It is not possible to have hundreds of miles of range on FM broadcast band (87.5MHz to 108MHz), even if terrain is perfectly flat and you have your antenna on the top of the mountain and you're using killowatts of power. It is occasionally possible due to special atmospheric conditions, such as inversion etc. Such special conditions happen rarely and only last for a very short time so it is not possible to rely upon them in any way. In order to cover so many square miles it is necessary to setup a grid of transmitters and link them via wireless audio links, making sure they do not transmit at the same frequency as they could interfere.

Finally, for absolute novice, there is no difference in range between transmitters of different manufacturers, provided they're operating at the same power level. The difference can show in audio quality, reliability, life span and spurious emissions. There are no secret designs or techniques to reach further with the same amount of power out there.

2. What are the building blocks of a radio station, what do I need to setup a radio station
Incidentally, we have provided a number of prepared complete packages for you, containing everything you need to start broadcasting immediately and explaining what is included in the package. These complete packages can be found here. It is recommended that you check them out even if you do not intend on purchasing any of them, just to get some feel of what you need.

Here is a quick list of things you need to start your own radio station:

A.) FM radio Transmitter
This can be any of our FM transmitters, depending on your budget and your target range. If you just want to cover your property (house, apartment, yard), think about PCI MAX. This transmitter is a PC card, you can insert it into your PC (just like any other computer board) and it turns your PC into a FM radio station.

If you want a higher quality solution, think about our boxed standalone transmitters. This is the way to go for everything but the most basic setups. Note that you can still use your PC to play audio and simply connect your sound card to the external stand-alone transmitter. Beginners are advised to consider either Cyber Max Micro or Cyber Max FM+ 15W (v2) for their first radio station. 15W will satisfy most small comunity radio stations, college radio stations, drive-in cinemas, village setups, tunnel radios or small transponders. If you need more power, consider stronger unit or get 15W or 25W now and add a 1KW amplifier later.

Yet cheaper are our FM KIT boards (either assembled or in a KIT form). They are just the FM exciter and require a stereo encoder to produce stereo signal. They also require a bit more knowledge to mount into a case, wire audio and other connections and operate. A novice is advised to check our boxed units instead.

B.) Antenna.
PCI MAX comes with a very rudimentary short-range small handy antenna. All other transmitters require a proper antenna and as a consequence provide vastly superior range. There are two major antenna groups, the directional (transmit most of the power in one direction and thus provide substantial gain) and omnidirectional (transmit in all directions, lower gain). You need to be carefull about several things:
- Antenna needs to be placed as high as possible, preferably on a roof or a highly elevated tower.
- Keep your coaxial cable as short as possible, but still make sure antenna is at least a few meters away from the transmitters and other audio equipment.
- Choose a good location. A mountain top is just about perfect
- Keep your antenna away from audio gear and computer/power supply/transmitter. Also well away from TV or other antennas, cable TV coax and other installations.
- A good antenna system is a much better investment than an amplifier.

Also check our antenna guide.

C.) Coaxial cable
T transfers the energy from your transmitter to the antenna. The exact type needed depends on the length of cable, power level and your budget. Short cable and low-power installations are happy with RG-58 or RG-213, for longer runs and higher power levels use a better cable. You can check specs and buy coaxial cable here.

Cyber max FM 15W with Comet antenna, coaxial cable and a PC, a simple radio station primer

Comparison table of our Cyber Max models, showing differences between models

What are the benefits of DSP stereo encoder?
Very shart input filters with a deep 19KHz notch, advanced signal processing with compressor and limiter, all adjustable via LCD display

What is RDS?
Radio Data System, basically it displays station name and sometimes song name and similar information on a compatible radio receiver. Very popular in Europe, less so in the US. Requires connection to a PC at the time of programming, but retains settings even when powered off. Serial programming cable for COM port is included.

What are XLR inputs?
These are balanced audio inputs, usually used by professionals. Their advantage is immunity to noise and ground loops. Hum and other noise artefacts that sometimes torment operators due to ground loops usually magically dissapear once XLR inputs are used.