Shortwave Coverage To The Fishing Fleet

[HudsonValley1967]

My coastal town has a FM Community Station. When our fishing fleet heads out they can copy the FM signal line of sight. Past the curve of the earth, the FM signal goes away (physics is neat). I was thinking a SW element to the station could serve the fishing fleet. Perhaps
a signal in the 41M band could be found. I was thinking a 1KW transmitter with a sturba curtain antenna would provide the coverage (this would keep costs low). Comments? Yes, I know the history of low and high-power stations on shortwave (unless they are financed by bible-beaters) is one of failure. This operation would have an operating studio, staff and budget already in place. The shortwave element would be just an adjunct.

 

[KeithE4]

My coastal town has a FM Community Station. When our fishing fleet heads out they can copy the FM signal line of sight. Past the curve of the earth, the FM signal goes away (physics is neat). I was thinking a SW element to the station could serve the fishing fleet. Perhaps a signal in the 41M band could be found. I was thinking a 1KW transmitter with a sturba curtain antenna would provide the coverage (this would keep costs low). Comments? Yes, I know the history of low and high-power stations on shortwave (unless they are financed by bible-beaters) is one of failure. This operation would have an operating studio, staff and budget already in place. The shortwave element would be just an adjunct.

A transmitter on 41 meters would be restricted to 7310-7600 kHz due to hams having exclusive use of 7200-7300 in the Western Hemisphere. 49 meters might be better, though. Or maybe even 60 meters, since the FCC is licensing religious broadcasters in the tropical bands (60 & 90 meters) now.

Also, the FCC has a strict policy about shortwave broadcasting being used for domestic audiences: They don't allow it, and haven't since the end of WW2. But maybe their minds could be changed if it could be proven that such a station would work, maybe under an experimental license for 1 kW (IIRC, the minimum power for a shortwave broadcaster in the US is 50 kW).

 

[rbrucecarter5]

My coastal town has a FM Community Station. When our fishing fleet heads out they can copy the FM signal line of sight. Past the curve of the earth, the FM signal goes away (physics is neat). I was thinking a SW element to the station could serve the fishing fleet. Perhaps
a signal in the 41M band could be found. I was thinking a 1KW transmitter with a sturba curtain antenna would provide the coverage (this would keep costs low). Comments? Yes, I know the history of low and high-power stations on shortwave (unless they are financed by bible-beaters) is one of failure. This operation would have an operating studio, staff and budget already in place. The shortwave element would be just an adjunct.

I see the Alaska crab fishermen on TV communicate through some type of radio, and they seem to have direct contact with the Coast guard when necessary on some band.

I was going to mention the FCC injunction, but someone beat me to it. I think that regulation is an anachronism, probably time for the FCC to revisit it, because that would provide a lot of room for relief on the AM band as other countries abandon shortwave for the web.

From what I can see of those fishermen, they don't listen to a lot of radio, but do have DVD players and TVs to watch movies. Not sure how much they do, because they are well advised to take any opportunity to sleep.

I wonder if AM would be a more workable solution than FM. A no compromise half wave tower, with properly maintained radials would have a tremendous reach across water. I know that Tampa Bay stations are easy to receive in Galveston during the day, and vise versa with some of the Houston stations making it across the Gulf with no problem. That is several hundred miles.

 

[KeithE4]

I see the Alaska crab fishermen on TV communicate through some type of radio, and they seem to have direct contact with the Coast guard when necessary on some band.

There are still marine and aircraft allocations in the HF bands, and they are still used. But they probably have VHF radios on their boats.

I was going to mention the FCC injunction, but someone beat me to it. I think that regulation is an anachronism, probably time for the FCC to revisit it, because that would provide a lot of room for relief on the AM band as other countries abandon shortwave for the web.

There aren't enough shortwave listeners in the US (probably tens of thousands who listen regularly, with most of those being hams) to justify moving current AM stations there. There's plenty of room in the bands though, both because of the number of transmitters declining and the bands being wider now than they used to be back in shortwave's heyday.

From what I can see of those fishermen, they don't listen to a lot of radio, but do have DVD players and TVs to watch movies. Not sure how much they do, because they are well advised to take any opportunity to sleep.

Does satellite radio work into the ocean, or is the beam restricted to the continental US and Canada, plus Alaska and Hawaii?

I wonder if AM would be a more workable solution than FM. A no compromise half wave tower, with properly maintained radials would have a tremendous reach across water. I know that Tampa Bay stations are easy to receive in Galveston during the day, and vise versa with some of the Houston stations making it across the Gulf with no problem. That is several hundred miles.

AM might work better yet, if the power is high enough - 5 or 10 kW? But would it be cheaper than the proposed shortwave station?