Today I had a bunch of patch cables arrive. Already received my Apex mixer, Dominator, BBE Maximizer and a MXL mic. Still waiting on the rest..
Today I had a bunch of patch cables arrive. Already received my Apex mixer, Dominator, BBE Maximizer and a MXL mic. Still waiting on the rest..
Last night got restless, so I took the images of the equipment I bought on ebay and brought them into photoshop to see if I could draw a general idea of how I’m going to fit my studio into a little corner of an already crowded little office.
I want to structure it nicely, so I’m going to have to build something almost entirely from scrap cause the money is all gone. But I’m reasonably certain I have enough wood to accomplish what’s needed.
So here is an imaginary representation of my studio..
I’ve got about 5 foot to play with in a corner, and believe it or not this is pretty much to scale.. this shows most all the equipment I have coming.
(An unfinished presentation, but visual enough to get the idea)
UPDATE: I’m building it. The new pictures are added in the links below.. and please click the “revisions” button above to read a few notes about my progress!
ANOTHER UPDATE: Feb. 20: This should have already been done, but it sat untended last week, and all the little things have also slowed me down. I’ve updated most of the pictures. Check it out!
Way cool…
That’s a great start to your station.
Way Ahead
That design is way ahead of my piled up heap.
The only thing I think you’ll need is a place for paper work.
That’s what the top shelves
That’s what the top shelves are for.. Plus have room to do something underneath, maybe some of those angled ‘sideshevers’… I don’t know what they’re called but you’ve seen them.. paper organizers.
Just trying to make it publicly presentable, dollin’ it up.
Lokking round the roof..
Well, anytime now within the next week I’m going to be setting my transmitter up, and in all honesty, I only have the vaguest idea of what I’m doing.
I borrowed a little “Flip” video recorder and climbed up on the roof to get a look, and just uploaded the video on youtube, and would appreciate anyone taking a look and offering any advice.
In the video you’ll see a small little flat patch of roof recessing down about a foot or so from the rest of the roof.. this is the roof of where my studio would be. Just a little behind that area you’ll notice a steel pipe coming out of the roof.. I’m pretty sure it’s coming from the restrooms of the restaurant, and that pipe is what I’m considering to mount and ground my transmitter to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmxBaU3JB-0
.
A few other notes concerning this video..
The transmitter can actually go on any of the four roofs seen in the immediate area, but I prefer to keep it close to avoid long cable runs.
The roof shown right next to the one I’m on is metal, and it has a slight pitch to it. There would be no problem with me putting it there if I so choose.
The roof attached to my roof evidently is not flat like I thought at all! It too is pitched and has a higher point.
I’m curious if that big steel framed awning could have any effect, better or worse on my signal?
I was also curious if any of those old dead satalight dishes could be positioned to aid in signal direction? (or is there even a such thing
as directing a signal without voiding the certification of the ransmitter?)
Lastly you’ll also see the alley between the buildings where I plan to
run the ground for my groundplane into a grounding rod..
And a little braggin’ here..
You’ll also get a brief glimpse at the interior of the diner which I completely designed -every single aspect of from layout to equipment, and furnishing.. I also designed that awning, and the menu, and I ran it for a few months until it sold.. Wish I could have took the lease, but didn’t have the $65000 to walk in and the 2200 mo. rent to do it!
But back to the point.. Please take a look at this video and offer any suggestions you may have of where to mount the transmitter and
groundplane..
Good View
That good view from various points up there will all fill up with your signal, and I see many buildings all around you that should be able to listen. It looks like a fabulous location, and I like the street views too, of the interesting businesses all around, including the tasty looking lounge.
The only things I can think of saying are, stay away from the power lines and get to the highest point, and I agree with keeping it close to avoid long cable runs.
Hi Rich!
I enjoyed your studio plan artwork (nice job!)
and your video.
I found it fun and mysterious to look at your
video, which was clear and covered all points
of the compass. It’s just a funny feeling to
look at something and figure that you’ll
probably never be there. (From my point of
view.)
Your studio design is very much what I have
always wanted to have. I like small areas,
for some reason, and the modular shelves
are very cool. If I was a carpenter, that’s
exactly how I would do it.
My Part 15 studio has changed many times
for many reasons. Right now it is very small
and it is in the corner of a room.
The room is where two of my dogs sleep. One
old dog sleeps in there almost all of the time.
I have referred to the area as the “Dog Radio
Studio,” and actually – that was the name of
my Part 15 station at one time – Dog Radio.
If the dogs bark, there is no problem. I do
not have a mike in the studio right now.
I produce my IDs and spots in another studio
at a licensed noncommercial FM radio station.
