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Greetings all,
It has been many moons since I posted, but I frequently check-in to see what the hub-bub is.
Anyhow, I have some questions and would like any input.
At one time I thought I wanted to create a community station, but since have decided I prefer house/ yardcasting to the various vintage radios I have (too many hobbies already.)
The transmitters I have to date are: Ramsey FM-10 (my primary transmitter), Ramsey AM-1 (which gives me fits and have all but given up on), a homebrew 1 MHz transmitter (my first transmitter :p), and a Tape-mitter.
I know the FM-10 is a splatter box, but up until now has worked for house/ yardcasting. I am considering an AM transmitter to be able to receive on radios sans FM.
Many will probably recommend the Talking House due to plugand playability, but I am concerned about audio quality: much of the content I transmit is Old Time Radio which can be sub-par audio to begin with (32kps -64 kps), and etc.
Others will recommend both the SSTRAN 3000 and 5000; perhaps some the Spitfire. Not having heard the TH, SSTRAN 3000/ 5000, or Spitfire it is difficult to decide.
I will say I am happy with the sound of the FM-10, I just know that it a splatter box and may not be compliant with Part 15 – I do care about compliance. I want to be able to utilize the AM radios I have with an AM transmitter.
Any help/ recommendations/ tweaks would be appreciated.
Chance
Total posts : 45366Check out the Procaster by Chez Radio. Has built-in compressor/limiter.
Total posts : 45366I thought about the Spitfire myself as some report good Audio and range. And reports say around $100.
Total posts : 45366It’s really a question of money..
If I were you, wanting only to yardcast OTR programs, I’d definately spend $20 – $30 for a used Talking House off ebay.. While I have never used a TH, I highly suspect it would be just fine for that, and like you say, it’s plug-and-play and you’re only risking a few dollars.
Their newer IAM models supposably have higher audio quality, but you’ll not find those very cheap.
I have seen used Rangemasters sell as low as $300 to $400, same deals with the Procasters.. but you run a risk spending that much buying used, I currently have two Rangemasters (used to have a third which got stolen), one I bought new directly from Keith (about $750), and the second one I bought on ebay for $350 a year or two ago which arrived non-functional (it will turns on for a few seconds then goes dead).
But anyway, the best quality is obtained in the high priced units.
I can say first hand that the SStran 3000 sounds as good as the Rangemaster, actually a little better, but thats only when compared stand-alone becuase the SStran has built in proccessing and the Rangemaster requires additional proccessing gear for it’s full potential (although it sound quite good without it)..
However the SStran is a kit which needs to be assembled, and requires an elaborate antenna system to be constructed for it to be able of acheive any noteable range. With the Rangemaster you only need to attached an 8′ cb antenna.
I did not build my SStran, I bought it used back in early 2011 for $125 from a fellow named Paul Bock,:“..I forgot to mention that the SStran was professionally assembled by Pat Ryan from Overtheair3.com in St. Louis, Mo. I had him build the transmitter with the intention of NOT using the external coil and antenna design for Part 15 broadcasting so you’ll have to make some minor changes to the circuits if you plan on using it for broadcasting. I think these changes are outlined in the instruction manual that I shipped with the transmitter. If not, they can be found either directly on the SStran webpage or a link from their page to Carl Van Olden who makes the coils and ground systems for the transmitter. Additionally, I had him set the broadcast frequency at 1700 for the AM band. This I know is easy to change….”
All things considered, between SStran and Rangemaster, the Rangemaster is my choice of the two.
Total posts : 45366For your purporses I’d be really interested in one of those many 2 and 3 tube transmitters they have on eBay. I’d assume the audio quality would be good enough and the distance shouldn’t get beyond what you are wanting.
The price tag on them is a bit steep but theres just something about watching tubes glow.
Total posts : 45366I started with a TH 5 and it worked fairly well. With a bit of front end audio manipulation (equalizer) it was acceptable. I then moved to a SSTRAN AMT3000 I found on ebay assembled. The audio difference was phenominal! For yard casting, you probably could get by with the supplied wire antenna. I built a coil and used a telescoping antenna (MFJ) to peak the system for maximum coverage.
I also bought a Rangemaster (from ebay for 300.00) I purchased a crystal (not with unit), and miscellaneous items to get it on the air. It works, the range is better, but the stock audio quality is below the AMT3000. I have added a compressor/limiter to the front end and that has helped tremendously. It is very acceptable. For the money I have invested, and if I were yard casting only. I would buy the AMT3000 many times over if possible.
