Instead of using winamp to play the music, I would recommend you to use Direttore Automation mixtime (dot) com. It is the best free radio automation software I have ever used. :P
WOW!!! I know the technical operations myself. I.m also an AM-FM station, 15watt AM, Temporary 1 watt FM, with plans to go 150 watts on AM Stereo and 50 watts FM. For processing on FM I use all audio processing made by Behringer, Ditto on AM for future AM Stereo. I use 2 computerss each w/160Gigs for Hard drives; The AM can 24/7 Non stop. Yes I also work'd commercial and public radio previously.
Nice setup. I worked both the commercials and my own setup too since late 80s. it's easy I found to go over board. I started small like that then ended up with a half milion in a hobby. Oh boy... BTW, the BW stuff is exceptionally good. So is the PCS electronics. I use Optimod FM with the 6 band limiter. harris MX 15 exciter driving 2 Kw PCS amp and dominator antenna at 139 feet. Gets out there about 80 miles... Maybe I'll make a short vid later.
@vwestlife Woulden't the CPU cooling system eventually need to be professionally dusted out and cleaned to prevent over heating? Are normal motherboards even designed to work 24/7 for years at a time?
Awesome. I remember those little radio transmitter kits. When I was about 13 years old, I built an AM transmitter. I wired the speaker output from my stereo system to the mic input and created my own little radio station. When I turned 16, I got a job as a DJ at the local radio station. This was all back in the early-to-mid 70's. My video, "Small-town Radio," gives a glimpse of that station when I re-visited it in the 80's. I have some nice memories from that time.
The ground plane rods should be straight; otherwise they can throw the SWR off and damage your B/W transmitter of shorten it's life. Raise the antenna just enough for it to clear the railing and try and keep trees from touching the main element; otherwise the final transistor can be damaged or have its life shortened by a few years and that transmitter is no longer available. All nice equipment though.
You inspired me to get my old 900mhz 98SE back into operation today!
That doesn't surprise me that your ISA Sound Blaster 16 won't play nice with XP. I can't even get my Sound Blaster Live to work at all in Windows 7, but it works perfectly with XP.
@vwestlife Well he was not referring to ISA sound blaster 16 in his comment. if he did, why would he mention a new os such as win7 thus i came to conclusion that he is talking about a new sound card :).
Just be sure that are no TV stations nearby operating on Channel 6. Some TV stations on channel 6 do use 87.9 as their audio frequency. Before digital TV, the channel 6 around here used 87.9 for a long time instead of 87.7 for audio. So be sure that are no LPTV analog stations running on Channel 6.
@newmanc6619 There is a Channel 6 LPTV station in the New York City area acting as an FM radio station, but they are correctly transmitting their audio on 87.75 MHz.
i like that! i had a broadcast warehouse 150 watt fm transmitter and on the inside is a similar 1 watt transmitter like yours! they make amazing transmitters!
@computer11273 I used to be. I got a ham radio license at age 13, but the hobby did not sustain my interest, mostly because that was around the time I first got Internet access.
I really love that keyboard. I have a 89' Gray Logo IBM Model M buckling spring keyboard , but I like yours better. What model is it? Does it use AT DIN connector?
@c0v3n4n7 The 84-key AT keyboard is the Model F, I believe. It has the large AT DIN connector, so I use an adapter to connect it to the Compaq's PS/2 keyboard port. The only bad thing is when a program wants you to push F11 or F12, and the function keys on it only go up to F10!
In Schenectady, NY I use 106.9 for my Part 15 transmitter (used to use 89.5 until I moved from Troy, and there's a college station on 89.7 in Schenectady)...
It's hard to find an open frequency here (98.9, 97.1 and 92.9 could also work here... maybe I'll try switching to one of these)
@thecooldude9999 It won't help. Just like XP, Windows 2000 won't give the Sound Blaster DOS mixer program direct access to the hardware, which it needs in order to set the output level of the SB16 card's onboard amplifier.
nice setup. i liked the mailbox transmitter, what a great idea,surprised you dont have a padlock on that,i had a ramsey fm transmitter and had outdoor antenna and had a fm signal booster amp hooked up backwards to boost the output signal to the antenna i was on 87.9 for about 12 years,rebroadcasting muzak, then i got a letter from fcc telling me to cease to exist at once,so i had to go off air,
was just for the neighborhood, and tryed higher freq,had to switch back to 87.9 for better range too
@rockerboy12doglover Microphone, mixer, music sources (computer, CD player, etc.), audio processor/stereo generator, transmitter, and antenna. But in my case I don't have a microphone or mixer set up because I don't go "live on the air" as a DJ/presenter.
