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Here is the final R&O:
http://www.radioworld.com/Portals/0/AM%20Revitalization%20Order%20FCC-15-142A1.pdf
Although nothing was said about an LPAM service (from what I can tell), there is a NOI regarding the use of the expanded band. The FCC acknowledges that the band might be underutilized and asks if other classes of service (other than D class) should be allowed on the X-band (different patterns and power levels). So this would be the perfect opportunity to propose an LPAM service (as well as propose a part 15 service for 1710[1705]). They also discuss the possibility of a digital-only service for the X-band. The FCC also discusses eliminating distance protection and instead using contour protection for the band. This might allow for more stations.
If you can all agree that expanding Part 15 FM is dead-end, you might actually accomplish a more realistic goal by proposing an LPAM service or propose setting aside one or two channels for Part 15 AM with modified 15.219 rules or whatever your imagination can come up with. The point is the Commission is now looking at the AM band and considering new services and modifications. This is the time to act.
Total posts : 45366I vote for an AM initiative just like the FM one I started. Since I have a Talking House AM TX 5.0 I could get a linear amp to boost legal power when the rules allow. I vote for 1630 to be the expanded hobby Broadcasting frequency. And I vote 1 Watt and no antenna limits or 100 mW no antenna ground limits. So if we want to have a 100 Ft piece of wire for an antenna we can. Maybe keep the 100 mW and just have the no limit on the antenna. Then I could run a 100 Ft piece of wire up a tree. That sould get me out 4 miles or so.
Total posts : 453661610 would be the better choice, no US licensed stations there except TIS.
CHYW, XEUT, KCJJ, KKGM, KRND, and WRDW would strongly disagree.
CHHA and XEUACH are the only operators on 1610 aside from a crap ton of TIS In the US.
Total posts : 45366Our AM TIS is on 1650 kHz. Great in the daytime but the skywave kills it at night if you’re more than a half mile from the TX antenna.
Total posts : 453661610 is extremely noisy here but 1630 is pretty quiet even at night thought it has some hetrodine at night but no where near as bad as 1610 which I thought about at first due to the older Radio’s. Maybe make 5 frequencies for part 15 such as: 1610, 1630, 1650, 1670, 1690. These would be 5 frequencies and certainly within those frequencies you’d find a blank one. With Hobby Radio and TIS It should bring AM back. But it make require more power due to the sheer horrific noise levels especially if you live in town iven in a small town or village.
Total posts : 45366Reserving one frequency for Part 15 cannot include all users.
In my area there is a 5 kW station at 1600, which rules out 1610.
On 1650 I get either KCNZ Cedar Falls, Iowa, or KFSW Fort Smith, Arkansas, depending on whether it’s day or night.
Every X band frequency has activity at some places in the U.S., with the exception of 1710.
But even with 1710 you would have a problem if nearby users also wanted to run Part 15.
Total posts : 45366The reason why expanding part 15 FM seems like a dead end is because the FCC is too blind to see how expanding the range of local FM to max two miles can be beneficial to radio. Instead, they want to revitalize AM? Why? AM sounds like crud, and with everyone and their mother using iPods/iPhones, AM seems like a downgrade as far as audio quality goes.
The FCC needs to wake up. Give local municipalities the ability to charter radio stations on FM. And for the love of God, stop telling people to “wait for the next window” to apply for LPFM because that may never happen.
People want to transmit outside their property line. What’s the point of broadcasting to yourself and three neighbors? Also, what’s the harm in allowing even a one mile radius? Who is that really going to hurt?
Nobody. That’s who. Even in my neck of the woods there are two spots that can be used.
I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but sometime they’re going to allow proper microbroadcasters. They have to. Not because of pressure but because of internet streaming. Because there aren’t local radio stations for people to listen to like there were years ago.
Instead of this BS “AM revitalization”, maybe they should take a hard look at FM and allow towns to use it.
Total posts : 45366—
“The reason why expanding part 15 FM seems like a dead end is because the FCC is too blind to see how expanding the range of local FM to max two miles can be beneficial to radio.”—
OR they realize letting any idiot broadcast two miles is a disaster waiting to happen.
AM didn’t always sound like crud, nor does it have to. Blame the recievers and deregulation, not the band.
Total posts : 45366As I said in my post, let towns charter it. You left that part out.
Total posts : 45366Would that not then be a license of sorts?
Total posts : 45366In my opinion, AM audio can sound great.
I experimented with a Rangemaster, fronted with an Inovonics 222 & a Symetrix 421 compressor, and that combination sounded better on my car radio than most of the commercial stations on the AM band that I could hear. Recently, I put that same Inovonics in front of a Talking Sign, with software audio processing, and it sounded pretty good as well.
I play obscure 50s and 60s pop, as well as vintage jazz, both of which are primarily mono.
In fact, I’d have to say that the only reason I went with FM as my band of choice here in Canada was that the only BETS-1 certified transmitters here are FM. Both the ProCaster and the Talking Sign are RSS210 (identical to Part 15) certified, but you’re not supposed to use RSS210 for broadcasting (i.e., a transmission where the intended audience is the general public). RSS210 is intended for experimentation, and broadcasting to yourself.