The station is on a computer desk. At the left
is the computer monitor and keyboard. To the
right of that is a rack. In the rack are a reel to
reel tape deck and a DJ mixing board. On top
of the rack is a high end analog FM tuner from
the late 1970s. This tuner is essential because
it has a meter that measures FM deviation. On top
of that is a DJ turntable. That turntable is up very
high, but it is not hard to use.
At the right of the computer table is a very small
space. There is a very small table there. On top
of that table, there is the computer. On top of
that is an audio compressor/limiter that is
sideways. On top of that is a cassette desk, also
sideways. And on top of that that is the C Crane
FM transmitter. My AM transmitter, ground
system, and antenna need to be reworked, so
even though I am on the air in my house, it
really doesn’t count. When the AM is up and
running again, then I will feel like I’m on the air.
Slightly in front of that right space is a bunch of
old LP records on a little shelf. Under the record
shelf is an old scanner for NOAA radio.
There is a CD player and another cassette
deck on a lower shelf of the computer table.
I have had much bigger set-ups, but this is fairly
unobtrusive and looks pretty good. I have a lot
of other old equipment – such as an on-the-air light,
an old scope, and a big studio clock, not to mention
a bunch of other odds and ends. But these items
are not in this studio right now. Also, I am slowly
restoring an old Gates broadcast board from 1962.
Someday that will be done. I wonder where it will
go?
On the other side of the room (and on the other side
of where my dogs sleep) is a small ham radio station
and AM DXing set-up. This is crammed into a REALLY
small space, but works fine.
Anyway, Rich, I wish you luck. The main thing is that
you enjoy what you are doing.
Best Wishes,
Bruce, MICRO1690/1700
Bruce, A picture might be
Bruce, A picture might be worth a thousand words, but your studio description enabled a picture in my mind. Sounds nice and substantial to me. As far as being a carpenter; you don’t have to be. I’m no carpenter either, but there’s nothing complicated about building a bookshelf, which is basically what mine is.. actually it’s like 3 separate bookshelf’s secured together at slight angles to form one unit. Then once together you modify it with faces to house your equipment into, and also lay a desktop.
As a matter of fact I’m going to go to town tomorrow for some materials.. I’ve got ample plywood scraps and such, but no 2bi;s… So I drew up my plan for the frame and opted to go with 2×2’s and 2×1’s to save money – and it will work fine for this. Case in point; I built a 6’high x 8’long x 3’wide 4 shelf stand with lot’s of boxes o junk stacked on it in the middle of the garage, built entirely from 2x3s, 2x2s and 1x2s, and scrap plywood.. others may scoff at the description, but I assure you it’s sturdy.
My plans for this thing require 12 – 8′ 2×2’s (.92 each at Home Depot $16) and 15 – 8′ 2×1’s (1.37 =$15) so its only about $30 for the framework ,and the plywood, screws and nails I already have on hand.
And best of all it’s part15 compliant!
—
—
Carl, you say to stay away from power lines.. but I thought power lines could actually be of benefit to carrying your signal?
Hi Rich!
I enjoyed your note. I just wanted to make
a couple of quick comments before I go
to work.
I would really like to send you a picture of the
setup. My vision is very bad, so it is hard for
me to do that sort of thing with the computer.
That’s why I described the studio. Hopefully,
one of these days, my kids can help me take
a good picture and tack it on to one of these
comments.
You obviously have built things out of wood
before and that is great. My father (who is
old but is still alive) was an electrical engineer
by profession – but he was a great carpenter.
I hope someday I can do work with wood like
you are doing now.
Your comment about Part 15 transmitters
coupling into power lines. Well – I think
there is no way to predict how that will
work. I found that when my Part 15 AM
transmitter was on my back deck five
years ago, the signal on the street was
very strong on the car radio for about
1500 feet. That was on the back of
the house. The power line enters in
the front of the house. I had four
ground radials then.
Later on, I moved my transmitter about
50 feet away from the house into the
back yard. With four ground radials, the
on the street signal was much weaker.
But I started adding radials and when I
got to about 16 the on the street signal
was almost as strong. But – and here’s
the interesting part – my antenna pattern
was different. The transmitter was getting
a lot farther out in general – about 2 miles
max on the car radio. Some Part 15 station
web sites show the coverage area of
their transmitters. They usually make a
circle of some size to show the area
being covered. In my case, the pattern
is a complicated cloverleaf with lobes
extending out in different directions.
When the AM was on, one interesting
thing occurred. I have a main street
that is perpendicular to my street and
is about 1000 feet away. On the
car radio, the station was listenable
for probably a mile in each direction
(a mile north and a mile south from
the intersection.) Some friends on
my street could listen to the station
on radios that were of average
quality in their houses. One house
was 800 feet away east of me and
the other house was 400 feet away
in the other direction. During the
day on 1690 KHz, a G.E. Superadio
in the closer house sounded great.