@vwestlife So it is a simple setup so if you were just going to play music from it for your own enjoyment, but if you were going to go live and talk to people as well as having a music sorce then you would need the mixer in order to do that, just that I was thinking of doing my own radio station, just as a problem for me is that I live in an area where I have alot of people around me that might be able to get the radio station, but that shouldnt be a problem.
Couldn't you just setup a complicated system of scheduled tasks to automatically reboot and start the station again? I've done something similar with and old unreliable server.
oh and btw... that bag where the transmitter is in is conductive..
those are anti-static bags.. they're designed to be conductive to some degree.. not that great of an idea to put a bare PCB in there and connect it up.. :|
i would've used Win2k for that.. as much as i like 98SE for retro gaming, it just isn't stable enough for 24/7.. something always locks up after some time
oh and i've used Win2k back in the days when XP was "the thing".. on my highly sophisticated PII 450, 384MB RAM, 2x20GB HDD lol
back then i used an original SB16 (the arm-long one with the proprietary CD ports). with the win2k default driver, it was really loud (TEA2025 2x 3W amp on the card) and the bass/treble thingy in the mixer worked :)
@Knaeckebrotsaege I don't have a good copy of Windows 2000 to try, but even Windows ME wouldn't let me set the SB16's hardware mixer to its maximum output level of 4X amplification. I need to use Creative's old DOS mixer program to do that because Windows' mixer doesn't have a setting for the card's built-in amplifier, but it appears that anything newer than Windows 98SE no longer allows DOS programs to have direct access to the hardware.
@SAIL4323 I love '90s pop music because that's when I was growing up, but I also enjoy pop and rock all the way from the '50s to the '80s, as well as some newer music and some Country, Big Band, and Jazz.
So, let me get this straight (or not). Computer geek, computer collector, music freak, appreciates vintage technology (both Mac and PC), and smart.... but are you single? :P
@vwestlife And of course, nothing wrong with that Kevin! I know quite a few homosexual, married, smart guys myself. I feel sorry that they get "outed" so many times by certain people, when I'm sure some gays have a better relationship with their other than straight people do. Just my thoughts.
A radio station in the basement - that's really a fascinating project. The AM transmitter looks especially interesting and quite professional. What kind of model is it?
I enjoyed the video very much, thanks for uploading!
@peppoj In the USA, the FM band is officially 87.9 to 107.9 MHz. In other countries, the band might go as low as 87.5 and as high as 108.0. But some countries are totally different: In Japan, the FM band is 76 to 90 MHz, and countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union use FM radio on 65 to 74 MHz, however this has mostly been replaced with the normal 88-108 MHz FM band in most areas.
This is a cool setup. I run a Part 15 station to cover my property also and use ZaraRadio under WinXP to spin mp3's and play BBC Worldservice on the hour and on the half. ZaraRadio is a cool mp3 player that uses scheduling for announcements and cutovers. Its free if you can still find a copy.
@NovaScotian1992 No, not even close... except maybe if you're using a dummy load! The USA and Canada both measure the maximum legal unlicensed FM transmitter power in terms of field strength, not wattage. The Canadian field strength limit is four times as high as the USA's, but it's still very low, and won't cover any more than about 1 km of radius even in ideal conditions.
@themaritimeman It's actually an 84-key IBM AT keyboard. 1 watt is not allowed, but like I said below, it generally won't get you into trouble if you choose a clear frequency, don't cause interference, and don't transmit anything offensive.
@themaritimeman An XT keyboard has 83 keys and only works with an 8088 or 8086-class system. An AT keyboard has 84 keys (including the rarely used "Sys Req" key) and only works with a 286 or higher processor.
@themaritimeman It might have the AT keyboard layout, but still use the XT interface. That was common on later XT clones which wanted to make their hardware look more up-to-date, so you didn't feel so bad about buying an 8088 when 286's (or even 386's) were popular already.
@vwestlife OK... but that's not all! The keyboard has two holes in the bottom where the cable can come out, labelled XT and AT, and the cable is coming out of the AT hole!
@themaritimeman You could try plugging in a more modern keyboard (with a PS/2 to large DIN adapter, if necessary), and see if it works. Some 101-key keyboards have an XT/AT switch on the bottom, and some are auto-switching (like the IBM Model M), but most are AT-only.
