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Hello from a new user, and a question

R

radio8z

Hello to all on this board from a new member. I have been reading this board for a while and decided to join and contribute as I can.

I have been a part 15 broadcaster since 1959, beginning with a KnightKit AM transmitter which I modified to be crystal controlled. I still have it and it still works. I also was "Chief Engineer" for a college campus radio station. Lots of stories to tell about that. No commercial broadcast experience.

I have upgraded to a Ramsey AM, and most recently to a SSTRAN AM3000.

My first question for the board regards the loading coil for the SSTRAN antenna (Carl's design). I have a stock of 12 ga insulated wire and would like to use this in my coil. Unfortunately, the coil using this wire will be 17" long, due to the insulation, to achieve the required inductance (330uH.). I am thinking of winding a multilayer coil with this wire which will give a shorter length (about 7 " with three layers).

Is this a good, bad, or silly idea? Any comments will be appreciated.
 
> Hello to all on this board from a new member. I have been> reading this board for a while and decided to join and> contribute as I can.> > I have been a part 15 broadcaster since 1959, beginning with> a KnightKit AM transmitter which I modified to be crystal> controlled. I still have it and it still works. I also was> "Chief Engineer" for a college campus radio station. Lots> of stories to tell about that. No commercial broadcast> experience.> > I have upgraded to a Ramsey AM, and most recently to a> SSTRAN AM3000.> > My first question for the board regards the loading coil for> the SSTRAN antenna (Carl's design). I have a stock of 12 ga> insulated wire and would like to use this in my coil. > Unfortunately, the coil using this wire will be 17" long,> due to the insulation, to achieve the required inductance> (330uH.). I am thinking of winding a multilayer coil with> this wire which will give a shorter length (about 7 " with> three layers).> > Is this a good, bad, or silly idea? Any comments will be> appreciated.> Hi, and welcome to the board!...I really have no problem with anyone trying to wind a coil, but let me tell you a few things:......first, the wire you are using is wrong, second, three layers will make it impossible to tap!!....and third, when all is said and done it may be impossible to hold together that way......before I really got into building these things, I tried something like that and it not only did not work, it was a mess (bye-bye to the supplies I bought)...then I bought a supply of wire which was very expensive and I botched exactly 6 coils before I learned how to do it correctly....for the part 15am'ers that want to build their own antenna; I am kind of for part of the idea:....as time has gone on, it has become too expensive to build the simplest parts of the antenna and I figured that within about a year of this time, I'll be out of the business of doing that...except where the customer demands it....that happens; they don't have time or the tools; whatever. .....But the coil is kind of specialized and takes an awful lot of time and patience to do; in fact being I'm good at it, just doing the laquering and soldering takes three days, so I try to keep a few on hand in case someone needs one.................I am definately not trying to discourage you from trying to build a few of them at all.........they are doable, but just be advised they are difficult if you haven't done them before........Lastly, I planned to purchase enough wire to build maybe 8 more for the year, then winter hits and that will be it for me til next spring, so I put them on sale at what I thought was a pretty good price for the work involved.....today I have one left in stock and then I will have to get to work and build 8 more.......I'm really not trying to put myself out of business, but if you are handy enough, most of the parts of the antenna can be purchased locally and built by you, but the coil is another animal........My future thinking is that I will build about 8 more coils (if I get orders for them in October) and then, that may be it for me, unless there is demand........here is the only other thing about building coils:....they work......and I've built a few coils that worked up to 1100kHz...best is 1400kHz though thanks to our friend Nick Rios who designed it for me....in order to learn the proper technique to build these it cost me about $500.00 in wasted materials and that much more in time and energy......it just isn't an easy task and every order of a coil is a project!!......so, I do want people to try and do this, but be aware it may be very costly in material, time at work doing it, and then in time testing it to see if your creation works....email me at [email protected], or [email protected] if you become interested in a coil this month. I will take 8 orders, and I am done for the year.......Carl<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected], [email protected],[email protected]</P>
 
Carl,

Thanks very much for your reply. I was hoping someone with practical experience would answer.

I will follow your plan by getting the correct wire.

You have probably saved me much frustration and $$ wasted.

Thanks again.
 
Therefore, the reason why I'm going out of the biz.....

> Carl,> > Thanks very much for your reply. I was hoping someone with> practical experience would answer.> > I will follow your plan by getting the correct wire.> > You have probably saved me much frustration and $$ wasted.> > Thanks again.> Should there be demand in the future, I'm still here, but I'll be concentrating on the things I think most important with part 15am: coils and ground systems..............Actually you would be surprised at the amount of sales I had this year; I was;......but more importantly, I was more surprised at the sales I LOST due to all the free advice I dished out.......not for nothing;......my goal was to help people get on the air.....something that really wasn't done in the past; and I have at least 30 solid customers who are on the air, and then 20 or so that may now be on the air......so I have acheived my goal, but in doing so, I've lost customers like you........you win some, you loose some, but I have plans for the future and I've chosen to leave radio for now......that is why I said that if anyone needs me to build a coil.....I will be willing to do that over the fall months....and I want to continue to build the updated larger ground systems, but I'm going to downgrade the antenna biz because they are easy enough to build and there is enough info out there to do them..........I'll never deny a potential part 15'er product I build;.....what I am going to do is stop talking about doing it.Carl<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected], [email protected],[email protected]</P>
 
Re:why I'm going out of the biz.not so fast!..

