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Hey guys! I saw the battle of the bands and figured I'd go ahead and put in one of our songs. We're a relatively new band out of Jacksonville, Fl and we're in the process of setting up a small tour through FL. We just released our first EP here if you want to check it out!. You can also listen to our entire album on Reverb Nation, plus we have a few webisdes on there that are pretty fun. Let me know what you think about the tracks!
One of my first antennas was made of coat hangers. It worked well, but the vertical element didn't take solder very well. If it's outdoors, the elements will be prone to rust, so you would want to paint them. Cooper or welding rod would likely be better choices. You should be able to get a BNC chassis connector and build your antenna around it.
Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0819BG9BX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_26JZ3S16F6KT3RT5BKXY
get this and find highest elevation and you might be surprised what you can achieve with it.
Reason I rather stay around this is it is closest to p15 operating possible you can use to stay within that somewhat legal gray area and less chance too of having ugly white van with fcc thugs robbing you dry.
Turning a receiver into a transmitter isn't the easiest thing to do, and off the top of my head, would probably require nearly the same amount of electronics added as a standalone transmitter would. I could be wrong, maybe there are some tx/rx chipsets used in some gear that can easily be modified.
You can also keep your eyes out for a car fm transmitter aux adapter. They were popular 15-25 years ago. You plug an CD player, mp3 player or phone in, power it in your car (which you can power in home with a decent DC power supply), and it'll transmit a short distance to a FM radio. Something like this. That could be plugged into the audio-out of your computer, and you can just play a constant playlist (or even a free DJ application like this). You can probably find them at a Goodwill for a few bucks if you keep your eyes out for them. I think those can also be modified / amplified, although I'm not an expert in that area.
If you want to learn electronics, you can google stereo fm transmitter circuits or plans, buy a few parts (or repurpose some from old junk) and a breadboard, and have fun experimenting.
I don't know your budget, or if you already have those pieces, but I would go with something like this. If you read the reviews, it's either 6 or 15 watts. All contained in a nice little box.
amazon.com/Transmitter-Station-Wireless-Broadcast-Supermarket/dp/B08B3DZXGK/ref=sr_1_4?content-id=amzn1.sym.22d5a781-5a73-4720-b44d-d69720dfeac3&keywords=broadcast+transmitter&pd_rd_r=26da12ff-e7c2-47fe-ba11-63ce9ba41dd2&pd_rd_w=SQvCP&pd_rd_wg=n3hjW&pf_rd_p=22d5a781-5a73-4720-b44d-d69720dfeac3&pf_rd_r=X7TANKB0SXMC785M45D7&qid=1665689345&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjI0IiwicXNhIjoiMC44MSIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-4&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0
I’d be very interested.
As a matter of fact, I’d be happy to buy a prototype (depending on the cost) and tear assemble it. I have a little experience soldering, a little experience with RF, although no test experience/equipment (I might be able to borrow an oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, or frequency counter from my Ham dad and teach myself how to use them if necessary).
A case design like this might be good and versatile, especially if it were modular. That’s another thing I might be able to prototype - I have a cheap CNC I haven’t really used yet.
This might be a good thing to offer through a C place like Tindie.
Anyway PM me if I can help.
Have you considered something like this? I had one in a 6 story office building and it went half a mile easy with the potentiometer mod and a wire antenna crimped to the stock antenna Digital FM Transmitter 2 for Sending Near Broadcast Quality FM2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GUQ0FI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SQ7KW9W0MTSCRBKN7FQA
When you say "mobile" - what does that mean? I've used the Comet 5/8 (with a custom built mag-mount) for car-top usage. It's mobile - but quite tall and can be a hazard (and can take a beating) from low-hanging trees or obstructions.
I more often use a CZH 1/4 wave. Smaller, field tunable. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IP74BV8/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use icecast (http://www.icecast.org) and BUTT (https://sourceforge.net/projects/butt/)
I have two outputs on my mixer, one goes out to my transmitter and the other output goes through my computer and broadcasts the audio using BUTT.
I'm afraid this might be solidly in build-it-yourself territory... maybe with a Raspberry-Pi and a bit of programming. I do know there's a way for Raspberry-Pi to do Bluetooth, and I've seen them used as crude low-power noisy FM transmitters too. So... maybe?
Otherwise, the closest product I found is this thing:
https://www.amazon.com/Sondpex-Transmitter-MP3-Player-PMT402/dp/B005612ORK
...claims to send RDS but only of MP3/WMA files being played. No Bluetooth, but does have a 1/8" jack which most certainly won't be passing song metadata. Halfway there I suppose.
Remember you need to tune it to your frequency.
If you don't, you're just spewing a signal all over everyone else and you'll get an FCC visit pronto.
If you can afford a 150w transmitter, there are plenty of under $100 real antenna's out there.
It may be pirate radio, but, being a good neighbor (in real life and on the radio dial) is a much better way to operate.
That looks like a nice mobile setup.
The antenna is a mag mounted 1/4 wave (it should come with some sort of chart that shows you how long to make the mast). When you put it on the roof of a car or van, it uses the metal of the roof as a ground plane. If you don't have it on a metal roof (or plate, I've used these in the past with a 1x1 foot steal plate from Lowes) - they don't work very well.
I'm guessing the cable isn't that long either (you don't need a long cable to get from the box to the car roof). maybe 9-12 feet? As long as that works for you, overall, it's a good starter setup for a mobile station.
If you use this link you can get what looks like the identical setup for about $120 (click the 30% off box). Just happend to see it when I was reading the description.
Most of these come from 1 or 2 manufacturers so it's likely the same exact box.
A dummy load might work fine to keep things local. Make sure it's 50 ohms.
You'll need one of these:
and one of these:
This...
The cost of gear has gotten so cheap. A Raspberry Pi streaming server is going to cost you $50. A 15W transmitter with a servicable antenna <$200.
If you're OK with just placing it and letting it run from a pre-determined playlist, you don't NEED connectivity. You just need power. Placing one of these, for instance, in a really high location in your area will get you good range.
I once put a 10w transmitter in the window of a 41 story skyscraper in Denver. I then drove to Boulder, 25 miles away, and picked it up clear as a bell in my car the entire way. Scared the shit out of me (turned it off that same day).
The higher you get it, the more reach. If you can put it in a place they can't see, and you don't need to access it (even remotely) and it can just play a pre-programmed playlist, you should be good to go for quite a while.
thank you for asking them, but they just said the same thing they wrote in the instruction manual. I bought a 48v 2a one. now i am gonna try this
Honestly, you should of - or if you could of got an eBay gift card. Here's what I'm using https://www.ebay.com/itm/182592613005
Maybe on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NMG3XFC/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_YE9JEbPKPZN27 if you could shell out another $30~
That's about it honestly, eBay would be your best bet but I'll keep a look out if I find something from a reputable company/source on Amazon.