I've build kit FM transmitter 20 years ego and still use it today to transmit my own radio around my property. It's fun to tune in to it from everywhere :-)
That's a really awesome setup you got there! Have you considered getting a job at a radio station? I suppose it would turn your hobby into work though, and you'll just end up losing interest.
That's an impressive collection of CDs too. I'll bet you could buy a car with the amount of money you invested in them over the years. I cringe when I look at my CDs sometimes. At about $20 a piece, just think about the amount of money I spent.
Awesome setup! I've got an AM transmitter unit as well, it's one of those kind that realtors use.
I also have a little pocket size battery opperated FM transmitter that was meant to be used with an MP3 player. I've attached a long cable to the little built in antenna and can broadcast a good 400 feet or so with that.
I have a question,I'm looking to get a good set of head phones,a pair of Sony MDR-EX310LP earbuds. I am not a audiophile, but I can tell the difference between cheap speakers and some decent ones. They are MSRP for $99.99,but I found them elsewhere for $56.31,could the ones at a lower price be fake or of lower quality?
Is that a scanner antenna? advice: use two telescoping antennas as a tunable dipole, then you can change frequencies with ease by changing the length of the telescoping parts. That's what I use on my 7-watt transmitter (I carry it to festivals so you can listen to the band on stage in the camping area) Also, keep the antenna wire from the transmitter to antenna short as possible!
@jrcstudios The Comet CFM-95SL is a 5/8ths-wave antenna designed for low-power FM broadcasting up to 200 watts. The vertical whip is in two sections, so you can easily adjust its height to match the frequency you're using. RG-58 coax has more loss at higher frequencies, so that alone may be why I have better coverage at 87.9 than at 104.7 MHz. I should get a power/SWR meter to really help adjust the setup for maximum performance.
As a broadcast engineer, i have seen "pro" stations with very little else than you have. The FCC won't bother you unless you are interfering with another station and that station complains. The worst they will do as a first offense is send you a "cease and desist" order via certified mail.
@TexasToast09 The FCC Part 15 rules for unlicensed transmitters only allow very low power on FM, with a useful coverage of about 200 feet. On AM you're allowed up to 100 milliwatts into a 10-foot antenna, which in ideal conditions can cover a 1 to 2 mile radius. But if you choose a clear frequency, don't interfere with other stations, and don't transmit offensive language, you can get away with a slightly higher power level. In my case, using 1 watt is completely harmless.
@bakonfreek I put the camcorder down on the floor, and didn't realize I had stepped on the shoulder strap, so when I picked it up again, it snapped back down and landed on my foot. It only fell about 1½ feet so it didn't harm anything.
That is pretty cool. Thanks for making this video. Funny thing is, I'd always been told those ESD shielding bags were conductive and not to power stuff up inside them. (I've never tested them to see.)
As a youngster, I always wanted one of those Science Fair things.
@uxwbill It's the later Radio Shack-branded version from 1993, with a 12/24-hour switch on the bottom, but the "moon and stars" alarm indicator was replaced with "ALARM" in text.
@vwestlife How do you remove the motherboard plate from a older pc? I want to upgrade my hard drive from 12 GB to 60 GB for Windows 98, but I can't get a screw out because the plate is in the way.
@EatenSniperGuy It depends on how the case was constructed, but unless it's a really compact design, you shouldn't need to remove the motherboard to get to the hard drive. Often the hard drive is mounted on a drive cage which screws and clips onto the case's frame, and can be removed to let you access the drive.
@wildbilltexas The old SB16 is the only sound card I have with a high enough output level to drive the Amigo FM audio processor directly. With a newer sound card I'd need to add a preamp between the computer and audio processor.
can i have the keyboard
trainzaholic 1 week ago
Instead of using winamp to play the music, I would recommend you to use Direttore Automation mixtime (dot) com. It is the best free radio automation software I have ever used. :P
MagVidProd 3 weeks ago
WOW!!! I know the technical operations myself. I.m also an AM-FM station, 15watt AM, Temporary 1 watt FM, with plans to go 150 watts on AM Stereo and 50 watts FM. For processing on FM I use all audio processing made by Behringer, Ditto on AM for future AM Stereo. I use 2 computerss each w/160Gigs for Hard drives; The AM can 24/7 Non stop. Yes I also work'd commercial and public radio previously.
googers100 1 month ago
Nice setup. I worked both the commercials and my own setup too since late 80s. it's easy I found to go over board. I started small like that then ended up with a half milion in a hobby. Oh boy... BTW, the BW stuff is exceptionally good. So is the PCS electronics. I use Optimod FM with the 6 band limiter. harris MX 15 exciter driving 2 Kw PCS amp and dominator antenna at 139 feet. Gets out there about 80 miles... Maybe I'll make a short vid later.
radioman1075 1 month ago
Comment removed
Dell0304 2 months ago
How much was that amigo fm processor and where did you get it? Awesome setup btw
TheSmashCOBamberg 2 months ago
@TheSmashCOBamberg I got it directly from Orban-CRL, and it was a lot of money!
vwestlife 2 months ago
@vwestlife Question: Is it okay to leave a computer running 24/7 doing that task?
