Well I'm still struggling with a technology that I intend to replace.
My STL (Studio Transmitter Link) to my AMT5000 from sstran.com is done by C.Crane FM Transmitter and Panasonic Receiver, and it is working.... sort of.
But the problems are more complicated than you want to know. This will be book length, so plan to stay up all night to read this.
Better yet, I'll skip the whole part about why I switched from Wholehouse 2.0 FM Transmitter and ended up moving the C.Crane because of intense multipath disturbance everytime I walked anywhere in the house.
Putting all those other issues aside, the present problem is static. Where does it come from?
If I step on a certain floor-board while walking in the house it sends a vibration to the C.Crane which produces a splatter of static.
If I physically pick up the C.Crane and move it, static goes crazy until I set it down.
What might be the problem? I guess there is a loose connection; a cold solder; a broken intermittant wire, which gets disturbed.
Is the C.Crane easy to open and fix? No. It is like many cheap junk products which are not intended to be maintained by a reasonably capable human being.
The Ramsey FM25B is superior and I wish the neighbor who stole mine would give it back.
"If I step on a certain floor-board while walking in the house it sends a vibration to the C.Crane which produces a splatter of static."
Are there any heat runs under that location? Perhaps a cold air return to your furnace? Water pipes in metal hangers? Might be metal rubbing together under that spot..
Them R.f.'s do some wacky things sometimes..
Picking up the Xmtr and the static is weak signal, I'm sure. You need that Ramsey back!
The C. Crane FM Transmitter is not "cheap junk," as I inadvisedly said above. In fact, C. Crane Company is to be lauded for taking on the challenge of designing and certifying an FCC compliant transmitter which operates within the small power range with all the aspects of a professional transmitter.
My C. Crane FM Transmitter has a static problem when very slightly touched or moved, with the problem most likely being a faulty connection in the audio cable, the antenna assembly, or inside on the circuit card.
What I meant to complain about and continue to criticize is the widespread practice of enclosing consumer products in such a way that they are virtually unserviceable. This is especially disappointing to radio technicians, who expect to get inside the cabinet and perform repairs.
Perhaps the lesson to learn is that serious broadcasters should chose products that can be serviced and repaired.
What I foresee is going into a trance and attempting the delicate surgery of peeling the little transmitter apart in the hope of saving its life.
My C Crane had static when it
was bumped. It turned out that
the antenna was loose, but it was
not obvious at all. In other words,
I had go inside and tighten something
on the circuit board (I think.)
I wish I had it here to check. It's been
out at another "Part 15 place."
Bruce, DOGRADIO
Going inside the C Crane was
not hard. I did that to change it
from a stereo to a mono transmitter.
I just pulled the 38 kHz crystal off
the board. If I can do that, then
I guess just about anybody can go
in there. (Other people have wired
a switch in with the crystal. Then it's
possible to flip back and forth between
stereo and mono. I was unable to do
that.)
Bruce, DOGRADIO
Thanks Bruce for the encouragement of describing your experience.
By telling me you were able to get inside and repair the C.Crane FM transmitter, I am given more confidence about doing the same thing.
I just recall that once I analyzed the way it is built and thought it would be very destructive to try to open it up.
It should be said that I think the C. Crane Company has a good reputation for repairing returned products, and to them I touch my head since I don't wear a hat that I could tip, but who wants to pack up a thing and drive to the shipping depot?
So much easier to spend days fretting, agonizing, complaining, being frustrated, and avoiding the whole problem.
The low power life can get you down sometimes, but when we make a comeback, it's always big time.
Join the ALPB.
Yup. Just go slow with the
outside of the C Crane
enclosure - and you'll open
it up without a problem.
My C Crane was lent out to a
friend. Then I got it back and lent
it out to someone else. It's my best
Part 15 FM transmitter. I guess I
really should check and see how it's
doing. I had a mixing board go out, too.
I would love to join the ALPB. But I have
no operating station and haven't been able
to make the meetings yet.
We still haven't moved. But we are going
to. When we move and get settled I'll
be able to get something running.
It will probably be AM carrier current -
I had some real success there.
I said it before and I'll say it again,
I love the ALPB website!
B5ruce, DOGRADIO
At the next ALPB Meeting, which comes up on Saturday November 16th, I will make a motion to have Bruce Dogradio appointed as an honorary member. This will be a slam dunk, since I found out the ALPB has a huge roster of members who've joined but simply been unable to attend meetings.
As far as carrier current is concerned, my LPB transmitter is still broken, and I have been looking for backup alternatives, such as adding a Ramsey 1-Watt linear amp to a AMT3000 and going on with low power, but I think the way the rules are written would not allow this solution.
When I go without sleep or get a little off-center I imagine spending $3,000 for a Radio Systems carrier current transmitter, but I always wake up before making out a check.
Life is stranger than most people think it is, but Bruce and I know, and we're not talking.
try to put me into the ALPB as
an honorary member. That's a kind
thought, but it would probably open
some kind of Pandora's box. I'll try to
do it myself.
Yeah, I am very happy with sucessfully
feeding an AM BCB signal into the
AC line, and having it mostly stay inside
the AC line like it's supposed to. It's time
for me to go to my friend's house down the
street, put the old battered Grundig S-350
(NOT the S-350DL) into her living room and
see if the signal is there. As you might
remember, it came in best in the front right
side of her living room, where the power
line comes into the house.
Then, whether the signal from DOGRADIO
1020 kHz CC is heard or not, we will
then go out to lunch and laugh about
the old days. I've known her and her
husband since the '70s, and we just
happen to live on the same street.
...Carl, I'm sorry your CC transmitter
stopped working. You're qualified to
trouble shoot and fix it, but I'm sure it's a real pain.
...Life IS strange. There are a finite amount of
CC transmitters out there. I know a company
still makes new ones, but how many do they
sell?? One a month? Seriously, is anybody
using them? That's a good question because
I sure don't know.
Well anyway, I love CC and my LPB RC-6A
vacuum tube transmitter. Yonder she sits
in the next room, only a few feet from the doggy
water and food bowls. That's why we call
it DOGRADIO.
Bruce, DOG- oh. I said it already.
When opening be careful of the input volume control on side.
You will see the antenna conection and the wire connected to the tab where it is screwed down. Check for a loose or "cold" solder joint. Check the wires at battery connections.
Also check the input audio cable and see if anything there.
The rest is mostly all micro miniature surface mount components + the main chip. Turn on transmitter when you have it apart and move the wires around where I said and see if you can make the static happen.
Mark
Bruce, DOGRADIO