Hi Guys Have any you guys tried North Country Radio Kits out you can purchase as a kit or assemble and tested . Just posting i dont know if any you guys know about it.
1) RFMT Rf field strength meter/bug dector 100khz to 3000mhz.
2) LF90 LF Transmitter licence free 1 watt out with 50 foot ant freq from 160khz to 190 khz.
3) MF90 MEDFER Version 1400khz to 1710khz 100 milliwatts.
4) Here is the Web Site: www.northcountryradio.com
Good luck and have fun jeff
The Guy Who Thinks He Knows
Yes, I am the guy who “thinks he knows” how to answer some of the questions about part 15 radio. I tend to be too lazy to look it up for sure, so I give opinions for others to correct.
Let’s get to work. I think that North Country Radio is in the U.K., which means they are not subject to FCC Rules from the U.S. regarding fully-built uncertified transmitters. They can build and sell all they want.
In the U.S., although it is against the rule to build and sell part 15 AM transmitters, it is NOT against the law to buy them, which is interesting.
But not so fast on importing an RF amplifier to give an extra kick to a part 15 signal. The rules say, so I think, that we cannot own RF amplifiers intended to boost micro-signals. Heck.
One last thing. Word is that the North Country products are good quality worth the investment.
OH, and in the U.S. it’s legal to buy, own, build, and operate a 50,000 Watt AM transmitter without a license so long as you do it inside a tunnel surrounded by earth and water and the cave opening field strength does not exceed part 15 levels. Start digging.
I have a North Country Radio FM transmitter
I know this isn’t the same as what is mentioned
above, but my MPX-96 FM transmitter from
North Country Radio is very good. This transmitter
was built for me by a friend.
I think North Country Radio is in the U.S.
Here are a few notes about the FM transmitter.
You build it for a certain part of the FM band,
so it is not as frequency agile as some transmitters.
Mine is on 90.9 MHz. I think it has more descrete
components, as opposed to ICs, but I’m not sure.
It is not a kit for beginners. There are a lot of
components there. Reportedly, there is also a
coil that is tricky to make, but it don’t know
anything else about it.
You have to do a few things to comply with Part 15.239.
Mine puts out 100 mW. I think it can also be built with
10 mW out. Obviously, this is way too much power.
I have four 6 dB attenuators between the output and
the transmitting antenna. The antenna is a teeny thing,
so it’s about a half a mW going into a little antenna.
The signal stays in my yard. Also, my friend built
a stereo/mono switch, which is great.
As far as longwave is concerned:
I think the LF-90 (and MF-90) are designed for Morse
code and various digital protocols. Not any kind
of voice modes, like AM. The digital modes make the
large DX distances possible.
I love longwave. If I was in a good area, I would
buy an LF-90, and the longwave receiving converter
that they have. In other words, I would build a
LOWFER station for 160 to 190 kHz.
That would really be fun.
Best Wishes,
Bruce, DOGRADIO
Good Point Raised
MICRO DOGRADIO STUDIO brings an interesting point. He says that a friend built him a part 15 transmitter. Think about it. By NOT CHARGING, the friend has managed to bypass the rule that forbids CHARGING for building transmitters.
So, in the business model put forward by massage parlors, building transmitters can be legal if a charge is made FOR SOME OTHER SERVICE, just not transmitter building.
I will charge $150 for sweeping your porch, and will build you an AM transmitter for free.
Actuaally, my MPX-96 was a birthday present
My friend lives in California. We were
big radio buddies in high school and
college. He had a great Part 15 station
in high school. He built a beautiful control
board from scrap metal. And this was about
1971 or 72.
Anyway, I think he got the MPX-96 from
an electronics store out there that sells
kits. He was going to get a Ramsey FM-25B,
but the store didn’t have any left. I think this
store was part of a chain of stories. I can’t
remember the name and I’ll have to check
on the story. This was at least 5 or 6 years
ago. I’m really glad I ended up with the MPX-96.
It sounds great and is built like a tank.
I miss my friend very much. I wish we lived closer
together. (I’m in CT.)
So the MPX-96 was part of a teeny little Part 15
set-up that I nicknamed GNAT 90.9. It had some other
nicknames as well. My Maxell FM transmitter on
88.3 went by the nickname of SLUG 88.3. (My very
strange sense of humor.)
The small signals from these transmitters didn’t
go anywhere – but I liked the names anyway.
I also have a “Whole House” version 1.0 board
on 107.5. I never came up with a sutable (in my mind) name for
that one. As mentioned before, my C Crane has
been lent out for a long time.
As mentioned before, if I had the real estate for
a 160 – 190 kHz LOWFER set-up, I would buy
the transmitter and receive converter from
North Country Radio TOMORROW. Maybe I
will anyway. After all – these are very rare
pieces of gear. You never know if you will
be at a place where there is enough land
to experiment with longwave. It could
happen sometime. Many years ago, a
company made a 160 to 190 kHz transciever.
I wish I had bought it back then. I think they
are very very hard to get.
It’s all fun.
Best Wishes to all.
Bruce, DOGRADIO
North Country Radio is in Hartford, NY.
They have a great website. Just look
on any search engine.
Bruce, DOGRADIO