MIKON8ERISBACK 1 month ago
@MIKON8ERISBACK Yes.
vwestlife 1 month ago
@vwestlife Woulden't the CPU cooling system eventually need to be professionally dusted out and cleaned to prevent over heating? Are normal motherboards even designed to work 24/7 for years at a time?
MIKON8ERISBACK 1 month ago
@MIKON8ERISBACK My main desktop PC has been on nearly all the time since I got it in 2009, too. I vacuum out the dust about once every 6 months.
vwestlife 1 month ago
@vwestlife Doesn't that wear out the capacitors and hard drive faster?
MixerVM 1 week ago
Awesome. I remember those little radio transmitter kits. When I was about 13 years old, I built an AM transmitter. I wired the speaker output from my stereo system to the mic input and created my own little radio station. When I turned 16, I got a job as a DJ at the local radio station. This was all back in the early-to-mid 70's. My video, "Small-town Radio," gives a glimpse of that station when I re-visited it in the 80's. I have some nice memories from that time.
SnippetsOne 2 months ago
The ground plane rods should be straight; otherwise they can throw the SWR off and damage your B/W transmitter of shorten it's life. Raise the antenna just enough for it to clear the railing and try and keep trees from touching the main element; otherwise the final transistor can be damaged or have its life shortened by a few years and that transmitter is no longer available. All nice equipment though.
You inspired me to get my old 900mhz 98SE back into operation today!
xrqkradio 3 months ago
I take it this is legal and you have a license? If so, is this standard FM broadcast, or a ham station (2m, 10m, etc)
TheAstro30 3 months ago
@TheAstro30 Please watch the whole video and read the full description; then your questions should already be answered.
vwestlife 3 months ago
Nice setup
HDXFH 3 months ago
you make money with this ?
arturik154 3 months ago
@arturik154 No. As I said in the video, this is just a hobby for me, not a career.
vwestlife 3 months ago
Cool Vid !
PierRadio 3 months ago
ohh sorry bout that.
mountain177 3 months ago
did you make that antenna? if so could you give me some specs?
mountain177 3 months ago
@mountain177 No, like I said in the video, it is a Comet CFM-95SL.
vwestlife 3 months ago
What's the range of that transmitter? I really liked this.
MarantzSt153 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Dont you have problems with copyright issues?
Mjhenriques 4 months ago
yo what os is that? lol cuz i want to try that :P
313hummer 4 months ago
Was this recorded in 2003?
stefan98TH 4 months ago
@stefan98TH No, why?
vwestlife 4 months ago
@vwestlife Uh, cause the whole... setup looks like it.
stefan98TH 4 months ago
@stefan98TH So? This is a hobby, not a business, so I just stick with what's cheap and what works.
vwestlife 4 months ago
@vwestlife Do you like host a local radio station or something?
stefan98TH 4 months ago
@stefan98TH No. As I said in the video, I do not work in radio.
vwestlife 4 months ago
That doesn't surprise me that your ISA Sound Blaster 16 won't play nice with XP. I can't even get my Sound Blaster Live to work at all in Windows 7, but it works perfectly with XP.
jdomenech1986 4 months ago
@jdomenech1986 DUDE U SHOULD HAVE 64BIT OS FOR SOUND BLASTER TO WORK.
Th33M33 4 months ago
@Th33M33 The ISA Sound Blaster 16 is from the early '90s. It was made over a decade before there was even such a thing as a 64-bit PC!
vwestlife 4 months ago
@vwestlife Well he was not referring to ISA sound blaster 16 in his comment. if he did, why would he mention a new os such as win7 thus i came to conclusion that he is talking about a new sound card :).
Th33M33 4 months ago
You should become a broadcast engineer.
