@1620am-w9xaz It's not worth the risk to operate illegally. And despite jealous statements from people on other Part 15 Forums, this site has never condoned such operation.
As you indicate, if you want the most range, use Part 15 AM. Several miles can easily be achieved in the right location and with a quality installation. Ground conductivity, electrical interference (a big factor these days), obstructions all play a part in decreasing, or increasing, range.
Part 15 FM does have its uses, despite its limited range. Parking lot radio is one. When located on Bowen Island, my intended coverage area was a shopping center in which my storefront was located, and the ferry lineup, which wound down the main road and into the Snug cove village. You can achieve more than expected range with stationary vehicles, which have good radios, long antennas (at least at the time in the mid 2000s) and built-in grounds (i.e., car bodies).
And then there are the people who are the intended primary listener of their own radio station (that includes me, at least currently).
I'd love to get back into Part 15 AM, but my residential circumstances won't allow it right now. Concrete buildings located in concrete jungles (at least in some directions) are not ideal for that kind of operation. Maybe someday.
@pete2169 Mono will get you a better signal a bit farther. Any radio is much more sensitive in mono. I am an oldies format and half my stuff isn't in stereo anyways and what difference does it make when you are listening on a radio with one speaker as most radios are. An example ...typical of most radios.
@pete2169 Depends on the type of music you play.
Virtually everything Artisan Radio plays originally was in mono. 45s from the 50s & 60s, vintage jazz (78s) from the 20s to the 50s, old time radio (transcriptions).
There's also the consideration that you'll get more usable range from a legal Part 15 FM mono transmitter. The stereo carrier will generate noise as your signal gets weaker (and with the limited power of Part 15, that occurs relatively quickly).
Add to that the fact that most radios will switch to mono mode anyway when the signal gets weak, and I think you'd find that stereo transmission is not all that useful. Unless, of course, you're the primary listener and you only want to cover your house and maybe your yard, i.e., listen where the signal is strongest.
Many LPFMs in the U.S. transmit in mono to increase their noise free coverage area, as, relative to the regular licensed stations, their power is weak.
If you're an audiophile, I know what I'm saying is sacrilege, but for the most part, a lot of people listen to radio these days on inexpensive receivers from which you don't get the stereo advantage. Or on computers, with poor speakers. Even in the car, road noise can play havoc with your listening experience.
@pete2169 If you decide to get a used Decade MS-100 transmitter on e-bay, here are some tips.
The ones with the plastic cases are older models. The ones with metal cases are newer, and the newest can have that RDS port I've been talking about. They all transmit pretty much identically.
They come with multiple types of inputs. Some RCA, some XLR, some 1/4 inch - make sure you get one with the type of input you want.
You want to get one with a fixed antenna - it's the only way that the transmitter is Part 15 or RSS210/BETS certified. Some come with the ability to attach an external antenna, but they're meant for licensed services such as RSS123 in Canada. I've seen a few like this sourced from the U.S., but they are not legal there (some mistakenly had Part 15 certification sticks affixed).
Power requirements are 18 volts AC. Note - AC. You can't use an ordinary DC power adapter. So either avoid the ones that don't come with a power adapter, or make sure you can source a proper one before purchasing.
@artisan-radio I was pointing out to Pete the reality of today's pirate radio scene. Any transmitter can be modified but under the current situation in the USA , better to avoid trouble. I personally like being on AM even though the band is mostly dead. Pete...There is AM stereo and from what I've heard HD radios can receive the signal in stereo...No need to take a chance buying old radio s to hear it.
Not to sound negative but the 2 most used certified AM transmitters Procaster Rangemaster and another, Grain Industries, so 3, oh yeah 4...the Talking House, all are analog conventional transmission and you can't get on HD and they don't transmit in AM stereo. Also it means nothing on a common radio with one speaker which make up virtually all of them. No car receives AM stereo. And some don't receive AM at all. Even the Eaton Grundig Satellite at $600+ and all of Ccrane's offerings are not even FM stereo let alone AM, except maybe through headphones on some. Not knocking stereo but ....
