Newbie Here.. Any tips

[Ebacherville]

Newbie Here.. Any tips

Im running a Internet Station, and just bought a ATM 3000 transmitter after doing much research and plan on doing a coil loaded 3 meeter antenna..

My aidio chain is already compressed and limited for my Internet station..

SO what else am i going to have to do for my am station.. Or am i set already??

[scwis]

First, your website is waaaaay too cool to hide, so I’m pumpin’ ya:
[url=http://www.ebacherville.com][size=14:6a10c21d81]www.ebacherville.com[/size:6a10c21d81][/url]

Second, props on yer content – sweet!

And now, your question (drum roll)
[size=14:6a10c21d81]You’re good to go![/size:6a10c21d81]

You’ll probably have some tweaks, and be mindful of the fact (I’m sure you know this) that the AMT 3000 has audio processing on board.

Now, for the fun stuff – with an existing internet radio station, you could work with others in your area to rebroadcast your stream over other part 15 AM xmtrs, too. You could literally blanket a town. mlr will dig your web site, btw – right up his alley
💡

[Ebacherville]

Well thanks about my site.. I think its so lacking its not even funny… Im a multimedia engineer by trade so what I do is audio + video editing, Live event production and web flash work.. and anay thing related.. so I look at my site and feel guilty for neglecting it.. I have so much stuff in my head that I don’t write down or do its sad, there just isnt enough time in the day.

Currently Our content is basically anything we can play thats non RIAA stuff..(I dispise these people) mostly unsigned bands and were planning many talk show type items related to internet and technology stuff..

Were struggling with the fact I have a DJ that has tons and tons of bootleg recordings from so many bands its not even funny, its scarry…He is a hugge music buff, he whats todo a “bootleg” show , but no one can tell me if the RIAA has any rights to this bootleg stuff for one they never recorded the music, but pretty much own anything the artisit does, in a sick sort of way… so its a grey area that we have to figure out.. I want to syndicate this show for other internet stations and LPAM/FM stations if we can..

I also what to syndicate our tech/internet stuff if possable.. syndicating it for no charge for Internet and LPAM/FM for free, commarcial stations if any would need to pay.

As for the AM part, My town is very small and my transmitter will cover this small town for sure… and a few farms on the outskirts.. heck my wifo covers most of the town.. the populateion is about 60, yes sixty.. ONe plan is to broadcast live the city councle meetings.. as the town hall is a block and a half away so i can wifi a stream to my broadcast PC and from my laptop at the town hall.. and broadcast the meeting live to the the entire town.. its a public meeting, now that can listen in in the comfort of there home.. tractor in the feild whatever.. I also live on the main road that geas through town and my yeard is right on the road so Im going to build a nice backlit sign to advertise to every one that passes through town.. should help listenership quite a bit.. My other plans on the AM is to open the station up to citizens for broadcasting there content.. the AM side will be a sister station to my online station.. when im not broadcasting local stuff my internet station automation will be on the AM side..

My dad showed interest in bing a sister AM station in his small town (about 10 miles away) he would need to upgrade from dial up to DSL so he could broadcast 24/7 from my feed but he really liked the idea of a radio station for the people by the people..

Originaly when i got into this whole broadcasting idea i wanted to do a TV station on channel 3 or 4.. a 6 meeter ham radio amp and rf modulator and your set minus the FCC not allowing any transmissions on these bands.. Bummer..

I already had the idea of setting up via internet link to the other surrounding towns (like my dads) and the big town near by of Alexandria MN.. a few transmitters would blanket this town quite well.. then I would have to step up to a syncable system.

Well good to hear I pretty much ready.. RIght now I am waiting fo my transmitter and then once i get it i wil have to decide on antenna options, ben conversing with “antennaman” for this solution.

The one question i do have is I use SAM2 for my internet station fo automation but uncode on with a AAC plus encoder (awsome sound quality and low bandwidth – Near CD quality at 20kbs), but is there anysoftware for using streaming content and using automation like the big stations where when they hear the beep they cue in there content… Don’t know the exact name for the process.. IS there any system for this on the PC?

Thanks,
Jaosn

[Ebacherville]

Got My transmitter today, I have had everything ready to go gfor this for quite some time now.. all I have to do is plug it in and hook up the audio, I should be broadcasting this evening 🙂

Jason

[Ebacherville]

Well after having that transmitter all day sitting in my truck, calling my name.. while I was forced to work all day.. At lunch i went and bought all the bits i need for my coil loaded antenna, I cam up with a design that was modified from the magna on the site here.. main diffrence is the pvc for the coil is also going to be the mount pipe tha goes into the ground below the frost line.. the actual antenna will be a 1 inch copper, that screws into the the base/coil.. all wires will be inside the antenna, only the coil will be outside the , and then of cource a water tight box for the transmitter. attached to the base/coil..

I have to say the sound quality of this sstrand transmitter is great.. cant say that the range of the stock setup at night is any good.. cant tune it in a block away with the car radio tonight, the skip tonight is terrable however.. ever shannel has skip.. every single one.. but the cool thing is i can pick up stuff from all over.. but my station is sucking because of it .. the only potential listener right now in me or the neighbor right accross from me.. Im sure a real antenna and grounding system will help greatly.

Im listening to my station on my home theater system and it sounds amazing, better than local stations.. plus the content rocks!

Maybee i wil make a tutorial for my antenna design.. its not radical but it is much easier to build, less cutting, less tools needed should be very sturdy when finished.