Total posts : 45366Yes, it would be a license, but not an individual one. Let a town or non-profit run the station, with limited range.
Best of both worlds. Radio goes back to the community, you don’t have 100 people trying to get spots on the band. Everyone wins.
Total posts : 45366Macdev: I could not have said it better myself. I tried AM and I’m doing it now. The listeners I had from ON AIR FM are calling and crying for me to get BACK on FM. I told them about 1630 Khz and the ones that did hear it say IT SUCKS It sounds like crap NO BASE no depth sounds like a kids toy Radio. I have not heard one positive response from the few that had a decent enough AM receiver to hear my station. When I was on FM they never called to request a song, but when I went silent on FM due to the crap the SainSonic was putting out now are coming out of the wood work and asking me to come back to FM. I told them I need at least $125 to do so. That would buy me the Whole House 3.0. You see no matter what you do people who listen to Album Rock will not listen to your station on AM. Don’t care if the FCC suddenly gave me a license to broadcast 40 watts with a 200 Ft antenna they will not listen as it sucks for Progressive Rock, Album Rock,Clasic Rock. No Stereo equals No listeners. And asking my listeners to buy a AM Stereo receiver is not any way to keep them. All that would do is piss them off. Look I tried AM it fails so far. I’d like to believe I’d get folks listening but can’t say I’d get listeners when I myself don’t like to hear my station on AM too long without listener fatigue. Now that shortwave station did sound good I’ll grant you that but I am sure they have 85 grand in processing alone just to get that sound. I mean I could try a Talking Sign but still I think that would be money wasted. And that is why I’m once again strong headed for the FM initiative. There has got to be the right combination of reasons put together to get them to look at 87.7 and 87.9 as two frequencies for hobby broadcasting at a power of say 200 mW. Even at 100 mW there is great promise. With the repack of TV they can avoid these frequencies with the .1 .2 .3 .4 after the channel numbers. Leave 87.7 and 87.9 alone for this purpose and they will see no interference to licensed stations is that really so hard? I’m gonna have to ponder on all of this because this situation should not have to take place. There are other folks as responsible as I am that would have taken a dirty transmitter off the air. I think if everyone just rack their brain they can accomplish something that the FCC would honestly take a look at and allow some slack as some of the data already shows it won’t hurt anyone. What did Frankinmuth, Michigan’s Christmas Light Show TX going ¼ mile 365/yr since I noticed it in 2006 (and my friends say it still is on air and going that same range). If it hurts it would have been taken down long time ago. Lets find more stations like this that have been on air for years and that didn’t hurt a thing. That is your Holy Grail folks your Holy Grail. The proof is in those intentional RF emissions from a German Christmas town. Take the TX down now and I know you’d have backlash from a German town where as 9 yrs of 24/7 operation and the sky has not fallen and guess what it is in US SOIL not Canada, not New Zealand, Not some island somewhere off the pacific, Not even in some third world country. It’s Here, now and no one has been harmed. So now I say again why is it so hard to get this done? And guess what too its broadcasting to an audience not for personal listening. You are told what frequency to tune to when you get close to the display. Hope this helps.
Total posts : 45366mac dev, you must have faith in the cultural integrity of community leaders. That’s a point we disagree on.
All the way up from local bus stops to federal office, politicians today seem like a throwback to a pre-stone-age with their religious prostelizing and mob-like power hubris. Their idea of culture is to operate the siren on the fire truck.
There’s no way town leaders would let creative personalities on their constipated community stations.
Unless of course it’s Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Total posts : 45366theLegacy, are you doing any audio processing on your AM signal? That’s essential to make it sound reasonable. Particularly with a non enhanced Talking House, which doesn’t sound all that great in the first place.
I use VSTHost on my computer (free), with plug-ins (again free) for compression (around 4:1) and equalization (I boost the lows and the highs). Even just doing that that makes AM sound an awful lot better – you’re not going to get the highs of FM (you’ll get more than you did before), but you’ll get bass (at least you will on a decent sound system). And if you’re already using a computer for automation, this audio chain is free (it comes along for the ride).
Others have talked about StereoTool as a great piece of software for audio processing; I used an early version, which took up a lot of CPU (VSTHost & the plug-ins don’t), but I haven’t used the later versions, which may improve upon that somewhat. If you have a fast processor in your computer, you might not even care.
I found that my AM sound was fuller/punchier when I used the Inovonics, but those things cost a bit of money. Some people like this box, others don’t, but it is relatively affordable compared to others.
To get any sort of range at all with FM and be legal, you need to be listening on a car radio, and in a car, there’s not much difference between mono and stereo. Plus, if you’re driving, you’ll lose a lot of the highs to road noise.
The big advantage of Part 15 AM is range – up to a mile depending on the receiver, obstructions, etc. Isn’t being heard off your property (and being legal) with any sort of sound better than not being heard at all?
I’d stick with AM, given what you want to do, and attempt to improve your sound, before spending any more money on FM that won’t get the range you want (at least legally).
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