I've been wanting to start an FM station asap for a few years, just been waiting to find the right equipment, I have everything since I'm a mobile DJ, all I need is an ERP system, and gonna be getting a package from
just don't wanna get caught, its bull crap, if there are vacant stations out there, and you don't interfere with other stations etc, and play edited music and you don't curse on air and just wanna have your own station, fcc should be okay with it, what is so wrong with that, I PAY for all my music as I am a mobile DJ.... I would like to broadcast to an amount of listeners, what would you say is best, I was thinking to start 500 watts erp, but prob a lot of power and would get caught, but I would like to broadcast at least 20-30 miles range, or at least enough to cover my small town, but I do live around mountains/hills, I want enough power to penetrate over those, so would have to get the antenna at least 30-50 foot high prob... all my music is edited, I just wanna have my own show! =) I Love music, djing, interacting with listeners, playing requests, and just simply love radio...... What do you guys suggest?
Even with 100 watts you could cover 20 or so miles with an antenna up 30-50 feet.
My first recommendation would be to use only enough power to cover the listener range you want since with FM broadcast it's usually a matter of listeners capturing the signal with their radios or not at all. Using more power than what is required to get into a persons radio at the range you want is just wasted power and likely to get your setup noticed by the wrong people.
If you live at a location far from a FCC field office, or just plain out in the boonies and do exactly what you said by not angering people with your broadcast material then it is very possible that you could run a setup like this for years and never get caught.
With that kind of power I would only run the operation sporadically and only a few hours at a time. If you have many friends interested you can use closed group social media to tell them when you're on air. That way you know you have listeners.
I also highly recommend staying away from using fake call letters. That is a general no-no because someone could hear them and type them into the FCC database and instantly find out the station doesn't exist.
Post by uzi9mmauto on Jan 27, 2013 11:12:24 GMT -6
Well- the site your looking at and taking your valid anxieties into account. Your spending WAYYYYY to much! You can get 5-10 watt Stereo Transmitters for under $200. hartford.craigslist.org/ele/3564612215.html
I bought one from him for $150 Quality is great and I am pleased. He is in the US- so no custom fees or seizures etc He paid $70 for his unit. He gave me free power supply and cable with 3 year warranty. Those units your looking at will just put you and keep you in the poor house. For around 5-10 Watts you can clear 10-15 miles with ease. FM is L.O.S. (Line of Sight) Height, SWR and Clearance is everything.
A nice 1/2 wave Dipole can be 'hidden' in plain view indoors or outdoors. Best of luck to yah!
Allow me to add, 500 watts anywhere in Canada or the US can pretty much guarantee that your time on the air will be a short one. That will get someone’s attention very quickly. And I also just checked out the pricing for that ‘ERP system’ and ouch…it’s going to sting even more when after a very short period of time, you’ll be ordered to discontinue using it or even worse, risk losing it completely by means of confiscation. I would rather not have to read about another casualty because someone jumped in too hard, too fast.
I would strongly urge you to start low and do some more research. Make sure you’re well educated in this and well versed technically because at 500 watts, there’s a real level of responsibility you have whether you like it or not. As a radio pirate, your goal should be to operate for as long as you can without getting caught. Therefore you need to have your setup comply as if it were a legal operation. Simply ignoring things like filtering and reduction of harmonics interference is a sure-fire way to get unwanted attention very quickly.
Perhaps start smaller…seeing as you are in a jurisdiction where the FM restrictions are tighter than the already ridiculously low allowances up here in Canada, I would recommend just flirting with a few watts and a good matching antenna system. The higher, the better but this can also be a double-edged sword as a higher mount is sure to be a lot more noticeable. 25-35 feet (ideally) off the ground is a good place to start. Much too low for any commercial venture, but again, there needs to be a bit of give and take if you want to prolong your time on-air.
yeah I know its line of site etc, aareff fm transmitter equipment are one of the best, they are on facebook, and sell tons of equipment, I hear good things about those guys.... and they have limiters low filters all built in...
I heard the chinease transmitters are not good and a waste of money....
20 watts will only get prob about 10 miles or a little more if lucky...
what would you guys say to get than?
30-100 watts erp at about 20-50 height of Antenna?
Well- the site your looking at and taking your valid anxieties into account. Your spending WAYYYYY to much! You can get 5-10 watt Stereo Transmitters for under $200. hartford.craigslist.org/ele/3564612215.html
I bought one from him for $150 Quality is great and I am pleased. He is in the US- so no custom fees or seizures etc He paid $70 for his unit. He gave me free power supply and cable with 3 year warranty. Those units your looking at will just put you and keep you in the poor house. For around 5-10 Watts you can clear 10-15 miles with ease. FM is L.O.S. (Line of Sight) Height, SWR and Clearance is everything.
A nice 1/2 wave Dipole can be 'hidden' in plain view indoors or outdoors. Best of luck to yah!
