First, an apology to all on line listeners over the fact that the
audio streams had been down for weeks before I discovered the problem.
That is how busy I have been with other matters! Emails from my host
that were sent a month in advance warning of a change in audio
streaming servers somehow never made it to my Inbox. Here are the new
URL's to bookmark in your favorite computer based player or Wifi radio:
Troubadour 1700:
http://69.80.74.84:7010
Liberty & Justice 1640:
http://69.80.74.84:7012
Personally,
I hate URL changes in audio streams. They outdate your streaming
bookmarks so fast, that even just a year later, half of them no longer
work. But this was a business decision by my host and it is beyond my
control. All audio links on the websites should be updated by the time
you read this. Our pages on Tune In should also be working again
shortly, as well as listening over the phone through Zeno Radio. Our
phone numbers for listening remain the same:
Troubadour 1700:
1-786-265-1649
Liberty & Justice 1640:
1-786-265-1650
Monday, November 17, 2014
AM Stereo Experiments had mixed results
After an experimental period of several weeks operating in C-Quam AM Stereo, Troubadour 1700 has gone back to mono operation with the installation of a second new SSTran AMT-5000 transmitter. But in retrospect, I may have been too critical of the ASMAX-1 AM Stereo transmitter I had been using for the experiments. It did sound very good and provided excellent stereo separation and competitive signal range. I had to modify the ASMAX-1's audio input to give it the "SSTRan sound" that has been a trademark of Minimum Wage Media's AM signals. But after the installation of the second new AMT-5000, a few anomalies and artifacts that I had blamed on the ASMAX-1 were still there.
The trickiest part of our AM operation is the fact that we have two transmitting antennas only 12 feet apart in distance and only 60 kHz apart in operating frequency. A major adjustment or tuning on one often effects the efficiency, range, and behavior of the other. Plus, ground conductivity is never the same, especially as the seasons change. So to get both stations at absolute peak antenna tuning and at equal maximum signal output is a difficult challenge. But I am happy to report that we are pretty much there at this point and certainly better than through most of our history. So the current setup will remain as it is through next spring, minus the AM Stereo, unfortunately. During the winter months, I will need to concentrate on the goal of vastly expanding our network of transmitters throughout north central Massachusetts and the Nashoba Valley region with the creation of an Indiegogo fund raiser to help make it happen.
The trickiest part of our AM operation is the fact that we have two transmitting antennas only 12 feet apart in distance and only 60 kHz apart in operating frequency. A major adjustment or tuning on one often effects the efficiency, range, and behavior of the other. Plus, ground conductivity is never the same, especially as the seasons change. So to get both stations at absolute peak antenna tuning and at equal maximum signal output is a difficult challenge. But I am happy to report that we are pretty much there at this point and certainly better than through most of our history. So the current setup will remain as it is through next spring, minus the AM Stereo, unfortunately. During the winter months, I will need to concentrate on the goal of vastly expanding our network of transmitters throughout north central Massachusetts and the Nashoba Valley region with the creation of an Indiegogo fund raiser to help make it happen.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Live Coverage of the People's Climate March in New York City
95.1 FM, the Voice of the Resistance, will be reactivated again
this weekend to make WBAI's coverage of the People's Climate March
conveniently available on any FM radio in the Shirley Center,
North Shirley, and Woods Village neighborhoods. So as to not miss any
pre and post-march interviews, we will begin carrying WBAI starting
Saturday morning and continue until at least midnight on Monday
morning. The actual march is scheduled for 10:30 AM to 1 PM on Sunday.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Special 9/11 Broadcast: The 9/11 Truth Film Festival
We will be reactivating 95.1, The
Voice of the Resistance, for this special broadcast, live from the
Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, California. The broadcast starts at 4 PM
Eastern on 9/11/14 and continues until 2 AM Eastern on 9/12/14. There
will be no audio streaming from us. For both on line video and audio,
go to the source, No Lies Radio,
and make a contribution. If you listen to the Liberty & Justice
broadcast on 95.1 FM, and find it rewarding, please also sent us a token $5 for our efforts.
Monday, September 8, 2014
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.
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.
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.
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