Wi-Fi translater system

Oops ... forgot the wireless router at the TX site ... to pickup the signal from the CCrane Wi-Fi antenna.

Studio-transmitter links have been around for many years; mostly on the 950 MHz band. But, recently several computer savvy folks figured out that a WiFi data link would work like a charm. Barix builds little inexpensive units that replace the computers at the ends of the link. One of the companies that provides "unlicensed" or license exempt link equipment is Trango Communications. Check them out on your search engine. The 2.4 GHz units can make 20-plus miles with an external antenna. They also are a source for 5 GHz units.

Of course, wireless routers and PC's can get the job done also.

how about a solar powered mesh net operating under part 15. the backbone runs on 5.8 GHZ the client side AP's run 2.4 GHZ.

you stream using shoutcast and your listeners log onto a local node using their favorite wifi enabled device.

no worries about antenna lengths or field strengths.

just straight power versus antenna system gain/loss.

best of all i doubt any local station would know what to do about it.

that would be an interesting way to do part 15 radio! and cool! there are already Wi-Fi radios out there. That could open up some cool possibilities!

If I told people what you just said, I would be met with a blank deer-in-the-headlights look.

No one I know of is walking around trying to listen to internet radio. Heck, we only have cell phone coverage for maybe 1/3 of the island.

Personally, I would love to have a community wi-fi net, but only a few select people have a clue what it is or what it would mean to the community, plus, it would negate the hotspots delivered to some businesses in town who are paying local providers for it ... which is part of the providers' income.

I'm afraid they just aren't ready for it yet. But it is time to start planning for when it will be.

ITMT, I need to come up with a venue people can and will actually listen to.

"-it would negate the hotspots delivered to some businesses in town who are paying local providers for it."

Anybody with a computer using a hotspot could listen to your station if its streaming on the internet. Plus, these Wifi systems automatically find open frequencies and are designed that way to reduce interference. WiFi radios hook to the internet and scan a list of DNS's to listen. Just like listening to a stream with a computer. Many commercial radio stations have discovered the use of streaming over the internet and WiFi nets. So, they are available to the rest of us who are willing to learn the technology and applications. If we build it, they will listen.

Some of the new cell phones already have the app built in.

No, I'm not misinformed ... afraid you missed the point ... probably my faulty wording 😉

What I meant was that starting up a community mesh wifi network connection would compete with the local IPs who have sort of claimed the turf.

Ken,

If the local IP's are "unlicensed", they can't claim turf on the band. If they are licensed, different story. However, WiFi systems, like Trango, automatically switch frequencies if the first becomes busy. BTW, my understanding is that several 5.8 GHz frequencies are reserved for unlicensed 801.2g and Part 15 operation. Audio/video links with these point-to-point systems have been used for years.

Licensed WISP Spectrum and Unlicensed WiFi Spectrum are mot interleaved.

they are on two separate bands.

I'm pretty sure RockIsland is licensed. Anyway, they've been at it for 20 years. It's not strictly about what's available to do ... this is a small community. It's more about seeing what we can do in a neighborly way. It's unwise for a startup operation (me) to make enemies of well-established businesses right next door (so to speak); much better to negotiate.

As for me, I'm not looking to get AM signal range out of town. I now have three computers. That means I can webcast on one and pickup that signal from my website on the other two. One at my studio and one on my boat. Two TX simulcasting. All three computers will be connected via Clear (same wireless connection), the two in the studio (server and pickup on LAN), and the other on my boat (pickup only). That means, save for some weird out of phase coupling I can't imagine, both TX will have the same signal at the same time, i.e., synced.

The problem is how to get the signal out of my studio. The landlady hasn't been particularly cooperative with allowing me to put up an antenna outside here, so that's why I've been researching things like fractal antennas. loops, slotted tubes, and such. If I can get .5 mile out of the attic in the building (I can get about 200-400 ft with a loaded whip now, sitting on my sound stage and sticking up through the access panel), and if the antenna on the boat reaches up into town, I may have some usable coverage.

I am about to pose some questions that may already have been adressed in the foregoing, but I will study all that more closely in the future. Right now let me lay out the objective we anticipate, and invite suggestions.

The idea is to build a Wi-Fi STL (Studio-To-Transmitter-Link).

But here are some basic rules at the start. Our router is 100% wired and is NOT going to change to Wi-Fi. The router, that is, that connects the WAN to the LAN.

So we need a device that will put our LAN on Wi-Fi so that a Wi-Fi Radio located 35-feet away can intercept our stream for re-broadcast on AM radio.

In a sense I realize that a Wi-Fi radio is over-kill, since they are able to receive over 10,000 different streaming radio stations, but that's the way it is.

A Barix Streamer is too expensive, but would otherwise probably be perfect.

Back to the question: what device do we need to add to the computer to put our streaming signal in Wi-Fi space, recievable by a Wi-Fi radio?

Back to the question: what device do we need to add to the computer to put our streaming signal in Wi-Fi space, recievable by a Wi-Fi radio?

You might want to check out the VTech IS9181, which can access a program stream from a WiFi-capable PC.  But it does need a WiFi router to complete the path.

This radio has L&R audio outputs that could be used as a source for another device.

Here's a link (watch the demo).

http://www.vtechphones.com/internet-radio/internet-radio

The Vtech Wi-Fi Radio looks like a quality item, although 11,000 stations is 10,999 more than needed.

Oddly, when I clicked "Buy Now" to see the price the screen said, "Sorry, this product does not exist."

I am still puzzled as to how I can link the Wi-Fi radio to my LAN stream while maintaining a wired ethernet router connection.

What I need is a Wi-Fi transmitter that will only put my LAN (Local Area Network) into the wireless domain, not the WAN (Wide Area Network) also known as the internet.

I only want to transmit one stream, direct from the computer, not 11,000 streams from the internet.

All that simply to detail the objective, but by no means ruling out this interesting Wi Fi radio.

Thank you for the tip.

Sorry about a lead to something that apparently no longer is available, and was topheavy for your need.

I Googled "wifi audio link" -- which produced quite a few references to products that might be more suitable to you.

Hope that you can find something you like using such Internet searches.