I would like to broadcast at least 15-30ish miles range
If you live on the outside of the town you want to cover you may want to consider using a vertically polarized yagi antenna. They will give you strong gain towards the direction of the area you want to cover. I actually considered doing this at one point since I live right on the edge of my town. Otherwise your best bet would be a 5/8 wave antenna since it will have slightly more gain over a dipole/j-pole.
If you live in a location with lots of trees and hills then I can understand your frustration. VHF and higher frequencies love line of sight communications for a clear signal.
Maybe it would help if you get an RF amplifier that has the ability to be adjusted for power output and then set it to a level you feel comfortable with covering the range you need. Also keep in mind the radios you are using to receive your broadcast with. Using a cheap sony walkman for example is not going to be very helpful for you to determine your average range compared to a good car radio. I can take a cheap radio outside for a mile or two and lose my own signal on FM, but if I take the car I can receive my signal 5+ miles with pure clarity and that's only with 5 watts on a 30' tower currently but that may just be luck.
You can take the same transmitter and antenna height and set it up at two different locations and get two completely different coverage results. It's just the nature of the beast.
If you live on the outside of the town you want to cover you may want to consider using a vertically polarized yagi antenna. They will give you strong gain towards the direction of the area you want to cover. I actually considered doing this at one point since I live right on the edge of my town. Otherwise your best bet would be a 5/8 wave antenna since it will have slightly more gain over a dipole/j-pole.
If you live in a location with lots of trees and hills then I can understand your frustration. VHF and higher frequencies love line of sight communications for a clear signal.
Maybe it would help if you get an RF amplifier that has the ability to be adjusted for power output and then set it to a level you feel comfortable with covering the range you need. Also keep in mind the radios you are using to receive your broadcast with. Using a cheap sony walkman for example is not going to be very helpful for you to determine your average range compared to a good car radio. I can take a cheap radio outside for a mile or two and lose my own signal on FM, but if I take the car I can receive my signal 5+ miles with pure clarity and that's only with 5 watts on a 30' tower currently but that may just be luck.
You can take the same transmitter and antenna height and set it up at two different locations and get two completely different coverage results. It's just the nature of the beast.
JAMMIN: I understand what you are saying, I'm not really new, I've been around djing my whole life basically and read up on FM radio equipment, I just want to know what best thing would be, I live in the town I want to cover, there are a lot of vacant freq. where I live, my town is small but live around some trees behind me, but as long as I clear the antenna of houses I should be okay, I live on middle of hill, but when you get to top of my hill you can see miles n miles away all around.....
I would like to broadcast at least 15-30ish miles range
Then you need to apply for a license...
Or, you'd better have a decent STL system and plenty of spare transmitters kicking around. Just sayin' man, and you most certainly do not have to take my word for it. Just go ahead and try it. Fire up that 500 Watt transmitter and report back to us.
Look dude, I'm all for the spirit of free radio like anyone else, but there are also certain realities that we must deal with here in North America. If you were anywhere else in the world, I'd say go for it. But over here, you will get nailed.
If you want to have your station on the air for any significant length of time, I'd implore you to reconsider and take the advice from the folks here. I've been down that road myself and I know several people in Canada AND the US that have as well....and don't think for one second that just because you're in a smaller town, that you are less prone to being caught. If anything, being in a smaller community will get you noticed even faster and all it takes is for one jackass to call the FCC and if the field inspectors have to go through the hassle and expense to travel to your area, trust me, they will make it worth their while.
I mean, they're shutting down Part 15 stations for crying out loud...putting out only 100mW and being cited for frivolous shit like having a ground lead that is too long!
I always tell people, don't get greedy. Stay small and just run a clean and efficient system.
However, if you're that hell bent on range, then my advice would be to buy an American made transmitter that is FCC certified (you may need to import it from Canada to get around some of your vendor rules) since you seem to have the budget for more expensive gear, get a professional grade directional antenna and tune it properly to the specific frequency you wish to operate on (you'll need to invest about $50 into a meter for this), get that antenna up on a high and stable mast, (at least 30-40 feet, but higher if you can) run LMR 400 cable to your transmitter room and use a low pass filter designed for your purpose and keep the power to 40-50 Watts maximum.
This will at least minimize the chances of you interfering with something that will piss someone off enough to compel them to call the FCC.
I would like to broadcast at least 15-30ish miles range
Then you need to apply for a license...
Or, you'd better have a decent STL system and plenty of spare transmitters kicking around. Just sayin' man, and you most certainly do not have to take my word for it. Just go ahead and try it. Fire up that 500 Watt transmitter and report back to us.
Look dude, I'm all for the spirit of free radio like anyone else, but there are also certain realities that we must deal with here in North America. If you were anywhere else in the world, I'd say go for it. But over here, you will get nailed.
If you want to have your station on the air for any significant length of time, I'd implore you to reconsider and take the advice from the folks here. I've been down that road myself and I know several people in Canada AND the US that have as well....and don't think for one second that just because you're in a smaller town, that you are less prone to being caught. If anything, being in a smaller community will get you noticed even faster and all it takes is for one jackass to call the FCC and if the field inspectors have to go through the hassle and expense to travel to your area, trust me, they will make it worth their while.
