Part 15 FCC

Discussions regarding our FM transmitters, DX reports, antenna designs, problems...

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Mickey
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Part 15 FCC

Post by Mickey »

Does someone know how much power I can use in the FM band and still complying with Part 15.239 of the FCC (250μV/m at 3m)?
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part 15

Post by RadioMan »

most likely i'm wrong, but i think it is now in distance of signal. Like 100 feet or something.

When I was 15 yrs old, I had a pirate AM transmitter. Under part 15, AT THAT TIME(1963), it was "100mw and not more that a 10 foot antenna"- for AM transmitters. So I guess that if you were in a lead room with a dummy load, you could x-mitt at 100,000 watts as long as you didn't go more than 35 feet?

I'm probably wrong, but that is what I remember!

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Post by Sir Nigel »

I don't think a part 15 exists for FM. For FM I think it's 250mw. But that's not part 15.
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Post by frankh19 »

Part-15 power on FM works out to be about 25 mw.

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Post by RadioMan »

so...35 to 200 feet is about right at 25mw & an antenna of 10 feet.
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Post by Mickey »

I don't think that 25 mW are allowed in the FM band. Preliminary test show about 1/4 a mile with just 1 mW and a simple dipole antenna...
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Post by frankh19 »

I should have qualified my response. From what I've observed, it's 25 mw into a whip or wire antenna. A dipole is a much more efficient antenna.

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Post by Antler »

FWIW, with 20 mw and a radio shack collapseable scanner antenna, 3 or 4 blocks sounds about right using a good receiver on the other end.

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WHY WASTE YOUR TIME AND THAT OF OTHERS

Post by Vania_B »

Please excuse me i am a relatively :) "ignorant" :) of the Technical Jargon in regards to the FCC rules of transmitting on the Broadcast Freqs as far as power vs distance is concerned. But useing my commonsense of interpretation i would say that haveing an audience of only a few blocks is not what i consider to be serveing a Community of a very mixed and varied ethnic demographics.And that is what it boils down to..a few measly Blocks of sporadic coverage...From my position at MPD i can communicate with folks from Key Biscayne..Little Havanna and Little Haiti.

In such communities,there is not enough Interest from a revenue makeing criterior as per Corprorate Radio to entice them enough to offer the type of programming that they would consider "Mainstream" advertiseing etc..etc..

Now i do work in a environment wherby i field calls from a Ethnic area of Miami that is of Haitian and Cuban demographics(MPD) and after carefull thought i would like to offer these few observations of mine:

a)The Haitian Callers whom i have to attend to from my 911 position are usually not proficient in the English Language and therefore somewhat unfamiliar with Police work protocol.and myself and others have to desptach officers or field calls that are somewhat not a matter for handleing by aPolice officer or the 911 dept.....Such calls ties our time and limits the effective resources of the 911 System whose resources are already stretched thin because of faulty equipment..Hostile work environment and lack of proper proceedural training.

b)The many irrelevant issues that i personally as well as others have to attend to,it is my belief that a properly coordianted Community Radio Station would be one of the answers to Educateing the un informed members of a Community such as "Little Haiti" and also the Haitian Population that has migrated up from 54 ST. to North Miami.
Such a station would allow Well respected members of the Haitian Community to Educate the Haitian masses,useing a Combination of Culturally specific Music and programm content that would not be of interest to other members outside of that Ethnic group..Such actions would relieve the strian placed on the Various Police precincts and the 911 OPERATORS,Whom can then devote their time and resources to areas of criminal acvtivity.

c)Also my blessings of being able to speak,French,Creole,English and Spanish brings me in phone contact with other members of the Community other than the Creole speaking constituents,and here again we can use the shared proggramming capabilities of a well organized Community Radio Station to help promote a sense of togetherness among the other Ethnic groups of such Communities..Thereby reduceing the Ignorant attitudes that can only encourage animosity and hatred among the disgruntled masses..Hence another fringe benefit to the police officers,which helps them in maintaining safer neighbourhoods and communities.

