- Posts
The LPFM advocate agrees with Prometheus that the power level of a 10 watter should be bumped to 50 watts to partially bridge the gap between a 10 watt and 100 watt LPFM, noting the LP10’s main problem is “inability to penetrate ground cover and walls.” –
See more at: http://www.radioworld.com/article/should-fcc-eliminate-lp-class/213421#sthash.Ov8VXisF.dpuf
Total posts : 45366There’s a very good reason the FCC doesn’t license such low power levels, even 250 watts has a hard time with obstacles.
Total posts : 45366This is why I think asking for 1 watt will fall on deaf ears.
Total posts : 45366Quite literally, lol!
Total posts : 45366Okay, I get the point. I am no longer asking for anything.
I know a lot of you on this site, do not go over to the inititive site, so you would not know that I have not really been active over there, at all.
I personally, have lost all interest in this hobby. Too much politics for my enjoyment.
I had my fun, my radio station had its day, but somone else ruined that for me and everyone else who was involved with it.
Trying internet broadcasting failed, couldn’t get the url published because doing so was seen as spam. Zero listeners, waste of time and money for a zero profit station.
I’m tired, need to go to bed, but this hobby is a really BIG turn off, you might someday soon not even see me in these part 15 forums anymore.
I am too tired and also exhausted by all the politics involved in part 15 and internet broadcasting, I have much to say, but what’s the use? I am simply tired of this whole hobby and need to find a new hobby to occupy my time.
Night.
Bruce.
Total posts : 45366Just a couple of suggestions for an Internet station.
Get it listed on Reciva, Vtuner & other directory sites. They actively go after new stations. I managed to get a few listeners that way who stumbled across my station.
I run my own server. The upload speed from your ISP and the bitrate of your stream will determine how many listeners you can support. Even though I have to take care of the licensing myself, overall it’s way better.
One sure fire way to get listners is to hold special events. A few years ago I had someone helping me with the programming of my station who was a fan of Cliff Richard. We came up with the idea of a Cliff Richard weekend – nothing but Cliff Richard nonstop for 60 hours (there was well over 1000 songs in the playlist, so not much duplication). We then posted notices on various Cliff Richard fan websites, and the Cliff Richard facebook page that this was being held. That weekend we peaked at about 125 listeners (when my average usually was under 5). Some of those listeners hung around and the average went up after that event had completed.
The problem is that there are so many internet radio stations/radio stations/other forms of entertainment – you have to get creative and give people something different. And there’s nothing like rabid fans of anyone or anything to drive the number of listeners up if you cater to them.
Total posts : 45366I’ve found it can take several months for an internet station to naturally gain a listening audience without doing anything special. I wouldn’t give up Mr. Bruce, ignore the politics they’ll go away on their own soon enough.
By far the best place to get listed is tunein, nokia also has their own listing for their phones.
Total posts : 45366Up in # 5 Mr. Bruce shared: “I am too tired and also exhausted by all the politics involved in part 15 and internet broadcasting, I have much to say, but what’s the use? I am simply tired of this whole hobby and need to find a new hobby to occupy my time.”
The most true part of your statement is “I have much to say.” And that is true, you do have much to say, and it is the exact reason why you should stick with the part 15 hobby.
I have kept track of all your postings here and visited with you in person at ALPB meetings, and regard you as an intelligent person who has done amazing things with part 15, having actually set up a working network of stations involving many participating friends, relatives and neighbors.
I am revolted by what your detractors did and said to bring you down and am very aware that such trolls continue to exist and will harm others.
Therefore I share with you the occasional disappointment in certain aspects of the part 15 experience, and am always on the lookout for alternative hobbies for an escape, such as alternative energy or model trains.
There is a German word, weltschmerz, meaning world-weariness, usually experienced by the more intelligent thinkers who see things for what they are.
Still, the radio hobby is by far the most sophisticated hobby in the world, you will never be totally satisfied by any other.
See you at the meeting tomorrow night?
Total posts : 45366I will attend the meeting, I encourage everyone to attend.
I would like to conduct a discussion, for those who do attend regarding something I would like to share. I prefer not to discuss that here in the forum board and want to stress, it has nothing to do with anything illegal.
