What Equipment to Use For New Station

[Radio-X]

I'm working on the engineering committee for a new LPFM out here. On paper, it looks like we will have a good signal...9w ERP, 100m HAAT on the ridge of a wide hill, transmitter/antenna will be on a pre-existing mast on the roof of a city-owned building with generator and decent free wired internet. Wanted to see if anyone had any ideas or tips on what equipment to purchase. CP has been issued and we are looking at a mid-2016 launch. Obviously, low cost is important related to this...but most important is to pump out that 9w ERP as well as possible.

I will include what thoughts we have come up with so far (not 100% inclusive). Mind you, this is based on a group of a half-dozen armchair engineers:

TX: BW Broadcast 30w ($1750) -- cheapest and lots of folks like BW's stuff. Problem is, we'd probably need a 2 bay antenna to actually get 9w ERP out of a 30w tx. What about the new Nautel 300w tx with built-in Orban processing? Overkill, I know, but if you factor in the built-in processor it could be a cost savings.

Processor: Orban Optimod ($2000-4500) -- most stations I've worked at have these. They sound great but that's a lot of change for an audio processor. I think we could do better.

Antenna: Norwalk Dominator ($250-400) -- Again, I feel we could do better than this. What about SWR FM1? One bay or two bays? Will the cost offset from two bays allow us to buy a cheaper TX with less power?

EAS: Trilithic EasyCAST decoder and radio ($1900-2000). The goal here is FCC compliance, not anything fancy. If we could get a serviceable used decoder that does the job well, I'd be content.

IP/Audio Decoder: Barix 100 ($125-150)

Thanks in advance!

Radio-X

 

[Rob Piotrowski]

You can cut the processor cost by building your own PC with a high performance sound card (like the Marian Trace Alpha) then use a software processor like StereoTool or Breakaway Broadcast (both in the $200 range). Or as you noted just get the Nautel VS300 and skip the processor. Only disadvantage is that if you don't like the builg-in processing you'll incur the cost of adding an outboard unit anyway.

 

[Chuck]

If you by a new BW Broadcast transmitter, it comes with a processor built in, so you can save money there. For an extra $100 or so, you can get a 50 watt BW transmitter, which would mean you could use a single bay antenna. Unless you are using a coat hanger for an antenna and TV coax for a feed line, you should have no problem getting 9 watts ERP. How long is your feed line? Be sure to use good 1/2" foam or better.

The Norwalk antenna is vertically polarized, which is a real disadvantage. In fact your licence probably requires you to be both horizontally and vertically polarized. This antenna also claims over 5 dbi of gain, so if you actually managed to get 30 watts into it, you would be highly illegal. I also don't know if the FCC will approve using this antenna for a LPFM. It is mainly used in pirate radio and in countries with little or no regulation. You should certainly find out before spending any money.

I'd recommend using a real broadcast antenna that is circularly polarized. Two bays is a good idea, and not all that expensive. Look into Nicom or even Progressive Concepts for reasonably priced antennas. There are others too. My favorite is a Penetrator style antenna. They are broad band and need no tuning, but the price for that is efficiency. A single bay usually has a gain factor of 0.46 or so. A two bay full wave spaced pair of them yield near unity gain. I've had excellent luck with this style of antenna. They aren't that expensive. You really do get what you pay for in the world of antennas. The cheapest thing you can buy is usually the same thing that will cause you the most problems. When it is located at the top of a 100 foot tower, you want something that works reliably and can hold up to severe weather conditions. Frequently it costs more to get someone to climb the tower than the cheap antenna you are trying to replace is worth. Just look out for false economy...

As for the EAS, the only ones to consider are the DAS-DEC or the SAGE. Remember that it must be CAP capable and connected to the Internet to be in compliance.

 

[westcoast]

Agree 100% with Chuck.

Specifically, don't go with the Norwalk antenna. Agree with going with a Nicom or Progressive Concepts antenna.

DAS-DEC is the way to go, I just purchased one and it is great. Best EAS system I've used.

Specs of the full-power FM station we are building right now:

-BW 1500 watt Transmitter with built in processor
-Nicom BKG-77
-100 feet LMR-600 Times Microwave 1/2 inch coax
-DAS-DEC Emergency Alert box

 

[jammerdave]

lmr type coax IMD

Agree 100% with Chuck.

