I should be receiving my SDRPlay SDR in the next couple of days, which will resolve my issue of AM reception.
The RTL-SDR V4 Blog (along with the OpenWebRX+ software) does a good job audio-wise with the FM broadcast band. The combo (but mainly the SDR hardware) is also OK for receiving signals on the ham bands (although not really designed for that - it's really meant for VHF+) where audio quality isn't important.
The SDRPlay is designed to receive HF and lower signals (although it should do a decent job on VHF+ as well) with better audio quality, and in my limited tests of an SDRPlay clone (purchased inadvertently), AM reception was much improved.
The biggest problem with the RTL-SDR V4 Blog was that the local strong signals of both the AM and FM transmitters washed out any other signals on the SDR. That problem was also not present on the SDRPlay.
Unfortunately, as I stated previously, the SDRPlay driver software is proprietary, and therefore not licensed for clones. It also does hardware verification checks and stops working after an initial run. I heard and saw enough, however, to want to purchase a genuine SDRPlay.
There are open source drivers that supposedly work with SDRPlay clones, but I'd rather not fool around with working software (and which was gotten working after a lot of fooling around) and support the real deal.
In my current location, I don't get much range at all with AM, and even FM range is pretty limited. So my intention is to use the transmitters to feed the SDR, at least until I move to a better location. Any range I get with the transmitters is just gravy.
I will not be doing a publicly available internet stream.
I will be able to make the entire AM broadcast band available through the SDR, and 10Mhz of the FM band (likely 98-107.9 Mhz).
Didn't you recently state that on at your current location you were achieving 1 to 2 miles on your AM?
That was a previous address, in a house, located on a flood plain.
Now, you can measure the range of AM in feet. FM is a little better, maybe several hundred meters lline of sight to a car radio. The problem is that I'm currently in a built up area, with lots of concrete buildings. Lots of obstructions to absorb and/or scatter signals.
So, I'm basically throwing in the towel for over-the-air signals, and moving forward with the SDR. That can be listened to with a smartphone, either by itself, or on the car radio via bluetooth.
I haven't decided what kind of access I'm going to allow generally over the Internet. There don't appear to be any copyright rules to run SDR's - I would assume that they're seen as extensions to over-the-air receivers. But I'm still researching that. I definitely won't run a publicly available internet stream.
Nothing wrong with several hundred meters. If you don't advertise no one will know that you are there even with a smartphone. Wouldn't the SDR you are describing that can be received with a smartphone be a type of streaming if it is not over the air? So wouldn't there be copyright?
@artisan-radio I get you, I've had more than not of locations that didn't get past the immediate area because of the surroundings.
@artisan-radio By the way, concerning your SDR transmitter thoughts the other day; now I've been wondering why no one has already built one. For all we know that's what PDTechnologies has in the works.