I will leave it at that.
Bruce.
Total posts : 45366I have this to ask. How the hell can 1 Watt cause interference if their saying that 10 watts won’t even penetrate walls? Now they say it will interfere for 100 square miles for 10 watts?
Let me shed some light and this is from my own experience and I did broadcast legally at Olivet collage in Olivet, Michigan. The station was 10 Watts and had absolutely NO ISSUES with penetrating walls.
Their antenna was quite high and I can also tell you that I was able to listen on a moving bus using a analogue Panasonic Boom Box which I could hear the station very clearly 15-20 miles away in STEREO. Now this bus was metal. So again this statement was false.
Another false statement made by the Radio broadcasting teacher which I proved him dead to right wrong was that the 10 watt station would only travel 5 miles MAX and maybe 10-15 with an outside antenna. Again this is miss information which kills Radio. I proved to a broadcasting teacher I could pick up WOCR using an outside beam antenna 40 miles away. This was with a Technics SA-206 Digital FM tuner built into a receiver. Yet another reason analogue FM Radio’s need to be outlawed.
Even youtube tests have shown that 5 watts can travel 20 miles to a car Radio using a telescoping antenna and the CZH-5C transmitter. I find this outrageous misinformation to try and control Radio for commercial profit only.
Want to make Radio more profitable? Outlaw all analogue receivers. Make all receivers have a sensitivity of 0.9 uV or at least 1uV and upgrade the selectivity. There is no reason for anything higher to be require to receive an FM signal.
The rest I’ve talked about on our site. Hope this helps.
As For Internet Radio? Stick With It. You May Get A Sponsor like I did. Remember playing a format that people starve for will get you in the door for sponsorship from large corporations that will bend over and kiss fanny to keep your station on the air. Album Rock is that one such format. Polka, Bluegrass, and true classic country could be another. You won’t get $300-500 donations playing Britney Spears or LL Cool J. Too many stations already playing that stuff. You have to be daring to be different than everyone else.
Stick to your guns and don’t let people down you. Its the only way your station will survive. It does not matter rather you have a $4,000 studio or running the whole thing on a laptop. The thing is your content and how well you serve your audience.
Total posts : 45366TheLegacy asks: “How the hell can 1 Watt cause interference...”
Talking about FM radio in the Homeland (formerly the United States) it would be true and reasonable to say that IN MOST PLACES, given an open channel and proper transmitting equipment, 1 Watt would cause NO INTERFERENCE WHATSOEVER.
Mr. TheLegacy knows this as do I.
But, hold on, since we’re talking about unlicensed Part 15 radio the problem comes from perhaps MOST operators not having a clue about how to go about doing it according to best practices, and they easily COULD and likely, in many cases WILL cause interference.
The next question becomes why doesn’t the Commission issue licenses for competent radio operators at 1 Watt.
Know-it-alls-know it’s because there’s not enough MONEY involved.
The FCC is a big money player.
Total posts : 45366Legacy you let your emotions get the best of you at times, not that theres anything wrong with that.
Height makes everything on VHF, even 10 watts can go forever given enought heigh. ERP is what you are looking for. Now I CAN assure you, RF Physics are no lie. 10 watts is going to have a HARD time getting through walls past 5-10 miles, especially in metal structures and city cores. A highly directional BEAM antenna of all things proves nothing as far as regular reception goes, point to point always goes farther. In FM Broadcasting there is a balance between HAAT and output power, on one hand a higher antenna goes farther but on the other more power penetrates better.
Total posts : 45366About Reply 10:
… Let me shed some light and this is from my own experience and I did broadcast legally at Olivet collage in Olivet, Michigan. The station was 10 Watts and had absolutely NO ISSUES with penetrating walls. …
Even youtube tests have shown that 5 watts can travel 20 miles to a car Radio using a telescoping antenna and the CZH-5C transmitter. …
etc.
________
Just curious, under what Section of U.S. CFR 47 would such FM broadcast band stations have been FCC-authorized to use “10 Watts” or “5 watts” of radiated power, or even 1/1000th of those values ?