Specifically, don't go with the Norwalk antenna. Agree with going with a Nicom or Progressive Concepts antenna.

DAS-DEC is the way to go, I just purchased one and it is great. Best EAS system I've used.

Specs of the full-power FM station we are building right now:

-BW 1500 watt Transmitter with built in processor
-Nicom BKG-77
-100 feet LMR-600 Times Microwave 1/2 inch coax
-DAS-DEC Emergency Alert box

Be careful with the LMR type braid over foil shield types. Here is a sheet on that issue from Andrew. Andrew also sells an LMR type line of coax, but here is a good reason to go with hardline if possible, especially if it's at a site with more than one transmitter. Also, many commercial sites won't even allow that type of coax for the same reasons. Just a heads up. http://www.repeater-builder.com/antenna/andrew/andrew-braid-over-foil-imd.pdf

 

[w0kie]

I tested the KB9VBR J-pole cut to 103.9 MHz using 25 watts from a BW Broadcast transmitter. Range was exactly 8 miles line of sight from a high perch. That antenna costs $65. If you look carefully at the Norwalk Dominator you'll see that it basically looks just like a dressed up J-pole.

 

[Chuck]

I tested the KB9VBR J-pole cut to 103.9 MHz using 25 watts from a BW Broadcast transmitter. Range was exactly 8 miles line of sight from a high perch. That antenna costs $65. If you look carefully at the Norwalk Dominator you'll see that it basically looks just like a dressed up J-pole.

I doubt that either are acceptable for a FCC licensed station, even though they are frequently the choice of pirate radio.

 

[b-turner]

I went with the Monroe Electronics DASDEC-11 EAS unit with built in radios. This is full EAS compliance, allowing to send and receive, which was our choice.

Buying a transmitter with processing is actually cheaper than buying separate units.

Talk to several equipment sellers to get the best price and then ask for a discount for wiring the cash to them. You need to remember we are talking a few to several hundred for shipping, so that discount helps.

 

[Grounded Grid]

Well, if nothing else, you can see what a wide range of options you have to work with here. I'll add a bit!

I would look up the rules on using a vertical antenna. They've changed, and I think I may have seen that LPs can't use them. If they could, the Dominator would work fine. I've seen them in translator and reserved-band service and there's nothing wrong with them. Again though, you should study the rules before selecting one. As mentioned, it is a gain antenna. IF you can legally use it, you might get away with a smaller transmitter, like the "TX-5".

I also like BW transmitters. I use them a lot in Washington. The built-in web interface and processor makes the transmitter a very good value for the money. They sound good and are reliable. In a competitive environment though, I'm not impressed with their built-in processor. BW makes it clear that the internal feature isn't for everyone. They're built around several presets, which you can not adjust. I've used them with decent results in translator and talk services, in smaller markets, mainly in E. Wash. If you need / want extra "oomph" in an area where everyone else is running $10,000 Optimods and Omnias, then you may find yourself wanting more.

I am also a fan of "build-it-yourself" processors, though some engineers of my age are not inclined toward the idea. There used to be a certain resistance to putting a windows-based computer in the transmitter's audio chain. However, some well-known factory boxes are also windows-based. Leif Claesson's Omnia 9 is an example. I've had some computer-based processors in mountaintop installations for over 8 years without problems of any kind.

All this being said, you can certainly try one for yourself without spending a lot of money. A decent computer (read: non-Celeron) with a solid-state hard drive, a good audio card / interface and a Stereo Tool license will give you a fine processor that will do pretty much anything you can imagine and will be clean, competitive and reliable. The Marian Trace Alpha card is most preferred, but is not easy to get and is expensive. Good alternates include the M-Audio "Audiophile 192", the ESI "Juli@" and some of the ASUS Xonar products. The Stereo Tool author says you can get good (composite) service from the on-board HD outputs of some of the newer computers, though the noise floor is not as good as a separate audio card.

Stereo tool can be run in Linux, though I haven't personally done so.

There is another software-based processor, called "Breakaway Broadcast". In many ways, it's an excellent piece of work, though it's been out of development for a few years and the features of "Stereo Tool" have surpassed it. It is another consideration for you to look at, however.

If you don't want to build your own processor, an Omnia One or Inovonics "David" are probably the least expensive, decent products you'll find. Orban has a lower-level processor in the $3,000 range. These processors are all decent, but you may not feel that they compare favorably with the other stations around you. Throwing an extra $7,000 toward the processor box does make a difference.

