Live guest DJ on my radio station!

[vwestlife]

@oldtime40s There is no "official" limit to the range. You are allowed 100 mW into a 10-foot (3m) antenna. Some people have reported several miles of coverage radius, using professional-grade equipment in ideal circumstances. A quarter- to a half-mile is more common for hobbyist Part 15 AM transmitter kits and homebrew antennas.

[rhblakeman]

Is it legal to run a low power AM or FM station? If so how much power is allowed? I would love to run a part time community station here. How far were you out before you lost the signal of 1 watt output?

[vwestlife]

@rhblakeman The FCC only allows very low power levels, only enough to cover a few hundred feet on FM and maybe 1 mile at most on AM. My transmitter exceeds these rules and is at risk for getting me in trouble with the FCC, but I take care to choose a clear frequency and not cause interference with any licensed stations. See my video "Tour of my radio station" for more info.

[rhblakeman]

@vwestlife Yeah I just found LPBR and Part 15 and it seems 200 feet for AM and FM is the limit. Sounds like they only wanted to allow for something like a wireless PA system for stores when they came out with that. 200 ft from my shop won't even hit my neighbor's houses. Oh well that's life. Good sounding broadcast other than the John Boy and Billy wannabees (just kidding Bill).

[16mmDJ]

Haha, Winchester Cathedral... That's really cool that you run a radio station

[EastAngliaUK]

You have some great coverage there.

I have 15 watts but my signal goes after 5 miles I am only about 10 meters though and the aerial is not on the roof as its to high and I have no way to get up there.

Nice video though.

[lmull3]

blogTV-FM!

[Dodek72]

Kitty.

[gatrwrks]

Do you get calls from people that request a song?

[uxwbill]

@gatrwrks I took requests on the BlogTV show, but only through the chat forum offered by the BlogTV platform.

So far as I know, vwestlife's radio transmitter is normally fed from a playlist on one of his computers. You can watch his video tour here and see what he is using: watch?v=2RnBovNLJEI

[weasel2htm]

Cool Idea!

Did you have him on the AM transmitter as well?



[vwestlife]

@weasel2htm No, the Panasonic AM Stereo signal generator is due for a recapping, so I don't use it too much.

[ThePhoneUpdate]

It actually sounds great as a radio station! Cool :)

[IBMThinkPadR51]

Very impressive! I wanna broadcast my own radio station with ALL the Led Zeppelin albums I have. I have every single one!

[MIKON8ERISBACK]

Where can I buy the equipment you use and for how much??

[vwestlife]

@MIKON8ERISBACK The transmitter is available from BW Broadcast. The CRL Amigo FM is no longer made.

[vwestlife]

@davidbee79 I drove in a very circuitous route, so the range isn't as large as it might seem from the video. I am surrounded by hills and valleys, so it only gets out about 2 miles at the best, and usually 1 mile or less in each direction.

[vwestlife]

@TheMercedes300d 1.5L.  They don't sell the 1.3L or diesel versions here.

[wilkes85]

I'm sure your radio station is the most popular in your neighbourhood... commercial free, and you probably don't hear the same 10 songs played in a loop all day!

[IamFat32]

this broadcast of Uxwbill is also where I found out Steve Jobs died last night. rest in peace.

[IamFat32]

Uxwbill played some westlife songs from the CD you sent him in this broadcast!

[wildbilltexas]

How far did you drive away from your house? It seems like it has very impressive range for 1 watt.

And BTW I know the album he's playing.. Lawrence Welk.. My parents had that LP and I haven't heard it in decades.

[Knaeckebrotsaege]

wait what? there was another show?! :O

[uxwbill]

@Knaeckebrotsaege There was, but fear not if you missed it. I will surely do another, much to the chagrin of everyone involved.

[shortwavesam]

Very clever ;)

[vwestlife]

@TheMercedes300d This is my Mazda2. I also have a VW Passat TDI.

[andruha11234]

A very common question asked to the FCC is whether broadcasting at very low power requires a license. Please be aware that unlicensed operation of radio broadcast stations is prohibited, even at such low powers such as 1 watt or less. The only unlicensed operation that is permitted on the AM and FM broadcast bands is covered under Part 15 of the FCC's rules, and is limited to a coverage radius of approximately 200 feet.

Oh ow :O

[vwestlife]

@andruha11234 That's the rule, but as long as you choose a clear frequency, don't cause any interference, and don't broadcast any inappropriate material, the chances of getting into any serious trouble are very slim. And in my case, I'm a stone's throw away from unlicensed stations in the New York City area which are transmitting with much higher power levels and are causing interference, and yet they've managed to stay on the air for years.

[andruha11234]

@vwestlife i know.. its like going 1-2 miles over the speed limit. Prohibited, but you do it all the time and never really get into any trouble. BTW, in one of the comments you said its Mazda2... I thought you had Mazda3?

[vwestlife]

@andruha11234 I did, but I traded it in. I do a lot of city driving for my job now, so the smaller size and better fuel economy really come in handy.

[Lachlant1984]

This is very interesting, and quite funny.

[captainmcduche]

what kinda setup did you have? and what type of range?

[vwestlife]

@captainmcduche See my video entitled "Tour of my radio station".

[gmcnewlook]

thats gotta be the best radio station ive ever heard, the keykeeper and Uxwbill remind me of those morning radio shows where they goof about......

[CenaTv2]

Steve Jobs has died. Just thought i'd tell ya as you use an ibook.

[uxwbill]

Cat alert!

What fun...driving along the road and listening to the Uxwbill show (highly recommended from a slightly biased person). Thanks for uploading this. I wonder if anyone else might have stumbled upon your broadcast?

[NJRoadfan]

go figure, you caught the FCC bit.

[joshhsega]

nice setup

[bakonfreek]

cool.