I would start with one of the Talking House 5 units UNLESS you can find a SSTRAN AMT3000 (they seem to be hard to get these days). The Talking House units are relatively cheap on ebay and they are plug and play! If you are creative, you can use them with a 102 in. whip and the autotuner will still work. From what i have read, some units sound and work better than others. The unit I have doesn’t have a lot of audio response.
I can’t help with the Spitfire transmitter… yet! I may purchase one to try out.
Have fun!!!
Total posts : 45366If you’re just doing housecasting and yardcasting, you might want to consider a certified Part 15 FM transmiter (depending on the size of your yard). If you just want to go AM, you can ignore the rest of the post.
Even a certified Part 15 FM transmitter, mounted on an upper level in your home, and perhaps on a window sill overlooking your yard, might be able to give you decent coverage. It would, of course, also depend on the sensitivity of your radio.
I’d look at one of the Decades, either the CM-10 (discontinued, but you sometimes can find them used on e-bay) or the MS-100 (expensive new, but they usually can be found for a more reasonable price used on e-bay).
If your budget is tight, and/or you can’t find a Decade, the Whole House 3 is another option (but of lower build and sonic quality).
All 3 of these transmitters are Part 15 certified. Recent testing revealed that most certified FM transmitters still are over legal limits in the real world when cables – such as audio – are attached, but if your range is 200 feet or so with a decent receiver (which is what an FCC bulletin suggests the range for should be for a compliant transmitter) then I wouldn’t worry.
Just a thought.
(And by the way, the Old Time Radio Researchers Archive at http://otrrlibrary.org/ contains many high quality OTR recordings, much better sonically than a lot of the shows that have been distributed freely in the past. You can also download some high quality shows from Usenet, specifically alt.binaries.oldtime.radio or alt.binaries.oldtime.radio.highspeed. I just downloaded all the Great Gildersleeve shows that have survived – I don’t have the specifics of the sound quality in front of me, but each one was over 27MB in size and sounded much better than the older 6+MB shows that I had)
Total posts : 45366It’s my experience the Whole House 3.0 FM transmitter will easily over modulate so a compressor/limiter or one that is software based is recommended. My unit on the out of box power covers the complex and fades away once you leave the parking lot.
The C. Crane is certified and warns you when you over modulate. I have seen them New for $40 and there has been good Audio reports. Range is 60-75 feet according to reports.
Total posts : 45366I forgot about the CCrane FM, I have one, and I agree for yardcasting that would be a great idea, they sound real good. I really think mine does better than 60 or 70 feet though.
Total posts : 45366Thanks for the replies and suggestions; plenty of food for thought.
I’ll have a look at Ebay to see what I can find.
Chance
Total posts : 45366For FM housecasting/yardcasting, I’d go with the CCrane. For $50-60, you can’t beat them. Buy yourself a used compressor to put between the transmitter and the audio source, and you’ll have some nice clean broadcastin’!
As for AM, I’d shy away from the Talking House/iAM units. I see far too many comments from people about hum that they just can’t get rid of. I had the same problem myself, so I sent the unit back for a refund. I will say, though, that the manufacturer, Radio Systems, is a great company with other top-shelf products, so if they decide to keep manufacturing the iAM units, I’m guessing that they’ll solve the hum problem. But as for right now, I don’t think they’ve conquered that problem yet.
Total posts : 45366I’ve also heard reports about the Talking Sign AM Transmitter which is no longer bade. It supposedly has much better Audio than the Talking House and if you can get a home made ATU made it will give greater range than the wire. But since we’re talking Yardcasting or housecasting I think you’ll find this to be a nice unit to play with. It isn’t too expensive as a forum member had one for sale earlier and I was thinking about it but bought Christmas presents with the money so I missed the chance to see what this unit would do for myself.
Total posts : 45366I’ve got a TS100 that I’ve been wanting to test an External TH ATU on.
Total posts : 45366If yard/housecasting is all you want to do, either the SStran amt 3000 or Spitfire would be a great way to use those vintage radio’s to listen to OTR.
If you want something pre-built, the Spitfire would be the way to go, just plug it in, set it and forget it. While the SStran and Spitfire are about the same size and would fit nicely on a shelf or on a desk, the Spitfire is already built, the SStran (both models) have to be built by the customer.
While kits like the SSTran are fairly easy to build even for a novice, the pre-built Spitfire from what i have read on a recent post from RadioDugger, is ready to go from the box to the desk.
Barry
Total posts : 45366“While kits like the SSTran are fairly easy to build even for a novice, the pre-built Spitfire from what i have read on a recent post from RadioDugger, is ready to go from the box to the desk.”
Yes. And it is a performer. Phil Boylin of SSTRAN got fined thousands of $$$ for selling pre-built 3000s. Yet the SpitFire sells like hotcakes on eBay! LOL!
Doug
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