Rich8951 4 months ago
Just be sure that are no TV stations nearby operating on Channel 6. Some TV stations on channel 6 do use 87.9 as their audio frequency. Before digital TV, the channel 6 around here used 87.9 for a long time instead of 87.7 for audio. So be sure that are no LPTV analog stations running on Channel 6.
newmanc6619 4 months ago
@newmanc6619 There is a Channel 6 LPTV station in the New York City area acting as an FM radio station, but they are correctly transmitting their audio on 87.75 MHz.
vwestlife 4 months ago
Neat Stuff!!! Comets are great antennas!! I still have yet to put mine up!!
jonnymarinara 5 months ago
that's a really nice radio setup!
deskpaperclips 5 months ago in playlist deskpaperclips's Favourited Videos
i like that! i had a broadcast warehouse 150 watt fm transmitter and on the inside is a similar 1 watt transmitter like yours! they make amazing transmitters!
BlGDOG18 5 months ago
how do you get winamp to keep running i have a hard time with mine it keeps freezing i have windows vista
musicman257 6 months ago
Comment removed
deskpaperclips 6 months ago
Comment removed
DreamShadow76 6 months ago
@vwestlife I am studying to get mine I am 15 years old.
computer11273 6 months ago
Are you a HAM operator?
computer11273 6 months ago
@computer11273 I used to be. I got a ham radio license at age 13, but the hobby did not sustain my interest, mostly because that was around the time I first got Internet access.
vwestlife 6 months ago
nice background
suckmadeck 7 months ago
you should put all the cd's on a wall that would look pro
rhyskallen 7 months ago
I really love that keyboard. I have a 89' Gray Logo IBM Model M buckling spring keyboard , but I like yours better. What model is it? Does it use AT DIN connector?
Cheers
c0v3n4n7 7 months ago
@c0v3n4n7 The 84-key AT keyboard is the Model F, I believe. It has the large AT DIN connector, so I use an adapter to connect it to the Compaq's PS/2 keyboard port. The only bad thing is when a program wants you to push F11 or F12, and the function keys on it only go up to F10!
vwestlife 7 months ago
In Schenectady, NY I use 106.9 for my Part 15 transmitter (used to use 89.5 until I moved from Troy, and there's a college station on 89.7 in Schenectady)...
It's hard to find an open frequency here (98.9, 97.1 and 92.9 could also work here... maybe I'll try switching to one of these)
KayserIllumina 7 months ago
try windows 2000, i run it on a Pentium pro and its a file server... runs fine and works with my soundblaster 16
thecooldude9999 7 months ago
@thecooldude9999 It won't help. Just like XP, Windows 2000 won't give the Sound Blaster DOS mixer program direct access to the hardware, which it needs in order to set the output level of the SB16 card's onboard amplifier.
vwestlife 7 months ago
I actually gut busted with a 10 watt transmitter. The fine only was like $200 though.
I really like your setup!
SmashCOBamberg 8 months ago
nice setup. i liked the mailbox transmitter, what a great idea,surprised you dont have a padlock on that,i had a ramsey fm transmitter and had outdoor antenna and had a fm signal booster amp hooked up backwards to boost the output signal to the antenna i was on 87.9 for about 12 years,rebroadcasting muzak, then i got a letter from fcc telling me to cease to exist at once,so i had to go off air,
was just for the neighborhood, and tryed higher freq,had to switch back to 87.9 for better range too
letseeitplease 8 months ago
Pretty neat setup!
HankHillCrankCalls 8 months ago
Hey VWestLife Could you tell me the things that you would need to do your own hosting of a radio station.
rockerboy12doglover 8 months ago
@rockerboy12doglover Microphone, mixer, music sources (computer, CD player, etc.), audio processor/stereo generator, transmitter, and antenna. But in my case I don't have a microphone or mixer set up because I don't go "live on the air" as a DJ/presenter.
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife So it is a simple setup so if you were just going to play music from it for your own enjoyment, but if you were going to go live and talk to people as well as having a music sorce then you would need the mixer in order to do that, just that I was thinking of doing my own radio station, just as a problem for me is that I live in an area where I have alot of people around me that might be able to get the radio station, but that shouldnt be a problem.
rockerboy12doglover 8 months ago
@rockerboy12doglover Probley will start out with some sort of a internet radio
rockerboy12doglover 8 months ago
Couldn't you just setup a complicated system of scheduled tasks to automatically reboot and start the station again? I've done something similar with and old unreliable server.
