An earlier forum/blog post is a pillar to Part 15 radio broadcast.
http://www.part15.us/index.php?q=node/2728
An earlier forum/blog post is a pillar to Part 15 radio broadcast.
http://www.part15.us/index.php?q=node/2728
On that link you will see PhilB’s declaration about “The Ultimate Part 15 Antenna.”
Next in line you’ll read a rebuttal from RFB defending the field of experimentation and discovery.
I must say that after experiences I’ve had so far here in the world I take both sides. I do not believe the two sides are an EITHER/OR situation.
I believe the two sides are an KNOWN/UNKNOWN situation.
The science demonstrated by PhilB is classic AM radio technology developed over the past century by full power radio broadcast.
The science dealt with here at part15.us is a different category precisely because it deals with indoor and low power situations, which were never the province of classic high power broadcast. It’s a different environment.
Therefore I hereby declare that PhilB’s Ultimate Antenna stands as the proven standard which has yet to be refuted by any new discoveries.
PhilB’s standard is absolutely necessary as a point of comparison for any new experimentation. That keeps RFB also correct in his view that perhaps some new finding will give us a way of designing an indoor or outer wall antenna that provides an acceptable result.
Different Position
I give credit where credit is due..but unfortunately it does not go to Phil regarding the 3 meter base loaded stick.
That antenna arrangement has been around for a very, very long time. I will grant this though…it is..so far…the best antenna configuration, meaning the basic vertical with a loading coil over a ground radial system is the best configuration to date.
Phil did not invent the base loaded vertical nor did he come up with using a loading coil or placing it over a ground radial system. But I will give credit in his selecting it as an “ultimate” antenna…not that there is, nor has there been for some time since it’s original inception by it’s original discoverer, a better “ultimate”.
Clarity is a good thing when recognizing milestones in history.
For the issue of theory versus reality. Theory is a very nice starting point. Everything needs to start somewhere. But not everything “requires” a theory or idea involving a piece of paper filled with scribbles of calculations or samples of computer simulations.
At one time the idea of a computer simulation was not only impossible, but considered unrealistic..and it still is…simply because simulations are not the real world.
I doubt anyone could argue with that. Virtual reality is not real reality. The virtual can only be as good as what info is going into it, and how well it simulates an output based on that input put in by a person who even after eons of evolution, is known to make mistakes, a reality most certainly that cannot be disputed.
If our world was limited by the area within an 8×11 piece of paper, it would not be round and we would still hold the belief that if you sail out too far, you fall off the edge of the world and that it was the center of the universe and our sun revolved around Earth and is flat and cats cannot live with dogs.
There is room for both the number crunching theory and real world practicality. To ignore either is only foolish. To say one prevails over the other is really foolish. To say theory and real world rarely jibe…is one of the most precious gifts of recognition possible.
RFB
The problem I have with
The problem I have with antenna tinkering is its suspect legality.
AM Part 15 rules state that the length of the antenna + ground lead + feedline cannot be more than 3 meters. Base loaded coals, helical antennas, top hats, center loading – they all add more electrical length to the antenna. They’re obviously attempting to lodge themselves directly into a gray area in the rules, which is a blinders-on interpretation of the rule meaning physical length of the antenna components only (I’m not even going to consider long ground leads for elevated antennas, as they’re obviously a rule infraction). I don’t buy it.
I think that there’s still room for tinkering and improvement with the typical 9 foot whip, such as the Rangemaster or Procaster uses. The AMT5000 improves output efficiency – great! Experimentation with radials. Fantastic (I still think that improving your transmitter ground is both the easiest, at least conceptually, and most effective way of improving AM range). I remain very disappointed with the form factor of the AMT5000 – I would have much preferred to have seen the board mounted in a weatherproof box and optimized for using that 9 foot whip; I know that with a bit of work you can do that yourself, but then, I’m not a tinkerer at heart.
The problem with Part 15’ers pushing the rules is that then the various regulatory bodies and the media view all of us as troublemakers, and look for issues. When I was broadcasting on Bowen Island, I was regularly referred to as a Pirate Radio station (everyone on Bowen thought that was cool!), even though the station was fully legal. If the hobby ever hopes to get increased power limits, more spectrum, whatever, we have to curb that perception – you get more flies with honey than vinegar, as the old saying goes.
Breakfast Conversation
To ArtisanRadio:
Nothing in the foregoing antenna discussion mentions or promotes going beyond the limits of Part 15.219, therefore you have taken the discussion outside of it’s original bounds.
There is good news for you about the AMT5000, which soon will have a custom fit outdoor box available from sstran.com.
I thought I was responding to
I thought I was responding to the original intent of the thread, but I’ll bow to your wisdom, Carl.
And good to hear about the new form factor for the AMT5000. I’m not interested in building one, but if I can find one assembled in that form, I’d certainly try it out.
Light Shortage
ArtisanRadio, you have been very graceful responding to my snappy scolding over marginal issues. I bow to your wisdom.
The extra hours of ionospheric darkness this time of year causes some brains to go negative because of a lack of sufficient daylight.
It is why so many huge family disagreements erupt at the Thanksgiving table.
I have already purchased two LED lights and replaced the compact-florescent bulbs with incandescent (for the extra winter time heat), all as an attempt to counter-balance the snarly side.
Keeping Vitamin D by the transmitter is a good precaution.
Light-shortness syndrome is exactly why we string lighting everywhere during this time of year.
Time to light the tower with giant FAA beacons.
Just a Goofy Comment
I still think, deep down… in my heart and soul, that
A properly made top hat is a capacitor and not part of
the antenna.
BUT, I probably won’t be using a top hat any time soon.
Or ever.
Bruce, DOGRADIO STUDIO2