuable resource. Licensed stations pay tons of money for the right to broadcast there, and the chances that they will let Part 15 guys in for free is minimal.
Even with Canada's somewhat relaxed FM rules, we're still dealing with power output in the low nanowatt range. Under ideal conditions (i.e. line of sight), and with a very sensitive receiver, ranges of up to a km are possible. That was the case for me on Bowen Island, where my transmitter was installed at the top of a hill, and my intended audience was the ferry lineup down below. However, even an average car receiver cut that range in half, trees even more so, and with an ordinary household receiver I was lucky to cover the strip mall in which I was located.
Yes, FM can sound better and you do have stereo. But AM can sound great as well if you use a quality transmitter, such as the Rangemaster or the ProCaster. Stereo isn't of much use if your source material is mono (i.e., vintage jazz, Old Time Radio, much of the early rock n roll & pop). And with a lot of that material, the recordings aren't often the best, so in a lot of cases, there's no advantage for FM there either. By the way, I broadcast on FM in mono, as you get increased range.
There's plenty of empty space these days on the AM band - the best bet to get more coverage for Part 15 signals is to increase the allowed power. That could be as simple as increasing the input power to the final stage, or even removing restrictions on antennas/grounds etc. And there's far less change for interference to existing licensed stations.
This thread has got me thinking about running a Part 15 FM station as a status symbol.
Right at the moment my radio station is found on the AM X-band using a high-efficency AMT5000 from sstran.com with studio transmitter link (STL) via a Wi-Fi audio channel.
At the present time I have three FM channels being used for utility purposes. One of them is the audio for recording and editing programs within the studio, another FM channel sends audio from the vinyl turntable to the digital recording room, and the 3rd FM is off-the-air, but otherwise provides STL to our carrier current AM, which is broken.
But now, after reading all this wishing for a better part 15 FM service, I think I will hook up a 4th FM transmitter and put our main programming on it with call letters KDX AM & FM. Sure, no one outside the house will be able to listen, but when I tell people about "what I do" I can mention that I own an FM station. This makes it a status symbol.
Since so many of you have pleaded for a boost to 1-Watt I can ride your hopes by stating that "we have requested a boost in power." The "request" may go on for quite some time.
Right now, where I'm located, I can get about halfway down the back lane (it's a fairly short one) with a U.S. tuned FM transmitter, and maybe about a block and a half with a Canadian one. Hardly the most ideal conditions.
I'm sure I'd get out much further with an AM transmitter. My first attempt with a Talking Sign and indoor antenna pretty much failed - I got about the same distance as my Canadian tuned FM transmitter. I'm going to attempt to set up my remaining ProCaster, but in this townhouse complex, with restrictions on outside antennas, it's going to be challenging. Perhaps I can hide it somehow. AM is best if you have the appropriate real estate to get the transmitter out in the open, and be able to get a good ground with a radial system underneath.
My creativity is certainly being challenged.
A reader of my review of the Radio World article asked if the author of "Distinquish Pirates From Part 15 Operators" was, in fact, a janitor.
I'll explain how I came to that conclusion.
We know that the author works for a school because he mentions it. We reason that he is not faculty nor administration, or that too would have been mentioned. The remaining department in the usual school system is known variously as "maintenance" or "janitorial." The maintenance worker is typically identified by a gray uniform, exactly as seen in the photograph on page 30 of the May 30th edition of RW.
But "HE" claims "HE" is an "ENGINEER"
Case #2 If you operate ANY type of FM transmitter, you are a BLATANT PIRATE, if you operate an AM one, you are legal, that is how anyone who read that article sees it. Trust me, I asked a few people to read that article and that was their understanding. To me that is misleading information and should be challenged in another article.
That's all I have to add....Cough ...COUGH!
MrBruce, I think RW prints feedback from readers, why not send them a letter or e-mail?
But Carl, strength comes in numbers, if I am ONE who believes what I believe, then my single word has no strength and being he claims to be a "Radio Engineer" puts my experience and credibility to the test. I do not claim to be anyone who has a degree or license in this field.