If your transmitter is not at the studio, I would avoid using the Barix box for an STL. If you have VERY good internet service or a dedicated network radio, they're OK, but don't handle jitter / packet loss as well as the Comrex Bric-Link. I use Barix in a lot of lower-budget applications though. Again, if you have good internet connectivity, are NOT cascading the boxes and don't expect to be dealing with any "golden ears" on your Board, the Barix will work well enough. However, the Bric-Link is more robust, handles errors better, has more codecs to choose from, sounds better... but is more expensive. For your purposes... an FM in a large market, I would lean toward investing in the "better" solution, even if it did cost more.

Be aware that you will not be able to use the station's air monitor in your announcers' headphones. The audio processors and internet stl boxes all introduce a healthy amount of delay, making live monitoring impossible. Keep that in mind as you plan your wiring.

Be sure to add a good UPS to your equipment rack. Aside from the obvious protection functions, some consoles don't return to their settings after a power outage. Even a short blink could force you back to the station to reset things. At the transmitter, a UPS will keep your internet, and maybe even your small transmitter up long enough to send you an alarm. There's a lot of personal preference here. Mine is the Tripp Lite "Smart1500LCD". They're rack-mountable and, so far, I've had only one "out-of-the-box" failure in over 30 installs. The company replaced it quickly. The major feature you need here is that the UPS will start back up after the battery is fully depleted. Some of the office store types won't come back on without holding the power button down to restart them.

The EAS is a matter of personal preference. In my circuit of client stations, all I use is Sage, but from what I read, the Monroe products do the job well. Personally, I haven't run into a DASDEC, so I can't speak to the product. I can see how a single unit with built-in radios could be attractive though.

I don't think you mentioned if you'd be live, automated or both. Have you selected an automation system? That's another area where you'll get a wide variety of opinion

It's always fun to put a new station on the air. Hope it all works out well for you.

 

[Radio-X]

Thank you all so much for the replies!

I have at least convinced everyone to go with the Nautel unit with the built-in processor. If nothing else, it will save us $1-2k over a decent outboard processor, which is needed given the fact that we are a LPFM -- equipment that isn't donated is coming out of everyone's pockets. Getting 14-18 volunteers to split $4-6k in costs is not happening. Until the station signs on, there's not much for fundraising to be done (as in, not a ton of people are interested in donating cash to a radio station not even on the air yet!). Still squabbling over whether to get a Dominator antenna or Jampro, with the few hams on the engineering committee unanimously wanting the Dominator. According to one of the hams, Dominators are OK to use now for LPFM. I still want to confirm this as I thought all LPFM tx equipment had to be FCC certified.

Good news is, we have had a couple of stations around here change hands and another cluster in town that just upgraded some of their equipment. Some of the hams working here know the former GM from a recently-sold station and a CE for the upgraded cluster. Our tx plant is not here: that's on us, but we got a ton of older donated equipment for the studio. Stuff like a Sage EAS unit, a proper studio monitoring system (complete with well-worn Sony DJ cans!) 14-channel Mackie mixer used for remotes...not really made for continuous broadcasting use over 5-10 years, but the cost of all this makes it hard as heck to pass up!

As for automation...that's a sticky situation. I personally have experience only with Scott Studios and Prophet. Both of those have kinda gone the way of the Dodo, so I'm keeping quiet about my opinions. Also, I think a lot of non-radio folks (have a lot of em at this LPFM!) kind of look at you funny when you mention "unless you want to find the staff to run it for free 24/7 or sign it off overnights, we gotta have a computer to play stuff over the air!" I figure they must assume every station on the planet has somebody in there all the time, swapping out CD's, running the board, taking requests, etc.

I will say, my first commercial station (country) I worked at had a SS32 used at WPTE-FM in Norfolk, VA in the mid 90's. It was a very easy system to learn and operate with the touch screen in the studio (simple might do best at a LPFM) Even the DOS based production interface wasn't awful! Occasionally for the first few months until I learned how to delete hot keys, a greasy finger on the touchscreen would slip and instead of "Community Calendar Bed - Uptempo" you'd touch the 90's WPTE liners..it was fun having to explain that we were NOT beginning to play "Hampton Road's Modern Music".