No noise at all in spite of computers,
appliances and such. Also, my transmitting
antenna was on the ground. It wasn’t
elevated at all.
It’s like playing dice. You don’t know
where the signal will go. You just
have to try things. I wouldn’t get
close to any power lines, I think
that’s too dangerous. But RF can
couple in – in interesting ways.
Best wishes, Rich, and have fun.
I think it’s a blast!
Bruce, MICRO1690/1700
It’s like playing dice. You
It’s like playing dice. You don’t know
where the signal will go. You just
have to try things. I wouldn’t get
close to any power lines, I think
that’s too dangerous. But RF can
couple in – in interesting ways.
Hi Bruce, I know what you mean about the signal having a tendency to go where it wants. I’ve only had a couple installed locations before (with the same transmitter), and then a couple other locations with make-shift temporary installations… and noticed the odd patterns of reception, but usually could never figure out why.
But if something causes a signal to perpetrate stronger in a specific direction, then there must also be a way to specifically direct it.
Now, in my case, my new install is going on the far end of the island, and if possible, I would like to do something to help the signal somehow follow the main road towards the other end, and my understanding is that power lines can sometimes do just that, but no, I’m not talking about get so close that electrocution becomes a threat!.
I know there are such things as directional antenna’s, but in the case of having a certified unit, modifying the antenna is not a legal option. But something causes the clover like signal radius, but what it is, has usually not been obvious to me.. but something I would like to learn to take advantage of.
We can’t always get what we want, but there’s always a way to get the best of what we got (If Mick Jagger were into part15, he would have told us that!).
By the way, whenever you get your kids to take a picture, get them to put your station on the web too! (I should talk, I haven’t even started my own website yet, but then again, I.m not back on the air yet either).
Antenna and Power Wires
My chief reason for cautioning about putting your AM transmitting antenna too close to power lines was for safety reasons. There are always warnings to anyone installing any kind of antenna, whether TV, HAM, CB or anything, to avoid power lines.
I imagine that a wind storm or installation accident might cause the 10-foot pipe to fall into the power wires with a big orange pop followed by total darkness in the hood.
The other question, of using power lines to your advantage to extend the signal, is like Bruce says, unpredictable. But the discussion has given me a whole new idea…
Could a standard part 15 station with a 10-foot antenna ALSO inject itself into the power line as a Carrier Current station? If so, then you’d have two legal distribution systems.
Rich, You’re Fast At Building With Wood!
Yikes! I just looked at your updated
files, Rich, and that framework looks
really nice. How did you do that so
fast?
Also, when you get a chance, let me
know what kind of reel to reel deck
you have. I love R/R decks and have
an Akai GX-4000D that has been running
well lately. It is nearby and easy to reach
in my present studio. (I say present because
when I finish the Gates board someday, everything
will have to be changed.)
Best Wishes and Good Luck with your studio building.
Bruce, MICRO1690/1700
Not so fast..
Bruce, I’m not fast! It took me two nights to build that frame. I kept having to take pieces back off, then put them back on again correctly.. The first frame I had to take apart completely and re-cut dimensions cause there were things I didn’t account for in my drawing.. things wernt square, the individual “bookcases” weren’t lining up correctly,, and again had to take parts off and redo… ahh.. I aint no carpenter..
I spent more time staring and thinking then actually moving, but it is coming along, and when complete it will be alright.
I’ve always loved reel to reels, and just had to get one to include in this project (truth be told, I really have no real need for it.. but simply wanted one!).
That tape deck is an Akia 4000D (not GX I don’t guess), I got it from ebay (like everything else). It’s not as nice as I’d prefer, it’s missing a couple knobs (easily replaceable) and the rubber wheel needs one of those ‘c’ clip washers to keep it on, but everything does seem to function correctly, and I didn’t pay much.
Thanks for the compliment, I’m glad you think it looks nice. I am sending up a couple more pictures right now, I’m working on it as we speak.
Well…
I would put the transmitter on the highest point on your roof, however that shiny metal roof is really tempting.
That metal roof would act as a groundplane, which could easily maximize your signal.
But height can be great too.
Those would be the two I would look at
Nice…and hot?
Very nice wood working. I have one question, well actually a few. Did you account for ventilation in that cabinet? Especially around those 19″ rack mount gear? Did you account for adequate spacing on each side of all the gear, back spacing and top-bottom spacing?
You could incorporate a couple of quiet brush-less fans to help ventilate the heat out of the cabinet…..or crank up the air conditioner and wear a jacket. 😛
Nice work tho.
