Anyone have any experience with Part 15 in a bay or on the ocean? How far can one get in a remote area when the antenna is placed near salt water? Also, what is the situation with licensed broadcasters in these areas, where there are theoretically no stations for 50, 100, 200, however many miles, but because the area is so remote, you get those faraway stations coming in at .03mV/m or 1dBu? Would they report you?
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Salt water conductivity
- Thread starter ajhenderson
- Start date
J
JasonW
Guest
> Anyone have any experience with Part 15 in a bay or on the
> ocean? How far can one get in a remote area when the antenna
> is placed near salt water? Also, what is the situation with
> licensed broadcasters in these areas, where there are
> theoretically no stations for 50, 100, 200, however many
> miles, but because the area is so remote, you get those
> faraway stations coming in at .03mV/m or 1dBu? Would they
> report you?
To steal and modify the lyrics from an old Rock 'n Roll song: "You can talk for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles!" Well, for miles anyway. Part 15 stations set up at ocean marinas can easily be heard 5 miles or more out to sea (or across a harbor). If you have the opportunity to do this, by all means do it! Take a look at WAXY 790's pattern to the East and South out of Miami, Florida on www.radio-locator.com. My cousin Mike Thompson was a weekend talk host on that station and he had listeners who called from Cuba, even though it's outside of the predicted fringe area. Salt water is your friend! -- JasonW
> ocean? How far can one get in a remote area when the antenna
> is placed near salt water? Also, what is the situation with
> licensed broadcasters in these areas, where there are
> theoretically no stations for 50, 100, 200, however many
> miles, but because the area is so remote, you get those
> faraway stations coming in at .03mV/m or 1dBu? Would they
> report you?
To steal and modify the lyrics from an old Rock 'n Roll song: "You can talk for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles!" Well, for miles anyway. Part 15 stations set up at ocean marinas can easily be heard 5 miles or more out to sea (or across a harbor). If you have the opportunity to do this, by all means do it! Take a look at WAXY 790's pattern to the East and South out of Miami, Florida on www.radio-locator.com. My cousin Mike Thompson was a weekend talk host on that station and he had listeners who called from Cuba, even though it's outside of the predicted fringe area. Salt water is your friend! -- JasonW
W
WCWalker
Guest
***Salt water is your friend until it erodes your ground system. 
> > Anyone have any experience with Part 15 in a bay or on the
>
> > ocean? How far can one get in a remote area when the
> antenna
> > is placed near salt water? Also, what is the situation
> with
> > licensed broadcasters in these areas, where there are
> > theoretically no stations for 50, 100, 200, however many
> > miles, but because the area is so remote, you get those
> > faraway stations coming in at .03mV/m or 1dBu? Would they
> > report you?
>
> To steal and modify the lyrics from an old Rock 'n Roll
> song: "You can talk for miles and miles and miles and miles
> and miles!" Well, for miles anyway. Part 15 stations set
> up at ocean marinas can easily be heard 5 miles or more out
> to sea (or across a harbor). If you have the opportunity to
> do this, by all means do it! Take a look at WAXY 790's
> pattern to the East and South out of Miami, Florida on
> www.radio-locator.com. My cousin Mike Thompson was a
> weekend talk host on that station and he had listeners who
> called from Cuba, even though it's outside of the predicted
> fringe area. Salt water is your friend! -- JasonW
>
> > Anyone have any experience with Part 15 in a bay or on the
>
> > ocean? How far can one get in a remote area when the
> antenna
> > is placed near salt water? Also, what is the situation
> with
> > licensed broadcasters in these areas, where there are
> > theoretically no stations for 50, 100, 200, however many
> > miles, but because the area is so remote, you get those
> > faraway stations coming in at .03mV/m or 1dBu? Would they
> > report you?
>
> To steal and modify the lyrics from an old Rock 'n Roll
> song: "You can talk for miles and miles and miles and miles
> and miles!" Well, for miles anyway. Part 15 stations set
> up at ocean marinas can easily be heard 5 miles or more out
> to sea (or across a harbor). If you have the opportunity to
> do this, by all means do it! Take a look at WAXY 790's
> pattern to the East and South out of Miami, Florida on
> www.radio-locator.com. My cousin Mike Thompson was a
> weekend talk host on that station and he had listeners who
> called from Cuba, even though it's outside of the predicted
> fringe area. Salt water is your friend! -- JasonW
>
J
JasonW
Guest
That's why God invented stainless steel and titanium! I have read of coastal hams who simply have single stainless steel wires dangling in the water. The sea water itself acts as the ground plane.
The illegal AM broadcast band (and higher) fish net buoy locator beacons used by Pacific nations use whip antennas and simple submerged metal rings to make contact with the seawater for RF grounding. Their low-power (just a few watts) signals really boom in and are major pests for 160 meter ham band users in Hawaii. -- JasonW
> ***Salt water is your friend until it erodes your ground
> system.