I trust that i may have added a perspective from a 911 operators point of view.

Also i heard of a gentleman that with the help of some other Haitian folks out on the West Coast of Florida Naples to be exact,was able to secure the support of some Haitian Community Radio activists and he was able to Build a station Running 300 W into a 4Bay array of circular polarized Antennas and he was able top allow the Communities Starting from about 3 miles from EXIT 15 on I75 to about Exit 18 and 360 degs.. around Coverage from a Station Labelled Radio NEW STAR 100.5 mhz.

Actually as a Haitian roots and culture female i am amazed that he was able to corral the cooperationh of a group of Haitian men to accomplish such a feat..Truly amazeing that was..Maybe the folks with such a desire to show the Haitian Ethnic Community of Little Haiti//North Miami and the silent critics what working together can accomplish instead of working with folks with Hidden agendas(typical Haitian mentality).

Regards Vania B..(A 911 Communicator)
"Desire for approval and recognition is a healthy motive."".Hence as modern day strong and enterpriseing female and MOTHER i am on a mission to encourage other Ladies to be strong in attitudes and personal endeavours whilst being respectfull of others
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FROM ANOTHER FORUM OF COMMUNITY RADIO ACTIVISTS(YAHOO)

Post by Vania_B »

rom: "coyoteradiotheater" <coyoteradiotheater@y...>
Date: Fri Jun 11, 2004 1:16 pm
Subject: Mr Pirate - Can't We All Just Get Along?


Howdy from Arizona,

Two local non-profits in our area have spent the last four years
working through the FCC's Low Power FM (LPFM) license
process. We (Prescott Community Access Channel & Coyote
Radio) have teamed up and made it through the process with a
lot of patience and legal fees, as well. Supposedly, we'll be
seeing a Construction Permit in the next two weeks or so.

We made plans to mount a Part 15 transmitter at a busy
intersection to announce the coming lower power service.

Suddenly, a pirate broadcaster - putting out a mix of music with
no announcing - has shown up on 94.3, the frequency we
applied for and the frequency we thought to mount our part 15
transmitter on as a place-marker.

How do we locate this illegal transmitter and ask these folks to
stop it?

I know we could contact the FCC, but I get the feeling this would
be rather low on their To Do List.

I can't seem to find any info on triangulating RF sources. Do you
know of a cheap way to do this?

Appreciate any help,

Andrew Johnson-Schmit
Coyote Radio
Prescott, AZ
928-925-6830
http://www.coyoteradio.org

I recieved a call from someone whom was very curious to hear my views in regards to this message posted by someone from the Yahoo Pirate Radio Group.

Well we all can agree that it takes a very strong desire of will and honest and open participation by all involved to avert such instances of discord among a group of folks whom should be working together to achieve an ultimate goal...But such are the results when people allow selfish pride and power play spurned on especially by men whom cant see beyond the tail of a womans skirt..I as a female has personally placed a few men men uder the duress of proveing to them in Ft. Lauderdale a few weeks ago that they (Him and others) are liveing in a Backward compatible era dateing back from the late 70's back to School days..
"Desire for approval and recognition is a healthy motive."".Hence as modern day strong and enterpriseing female and MOTHER i am on a mission to encourage other Ladies to be strong in attitudes and personal endeavours whilst being respectfull of others
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Post by frankh19 »

Part-15 can be very useful in serving a community if one is somewhat enterprising. It is possible to run a mesh of small transmitters to cover a given area as opposed to one higher powered transmitter. The technical logistics are a lot more difficult, but it can be done.

I realize this is an FM topic, but Part-15 can cover tremendously well and there are no distance limitations on Part-15 AM, only power

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Post by pcs »

It is somewhat difficult to get usable range on AM, it requires
a really big antenna. Besides, almost nobody listens to AM nowadays.

FM is definitely a better way to go about community radio, if one
has a choice.
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