The AM transmitter I have is a talking house it works pretty good I'm getting about a 2 mile range. I've heard about the procaster and the range master am transmitters. They probably work better than my Talking House, but I noticed they are really expensive. I think I only paid about $100 for my talking house on eBay. Yeah I remember hearing about AM stereo back in the '80s but I thought it was a flop. I think they basically gave up on the idea because the quality of an AM signal really isn't good enough for stereo. And a lot of new cars don't have am anymore especially the electric cars because am doesn't work too much interference.
Actually I think I'll just stick with my Range Star fm transmitter for now. Like you said the penalties are on the manufacturer. Because it's supposed to be part 15 certified. If the FCC ever stopped by I think the worst thing they would do is make me shut it down. My clear coverage area on the range star fm is basically under a circular mile anyway. As long as I use the low power setting. Besides I don't think there's anybody monitoring over here in Eastern Washington. There's no FCC field office anywhere near here. My brother actually knows an FCC field agent over in Seattle. He told my brother that the FCC usually doesn't pursue an FM transmitter as long as it's coverage area is under a circular Mile and it's not causing any interference on any other frequencies. We have a lot of clear channels over here. there's several clear channels with clear adjacent frequencies. The fcc' is actually pretty lenient in the USA. The lowest amount of power they've ever penalized anybody on an fm transmitter was over 1280 microvolts at 3 meters. . So that's five times the legal limit. My brother said in most cases. FCC won't even pursue a signal that's under a thousand microvolts at 3 meters and if they do they usually just tell you to shut it down.
@pete2169 Well you can't assume what they would do or not but the one you are using is, as I found clean with no bad harmonics, just a different brand of the same transmitter and you can't be faulted for using it as it does have a part 15 certification rightly or wrongly.
Would be better if the certification label was on the transmitter but if the company gave you the FCC # keep it and look up the number to verify the information is correct. Make copies of the FCC info from their site to show in case of a visit. Use only with the stock antenna and low power.
My Range Star FM transmitter basically covers under a circular mile to high sensitivity receivers. And under a circular half mile to low sensitivity radios. I'm always careful to not run my audio levels too hot so it doesn't cause harmonic frequency interference. It a pretty clean transmitter anyway.
@pete2169 I don't want to be negative, but if there's no certification label attached to the device, then the FCC likely won't accept it as being certified, and you would have no protection with the rules. That's usually the first thing the FCC (and Industry Canada) asks to see. I doubt they would accept a hand-written certification number taken over the phone from the manufacturer as proof.
I would also question the statement that the FCC won't investigate if your range is under a mile. That may or may not be true for a given region, but they will generally always investigate if someone complains, and you have no control over that.
That's why I always strongly recommend that people use properly labelled Part 15 certified transmitters. You can argue whether they should have been certified, but that's really the only protection most radio operators have when dealing with the FCC (after all, they accepted the certification from an FCC accredited lab).
Unless, of course, you have the appropriate test equipment to test the field strength output of your transmitter and can demonstrate compliance to field agents if they happen to drop by.
Thanks Mark, I will do that. I checked my certification # with the Fcc website and it is listed in the part 5 data base I will make a copy of the web page.
I'll probably get a transmitter with a certified label at some point. Whether it's the decade Ms 100, or maybe I can find another czh 05b model that actually has a label with the certification number on it. I think the reckless brand has it.
I also made a copy of the eBay listing of the company I bought my range star transmitter from. It states right in their listing that the transmitter is part 15 certified and it also States the Fcc certification number right on the listing. So that should probably keep out of trouble if the Fcc does stop by for a visit before I get a replacement transmitter.And I also still have my original receipt.
@pete2169 Yes if you must use this transmitter be safer and have the affixed label with number such as the Retekess brand of it. At least it will show you are trying to be legal.
Make sure label and certification number is on the bottom and can be looked up. A lot better than just being told it is compliant.
And make sure it's a part 15 # not part 73 as that is a licensed category.
This transmitter was certified in 2020 so a used one my be older and not certified.