ThePhoneUpdate 8 months ago
oh and btw... that bag where the transmitter is in is conductive..
those are anti-static bags.. they're designed to be conductive to some degree.. not that great of an idea to put a bare PCB in there and connect it up.. :|
Knaeckebrotsaege 8 months ago
@Knaeckebrotsaege It's been working fine that way since November last year.
vwestlife 8 months ago
i would've used Win2k for that.. as much as i like 98SE for retro gaming, it just isn't stable enough for 24/7.. something always locks up after some time
oh and i've used Win2k back in the days when XP was "the thing".. on my highly sophisticated PII 450, 384MB RAM, 2x20GB HDD lol
back then i used an original SB16 (the arm-long one with the proprietary CD ports). with the win2k default driver, it was really loud (TEA2025 2x 3W amp on the card) and the bass/treble thingy in the mixer worked :)
Knaeckebrotsaege 8 months ago
@Knaeckebrotsaege I don't have a good copy of Windows 2000 to try, but even Windows ME wouldn't let me set the SB16's hardware mixer to its maximum output level of 4X amplification. I need to use Creative's old DOS mixer program to do that because Windows' mixer doesn't have a setting for the card's built-in amplifier, but it appears that anything newer than Windows 98SE no longer allows DOS programs to have direct access to the hardware.
vwestlife 8 months ago
You really oughta look at the phasing from that internal card...notoriously shite.
murcuryvapor 8 months ago
@murcuryvapor What internal card?
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife How does the sound get out of the computer? Maybe it's an integrated card-part of the motherboard.
murcuryvapor 8 months ago
@vwestlife How does the sound get out of the computer?
murcuryvapor 8 months ago
@murcuryvapor Through the Sound Blaster 16 card.
vwestlife 8 months ago
Also could you make a video about that signal generator?
SmashCOBamberg 8 months ago
Awesome! Where did ya get that Amigo FM thingy and how much did ya pay?
SmashCOBamberg 8 months ago
Cool setup. What music do you have? It seems like you like the 90s the most.
SAIL4323 8 months ago
@SAIL4323 I love '90s pop music because that's when I was growing up, but I also enjoy pop and rock all the way from the '50s to the '80s, as well as some newer music and some Country, Big Band, and Jazz.
vwestlife 8 months ago
So, let me get this straight (or not). Computer geek, computer collector, music freak, appreciates vintage technology (both Mac and PC), and smart.... but are you single? :P
theking0fnowhere 8 months ago
@theking0fnowhere Single, but not straight. ;-)
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife I never said I was a girl. ;)
theking0fnowhere 8 months ago
@vwestlife And of course, nothing wrong with that Kevin! I know quite a few homosexual, married, smart guys myself. I feel sorry that they get "outed" so many times by certain people, when I'm sure some gays have a better relationship with their other than straight people do. Just my thoughts.
talldude123 8 months ago
@theking0fnowhere Oh, snap!
murcuryvapor 8 months ago
A radio station in the basement - that's really a fascinating project. The AM transmitter looks especially interesting and quite professional. What kind of model is it?
I enjoyed the video very much, thanks for uploading!
senderjaeger 8 months ago
@senderjaeger The AM transmitter is a Panasonic VP-8253P multi-system AM Stereo generator, made in 1984.
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife Thanks for the info! I didn't know that such compact units exist.
senderjaeger 8 months ago
My little Coby pocket radio goes all the way down to 87.3 and up to 108.1 Mhz. How high and low on the dial does commercial FM cover?
peppoj 8 months ago
@peppoj In the USA, the FM band is officially 87.9 to 107.9 MHz. In other countries, the band might go as low as 87.5 and as high as 108.0. But some countries are totally different: In Japan, the FM band is 76 to 90 MHz, and countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union use FM radio on 65 to 74 MHz, however this has mostly been replaced with the normal 88-108 MHz FM band in most areas.
vwestlife 8 months ago
13:37 - was it intentional? :)
bamdadkhan 8 months ago
@bamdadkhan Yes, it's a 24-hour clock, so I was having a little fun with it.
vwestlife 8 months ago
This is a cool setup. I run a Part 15 station to cover my property also and use ZaraRadio under WinXP to spin mp3's and play BBC Worldservice on the hour and on the half. ZaraRadio is a cool mp3 player that uses scheduling for announcements and cutovers. Its free if you can still find a copy.
Radioguy76 8 months ago
In Canada I believe 1kw is the legal limit for an un-licensed station.
NovaScotian1992 8 months ago
@NovaScotian1992 No, not even close... except maybe if you're using a dummy load! The USA and Canada both measure the maximum legal unlicensed FM transmitter power in terms of field strength, not wattage. The Canadian field strength limit is four times as high as the USA's, but it's still very low, and won't cover any more than about 1 km of radius even in ideal conditions.
vwestlife 8 months ago
I love this! Especially how you've extended the life of a Deskpro, an old monitor, and an XT keyboard!
