Some Help For a Newbie

[johnny55]

Hey all, new here and currently just starting my journey to getting a station up and running. I have a few questions as I come more from the on-air/software side of radio then the technical/hardware so any help with these questions would be great!

First, Is it safe to have the anttena/transmitter indoors like say another room in my house(to avoid unwanted RF's)? I know the transmitter im in the process of getting is a measly 1 watt of power but I plan on getting a decent attenna and mounting it on a shutter on my second floor if not then...

Second, I hear all these terms related to an "exciter". Is that different from a xmitter? If it is, what purpose does it serve in the audio chain?

Lastly, has anyone tried this? I have a plan of streaming my signal (using some free automation software) 24/7 but only lighting up the xmitter at nights when i could do it live. Good idea? Also, would it be too risky to setup a website related to this station im creating? Maybe just delete all contact info that could be traced back to me...Any ideas or help is much appreciated!

-J

[Kage]

Is it safe to have the anttena/transmitter indoors like say another room in my house

You technically could use the antenna inside if it's out in the open like in an attic and there is no metal near by. Obviously it's recommended to have it outdoors, as high up as feasible, and away from anything metal besides its own supporting tower or pole.

I hear all these terms related to an "exciter". Is that different from a xmitter?

An exciter is the transmitter. It's what produces and modulates the signal. The term comes from high powered radio stations who would use a small transmitter (exciter) and then amplify it to a few hundred watts using an intermediate power amplifier (IPA) and then to the final amplifier (PA) to get kilowatts of power.
But yes, an exciter is nothing more than a small transmitter. If used alone it would work fine for a low powered station and given that setup most people would just nickname it "the transmitter", but when used in powerhouse setups an engineer will call it an exciter.

I have a plan of streaming my signal (using some free automation software) 24/7 but only lighting up the xmitter at nights when i could do it live. Good idea? Also, would it be too risky to setup a website related to this station im creating? Maybe just delete all contact info that could be traced back to me...Any ideas or help is much appreciated!

Many pirates stream their audio online for those who are too far away and can't pick up the transmission.
Also many pirates have websites, usually only known to their listeners. It's perfectly fine to have a website but yes make sure not to give out any information that could be used to track you down. Don't want to make the FCCs job any easier However with only a watt of power I don't think you have to worry much.