If such operations were not FCC-licensed (with assigned call letters), then to comply with FCC §15.239, ALL such unlicensed setups would be limited to a radiated field of 250 µV/m at a distance of 3 meters from the transmit antenna, regardless of the r-f power output of the transmitter and antenna they use(d).
Total posts : 45366It was asked how 1 watt could cause interference. ANY amount of RF can cause interference if you don’t know what you’re doing, and/or don’t have the appropriate equipment to measure existing signals. That’s why the FCC made Part 15 field strengths are so low – they have no control over who is buying transmitters and where they’re being installed.
Ban analogue FM receivers? Whether a receiver has an analog or digital display makes no difference. It’s the receiving circuitry. Some of the most sensitive receivers ever made – MacIntosh for one – were analog. And, in fact, the specs of analog FM stereo receivers manufactured in the 60s & 70s were, as a whole, far superior to most made today (particularly those in those home theaters – radio seems like an afterthought to the video circuitry).
Range testing can’t be effectively done with radios. And there are so many factors involved that you can’t make sweeping statements that 10 watts can travel 40 miles, or 5 watts 20 miles. It might in specific cases, but with a crappy radio buried in concrete building surrounded by rebar – doubtful at best. That’s why the FCC has field strength guidelines for solid signals (I believe it’s 1mv/m). Buses don’t come anywhere near to the signal blocking capability of concrete buildings, as they’re half windows (i.e., RF transparent).
By the way, Youtube videos are hardly solid evidence of range testing either. But I suppose, no one ever exaggerates on the Internet. And Chinese transmitter manufacturers never lie.
As for formats. Polka is a unique format. Album rock certainly is not – there are over 650 stations in the U.S. with that particular format. I don’t know about classic country, but country is the #1 format overall.
I don’t think that there is any one particular format that people are dying to hear (I am sure that each transmitter operator has their own favorite format and thinks it’s somewhat unique). If you’re out to maximize your listeners (some aren’t), you have to get the word out. IF they can find you, and know what services you provide, the people that are interested in what you are doing will listen. Locals who are interested in supporting local radio will also listen (I had a lot of support on Bowen Island from Bowen Islanders, even though many never tuned in).
It’s called marketing and it does work.
Total posts : 45366Tunein is being a real pain with getting my station listed, it’s been rejected twice.
I do not think they support part 15 radio.
First rejection was because my logos show an FM frequency and I listed my station as an Internet station.
Okay, I tried listing it as an FM station, again rejected.
Okay, I guess I have to create a name for my station like BRUCERADIO and leave out any indication of W*** which would be viewed as FCC call letters or an AM or FM channel, I left out my letters and used *** because I am trying to avoid those trolls who, so nicely found a reason to shut my terrestrial broadcasting down by calling and labling it a pirate operation.
I am not broadcasting on AM or FM anymore, I am strictly an Internet station now, but still left the option open to try AM and FM again.
Good God, I’m a loner now, my former staff got scared out of their wits and said you’re an idiot if you want to go through that Shi*t again with that ass wipe, so who the hell is left to suggest a new name for the Internet station so it is no longer an FCC issue or viewed as a theft of call letters? Trust me the letters I use are NOT licensed to any radio station, the FCC data base says they are available.
Like an old friend of mine once said “Fuc* FM and AM and the FCC go Internet and broadcast what you want, even profanity if you want, the FCC can’t do squat! Trouble with that dude is he’s all about HIS Trash Metal Internet station and wouldn’t offer me the time of day except to bad mouth my Internet station as “elevator music CRAP!” so no working with that moron either.
Like I said, screw this hobby, but before I go, I do have a point to speak about, if I am even allowed the time to speak.
Seems like the inititive is always the show stealer on the ALPB meetings, I have a discussion related to the CURRENT legal part 15 RF allowences and how those WHO DO OPERATE LEGALLY ARE FALSELY ACCUSED of otherwise, by those who supposedly support the legal operation of part 15, some people are TWO FACED, while speaking up against the FCC falsely accusing people of operating in violation when they are compliant, this moron is GUILTY of doing the same damned thing!!! I am not the only case and point of that fact either!
Enough said.
Bruce.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
