Thursday, July 31, 2014

AM Stereo

Some time between mid August and early September, I will likely be conducting tests in an effort to add C-Quam AM Stereo to Troubadour 1700's signal. If the tests are successful, and the transmitter required provides the same coverage as the SSTran AMT-5000 currently in use, the change will become permanent. Troubadour 1700 would then be the only analog AM Stereo station receivable in Shirley. Also, Liberty & Justice 1640 would get a noticeable boost in its coverage because the AMT-5000 would be swapped over to become its transmitter, replacing a less efficient AMT-3000.

A variety of radios and tuners produced from the late 1980's to the mid 1990's can decode AM Stereo at 1700 kHz, including car radios from the 1988 model year (when inclusion of the AM expanded band became standard) up until about 1993. The high end AM Stereo tuners and receivers of that era had AM audio that was so good it was nearly indistinguishable from FM. Also, some current HD radios have the Motorola chip required to decode C-Quam AM Stereo. So stay tuned for some interesting experimentation.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

New Petition Now on Line: Increase Part 15 Power Limits to 1 Watt AM, 10 Watts Shortwave

I am pleased to announce that my new companion petition urging the Media Division of the Federal Communications Commission to increase Part 15 power limits to 1 watt in the AM broadcast band and 10 watts in the shortwave broadcast bands is now available on line for your perusal and digital signature:

https://www.change.org/petitions/william-t-lake-media-division-federal-communications-commission-increase-acceptable-part-15-power-limits-to-1-watt-in
-the-am-band-and-10-watts-in-the-shortwave-broadcast-bands

There was a considerable amount of input from knowledgeable and experienced people that informed the composition of this petition. My hope is that when people discover that the proposal gives them the freedom to put a legal, viable, small signal on the air for as little as $1,000, while remaining license free and out of the grip of the FCC's lottery, filing window, or comparative hearing "death sentences," they will line up in droves to sign it.

If license free LPFM up to 1 watt can work in New Zealand, there is no reason why unlicensed 1 watt LPAM and 10 watt LPSW can't work in the United States at the present time. This, ideally, should become an international movement. The days of having no choice but to become a pirate, with all the risks it brings, need to be brought to a merciful end.

After this petition has garnered the maximum number of signatures I think it is going to get, my plans are to approach one of my U.S. Senators, who while in the House worked on many telecommunications issues. Most likely, he still has a working relationship with decision makers at the FCC. I hope such a strategy can result in some pressure on the agency from another branch of government to take action on these proposals. You never know if such a strategy will be successful until you try.