I didn't know unlicensed FM broadcasting at that much power was allowed. Something I may consider trying out someday.
Great video!
themaritimeman 8 months ago
@themaritimeman It's actually an 84-key IBM AT keyboard. 1 watt is not allowed, but like I said below, it generally won't get you into trouble if you choose a clear frequency, don't cause interference, and don't transmit anything offensive.
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife Oh, I see. What's the difference between the XT and AT keyboards?
themaritimeman 8 months ago
@themaritimeman An XT keyboard has 83 keys and only works with an 8088 or 8086-class system. An AT keyboard has 84 keys (including the rarely used "Sys Req" key) and only works with a 286 or higher processor.
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife That's odd, that means my Epson has an AT keyboard, yet it's an 8088. (?)
themaritimeman 8 months ago
@themaritimeman It might have the AT keyboard layout, but still use the XT interface. That was common on later XT clones which wanted to make their hardware look more up-to-date, so you didn't feel so bad about buying an 8088 when 286's (or even 386's) were popular already.
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife OK... but that's not all! The keyboard has two holes in the bottom where the cable can come out, labelled XT and AT, and the cable is coming out of the AT hole!
themaritimeman 8 months ago
@themaritimeman You could try plugging in a more modern keyboard (with a PS/2 to large DIN adapter, if necessary), and see if it works. Some 101-key keyboards have an XT/AT switch on the bottom, and some are auto-switching (like the IBM Model M), but most are AT-only.
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife I don't have a PS/2 to XT or AT adapter, but I do have an AT to PS/2 adapter. I'll have to see if the keyboard works with it.
themaritimeman 8 months ago
@vwestlife Well, I tried it and it didn't work, so you're right, it's XT! Very weird how it has many signs pointing to it being AT, though. lol
themaritimeman 8 months ago
Very nice. I tried community radio up in Maine for a few years and it was a blast.
Amiduffer 8 months ago
I've build kit FM transmitter 20 years ego and still use it today to transmit my own radio around my property. It's fun to tune in to it from everywhere :-)
Hobby331 8 months ago
That's a really awesome setup you got there! Have you considered getting a job at a radio station? I suppose it would turn your hobby into work though, and you'll just end up losing interest.
That's an impressive collection of CDs too. I'll bet you could buy a car with the amount of money you invested in them over the years. I cringe when I look at my CDs sometimes. At about $20 a piece, just think about the amount of money I spent.
wilkes85 8 months ago
@wilkes85 The vast majority of my CDs were bought used, and therefore only cost me $1 or $2 each, or sometimes even less than that.
vwestlife 8 months ago
Awesome setup! I've got an AM transmitter unit as well, it's one of those kind that realtors use.
I also have a little pocket size battery opperated FM transmitter that was meant to be used with an MP3 player. I've attached a long cable to the little built in antenna and can broadcast a good 400 feet or so with that.
Trance88 8 months ago
Looks like a very cool radio station.
I also have a transmitter but when its powered on I cannot listen to many other stations due to signal being to strong.
EastAngliaUK 8 months ago
Also... Have you thought about using Windows NT 4 on the computer?
kargaroc386 8 months ago
So... I'm sure you use FLAC for importing music into the computer...
kargaroc386 8 months ago
You have an excellent setup, it's very clever how you have the transmitter set up, i hope to set up a low power FM station when i have the money
shortwavesam 8 months ago
I have a question,I'm looking to get a good set of head phones,a pair of Sony MDR-EX310LP earbuds. I am not a audiophile, but I can tell the difference between cheap speakers and some decent ones. They are MSRP for $99.99,but I found them elsewhere for $56.31,could the ones at a lower price be fake or of lower quality?