Carl don’t give up on your part 15 antenna business its just the beginning, Giving out free advice is just part of doing business. Just think of all the free advice EDM gives out everyday without selling a single transmitter. I have given thousands of hours of advice without getting a single dime or thanks.

You have an outstanding product the Sstran is nothing without your antenna.
I don’t understand why someone would waste his or her time trying to tune and build an antenna when yours is a fairly priced ready to go system. Any antenna that can put a 100-milliwatt signal 2+ miles down the road can’t be surpassed easily.

I myself have a killer FM broadcast antenna, I’m thinking about putting back on the market all or part. I know others marketing outstanding FM antennas with few takers yet a poor performing antenna like Comet can sell 100’s a month.

Steve
www.RadioBrandy.com

Should there be demand in the future, I'm still
> here, but I'll be concentrating on the things I think most
> important with part 15am: coils and ground
> systems..............Actually you would be surprised at the
> amount of sales I had this year; I was;......but more
> importantly, I was more surprised at the sales I LOST due to
> all the free advice I dished out.......not for
> nothing;......my goal was to help people get on the
> air.....something that really wasn't done in the past; and
> I have at least 30 solid customers who are on the air, and
> then 20 or so that may now be on the air......so I have
> acheived my goal, but in doing so, I've lost customers like
> you........you win some, you loose some, but I have plans
> for the future and I've chosen to leave radio for
> now......that is why I said that if anyone needs me to build
> a coil.....I will be willing to do that over the fall
> months....and I want to continue to build the updated larger
> ground systems, but I'm going to downgrade the antenna biz
> because they are easy enough to build and there is enough
> info out there to do them..........I'll never deny a
> potential part 15'er product I build;.....what I am going to
> do is stop talking about doing it.Carl
>
 
Re: Therefore, the reason why I'm going out of the biz.....

Carl,

I am sorry that you feel that you have lost me as a customer. Please understand that I have been building my own radio equipment for the last 40 years, and do not purchase what I can build. I am not a tightwad, rather, I love the technical challenges. I could care less about programming. I just build things that work to my technical satisfaction.

It is because of people like you, who are willing to share experience and information that the technical people like me are sucessful in our projects.
Yes, it makes no business sense to give away ideas, but many do it for the love of the technology. Thanks to you I will be on the air again soon and I am sorry that your business activity is so frustrating. Carl, I have been there and done that. I gave away a patent on a medical device simply so it could be used to help people after I learned that the business world emphasises profit over public benefit. I wish I could have made money on it, but I didn't. I do have the satisfaction that someone is alive today because of what I did.

Don't underestimate your contribution to this hobby.

Regards
 
> Hello to all on this board from a new member. I have been
> reading this board for a while and decided to join and
> contribute as I can.
>
> I have been a part 15 broadcaster since 1959, beginning with
> a KnightKit AM transmitter which I modified to be crystal
> controlled. I still have it and it still works. I also was
> "Chief Engineer" for a college campus radio station. Lots
> of stories to tell about that. No commercial broadcast
> experience.
>
> I have upgraded to a Ramsey AM, and most recently to a
> SSTRAN AM3000.
>
> My first question for the board regards the loading coil for
> the SSTRAN antenna (Carl's design). I have a stock of 12 ga
> insulated wire and would like to use this in my coil.
> Unfortunately, the coil using this wire will be 17" long,
> due to the insulation, to achieve the required inductance
> (330uH.). I am thinking of winding a multilayer coil with
> this wire which will give a shorter length (about 7 " with
> three layers).
>
> Is this a good, bad, or silly idea? Any comments will be
> appreciated.
>


I'd like to comment on the coil issue if I may...

There is nothing to prevent you from winding a coil with multiple layers as you suggest. Insure the the last remaining layer has the taps required to fullfill the 'tuning' of the coil as with a single layer coil.

There are numerous examples of multi-layered coils... one I can think of is the base loaded coil on CB antennas... another is when the coil is wound on a toroid (Rangemaster). The important aspect is to get the proper inductance, If I were building a coil for a Tesla secondary, then yes a single layer coil is very important for 'coupling' the primary. But for AM use the frequencies are too low for any impact. I have built my first coil using multiple layers and it's worked fine but the wire gauge was too small (20 gauge), and the reactive resistance was more than what I could live with, eventually wound the coil with 16 gauge wire.

I could have wound the coil with multiple layers but had the pvc pipe already cut and ready for the single turn coil.

Determine how many windings you will need, wind the first layer, epoxy or polyurethane coat the coil, then wind the second layer, coat, etc.

I'd like to know how well it comes out... and how much more range you get out of the coil... but having as many radials as you can is best, use the same gauge wire for the radials... 12 gauge is what I used and I have 64 radials each radial 75 long... the range is outstanding with the SSTRAN... The transmitter height is 30 feet and 10 feet higher for the antenna... grounding is 1/2 your signal...

Good luck...

Radiopilot
 
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