Total posts : 45366
For FCC testing, I would just use the transmitter, attached antenna and short ground connection: I would not include the mast. I’m sure that most wiring going to these transmitters radiates something, but I don’t believe the FCC is concerned with this. They are more interested in reducing complaints due to interference which is more likley to come from FM and not AM devices. R. Fry’s plot is very interesting and goes to show how range can be increased using an elevated transmitter (and of course, a longer ground lead – which is in itself a grey area).
As I mentioned earlier, I do think it is advantageous to have remote tuning because then you can mount the transmitter up high and tune it properly. A properly tuned antenna increases range. Also, because these are low power devices, they are more susceptible to changes in the seasons; therefore requiring occasional re-tuning for peak performance. Maybe there should be 2 versions of this transmitter: one with with manual and the other with remote tuning.
Gerry
