Total posts : 45366
RFB has suggested that something other than the transmitter may be causing the limited range you reported and he is probably right.
Forgive me if I repeat things you already know but I want to cover some basics. The range depends essentially on the amount of RF power radiated and the sensitivity of the receiver. I have found that an inexpensive portable receiver will give a range of hundreds of feet where a car radio will hear the signal for about a mile. Proximity to utility lines can also affect the range, both positively by acting as a receive antenna and negatively by producing interference.
The biggest factor at the transmitter end is to get the antenna system into resonance. This will make a tremendous difference in range and unfortunately is not a plug and play experience. The best approach is to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on tuning the system.
Realistically, if you install an antenna with ground radials and the transmitter at the base of the 3 meter antenna at ground level you can achieve a range of about one mile with a listenable signal on a car radio with a transmitter such as the AMT-5000. This has been my experience with a transmitter similar in efficiency to the AMT-5000.
As mentioned by RFB, other factors can affect range but you should be able to do better than you have reported.
Neil
