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How To Link Multiple Part 15 Transmitters Legally

C

cc333

Now that I've gotten my main transmitter set up and working well, I want to set up another transmitter downtown somewhere to plug some holes in coverage.

I have a friend who runs a music store who said maybe I could either install it at his store or perhaps at his house, which is a couple blocks away from the store.

Getting it set up, tuned and powered probably isn't much of an issue, but how do I get audio to it?

What I essentially want to do is set up an STL somehow, but I don't know how to do it legally.

I could use a stream over the internet, which could probably work for testing purposes, but not only is that legally iffy, the latency would be horrible, so is there any other method that could work and be legal?

c
 
Assuming you operation is running at legal power, without getting really getting expensive, and if you use a computer at your house to generate your audio feed to audio to a to cheap PC, that can run a "tunneling protocol". Get another cheap PC to receive the "tunneling protocol" at the other transmitter. There are "boxes" that radio stations use but they can be too expensive for a hobby.

Another possibility is to stream your program then you can set up as many part15 stations as you want.

Part 15 stations should not go that far so timing should not be am issue.
 
Barix Instreamer/Exstreamer, Inexpensive can run uncompressed audio that has little delay and perfectly legal. I know of a few stations that are MLB/NFL flag stations that use a Barix set up to get the station audio to the stadium in real time to the stadium PA.
 
secondchoice said:
Assuming you operation is running at legal power
Click to expand...
Yes, everything would be at legal power.

secondchoice said:
without getting really getting expensive, and if you use a computer at your house to generate your audio feed to audio to a to cheap PC, that can run a "tunneling protocol". Get another cheap PC to receive the "tunneling protocol" at the other transmitter
Click to expand...
Ah, tunneling protocols. I forgot about those!

xmtrland said:
Barix Instreamer/Exstreamer, Inexpensive can run uncompressed audio that has little delay and perfectly legal. I know of a few stations that are MLB/NFL flag stations that use a Barix set up to get the station audio to the stadium in real time to the stadium PA.
Click to expand...
I looked them up, and there's all sorts of different models, and the cheapest is about $200 each. Are there any recommendations for a specific model I should look at?

secondchoice said:
Another possibility is to stream your program then you can set up as many part15 stations as you want.
Click to expand...
That would be my first choice, because I've already figured it out and I know how to set it up. I was just worried about legality. Is it legal to stream without a license if I use said stream exclusively as an STL to feed remote part 15 transmitters?

secondchoice said:
Part 15 stations should not go that far so timing should not be am issue.
Click to expand...
I'm not worried about the actual over the air signals lining up (the propose location for the remote transmitter is only a few miles away from my house), but the latency introduced by piping the signal across the internet to the remote transmitter, as I plan to keep the main transmitter at my house directly connected (I don't have to, though, and it would probably solve the latency problem if I didn't).

c
 
Somewhat related, can a licensed AM station be re-transmitted on a Part 15 transmitter to reach an area not covered at night due to night power reduction?
 
As long as the Part 15 transmitter is compliant with the rules, as an unlicensed service I don't believe there would be any legal prohibition for a station to operate those as micropowered boosters.
 
cc333 said:
That would be my first choice, because I've already figured it out and I know how to set it up. I was just worried about legality. Is it legal to stream without a license if I use said stream exclusively as an STL to feed remote part 15 transmitters?
Click to expand...
As I reread my thread, I think I will answer my own question:

It's not a good idea. I don't want to get into any legal quagmires because of doing this thing that is technically illegal, but which is being used strictly for a legal purpose.

Best to get a music license first. Live365 offers an affordable setup where they do the streaming and cover the licensing for ~$70/month with TLH up to 1500 hours (it costs a bit more if I don't want them injecting their standard ads and PSAs, which I don't; If there's going to be any ads on my station, I'll insert them myself as I see fit).

So perhaps I'll do that, and then simply use said stream to feed all the transmitters, with a basic computer at each one (the only must would be a decent internet connection). I can theoretically have a nationwide network that way (Joking! That's probably not wise, and would be logistically impossible for me to accomplish anyway).

c
 
RadioGuy1864 said:
Somewhat related, can a licensed AM station be re-transmitted on a Part 15 transmitter to reach an area not covered at night due to night power reduction?
Click to expand...
If the part 15 station is in legal power yes but why? The only real "help" for an AM station in America is a FCC licenced FM translator(s) or really good content that the public wants to stream like WSM 650AM.
 
There's literally no point in trying to cover any significant area with Part 15 AM. The distance to the 2mV/m contour for a complaint Part 15 transmitter at the top of the AM band is about 0.1 miles. Yes, a dedicated listener can listen to a lesser signal than that, but most won't.

I could mount that Part 15 transmitter on the pitcher's mound at Dodger Stadium and that contour would barely make it out of the stands, much less the parking lot.
 
PTBoardOp93 said:
I could mount that Part 15 transmitter on the pitcher's mound at Dodger Stadium and that contour would barely make it out of the stands, much less the parking lot.
Click to expand...
Prior to 1969 a Part 15 FM transmitter on the pitcher’s mound would have been at 15” HAAT. After that time its coverage would have been reduced with the lower 10” HAAT.😉

Top of a foul pole would be a better place to mount a transmitter, maybe on both to cover each side of the stadium.🤣
 


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