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NEW TRANSMITTER- Your Recommendation - NAUTEL or CROWN
- Thread starter joshzz
- Start date
What's the power level of the transmitter?
In the last five years, I have installed three Nautel transmitters. Two J-1000 and one NV10. I also have one Ampfet 5 and two Ampfet 1. I check them once a month. That's it. One of the J1000, the owner cut corners and didn't install the surge supressor. I would regularly go down after a storm moved through to put the transmitter back together. never had a problem with Nautel service. he finally put the surge supressor in last April. I have yet to go back down.
Bottom line, Nautel service is the best, bar none. One of the J1000s replaced a Bauer we could no longer get parts for. The Bauer went Tango Uniform on a Thursday afternoon, I had the new Nautel transmitter installed before his Sunday church services. And secondly, get the surge supressor. It will save you in the long run.
Bottom line, Nautel service is the best, bar none. One of the J1000s replaced a Bauer we could no longer get parts for. The Bauer went Tango Uniform on a Thursday afternoon, I had the new Nautel transmitter installed before his Sunday church services. And secondly, get the surge supressor. It will save you in the long run.
As long as you don't need a Nv 2.5, go with Nautel. The 2.5 is still vaporware at this point.
Josh -
Is this for an LPFM? Is so it needs to be certified for LPFM. Nautel is not currently certified for LPFM and I don't think Crown is either.
I've put 3 LPFMs on the air and just did a major upgrade for another last winter. There are only a few transmitters that are certified for LPFM. I've even gone as far as contacting the FCC and inquired why we can't use Harris/BE/Nautel or another professional brand and the reply was that the FCC was concerned with 'spurs' that's why we are limited to Nicom, RVR/BEXT/Armstrong, PTEK, and BW. I know.... it seems ridiculous... and it is. Until the rules change, that's what we're forced to do to comply.
Best of luck!
Is this for an LPFM? Is so it needs to be certified for LPFM. Nautel is not currently certified for LPFM and I don't think Crown is either.
I've put 3 LPFMs on the air and just did a major upgrade for another last winter. There are only a few transmitters that are certified for LPFM. I've even gone as far as contacting the FCC and inquired why we can't use Harris/BE/Nautel or another professional brand and the reply was that the FCC was concerned with 'spurs' that's why we are limited to Nicom, RVR/BEXT/Armstrong, PTEK, and BW. I know.... it seems ridiculous... and it is. Until the rules change, that's what we're forced to do to comply.
Best of luck!
I;ve made Nautel aware of this certification.Hope they get some clout and have their legal eagles petition the FCC to get this goofy rule changed to verified or type accepted.The only spurs the FCC is concerned with are the spurs on the cowboys in the NAB who got this rule thrown in at the
last minute.That Nautel 300w. is just an incredible box.You know the old saying about good stuff ain't cheap and cheap stuff ain't good..
last minute.That Nautel 300w. is just an incredible box.You know the old saying about good stuff ain't cheap and cheap stuff ain't good..
If you are an LPFM, and are worried about that silly rule, go with the RVR/BEXT/Armstrong siblings (Armstrong probably best, although all are basically the same under the hood). Otherwise, your choice of a Nautel is best--even for an LPFM. I would probably challenge any complaint about "spurs" from a Nautel--even from the FCC, unless they could show me the spectrum analysis.
If you have the budget, can't hurt to buy Nautel's surge suppressor (they gave me a discount on mine). Otherwise, you can build the same thing using the commercial grade ( i.e "whole house) suppressors designed to be mounted in a conventional panel box (they run around $100 now per circuit). Best way to do it is to feed a branch circuit to a box with the surge suppressors, and connect that box & surge ground to a good DC ground (piece of copper strap to station ground ideal), then onto to the transmitter.
Would not rely upon the typical "computer" type plug-in style surge suppression, but I believe the Nautel 300 watt is 208/240 (through an IEC-type connecting cable) so you would have to run a branch circuit anyway. (My kilowatt amps for my V2 combination plug in to a Hubble 240 volt sockets.)
If you have the budget, can't hurt to buy Nautel's surge suppressor (they gave me a discount on mine). Otherwise, you can build the same thing using the commercial grade ( i.e "whole house) suppressors designed to be mounted in a conventional panel box (they run around $100 now per circuit). Best way to do it is to feed a branch circuit to a box with the surge suppressors, and connect that box & surge ground to a good DC ground (piece of copper strap to station ground ideal), then onto to the transmitter.
Would not rely upon the typical "computer" type plug-in style surge suppression, but I believe the Nautel 300 watt is 208/240 (through an IEC-type connecting cable) so you would have to run a branch circuit anyway. (My kilowatt amps for my V2 combination plug in to a Hubble 240 volt sockets.)
I've been around a few Crown low power boxes, mainly to repair them, and had to send them back to the factory for repair...wasn't impressed...I'd stick with Nautel ...it's a rugged product that will hold up under severe conditions.
Yikes!
This isn't much of a choice. We're using a Bext - It's good but I know Nautel is far better. The Nautel has all kinds of inputs and capabilities that are lacking with the Bext unit.
I have heard of too many horror stories regarding PTEK.
Not familiar with NICOM other than that I've heard the name. We must be FCC compliant regarding all our equipment from EAS (we have a Trilithic which I consider the best) to our antenna.
Do anyone know if Nautel will become compliant soon?
This isn't much of a choice. We're using a Bext - It's good but I know Nautel is far better. The Nautel has all kinds of inputs and capabilities that are lacking with the Bext unit.
I have heard of too many horror stories regarding PTEK.
Not familiar with NICOM other than that I've heard the name. We must be FCC compliant regarding all our equipment from EAS (we have a Trilithic which I consider the best) to our antenna.
Do anyone know if Nautel will become compliant soon?
Well, unless you need to sell the Bext, just buy a Nautel. Here's why (true story):
A daytime AM station normally operated at 25 kw with an MW-50. Bad weather damaged the site, so they were operating with an old Gates BC-1T (which is a tube transmitter with big windows looking in at the glass final and modulator tubes).
While this was going on, the FCC "compliance specialist" paid a visit. Went through the public file paperwork & EAS logs. The station is a combined site, the transmitters sit in a big room behind the control room. After our compliance specialist finished his paper shuffling, he stood in front of the window, looking at that old tube transmitter with the glowing tubes, the modulators pulsing with modulation. Finally, he just had to ask the station owner:
"What are those things?" (pointing at the tubes).
So, I would suspect you could put the Nautel in the same rack as the Bext, and, even in the remote possibility that the FCC paid a visit, they wouldn't know what they were looking at.
A daytime AM station normally operated at 25 kw with an MW-50. Bad weather damaged the site, so they were operating with an old Gates BC-1T (which is a tube transmitter with big windows looking in at the glass final and modulator tubes).
While this was going on, the FCC "compliance specialist" paid a visit. Went through the public file paperwork & EAS logs. The station is a combined site, the transmitters sit in a big room behind the control room. After our compliance specialist finished his paper shuffling, he stood in front of the window, looking at that old tube transmitter with the glowing tubes, the modulators pulsing with modulation. Finally, he just had to ask the station owner:
"What are those things?" (pointing at the tubes).
So, I would suspect you could put the Nautel in the same rack as the Bext, and, even in the remote possibility that the FCC paid a visit, they wouldn't know what they were looking at.
TomT said:
It's pretty damn sad when the organization that is in charge of regulating radio stations employs very few people that actually know anything about which they regulate. You guys could have been running 500kW and that doofus would have been clueless as to what you were doing.
... Unless he had to ask "Why is Glenn Beck talking to me through my filling" ;D
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