MasterNaruto1214 8 months ago
Comment removed
MasterNaruto1214 8 months ago
this is Nice man
Falken36Osku 8 months ago
You've got a good setup. I wouldn't mind doing something like this, but I live on a hill overlooking town.... so that may not work well
classof2k10 8 months ago
That's a tight little setup. Not many part 15 stations have such a clean audio chain. :) JC
BadEditPro 8 months ago
i want to do that will u help me find all the stuff
arrowmanjr 8 months ago
Your videos are by far my favorite. I always watch every seconds of your vids. Just though I'd share haha.
barret46922 8 months ago
Is that a scanner antenna? advice: use two telescoping antennas as a tunable dipole, then you can change frequencies with ease by changing the length of the telescoping parts. That's what I use on my 7-watt transmitter (I carry it to festivals so you can listen to the band on stage in the camping area) Also, keep the antenna wire from the transmitter to antenna short as possible!
jrcstudios 8 months ago
@jrcstudios The Comet CFM-95SL is a 5/8ths-wave antenna designed for low-power FM broadcasting up to 200 watts. The vertical whip is in two sections, so you can easily adjust its height to match the frequency you're using. RG-58 coax has more loss at higher frequencies, so that alone may be why I have better coverage at 87.9 than at 104.7 MHz. I should get a power/SWR meter to really help adjust the setup for maximum performance.
vwestlife 8 months ago
As a broadcast engineer, i have seen "pro" stations with very little else than you have. The FCC won't bother you unless you are interfering with another station and that station complains. The worst they will do as a first offense is send you a "cease and desist" order via certified mail.
jrcstudios 8 months ago
Nice video! What is the name of the song playing at the very beginning of the video?
saxman112 8 months ago
@saxman112 "Out of My Head" by Fastball.
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife Thanks!
saxman112 8 months ago
Nice setup! I probably would have used a newer PCI sound card that could handle XP or Windows 2000 instead of sticking with the older ISA.
wildbilltexas 8 months ago
is it legal to have your own radio station like this? if so I want to set one up. no royalties to be paid?
TexasToast09 8 months ago
@TexasToast09 The FCC Part 15 rules for unlicensed transmitters only allow very low power on FM, with a useful coverage of about 200 feet. On AM you're allowed up to 100 milliwatts into a 10-foot antenna, which in ideal conditions can cover a 1 to 2 mile radius. But if you choose a clear frequency, don't interfere with other stations, and don't transmit offensive language, you can get away with a slightly higher power level. In my case, using 1 watt is completely harmless.
vwestlife 8 months ago
how exactally did the camera fall? didn't you have the hand strap on? and how much does that thing weigh?
bakonfreek 8 months ago
@bakonfreek I put the camcorder down on the floor, and didn't realize I had stepped on the shoulder strap, so when I picked it up again, it snapped back down and landed on my foot. It only fell about 1½ feet so it didn't harm anything.
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife except your foot lol
bakonfreek 8 months ago
That is pretty cool. Thanks for making this video. Funny thing is, I'd always been told those ESD shielding bags were conductive and not to power stuff up inside them. (I've never tested them to see.)
As a youngster, I always wanted one of those Science Fair things.
I see a very familiar Micronta clock...
uxwbill 8 months ago
@uxwbill It's the later Radio Shack-branded version from 1993, with a 12/24-hour switch on the bottom, but the "moon and stars" alarm indicator was replaced with "ALARM" in text.
vwestlife 8 months ago
@vwestlife How do you remove the motherboard plate from a older pc? I want to upgrade my hard drive from 12 GB to 60 GB for Windows 98, but I can't get a screw out because the plate is in the way.
EatenSniperGuy 8 months ago
@EatenSniperGuy It depends on how the case was constructed, but unless it's a really compact design, you shouldn't need to remove the motherboard to get to the hard drive. Often the hard drive is mounted on a drive cage which screws and clips onto the case's frame, and can be removed to let you access the drive.
vwestlife 8 months ago
you run a pirate radio station? cool.
artifactingreality 8 months ago
Very nice...thank you
destroyersoueu 8 months ago
13:37 is the best time for videos.
macintoshgermany 8 months ago
@wildbilltexas The old SB16 is the only sound card I have with a high enough output level to drive the Amigo FM audio processor directly. With a newer sound card I'd need to add a preamp between the computer and audio processor.
vwestlife 8 months ago
Hi. Nice radio station you got there :)
Why are you using this particular version of WinAmp? Is it more stable?
vdochev 8 months ago
@vdochev You can use up to WinAmp 5.35 in Windows 98, but 2.95 is smaller and does everything I need.
vwestlife 8 months ago
very cool
m75videos 8 months ago
Nice, it's a shame that in the Netherlands the rules are much stricter
MrVinamp 8 months ago
How many CDs you have Millions? Thousands? or 1 billion? :)
And that antena is much larger than a simple energy wire!
Excelent video!!
Mr1p0d 8 months ago
@Mr1p0d I have probably around 1000 CDs.
vwestlife 8 months ago
I have a good time watching this video.
Radu287 8 months ago