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Does anyone have any info on part 15 HD AM tranmitters? I just dropped an email to Keith about when he might upgrade the Rangmaster transmitter, but thought I would ask if there was anything out there yet (since a quick search didn’t turn anything up).
I’m charged with getting our college radio station transmitting on something with high quality stereo sound. They don’t seem to care much for mono AM, so I thought I might as well see if there was an HD LPAM device out yet. The alternative is a network of part 15 FM tranmitters, and I don’t think they will like the budget needed to get it going. And I know I won’t like the effort involved in getting it running, even though I have two balance audio loops around our campus buildings, it stil is going to be a lot of work, and a lot of trasnmitters and antennae, and all that just to cover a little beyond the perimeter road.
Does anyone have any info on part 15 HD AM tranmitters? I just dropped an email to Keith about when he might upgrade the Rangmaster transmitter, but thought I would ask if there was anything out there yet (since a quick search didn’t turn anything up).
I’m charged with getting our college radio station transmitting on something with high quality stereo sound. They don’t seem to care much for mono AM, so I thought I might as well see if there was an HD LPAM device out yet. The alternative is a network of part 15 FM tranmitters, and I don’t think they will like the budget needed to get it going. And I know I won’t like the effort involved in getting it running, even though I have two balance audio loops around our campus buildings, it stil is going to be a lot of work, and a lot of trasnmitters and antennae, and all that just to cover a little beyond the perimeter road.
Thanks, Greg.
Total posts : 45366It is my understanding that the “IBOC” HD standard approved by the FCC is licensed for use through a company called, Ibiquity. The cost of a license for the technology, at last glance, was in the tens of thousands of dollars, well beyond Part 15. The license fee is usually included in the cost of the new exciter or transmitter.
Additionally, the AM HD standard is still under study and won’t be ready for, other than experimental use, until the adjacent channel nightime skywave interference problem is solved. And the truth of the matter is, the solution is fewer AM stations on the band at higher power using more band space than before. So, it might be a while before you find anyone willing to develop a digital HD Part 15 AM transmitter. Right now, all the HD AM receivers use only the IBOC mask and standard.
Someone else might have more encouraging news. But even most of the AM broadscasters are sitting tight right now before spending thousands on transmitters and new wideband antenna systems. I wish I had better news.
Marshall Johnson, Sr.
Senior Pastor, President
Rhema Christian Fellowship, Inc.Rhema Radio – The Word In Worship
AM 1660 – FM 93.5
http://www.rhemaradio.org
Total posts : 45366Kieth said it wouldn’t be on the list of additions to the AM1000 for a long time. If the FCC would ratify the LPAM license, I could apply for one of those, then the only challenge would be to budget for the money. I’m not finding much of any technical info on the HD encoding and modulation, sounds like they have it buttoned up pretty tight.
If only the FCC didn’t dump the micro class FM spec. 10 watts off of a low gain antenna would cover just about everywhere I need to be.
Total posts : 45366in short “NO”. Will it ever happen? Don’t count on it under present part 15 am rules. besides technical reasons there is an initial license fee which is in the cost of a very expensive exciter and then a Annual license fee for continued use of the technology.
Thank You,
Rev. Robert P. Chrysafis
Universal Life Ministries
http://www.ulc.orgModerator Hunterdonfree
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hunterdonfree
Total posts : 45366[quote=kc8gpd]in short “NO”. Will it ever happen? Don’t count on it under present part 15 am rules. besides technical reasons there is an initial license fee which is in the cost of a very expensive exciter and then a Annual license fee for continued use of the technology.
Thank You,
Rev. Robert P. Chrysafis
Universal Life Ministries
http://www.ulc.orgModerator Hunterdonfree
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hunterdonfree%5B/quote%5D
In short, It’s a rip-off for both Part 15’ers and commerical Mom & Pop AM’ers. Just my humble opinion.
Total posts : 45366John,
Right on buddy! This is a for-profit company trying to mass market a technology that they recognize as “not working”. And as such, the FCC does NOT allow AM HD broadcasting after dark. In short, when it gets dark outside, HD AM goes and hides. The FCC quit licensing “daytime only” AM stations years ago.
Rev. Marshall Johnson, Sr.
Senior Pastor, President
Rhema Christian Fellowship, Inc.Rhema Radio – The Word In Worship
AM 1660 – FM 93.5
http://www.rhemaradio.org
Total posts : 45366I guess we will never have open source digital content for broadcast. Since it doesn’t work so well, you have to wonder why the FCC is seemingly pushing this technology.
I sent an email to one of the contacts on the bottom of a relavent FFC web page, but have not heard anything from them. I did explain what I was trying to do, and that the use was for the college radio station where I work, and used my email address from the school. You would think that from one goverenment funded place to another, they would at least respond.
The boss shot down the idea of regular AM, so now I get to try and build a network of part 15 FM systems to cover the entire campus. Rough estimates are at least 4 systems, and probably more like 6 when it gets all said and done.
But that won’t start for awhile, new stuff from BSI ( http://www.bsiusa.com ) came in for our computers, so I need to put all that together first. Our Orban Optimod-PC and Opticodec-PE should be showing up any day, as well as the server for the Shoutcast software. It’s like Christmas right now, only wish they would change the budget so that I could order stuff in June and have all summer to build things. Always seemed wrong to start the budget at the same time classes start, you always have to try and budget and entire year ahead of when you need to use the stuff.
When things slow down I’ll probably build the AM transmitter from the plans in the library and see how that works. I should be able to salvage most of the components, and the PC board can’t be that hard to produce, even if I have to cut the traces with a Dremmel tool.
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