ArtisanRadio

All things considered, given your requirements, I would go with a Part 15 certified FM transmitter, such as the Decade MS-100.  It costs more, but is built like a tank, and is the highest quality.  You’re better off avoiding non-certified transmitters, as most that are advertised as ‘compliant’ really aren’t.  With all the current fuss over FM pi…[Read more]

The ProCaster is a high quality AM transmitter, and it is Part 15 certified.  To stay legal, the length of your antenna and ground lead must be less than 3 meters total .  That means either installing the transmitter at ground level with a short ground lead to your RF ground (rod driven into the earth/radials), or installing at height with no g…[Read more]

As it was stated previously in this thread, the Rolls transmitter is not legal for use in the U.S. (or Canada).  It is highly unlikely that 40mw output, even to a bad antenna, will produce a legal field strength.

BETS-1 certified transmitters in Canada are allowed much more field strength than the U.S. (100uv/m at 30 meters, as opposed to…[Read more]

Can you provide a link to the post?

I wouldn’t get too excited at this juncture about a meeting.  Being receptive doesn’t mean at all that the FCC will do anything about the state of Part 15 AM broadcasting.  In fact, if there were no next steps discussed, it means very little.  That’s why I’d like to get more information about the meeting, if I…[Read more]

Industry Canada really should, particularly for RSS123 and other licensed low power ventures (I don’t think they really know/care about BETS all that much).  It’s up to each potential IC licensee to hire an engineer (or something similar) to ensure that their desired signal doesn’t interfere with any existing stations.

It should be something…[Read more]

I don’t know how the Canadian one determines open frequencies, but the three it found for my location just didn’t work.

Applying the ‘listen’ test, 89.7 has a fairly strong station on it (89.9 has a very weak God station from Seattle that fades out in my area and I sometimes use it)

100.9 has a strong station on it, as does 102.9.  In addition…[Read more]

Actually, I do know the voltage of the power supply.  A plug run in parallel with the transmitter board supply also powers the CD-ROM.  A computer power supply will work (as long as it doesn’t introduce noise).

Sorry, but I just don’t have the knowledge, equipment and patience to fix the power supply.  I probably could if I wanted to and wa…[Read more]

I agree.

If, as the manufacturer claims, and the evidence indicates, the entire system is certified, then the amount of additional radiation introduced by the coax cable is insignificant.

In addition to that, the radiation introduced by coax in a properly matched antenna system is minimal, regardless of whether it is possible or not.

I suggest…[Read more]

I can answer a few of your questions.

The Rangemaster can (and should be) tuned to provide exactly 100mw input to the final.  There are two ways to do this.  They provide a module that indicates when you are exactly at 100mw, but I’ve never trusted that (the one I had was difficult to read).  However, there are also measurement points in the tr…[Read more]

I think we may be losing the forest for the trees.

What makes Part 15 broadcasting unique?  Playing the Top 40 hits along with all the other thousands of stations (no matter what genre you’re in)?  Reaching massive numbers of people like the much more powerful, licensed stations?

I think it’s being unique.  Unique programming.  A unique sou…[Read more]

A few comments on the previous posts.

I have no issue with built-in audio processing in a transmitter, as long as it doesn’t add significant cost.  It will definitely add some, and I’d rather that cost be put into better base transmitter components.  Based on my experience, the Rangemaster (without built-in processing) sounds better than the P…[Read more]

I’m going to take a slightly different perspective here.

Most of these types of discussions end up focusing on those factors maximizing range.

Unfortunately, the FCC (and Industry Canada) rules were designed to limit range.   And ultimately, range depends more on location factors (ground conductivity, topography, background noise, even w…[Read more]

Let’s not make this another long ground lead discussion. We’re wandering far off the intent of the original post.

There’s nothing to apologize for, AMRadioLegend.  We all appreciate updates on this highly anticipated device.

Rich, the issue of the legality of the Talking House & Range Extender has been dealt with extensively here in the past.

From the website of the manufacturer:

“When I connect my Talking House Transmitter to a Range Extender (Antenna…[Read more]

Rich, the Talking House plus coax and ATU as an entire configuration was certified under Part 15.219 by the FCC.  That means that it complies with those rules, as long as it is installed as supplied with no modifications made (including attaching a long ground lead).  I’m struggling as to why you posted those calculations (someone might infer t…[Read more]

Amateur radio communication at the mw level is almost always narrow band type modes, such as CW.  Beacons are essentially a narrow, CW pulse.  It’s very difficult to communicate with SSB at those power levels, never mind AM, which requires a much greater bandwidth.

Mind you, it might be worthwhile attempting to use SSB on 13.56, just to see the k…[Read more]

Small towns are disappearing as well, so it’s not surprising that their radio stations are going.

I don’t like it, and don’t agree with it, but it just may be the natural order of things as we get more and more connected in other ways.

It doesn’t mean that we (Part 15 broadcasters) have to give up and/or stop.

Those corporate radio stations…[Read more]

It wouldn’t be certified if it overrode the FCC rule.

There have been a few people in the past who have used the ISM frequency at 13.56 and have posted about it.  If I recall correctly, range was similar to Part 15 AM stations that they had run, but that’s all I can remember (1/2 to 1 mile).

It’s important to note that on the ISM frequency you’re not limited by output power, but by field strength -…[Read more]