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Try a LPAM?

butlerguy03

butlerguy03

Currently I live in Indianapolis and work in radio. I am in the final stages of getting a much better paying job outside of radio, but want to continue. I was wondering what kind of range I expect to get in suburban Indianapolis, broadcasting basically news, info, weather, ect to a suburban area with a lot of single family homes. I figure I could flip over to the NWS when severe storms roll through, give school information (that the local high school radio station doesn't do), and announce fun things like birthdays, ect. I would like to do an all acoustic music station, but that may be hard to do. Any ideas on where to get started? I love the lpam.net website and have some good ideas about what to program (my current job anyway) but the technical stuff is hard for me to grasp sometimes.

Thanks,
Future Westside Indianapolis Community Radio Operator
 
From someone who has built 3 different low power AMs..

The easiest one is the one I just built using a Rangemaster transmitter
http://www.am1000rangemaster.com. This transmitter, a whip antenna and a decent
ground system will get you on the air.

If you're not technical, add the module tells you when you're at the correct level by
showing a green light when you're tuned correctly. The website gives you more details.

Coverage varies from location to location...I get about 2 miles, and the coverage area is
a little "spotty". But neighbors, family and friends can hear it, and that's all that really
mattered in this instance. I've gotten about 14 reception reports from folks, so ar least
a few people have noticed it. I've not locally announced anything yet.

Here is my website for it:

http://www.musicbox1610.com

Hope this is helpful. Good luck to you!
 
I have worked at a Print Shop on the east side of Indy on old rt 40. I remember a lot of brick structures.
You will need to find a good open lot or double lot to put in a full radial system to get THROUGH the brick buildings not just for
reception, but to accomplish worthwhile distance. I live in a similar Chicago neighborhood, and am unable to provide a proper ground.
As such, my part 15 signal goes 1 city block at best on any frequency except off-band, where it might go 3.
Elevating the antenna open a whole 'nother can of worms, and it may or my not be your answer.
See other threads for a full dead horse thrashing on THAT topic.

How far on the west side? The farther out you get, the easier it all gets to do the best way.
 
It's almost as far west as you can get in the city before Avon. In Marion County, but in a neighborhood off of Bridgeport Road between Morris Street and Rockville Road. There isn't a lot of concrete and brick structures, but there are a lot of two story houses and tall, old growth trees. Honestly, I am new to AM in general...I wish LPFM got further than 2-3 houses away!
 
What I'm seeing on Google Earth is a lot of big back yards for a radial system, and many of them have a CREEK in the back yard, for
incredible AM bang-for-the buck if you can tie your ground to it. You should be able to get 1 mile here with proper attention paid.
Newer frame houses matter little, unless framed in steel, then they can't hear AM inside anyway.
 
Alan McCall said:
Neighbors, family and friends can hear it, and that's all that really mattered in this instance. I've gotten about 14 reception reports from folks, so far least a few people have noticed it. I've not locally announced anything yet.
Click to expand...

Alan,

What did you do to publicize your station? How did you get the word out about it?
 
Tom Wells said:
What I'm seeing on Google Earth is a lot of big back yards for a radial system, and many of them have a CREEK in the back yard, for incredible AM bang-for-the buck if you can tie your ground to it.
Click to expand...

Just to note that even if ground conductivities were higher in and near the creek than in the surrounding dry land, the creek will do little to improve the performance of a monopole and good radial ground system.

Significant r-f current is induced into the ground by radiation from the monopole to distances at least 1/2 wavelength away from it. For best radiation efficiency those currents need to be gathered by the radial wires, and returned to the ground terminal of the antenna system. That calls for the radials to surround the monopole, because that is where the greatest induced current is found.

Buried radial wires have much better conductivity than a creek, or even sea water, and if 120 of them are used and they are 1/4-wave long, then there is no need to try to "tie" into a creek, or salt the ground around the monopole.

A single point "ground" can have zero contact resistance to the earth around it, but r-f currents will still have high loss as they pass through the earth from all directions around the monopole to reach that ground. And that will reduce the radiation efficiency of the antenna system.
//
 
Tom Wells said:
What I'm seeing on Google Earth is a lot of big back yards for a radial system, and many of them have a CREEK in the back yard, for
incredible AM bang-for-the buck if you can tie your ground to it. You should be able to get 1 mile here with proper attention paid.
Newer frame houses matter little, unless framed in steel, then they can't hear AM inside anyway.
Click to expand...

Exxxxcellent (in my Monty Burns voice). So I am looking at the am1000rangemaster, is that a good choice for this area?

BTW, the print shop you worked wasn't BCT, was it? My brother works there.
 
RickRadio,

I've only done some word of mouth so far. I've not yet "officially" launched locally. But some of my
radio engineer friends know about it since they helped me with it.

When I started my Internet station in 2001, the local paper came out and did a story about it.
I don't think they'll do that for the 100mw pea-shooter, though!
 
butlerguy03 said:
Tom Wells said:
What I'm seeing on Google Earth is a lot of big back yards for a radial system, and many of them have a CREEK in the back yard, for
incredible AM bang-for-the buck if you can tie your ground to it. You should be able to get 1 mile here with proper attention paid.
Newer frame houses matter little, unless framed in steel, then they can't hear AM inside anyway.
Click to expand...

Exxxxcellent (in my Monty Burns voice). So I am looking at the am1000rangemaster, is that a good choice for this area?

BTW, the print shop you worked wasn't BCT, was it? My brother works there.
Click to expand...
No, it was Print Communications on the east side. Washington and Tacoma. It's a web press shop.
Any of the type accepted AM tranmitters should be able as good a job as any of the others. 100mw is 100 mw.
 
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