Mark

The thing with TV when it changed was that you could keep your other TV and just get a little converter box.
You can’t do that with radio and I agree the general public doesn’t care enough to buy another radio just to listen to AM with digital transmission. It also wouldn’t be AM anymore but that’s besides the point.
The key word is voluntary as…[Read more]

My whole point is the fact that there is so many commercials an hour says that the audience for AM and especially FM, is doing quite well as all the commercials wouldn’t be there if no one was listening. The companies are spending millions to advertise based on the ratings. On FM typically here in Toronto(and most of the stations are all the…[Read more]

I do agree that going digital won’t get any more listeners.
As for the commercials they all wouldn’t be there if no one was listening.
We the hobbiests not only keep radio playing what the commercial stations won’t but also commercial free. That’s one of my main promos.

Good to know. These SDR things which I never knew about look good for $25-40 dollars.

Looked at this as I didn’t know what an SDR receiver was and saw that this is a receiver that uses your computer for sound like a scanner and also displays on your computer screen something similar to a spectrum analyzer. Plugs into a USB port. They are also cheap and have an antenna for over the air signal receiving. Maybe this would be the poor…[Read more]

Here’s what they are using…….

FM2000PS

Definitely not Part 15!
Sorry legacy! You had your hopes up for a second there.

Seems as I thought, maybe, and I say maybe, there may be some permit that can be had similar to Canada’s RSS-123 for special “events” and they got a permit to have this certain frequency and special receivers as allowed. Maybe Wikipedia made the mistake of it being part 15 as isn’t part 15 dealing with unlicensed services? Drive ins could also…[Read more]

By the way here’s another chip you could use as it would cause less interference……….

The Gali- 74 which you will find on the internet also to replace the Gali-5

But get the 2.2uH coil also. An electronics store should have these that sell parts. Or get on ebay.

Another forum member posted that the GAL-5 is really the GALI-5 and yes they are on Ebay…..https://www.ebay.ca/itm/GALI-5-MMIC-MONOLITHIC-RF-AMPLIFIER-MINI-CIRCUITS/192916489557?hash=item2ceab80555:g:q14AAOSwh35c2p8O

WATCH THIS VIDEO!
This is your problem with the Ramsey transmitters.

Here he shows the GAL-5 problem and a replacement with a compatible part. The replacement is mentioned in the video….this should help.

The biggest problem with these is the GAL-5 output chip they use which blows with any static electricity on or off near the antenna. Usually when this happens it’s got no transmission of any kind except right near the circuit board. You say you still get 30 feet but I’m thinking it’s still the output gone. It would still be radiating a bit.
The…[Read more]

Unfortunately the “big three” transmitter makers in our hobby(Procaster, Rangemaster, Decade) will be gone sooner or later as they get older and retire, or close the business. and someone has to take their place or there will be no more high end transmitters of this kind in the future. Just a thought.

Honestly, I don’t think from even a high resolution picture you can accurately see the exact color codes on resisters, coils, etc and even capacitor values. You will mistake red from brown, violet from blue, etc., as an electronic recreation is not like your eyes.

How did you happen to get these that were screwed up this badly? I for one would…[Read more]

One thing about old 78s…..They were a lot more resistant to wear and were a very hard plastic. Had to be as they were played on gramophones and older record players that had tone arms that weighed half a pound with a steel needle. Had these as a kid yet the 78s lasted forever but if dropped they could shatter to pieces. The way he was cleaning…[Read more]

I have about 3500 tracks roughly. Should highlight and look at the actual total again.

but about 600(roughly) of them are jingles, station id’s, Chickenman episodes, promos etc.

I’m trying not to keep adding as it has got to end somewhere! I really have enough now that each song that plays won’t be heard again for days sometimes. Play it does a…[Read more]

CFZM is clear channel. no other stations there to interfere directly…….

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CFZM is a Canadian Class A clear-channel radio station, licensed in Toronto, Ontario, which airs at 740 kHz and in downtown Toronto at 96.7 FM. The station airs an oldies format branded as Zoomer Radio, with the slogan “Zoomer…[Read more]