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Unlicensed FM radio transmitters made in NH

Started by FreeRadio, April 07, 2015, 08:49 AM NHFT

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FreeRadio

Here is a copy from my post on freestateproject: http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?topic=28268.0

FYI: It is legal to use these transmitters without a license in low power mode only.

Quote
I am new to the forums. I currently live in northern New Hampshire and am considering moving to Keene later this year. I'm a computer/technology nerd who's recently been working on a design for a high quality 15W FM transmitter. The transmitter I'm building will be far superior to the transmitters that can be purchased off ebay from china (higher spectral purity). The final product will have a low power legal mode (about 200-300ft range) and a high power 15 watt mode for license holders/pirates (about 6-10 miles range). If I have enough time to finish designing this year, I was thinking about selling them at PorcFest and online. I was just wondering how many people would be interested in purchasing? (They are very time consuming to build, so I'd rather not end up with a big surplus.)

The pricing would be aprox:
$120 - transmitter soldering kit - you build the circuit board (most people probably don't want this)
$175 - for the transmitter only
$195 - for the transmitter and the 12V power supply (medical grade  Grin )
$245 - for the transmitter, power supply, and antenna custom tuned to your specific frequency (all you have to do is provide an audio source and a high place for the antenna)

The transmitter will meet all FCC specifications, but will not be "FCC certified".

It will most likely be about $20-30 cheaper than listed (these are worst case prices)

Let me know if you'd be interested.

MaineShark


Free libertarian



Thank you for offering this.  It could be very useful.

I was hoping for something better than smoke signals after the Apocalypse.

...although, I was prepared to make do with smoke signals.   ;D

MaineShark

Also, is this a transmitter, only, or a transceiver?

blackie

 Sounds like a FM transmitter from 88.1 to 107.9 MHz if it meets FCC specs.

It is going to be really hard to compete with the Chinese stuff, even if your quality is better.

I have a SDA-15B.

FreeRadio

Sorry I didn't make that clear. Yes, it is an FM broadcast band (87-108 MHz band) transmitter.

QuoteIt is going to be really hard to compete with the Chinese stuff, even if your quality is better.

I have a SDA-15B.

Yes, I know. The sound quality of the Chinese units are not too bad, so most people assume that's all there is to it. If you have a spectrum analyzer, you can see all the interference signals produced by those transmitters. Not only does this reduce the range (with the same power level), but it can cause interference with other stations or the aircraft band. The interference is usually what gets people in trouble. You can think of the signal like a laser beam vs a spot light (mine vs Chinese).

MaineShark

Well, in terms of your question, then, I'm guessing the interest would be fairly low.  Most folks interested in radio, in my experience, are looking for two-way communication.  I can imagine interest in something like that if it was dirt cheap, but for that kind of money, I can purchase a 75-Watt 2-meter transceiver. 

I could be wrong, but I'd suggest that you bring one example (I'm assuming you've actually built one for yourself, or plan to do so), and take orders for any that others might want to purchase.  Maybe there will be a lot of interest, but I think that you'd run a lot less risk that way, and most folks making that kind of investment would probably be looking to pay you by check or something, anyway, and therefore you'd want time before delivery to make sure the payment cleared - doesn't seem like an impulse-buy, even if there was a lot of interest.

Tom Sawyer


FreeRadio

@MaineShark: Yeah, it'd probably be best to just bring an example and then take "build to order" orders.

@Tom: Mostly LRN.FM. I might also occasionally play some underground electronic, metal, house music (stuff you'd never hear on the radio).

In a perfect situation, I'd have the transmitter positioned somewhere on top of a mountain with a small solar panel and a car battery. Then depending on if it is line of sight or not, I'd either have an infrared audio link or a USB that I load the shows on and hike up to update. Antenna height makes much more difference in range than watts does.

Russell Kanning


FreeRadio

QuoteThank you for offering this.  It could be very useful.

I was hoping for something better than smoke signals after the Apocalypse.

...although, I was prepared to make do with smoke signals.

Even though the first thought may be that an FM broadcast transmitter would not be useful in such a situation because it is not a two-way radio. Actually, I think the argument could be made that it is more useful than a two-way ham radio in that situation. Only a limited number of people own ham radios, however everyone has an FM radio receiver. If TSHTF, you would reach many more people with one of these than with a ham radio.

Also most of the Chinese radios are illegal as soon as you turn them on. This radio will be in legal mode by default unless you select the high power mode.

FreeRadio

Quoteinteresting

Does that equate to interested? haha  :)

Russell Kanning

not me ... not at this time
I am sure to others though.

Dave Ridley

Contact Ian Freeman from FreeTalkLive.com ... he can help get you on the air.