I was looking at the iAMradio website, which has some new information about their recently redesign of the iAM transmitter. Because my intended community for the AM signal is the Lafayette area, as opposed to Tallahassee itself, I gave myself the goal of working to get the upgraded iAM system with ATU on the air, hopefully by Christmas.
Lafayette itself is unincorporated and is at most about 1.5 miles west of me and about a mile to the east. There are mostly pastures to the south, and a major highway close to 1/2 mile to the north.
I have had one transmitter that covered this area and that was the Cunningham. I am really hoping to get this done as no one hears 1610 now except for me and the pets. Except for the listeners on the stream, that is.
May have to bake and sell a lot of goodies to pay for it that quickly!
Directional antenna?
From the way it sounds, your population is a mile or more away from where you are? I wonder if some sort of directional antenna might be beneficial? I believe that no matter what sort of transmitter one uses you eventually hit a wall where even 95% effeciency (which I don’t believe is attained yet with any of them) is still working of the maximum input allowed. methinks most benefits can be obtained through creative antenna experimenting. I have no experience in this myself as far as Part 15 stuff goes — I’m using Procaster with it’s included antenna, mounted three storied up on an attic window and I get about a mile solid, as much as 2-3 but quite weak but completely covers my town as I live in the middle of it, and it’s maybe 1/2 mile long from one end to the other and three blocks wide! But I know directional arrays for full blown commercial AM’s, and directional antennas for ham use can make a hell of a difference. And I know that use of “aimed” ground radials can also greatly focus a signal. Basically a directional antenna would focus what is now wasted radiation that’s going in the wrong direction and focus it all the right way. I’m not well versed in antenna design enough to come up with ideas, but one could easily experiment. Just tossing that out there. Or perhaps locate a transmitter in Lafayette and feed audio to it possibly through internet?
Good luck!
Tim in Bovey
Interesting points, Tim…
I think the population is a little closer, say maybe 1/2 mile to 2/3 mile, and beyond, except for south.
Interesting ideas, though. I will put the iAM almost in the middle of Lafayette and see what kind of coverage I am able to get.