I mean, they're shutting down Part 15 stations for crying out loud...putting out only 100mW and being cited for frivolous shit like having a ground lead that is too long!
I always tell people, don't get greedy. Stay small and just run a clean and efficient system.
However, if you're that hell bent on range, then my advice would be to buy an American made transmitter that is FCC certified (you may need to import it from Canada to get around some of your vendor rules) since you seem to have the budget for more expensive gear, get a professional grade directional antenna and tune it properly to the specific frequency you wish to operate on (you'll need to invest about $50 into a meter for this), get that antenna up on a high and stable mast, (at least 30-40 feet, but higher if you can) run LMR 400 cable to your transmitter room and use a low pass filter designed for your purpose and keep the power to 40-50 Watts maximum.
This will at least minimize the chances of you interfering with something that will piss someone off enough to compel them to call the FCC.
Best of luck my friend.
Cheers.
I understand.... =) I'm starting small at 7 watts no worries.. than may increase to 100 watts erp later
Shooting a dirty signal is what brings in the tags and bags. Small town or large city, do everything possible to put out a clean signal, both in band and out of band spurious/harmonic signals.
When working with a couple watts and up, always be aware that your near field signal will be the problem child when it comes to blanketing nearby receivers, which can make reception of other stations difficult, or totally impossible. It is imperative to have that antenna up and over the rooftops. The higher the antenna, the better. Raise the center of radiation and the lower lobe is also raised, meaning your near field is up there in the air rather than shoving through neighbor's walls of their house and blanketing their radios or other devices.
Don't limit your transmitter to it's internal filtering..if it has it built in. Always use an external Low Pass Filter, and if necessary, a bandpass filter. The more poles on that filter the better. I always advise to use at least a 7 pole filter for power levels above 15 watts, and 12 pole or more for 50 and higher.
When connecting a lower power transmitter up to a booster amplifier, place a filter in between the driving transmitter/exciter and the amplifier, as well as an output low pass filter and/or bandpass filter. Placing a bandpass filter between the driving transmitter and amplifier is a good idea too but not always necessary.
Using the filters is most recommended for systems that are "broadband"...ie does not require tuning in either the transmitter or driven amplifier. Tuned systems lets you peak each stage thus minimizing the spurs and harmonics. Either way, filters can save yourself from a lot of trouble.
If you have a fairly open band, use a frequency AWAY from the others as far as possible. Two fold benefit here...one is that you minimize any blanketing effect, and two you reduce the chances of a licensed broadcaster or employee tuning to your station and risking them reporting it.
Also don't go bragging about it or draw big attention to it! Make sure whomever you have involved with your endeavor can be completely trusted to keep things to themselves.
Also keep in mind..depending on where your located, this is a license renewal year and those field agents are out and about doing their thing and if they find something that's not supposed to be there, they will find it! As sam suggested, keep the operations minimum and random.
Good luck!
Peace!
K-ROCKS RadioOne
ZeroPointRadio
AM Stereo 1670
FM Stereo 92.1
Shooting a dirty signal is what brings in the tags and bags. Small town or large city, do everything possible to put out a clean signal, both in band and out of band spurious/harmonic signals.
When working with a couple watts and up, always be aware that your near field signal will be the problem child when it comes to blanketing nearby receivers, which can make reception of other stations difficult, or totally impossible. It is imperative to have that antenna up and over the rooftops. The higher the antenna, the better. Raise the center of radiation and the lower lobe is also raised, meaning your near field is up there in the air rather than shoving through neighbor's walls of their house and blanketing their radios or other devices.
Don't limit your transmitter to it's internal filtering..if it has it built in. Always use an external Low Pass Filter, and if necessary, a bandpass filter. The more poles on that filter the better. I always advise to use at least a 7 pole filter for power levels above 15 watts, and 12 pole or more for 50 and higher.
When connecting a lower power transmitter up to a booster amplifier, place a filter in between the driving transmitter/exciter and the amplifier, as well as an output low pass filter and/or bandpass filter. Placing a bandpass filter between the driving transmitter and amplifier is a good idea too but not always necessary.
Using the filters is most recommended for systems that are "broadband"...ie does not require tuning in either the transmitter or driven amplifier. Tuned systems lets you peak each stage thus minimizing the spurs and harmonics. Either way, filters can save yourself from a lot of trouble.
If you have a fairly open band, use a frequency AWAY from the others as far as possible. Two fold benefit here...one is that you minimize any blanketing effect, and two you reduce the chances of a licensed broadcaster or employee tuning to your station and risking them reporting it.
Also don't go bragging about it or draw big attention to it! Make sure whomever you have involved with your endeavor can be completely trusted to keep things to themselves.
Also keep in mind..depending on where your located, this is a license renewal year and those field agents are out and about doing their thing and if they find something that's not supposed to be there, they will find it! As sam suggested, keep the operations minimum and random.
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