ArtisanRadio

Grounding to a floating gutter will not give you any lightning protection.  You have to provide a path to Earth for that.  It will, however, effectively increase the length of your ground wire, which could be construed by the FCC as illegal.  Regardless of knowing FCC lawyers, I’m not sure I’d take a chance with the PIRATE laws in effect (the FC…[Read more]

Best bet is to install at ground level away from the house, with a short ground lead to a pipe pounded into the earth.

I would not run it ungrounded if you live in an area with the possibility of lightning, regardless of what you decide.

Mark, blogs are inherently one way communication, but there is contact information on the home page of the website.  Just be sure to read the terms and conditions if you’re going to use it.

I don’t participate much in the Forums any more for a variety of reasons, one being intellectual property ownership.  Forums want to own everything posted, a…[Read more]

I’ve answered this in the most recent post to The Artisan Radio Blog.

The short answer is that anything written in the past is a product of the then current attitudes and mores.  You can still enjoy the work of art, while recognizing that.  Otherwise, you’d never read classical literature, listen to an opera, watch a black & white movie, or e…[Read more]

Your range has nothing to do with frequency (within reason).  I’ve personally used 1570 for a long time , as it’s clearest at night around here, and I didn’t notice any difference from the higher frequencies when both were used during daytime.

From what you say, I would postulate that you have a bad Talking House.  I once purchased 5, all new, f…[Read more]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>There are a huge number of factors that can affect range.  However, your range is so poor, I suspect that there is something wrong with your Talking House.  Have you used it in the past in a different location and gotten different results, or is it new?  If new, it’s probably faulty.</p>
Just to give you an idea of ho…[Read more]

OK, I got an answer back quickly from Decade.

They did indeed only sell one version of the CM-10, since output was already weak, and fit within Part 15 specs.

They also verified my observations that output is much higher at the lower frequencies, and decreases rapidly at the upper ones.

They didn’t answer if the CM-10 was Part 15 only.  I…[Read more]

In fact, the ProCaster (at least the original ones) used multiple parts from the Talking Sign, including the meters.

<p>The question really boils down to: are any of the 2 transmitters going to have a detectable RF signal at around 1/2 mile range (just to be safe – I’m giving 1/8 mile fudge factor).</p><p>If they don’t, then it’s perfectly safe to operate the transmitters on the same frequency.</p><p>Unfortunately, it’s possible that they will get that kind of…[Read more]

<p>Yes, that is likely the transmitter I sold to that Forum member.</p><p>I’ve found that RSS210/Part 15 AM transmitter range is highly dependent on where you live, far more than legal FM.</p><p>When I was on Bowen Island, I was never able to get much range from AM transmitters, and that included the Talking Sign, Procaster and Hamilton…[Read more]

Talking about range without talking about the radio is totally meaningless.

Just to give an example, when Artisan Radio started up on Bowen Island, we located the transmitter on a building rooftop in a storefront/studio/residential complex.  This complex was located on a hillside, with direct line of sight to our target listening area (the ferry…[Read more]

<p>Tim, whenever we talk about range, the elephant in the room is ALWAYS the quality of the receiver – sensitivity and selectivity.</p><p>There can be a wide variation in both beween receivers.  If I recall, you used a Tecsun portable for your testing, which typically has a sensitivity of 4-5uv, unknown selectivity.</p><p>Some car receivers I’ve…[Read more]

<p>Thanks Mark, but I’ll just be careful.  The cost of postage alone would be more than I paid for either transmitter.</p><p>Normally, we don’t have all that many problems with static buildup here on the ‘wet coast’, but weather has been screwy and it’s been very dry this spring (weather patterns have been changing rapidly the past few…[Read more]

Not sure where some of the misleading statements about the Decades and Broadcastvision transmitters in this thread are coming from.

The MS-100 that I owned was tuned for Canadian BETS rules – 100uv/m @ 30 meters.  Those in the U.S. are tuned for Part 15 rules, which will give you substantially less range.

The CM-10 that I own gets less range…[Read more]

<p>Interesting.  I wonder if this is due to the pandemic.</p><p>Too bad about the LX-75.  It’s a good transmitter.  Not legal for unlicensed operation in Canada or the U.S., but certified for RSS-123 in Canada (i.e., usable in spaces with delineated borders such as shopping malls, public spaces, etc. – with an Industry Canada land mobile li…[Read more]

<p>The answer is…it depends.</p><p>It depends on the range you’re getting from the transmitters.  If the signals overlap, then yes, they’re too close.</p><p>If you’re using 2 stock Talking House’s with the wire antenna, then it’s not likely that you’re going to see over a mile range.</p><p>If you’re using 2 Rangemasters, with great grounds, the…[Read more]

<p>Update.</p><p>Been playing around with my CM-10, as all my other transmitters have issues.</p><p>I managed to get the cover off, and it does have a CHZ005B branded circuit board inside it.</p><p>The tuning range can be modified (as per CZH documentation) if one were so inclined, by a reboot procedure.  Power can also be modified in the CZH,…[Read more]