Hi, new to the the fourms.
I managed to pick up a used ATU for my Talking House and then surprisingly I came across a Rangemaster. So now I am doing some testing with both. All I need to cover my whole small town is 1/2 mile. Up to now I have done pretty well with an old TH 4.3 with the wire antenna ran through the wall and inside some PVC pipe. I was only getting about 1/4 with that set-up but I was also getting some hum. I am also getting some hum on the carrier with the TH 5 but it goes away if I plug it into an isolation transformer. I am guessing that is okay since I have a ground on the ATU. Currently, I don't see a difference in the TH 5/ATU and the Rangemaster as far as the signal. I have them both set up the same about 20 feet apart. I am only running one at a time. They are mounted on a wooden fence about 12" above the ground with a 102" steel whip. I have a single 4' ground rod and a short ground wire. I am just under the 3-meter range on both. My simple test has been using a pocket AM radio in my car and driving up and down every street in town. Besides a few dead areas I seem to be covering the whole town with both. So now I need to figure out which one is a keeper and which one goes to eBay. I am leaning toward keeping the Rangemaster becuse it sounds better. But I also like having the transmitter in the house.
Changing out one audio coupling capacitor in the older TH II made a drastic improvement in the low end audio response. That cap was increased by a factor of 10.
Prior to that mod I used external EQ'ing to push the low end audio through.
However, the Rangemaster will allow over 100% on positive peaks which the TH won't. Some find that ability improves signal to noise and provide a little more distance.
I would go with the Rangemaster.
They are more robust, made to stay out in the elements and all of your signal is out in the open and not blocked by objects in close proximity to it's antenna. i.e. (walls, wiring and other building materials).
If you are worried about theft, maybe find a single camera & dvr to keep an eye on it, even if it was stolen from your property, you would have hopefully evidence of the theft.
I have a Samsung 4 camera dvr setup around my home, we have a family across the road with kids who are for the most part misguided and never supervised.
I have caught them stealing from my yard several times.
But yeah, regardless of the theft thing, i would go with the Rangemaster, hands down.
EDITED: Unless of course, you have an attic to mount the Rangemaster, ground it to the house wiring or conduit if there is any.
Barry of BBR 1620
Deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains.
Exactly the problem I have with the RangeMaster mounted at ground level. Or the SSTRAN. It needs to be out of the reach of low-born grubs with nefarious intent. Up high. Hence my hatred for that inane Ground Lead Rule.
Doug
I was wondering about the original ATU of the TH transmitter. I have a Talking House unit and all I’d need is a way to clamp a 6-10 Ft whip to the awning and then use that flat satellite TV 75 ohm cable to get it through the window. Then I could have good AM with an outside system. I have a home made ATU that has a screw on connector where I can connect a wire to it and then to a 6-10 ft pipe of some kind. The ATU is not really small but maybe I’d be able to zip tie it to the awning. But hopefully I’d get more than just ½ mile. Maybe 1 mile or more I hope.
Since some licensed broadcasters are complaining that AM is a wasteland of noise thus the FM Translators I think its time to get that ground rule removed. At 100mW with any size ground you stand a chance for some serious range.
... At 100mW with any size ground you stand a chance for some serious range.
Does this imply that ANY length(s) of the conductor(s) between the transmitter chassis and a true r-f ground will produce "some serious range" ?
Other things equal, will the range be any different if those lengths are ~0.5 meter versus 10 meters?
The following graph should be useful here...
The TH ATU is also an outdoor unit. It is only about 6" square and it connects via coax to the TH in the house. I am not worried about theft or vandlism. I live in a small town of about 500 and everyone knows everyone else. Also My dogs would keep anyone out of the yard that does not belong there.
I've seen Rangemasters hooked up to clamps like that.
Possible solution to ground mounted transmitter theft.
Why not bury the transmitter so only the radiating element is above ground level?
This way, the potential thief will only see a copper or aluminum pipe sticking out of the ground and will probably ignore it.
If those boxes are water tight, the risk of moisture getting into the box is very low, might even reduce the chances of condensation getting in there as well.
Or why not build a small dog house like AM broadcast stations do for their ATUs and secure the access door with locks, have the antenna sticking out of the dog house roof through a small hole wide enough so it does not touch the radiating element.
There are ways to secure your ground mounted AM transmitter from theft, just think about it for a moment.
Bruce.
"Or why not build a small dog house like AM broadcast stations do for their ATUs and secure the access door with locks, have the antenna sticking out of the dog house roof through a small hole wide enough so it does not touch the radiating element."
I LOVE that idea! Can't do that where I live, though. Goes againt the lease on the apartment.
Doug
I have completed my testing and now I just have to decide which one I want to keep. Both have the same range when set-up the same way. After posting a flyer at the local post office I have gotten feedback from 46 houses here in town. All could hear clearly during the day but 9 of those 46 were unable to hear the station at night. These were the 9 that are farthest from the transmitter. Most of the feedback came in during a 2-day period that I was using the TH 5/ATU. but I still think I will keep the Rangemaster and list the ATU on eBay tonight. Now I need to figure out what my format will be. Currently still using Antioch Radio.
"Why not bury the transmitter so only the radiating element is above ground level?"
Sure would make it easier but do you have any TNT?
Sersiously though, the ground here is a mixed bag of clay, soil, rocks, rocks, rocks.
lol
Good idea though.
Barry of BBR 1620 Am
I like the dog idea!
Mark
The TH is a blowtorch, but it has a tendency to FAIL after continuous use. Plus, mine sounded like a telephone. It was a TH 5.0! The new i.AM Radio units have the audio enhanced. But I'd keep the RangeMaster hands down.
Doug