>
>
> > > Anyone have any experience with Part 15 in a bay or on
> the
> >
> > > ocean? How far can one get in a remote area when the
> > antenna
> > > is placed near salt water? Also, what is the situation
> > with
> > > licensed broadcasters in these areas, where there are
> > > theoretically no stations for 50, 100, 200, however many
>
> > > miles, but because the area is so remote, you get those
> > > faraway stations coming in at .03mV/m or 1dBu? Would
> they
> > > report you?
> >
> > To steal and modify the lyrics from an old Rock 'n Roll
> > song: "You can talk for miles and miles and miles and
> miles
> > and miles!" Well, for miles anyway. Part 15 stations set
>
> > up at ocean marinas can easily be heard 5 miles or more
> out
> > to sea (or across a harbor). If you have the opportunity
> to
> > do this, by all means do it! Take a look at WAXY 790's
> > pattern to the East and South out of Miami, Florida on
> > www.radio-locator.com. My cousin Mike Thompson was a
> > weekend talk host on that station and he had listeners who
>
> > called from Cuba, even though it's outside of the
> predicted
> > fringe area. Salt water is your friend! -- JasonW
> >
>
I have read of coastal hams who simply have single stainless steel wires dangling in the water. The sea water itself acts as the ground plane.The illegal AM broadcast band (and higher) fish net buoy locator beacons used by Pacific nations use whip antennas and simple submerged metal rings to make contact with the seawater for RF grounding. Their low-power (just a few watts) signals really boom in and are major pests for 160 meter ham band users in Hawaii. -- JasonW
> ***Salt water is your friend until it erodes your ground
> system.
>
>
> > > Anyone have any experience with Part 15 in a bay or on
> the
> >
> > > ocean? How far can one get in a remote area when the
> > antenna
> > > is placed near salt water? Also, what is the situation
> > with
> > > licensed broadcasters in these areas, where there are
> > > theoretically no stations for 50, 100, 200, however many
>
> > > miles, but because the area is so remote, you get those
> > > faraway stations coming in at .03mV/m or 1dBu? Would
> they
> > > report you?
> >
> > To steal and modify the lyrics from an old Rock 'n Roll
> > song: "You can talk for miles and miles and miles and
> miles
> > and miles!" Well, for miles anyway. Part 15 stations set
>
> > up at ocean marinas can easily be heard 5 miles or more
> out
> > to sea (or across a harbor). If you have the opportunity
> to
> > do this, by all means do it! Take a look at WAXY 790's
> > pattern to the East and South out of Miami, Florida on
> > www.radio-locator.com. My cousin Mike Thompson was a
> > weekend talk host on that station and he had listeners who
>
> > called from Cuba, even though it's outside of the
> predicted
> > fringe area. Salt water is your friend! -- JasonW
> >
>
S
SamBuca
Guest
A station in the middle of Pennsylvania goes 500 miles out into the Atlantic thanks to salt water.
Put a directional up and blast the bahamas...or let Cuba hear some 50 cent<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
Put a directional up and blast the bahamas...or let Cuba hear some 50 cent
<P ID="signature">______________</P>
> A station in the middle of Pennsylvania goes 500 miles out
> into the Atlantic thanks to salt water.
But if you're putting out a good signal over water in Pennsylvania what obligation do you have to protect faraway stations that are used to having their licensed stations getting similar good coverage? If you're in Pennsylvania operating on the, for the sake of argument, 800, can CKLW complain that you're prohibiting their coverage contour? I know this isn't the most logical question in terms of engineering, but it serves to determine who's in the right.
> into the Atlantic thanks to salt water.
But if you're putting out a good signal over water in Pennsylvania what obligation do you have to protect faraway stations that are used to having their licensed stations getting similar good coverage? If you're in Pennsylvania operating on the, for the sake of argument, 800, can CKLW complain that you're prohibiting their coverage contour? I know this isn't the most logical question in terms of engineering, but it serves to determine who's in the right.
S
SamBuca
Guest
> But if you're putting out a good signal over water in
> Pennsylvania what obligation do you have to protect faraway
> stations that are used to having their licensed stations
> getting similar good coverage? If you're in Pennsylvania
> operating on the, for the sake of argument, 800, can CKLW
> complain that you're prohibiting their coverage contour? I
> know this isn't the most logical question in terms of
> engineering, but it serves to determine who's in the right.
That's not an issue because the signal never goes north...it hits the chesapeake and that's what takes it out into the ocean.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
> Pennsylvania what obligation do you have to protect faraway
> stations that are used to having their licensed stations
> getting similar good coverage? If you're in Pennsylvania
> operating on the, for the sake of argument, 800, can CKLW
> complain that you're prohibiting their coverage contour? I
> know this isn't the most logical question in terms of
> engineering, but it serves to determine who's in the right.
That's not an issue because the signal never goes north...it hits the chesapeake and that's what takes it out into the ocean.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
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