RFB
RFB, It’s funny that you
RFB, It’s funny that you should ask,… I was just going to post an inquiry about what kind of spacing the rack equipment requires.
But to answer your question, I designed this cabinet at three angles which enable cable and wiring access, as well as proper and ample ventilation for the equipment.
The back, underside, and side portions of the cabinets where the equipment is housed, while hidden, is still open air, with exception to the back of the reel to reel, which has a hinged door because the back of the cabinet in that particular area is visible with the way the ‘studio’ will be positioned in the room, but the underside and right side is still open.
The center section housing the cassette and dvd player, while having an open back, it does goes flat against the wall, but the left, right, and the underside towards the desktop is all open air.
Now as for the right side holding the rack equipment, I was just going to ask about that. The cabinet there is also open air on the back, left, and underside.. but last night I was putting the equipment in place and simply stacking the rack units on top of each other and screwing them in.. and wondered about if that was acceptable..
The rack equipment consist of (from bottom to top) a 8 switch power conditioner, a Grady equalizer, Aphex Aural Exciter, Aphex Compellor, and a Aphex Dominator.
As is, I do have enough room to go ahead and allow about 3/4″ spacing between units while still leaving enough space for a Inovonics 222 whenever time comes that I can get one…
So my question is, can this rack equipment be directly stacked one upon the other or should I give each unit the 3/4″ spacing inbetween?.. and is that enough, or should it be more?
Cool answer to a hot looking cabinet!
Howdy Rich!
So my question is, can this rack equipment be directly stacked one upon the other or should I give each unit the 3/4″ spacing inbetween?.. and is that enough, or should it be more?
The standard usually followed for rack mount gear is to leave at least 1 rack space in between each mounted gear regardless of how much rack space each piece of gear takes up. Usually this 1 rack space is covered with a dummy plate so your rack does not have the gaps on the face of the rack.
It is never a good idea to stack the gear in a rack or cabinet. The thing to keep in mind is that the equipment’s enclosures will act like heat sinks and sometimes internal components such as voltage regulators and such are heat sink by the enclosure casing. If the gear is simply stacked on top of one another, eventually you end up with a concentrated heat sink comprising of several pieces of equipment, in turn generating more heat because of the units combining their individual heat via the enclosures.
Also some equipment may have screws on the top or bottom enclosure covers and that might present a problem when stacking them or trying to pull one out to service. You may end up having to unbolt all of it just to remove one because of a screw head catching on another equipment’s front panel.
A 3/4 inch spacing between each unit should be sufficient. You can use a mesh mounted at each gap to give the cabinet a more finished look rather than having 19 inch wide holes in between each piece of gear. Since heat rises, the heat will pull in cool air from the front through the mesh and gaps and help keep everything from thermally running away.
Much of the gear you will be using is vintage and will produce more heat in normal operations than the modern types so that is something to keep in mind, especially around that reel to reel deck. The motors in there will produce the most heat. Load up a full 7 inch reel of tape, let it run through the whole tape and feel the front of the deck and note how warm it is with the deck in the open. If in a cabinet where there is not enough ventilation, the heat generated could possibly double than if it were in open air sitting on a table.
Key here is to have a way for the warm air inside the cabinet to escape easily which avoids having to use fans. Even with an open back, and depending on how much gear is mounted in the cabinet, there could still be heat build up at the top of the cabinet, so anything near the top would suffer the worst. If possible, cut out a top vent so that the heat can escape directly upward and out of the cabinet while pulling in the cooler air from the front and open back.
In short the cabinet you are building looks fantastic and is highly workable both for operations and maintenance.
RFB
And Now, The $64 Question…
Can you get it out of the garage and into the house?
Yeah!.. thats the same thing
Yeah!.. thats the same thing someone else asked me.
It’s really not as big as it looks. From furthest point to furthest point wide, it’s only 5’3″ and from the back wall to the front of the desktop is only 2’4″, and it’s 6’high.
Also, if need be, it’s deconstruct-able into 5 pieces; roof, desktop, and the 3 upright sections all can be separated via about a dozen long screws. It was built in pieces and put together as such.
And by the way, it’s not going into the house, it’s going into a check cashing/bail bonds office. I think a couple of us can just pick it up and transport it as one piece in a pickup truck… and it will fit sideways right thru the front door of the office intact.
As backwards as I am about some things, I gave the construction of this thing considerable thought, that’s part of what took me so long to build it.
Hey Moe!
Abscence of malice here.
The question came to mind after watching a Three Stooges episode where they built an airplane in the barn. It wouldn’t fit through the barn door. They had to cut slots for the wings to fit though.
The pictures of your unit are quite impressive. The design looks great!