He will know it's me and challenge me in a rebuttal. Trust me I've dealt with him before and know his motives.
Bruce.
Ya, and I'm a train engineer.
Don't contact RW if it makes you uncomfortable. It wouldn't do much anyway, readers skim through the magazines and a week later a new one comes.
Just a thought, but plain schools don't hire "radio engineers" to build extra-curricular part 15 stations, it's no doubt a voluntary thing he does outside of his employment on the maintenance staff.
His only real position of magnificence is webmaster of hobby-stalkers.
Carl said: His only real position of magnificence is webmaster of hobby-stalkers.
LOL!! Please...please...I just put on a new set of bloomers and do not need to soil them so soon after doing so!
Bruce.
I think the 1 Watt should be for stationary FM Transmitters and they should have a sensor it tell if your mobile and if so drop to the 250 uV/M setting instead of the 1 Watt setting. Plus the 1 Watt should definately be allow if you use an Indoor antenna aka Rubber Duck or whip. Plus the 1 Watt FM Transmitter needs to check the frequency before allowing to transmit. Also if you plan to transmit on say 96.3 it will check 96.1 and 96.5 to be sure they too are blank and if not it will desplay an ERROR message to the operator. Plus due to temperature inversions the part 15 FM transmitter should quickly check the frequency ever 1 1/2 hour this could be less than 20 seconds and if its still blank continue to transmit. A 1/2 watt signal will transmit 1/4 mile in Stereo. So 1 Watt would be nice. It would mean all SainSonic AX-05B transmitters could be "Legally" used at the 500 mW setting and with the rubber duck you could reach tons of listeners within your 1/4 mile.
I thought about AM but when I talked to sever folks around 30 yrs old they too said "If you go AM I'd neve listen to your station!!" Its why I went with FM. AM is OK for people 75 yrs of age and older as I've asked folks about this who were 50 yrs old and they all say the same thing around here that AM is a big waste of money to buy a transmitter that is AM. And if the licensed broadcasters want to sue FMers for a loss of listeners I guess they may as well sue every Internet Radio station on TuneIn. Many are bedroom DJ's just like myself. So the fact they call us "freeloaders" don't wash. If they want to play that game we should make them all follow the PICN and if that happens some of them would have to bring back Album Rock, Progressive Rock or lose their license in the first place in rich up scale locations. Yes I signed the petotion he had for AM but I put in my 2 cents for FM on change.org. FM needs to have folks fighting for it. The FCC knows these low powered FM Transmitters are available to everyone now and they may have no other choice but to allow 1 Watt on FM. SainSonic also made a 1-7 Watt FM Transmitter but the reviews wern't as good as the 500mW unit. Reason I brought it up was that there are plenty of companies producing 200mW, 500mW and 1 Watt TX's for FM. Again their is strength in numbers. Maybe he works for a broadcast company or has friends that do. Still biass against part 15 FM should not be tolerated as we need a fair playground for hobbyest to broadcast. And the coveats I mentioned are an easy mod to any good FM Transmitter. Many FM Transmitters are set to go with 500mW including Whole House FM Transmitter 3.0 with the high power setting.
I'd hardly call a 1 Watt transmitter harmful. If you do it for AM you should not discriminate FM.
I'd hardly call a 1 Watt transmitter harmful. If you do it for AM you should not discriminate FM...
FM reception requires discrimiation. 🙂
To a certain degree (As I've mentioned with the forced frequency check). If the transmitters all have this than there is no need to worry about interference for this would be programed right into the logic circuit of the transmitter itself and the user would have NO WAY to get around it. Simple clear frequency you transmit. Not clear you are not gonnna get on that frequency. If there is no blank stations in your area you can't use FM. Then at that point they would have to use AM. In fact why not make AM transmitters have that as well? Then everyone wins. The FCC would not have to worry about Johnny punk transmitting over a licensed station.