I will say, that SS32 system, with its 4GB hard drives and its 10 years (at that time) of continuous use never did lock up or go on the fritz. Last time I checked, they got about 7 more years of use out of it after I left, leaving it as a fully-functional backup at the transmitter site 5 years ago with a used WideOrbit system in its place. With durability like that, it's kinda hard to steer away from a mid-late 90's SS32...They are the 80's Volvos of the automation world, I reckon. Just like an 80's Volvo, I'm sure they can be picked up for next to nothing nowadays.

ETA for sign on is still this June! I'll keep folks posted and ask any pressing questions I may have!

Radio-X

 

[rfburns]

The Nautel is an excellent choice. I recently installed a VS300 with built in Orban processing for a new LPFM and was impressed with the sound. As for the Dominator antenna... you need to check the construction permit. If it specifies circular polarization (H & V), you can't use a vertical only antenna like the Dominator unless you file a modification to the construction permit. I'm partial to the Nicom BK-77 - it is a broadband antenna, so no tuning is required. If you ever have to relocate to another frequency (I've seen it happen with LPFM stations more than once), no retuning of the antenna is required.

RFB

 

[Grounded Grid]

Thank you all so much for the replies!

I have at least convinced everyone to go with the Nautel unit with the built-in processor.... Radio-X

Wow! Congrats on getting a Nautel. At least one piece of gear you won't have to worry much about.

 

[xmtrland]

Check out Station Play list for automation. It's what we use at Voice of Vashon. Doesn't break the bank and reliable.

 

[Chuck]

If you are doing a LPFM and do not need to account for commercials - since they are prohibited - then the free version of Zara will do all any normal LPFM needs. The price is right, FREE. How can you go wrong? It is rock solid and very easy to use. If you really do want to be able to account for each "underwriting announcement," then the paid version will suite you nicely. It is very reasonably priced. I operate two commercial stations using it (Zara Studio - the paid version) with no complaints. They have recently released a traffic program to interface with Zara Studio. I haven't tried it as yet, but it is high on my list of things to do in the new year.

 

[Cross_Field]

While everyone is in agreement on the Nautel transmitter, there seems to be some confusion over the type of antennas allowed by the FCC here. LPFM and Translators are able to take advantage of the improved efficiency and reduced costs vertical polarization offers. If you're interested in seeing if the Dominator is accepted for use by the FCC in these applications, you'll need to search it by the NWE-34 model number. Doing a Google search for "FCC NWE-34 Antenna" shows there are dozens of fully licensed stations using it with impressive TPO and ERP levels.

 

[Kelly A]

Doing a Google search for "FCC NWE-34 Antenna" shows there are dozens of fully licensed stations using it with impressive TPO and ERP levels.

How does one get "impressive" Transmitter Power Output "levels"? Your station, LPFM or otherwise, is given a Construction Permit for a predetermined Effective Radiated Power, which includes TPO into a particular polarity and antenna gain. Your station must be built to those approved specifications, including a type approved antenna and transmitter combination to be licensed.

 

[Cross_Field]

How does one get "impressive" Transmitter Power Output "levels"? Your station, LPFM or otherwise, is given a Construction Permit for a predetermined Effective Radiated Power, which includes TPO into a particular polarity and antenna gain. Your station must be built to those approved specifications, including a type approved antenna and transmitter combination to be licensed.

Kelly, I'm sorry for the way I worded that. After reading it, I should have said the TPO used to produce the rated ERP was impressive. I am familiar with the Construction Permit and the point I was trying to make is that antenna in question has received many "Antenna ID" numbers issued by the FCC for LPFM and Translators.

 

[Kelly A]

No problem, understood now. I just wasn't interpreting your comment the way you meant it.

On another discussion board, occasionally we get inquiries from new LPFM CP recipients asking what amounts to; what type of transmission equipment should we buy? Ultimately one of us grizzled broadcast engineer types will respond with the basics like: It depends what was in your CP. Clearly some of the folks involved with building the facility, weren't involved in the original engineering in the CP application, don't pay attention to those requirements, hoping to purchase one of those "broadcast antennas" via EBay, because it's cheap.

 

[EngineeringDog]

Late to this topic, but I'd stay away from that Barix unless your WAN is rock solid.. I'd much prefer the lower cost units from APT or Tieline. In addition to better stability, these boxes offer other codec options.....