I live in the prairies in a town with a 3 km radius. I'm trying to find a nice setup that will be easy for me to install because I have very little knowledge on soldering and matching electrical components. I would LOVE to avoid frying/blowing up any equipment that I buy!
My inquiry is; What would be a cheaper beginner setup that could cover a 3 to 10 km radius on a budget of around $200 CAD?
If that is not at all possible, what would be a close figure?
I have access to the top of a very large tree that sits in front of my house, to hide an antenna.
I appreciate any and all help I can get on this matter!
Post by HighMountainRadio on Jun 9, 2018 7:12:32 GMT -6
Greetings From High Mountain Radio Battlesix !
Welcome to the Free Radio Forum ! You can buy a decent 15 watt FM broadcast transmitter for around $60.00 U.S. from several vendors on Ebay. I use a 'Generic' Model ST-15B, which I purchased for $58.00 U.S. and have been using it heavy for about a year now without issues ! I have included a pix of it for you to see what it looks like. There are quite a few vendors selling the 'Generic' brand (No Brand Name) while other vendors are selling the EXACT same unit branded with various brand names. Essentially, they are all identical on the inside so I recommend buying the cheapest one you can find, around $60.00 U.S.
Before committing to buy ANY FM broadcast transmitter, be CERTAIN to ask the seller what the 'PRE-EMPHASIS' is set for and if it can be user selected via the front panel controls ! The USA FM Broadcast Standard calls for 75us (microsecond) Pre-Emphasis, whereas, the European and Asian FM Broadcast Standard is 50us Pre-Emphasis. While a 50us unit will work in the USA and sound decent, ultimately, in the USA, 50us, will sound inferior compared to a transmitter set for 75us.
As far as an antenna is concerned, you may choose to purchase one, although you can easily build your own with just simple, easy to obtain aluminum tubing and common hand tools. I use a directional antenna, like the one pictured with outstanding results ! I chose to use a somewhat directional antenna since I wanted concentrate my signal in one particular direction to favor a nearby town about 10 miles away. If you want your broadcast signal to be radiated in all directions equally then an omni-directional 'Ground Plane' antenna is the way to go, or a similar type of antenna. Several broadcasters who frequent this forum utilize a 'J-Pole' type of antenna fabricated from simple copper tubing that you can purchase at any hardware store.
I HIGHLY recommend using good quality coaxial cable for your transmission line going from your transmitter's output to your antenna such as Belden Type RG-9913, or Belden RG-8/U, 50 ohm coaxial cable. You may purchase pre-cut lengths of either type with connectors of your choosing already affixed to each end. Belden RG-9913 costs around $1.00 or so per foot depending on whom you purchase it from. Stay away from 'no name' cable, you DO get what you pay for when it comes to coaxial cable or any type of wire for that matter !
I would be happy to guide you in choosing the right equipment with your budget of $200.00 in mind and during the station setup phase ! Feel free to message me here on this forum at any time ! I would be pleased to assist you !
73... Spooky @ 'High Mountain Radio' 99.9 FM - "Broadcasting From Somewhere High In The Remote Appalachian Mountains"
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