Jason

[Ebacherville]

Well two days working on my antenna here and ther its now complete besided mounting the weather proof container on it…

My design consists of a 5 foot piece of PVC with my tunig coil at the top right under the cap.. Theis PVC is the post and the tuning coil all in one.. Thissimplifies the design.. After looking at other designs i decided this was the easiest and probably cheapest way to accomplish my antenna.. the mas is 9 feet in length of 1″ Copper pipe, mounded to the 4″ cap with a 1″ threaded flange.. The gounding system consists of 8 – 10″ radials and there all soldered together inside of this 4″ PVC pipe..and the radial are all ran through the pipe via hoes drilled into the pipe..

The antenn is right in my front hard so i wanted it to look realy good, didnt whant it to look like a piece of crap.. ALl in all it looks very pro looking, I also has concernes of being a very stable system as a 9 foot mast can take quite a hit from the wind, I didnt what guide wires, so i had to make it very stable..it has proven to be this way, it looks good its stable and solid..

My tuning coil was wound and sealed with fiberglass resin, three coats mad for a great looking coil..

I wil try to take a pic and post it but right now its dark out so I cnat get a pic of it..

Over all i have around $50 into my antenna and project box.. very cheap considering what prebuilts are running.

My next steps are:

1. get my weather proof box mounted
2. Run my feed wire for audio and power to the antenna
3. mod my sstran for the new external antenna

Any one have any reccomendations for feed wire… I looked for “security system wire” SHeilded 4 conductor wire.. but could not find it anywhere…

any one run cable tv coax for there audio wire.. is 75 ohms going to kill my audio signal.. this stuff can be had anywhere.. I can use that low voltage ladnscaping wire for power.

ANy suggestions would be graet for the best way to transmitt audio to my transmitter, i have about a 30 foot run to do with it.

Jason

[scwis]

[quote:78654c0ccf]Any suggestions would be great for the best way to transmit audio to my transmitter[/quote:78654c0ccf]

Be sure to check out 12vman’s “best of both worlds” thread about using a micro power FM xmtr as a studio to transmitter link (STL), here:

[url=http://part15.us/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=185&sid=acaf72d18251b1aab0faa08fd7ed866a][u:78654c0ccf][b:78654c0ccf][size=14:78654c0ccf]FM STL[/size:78654c0ccf][/b:78654c0ccf][/u:78654c0ccf][/url]

And as always, photos would be AWESOME 😀

[Ebacherville]

I fogrot to snap a pic today.. I will try to get one tomarrow after work.. Today I attached the weather proof box to the bast base.. so its basicly as it will be when in opperation

I also contacted sstran for the needed resister for the mod to my transmitter for the new antenna.

Jason

[Scott]

Does Radio Shack stock the capacitor required for the modification? (560 pf, 50VDC ceramic capacitor).

Regards,

Scott
Soon to be on the air in Omaha, Nebraska

[scwis]

You’d probably have to buy a package of a bunch, most stores don’t carry the old card packs they used to have, but you might get lucky and find some old stock, it really depends on the store. You can make a capacitor of any value by combining capacitors in series or parallel to get what you need.

Caps in parallel are additive in capacitance, and have the voltage rating of the lowest rated cap in the set.

c1 + c2 + c3 + cn = total

Caps in parallel is the most common approach. Remember to allow for the percent tolerance of the components – usually 20% for the low priced stuff.

Caps in series are (c1 X c2)/(c1 + c2), or

1/[(1/c1)+(1/c1)+(1/c2)+(1/cn)]

‘n’ means ‘keep going like this for how ever many you’ve got’

[Scott]

I just finished my SSTRAN loading coil. It went easier than I had expected, though the winding alone took up perhaps three hours of my evening. I took it slow and tried to keep everything tight, and as a result It doesn’t look too bad. I just hope I scraped off the protective coating and tinned the copper right.

The SSTRAN instructions call for “varnish” to seal the bare PVC pipe, and then finally the finished coil. I went to my hardware store and looked for varnish. They didn’t have anything called varnish. They had all kind of protective coatings, usually with a stain or color for wood. I ended up getting Rustoleum clear coat sealant in a spray can. Can any guess if that might work?

Regards,

Scott
Soon to be on the air in Omaha, Nebraska

[Ebacherville]

[quote:4c666377ba=”Scott”]Does Radio Shack stock the capacitor required for the modification? (560 pf, 50VDC ceramic capacitor).

Regards,

Scott
Soon to be on the air in Omaha, Nebraska[/quote:4c666377ba]

SSTRAN will send you one just look on there page under the mods instructions they give you a email address, There sending mine out no charge for the CAP otr the shipping!

The clear acrylic should work really the reason is to ensure that the coil is protected and that it stays tight, I used fiberglass resin.. worked really wel and gave a great finish.

Jason

[Ebacherville]

I found these, we use them at work for transmission of on-hold music from one building to the other over cat 5, they work verry well… You need a pair .. One on each end.

http://www.asihome.com/ASIshop/product_info.php?products_id=1147

Jason

[Ebacherville]

OK Here is a Picture of my antenna..

Its 10 foot from top to bottom, the radiator making upa about 9 foot of the assembly.

[img:557283d1b9]http://www.ebacherville.com/Antenna.jpg[/img:557283d1b9]

[Ebacherville]

That picture looks as if the antenna is right next to the street, but what your seeing is the antena is on top of our yard right after the antenna the yard slopes down at about 45 degrees for a 5 foot drop to the street.. so its quite elevated above the street… My radials run down to the curb on the street..

Uor yard is above the rest of the town so im a bit higher than other spots in town , i hope this make my signal fallow a bit better..

So that brings up a quaetion would the ideal antenna be placed up on top of a big pile of dirt.. prividing a high transmission point but stuill haveing a good ground base… Say you haul in a few truckloads of dirt for a pile and cover the entire thing in radials and or chicken wire down to the regular ground leven and beyound that.. gets you some added elevation, and gets you around the ground lead limitations of the FCC laws..

How much dirt would it take for saya 20 foot high pile ?
😆

[Author]

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