Talking House 24/7?

Welcome Harold.

I had hoped that someone who uses a TH would have chimed in by now and they will probably be along later but here's my take on this though I don't have a TH.

They are designed to be used in continuous operation so this shouldn't be a factor. The only failures I have ever had with similar equipment were the result of lightning strikes. All of my part 15 transmitters can operate continuously. Generally, heat is the factor which limits the life of electronics and if the units "run cool" there should be no problem.

So, my vote is to turn it on and let it run. It is not like a ham transmitter where high power is involved and the design is for a limited duty cycle due to the nature of ham operation. I recall when I ran RTTY which is continuous FSK for several minutes at a time I had to derate my transmitter from 250 W to 100 W.

Keep in touch with us since stories and experiences about part 15 activity are always interesting and welcomed.

Neil

I've used the Talking House and my observation is that if it works at all, then it should run 24/7 no problem. I haven't done it for years or even months, but had no issue with weeks. One factor is that it is generally situated indoors (if you use an ATU), which means that it won't be exposed to the extremes of the weather.

It is not built as ruggedly as some of the other transmitters, such as the Rangemaster or ProCaster, but then, they are meant to be installed outdoors. I have run a Rangemaster for months on end outdoors (on the West Coast, a wet climate but no extremes on the hot or cold side) with no issues. And I had a Decade MS-100 (FM) mounted in a weatherproof box run 24/7 outdoors for several years - I was really impressed with that particular transmitter.

Agreeing with Radio8Z and Artisan Radio, I also expect that continuous operation of the Whole House should pose any difficulty.

Naturally you will want the space where the transmitter is located to be moderate, no heat producing equipment too close by, and plenty of breathing room.

I had some neat looking S-VHS VCR's. Panasonic 1960's, which suffered frequent failures precisely because hot components were not sufficiently cooled. The next model, the 1970, had a larger case and more heat-sinks. The point is, that cooling is important for electronic components.

If there's any doubt, add a small cooling fan inside the cabinet.

With the exception of glitches not related to the transmitter itself, mine has been on 24/7/365 for over 3 years.

Having said that, I recommend perusing the archived discussions on the TH. However, I will reiterate one major issue: They are manufactured with component changes, even in the same model run. It means one batch may perform differently than another. I was lucky to get one, a TH5 (I have 3) which is very good.

Also,an external CB whip antenna alone will not perform as well as the wire antenna which comes with it. If you want to use such a whip, you will need the range extender unit (pricey) which legally falls into its certification, or an equivalent which doesn't. IMO, certified gear can be a help to stay legal, but is not end all/be all of Part 15 operation.

Welcome and good luck.

In "Third Vote", above, the opening sentence should read:

"Agreeing with Radio8Z and Artisan Radio, I also expect that continuous operation of the Talking House should pose no difficulty."

Mine T.H. 5 has run for about a month with with no problems. It really doesn't generate much heat. Only uses 6.5 watts total power(including the AC wall adapter)

I got a used TH in December from a fellow Part 15er here on the board.

It has been running 24/7 since around mid-December. I am using the wire antenna for now but would like to get the outdoor range extender. Today my wife and I were out and about and received the signal out to just past 1/2 mile or so. Better range than I expected, and the signal was still there at 3/4 mile, although it was getting static at that point.

When storms are coming in, I shut the Part 15 down. The stream is able to continue, so for listeners to the stream, they would never know we are locally off the air.

I am liking the TH so far.

Wow, Thanks for all the replies guys...
I've never seen such an enthusiastic community like this before.

I cannot afford the expensive range extender right now, my idea was to get a weather proof box to keep the transmitter outside and use an 8' CB whip with 2' of feed line.

Personally I think its a horrible regulation to limit ground/feedline/and the antenna in total to just 3 meters (unless I'm missing something here.)
It would be nice to just run a 3 meter feedline outside to a whip but again... I really do want to stick to Part 15 regulations as I am a licensed HAM and certainly don't wish to lose my license.

The Talking House was designed to be used indoors. Not so sure how it would hold up in a weatherproof box outdoors. It would be interesting to get a report back after a few months of use like that.

I'm nearly certain thats what I'll do... hell its really my only legal option unless I can get that "range extender" as TH calls it.

So I'll let you know how well it lives or... if it doesn't live. It's the middle of winter (obviously) here in Ohio so the elements are ready to beat on it.

"8' CB whip with 2' of feed line."

Again, my experience is that without a loading coil or range extender, that will not work as an outside antenna, you'll be lucky to get more than 25'.

OTOH, with my other TH using the provided wire antenna in an arch window on a second floor, it got 500', maybe more.

Thanks, I'll have to see about building a loading coil and see how it works out

Harold,

If you are embarking on a ground mounted antenna system here's a link with photos to a thread which describes what I built. This might give you some ideas.

Neil

Thanks I'll look into it...
I had also been looking at MRAM's center loaded antenna.