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- Part 15 AM Broadcasting
INFO page for Part 15 operated stations AM610 and AM1620, as well as affiliated stations. A weekly postings of what's up on-air with us to our listeners, as well as how-to's on FCC, Part 15, permissible broadcasting, as well as links, PIC's and various INFO.
Let’s now focus upon AM610, an AM Carrier-Current station, where we couple into the power lines, as permissible via FCC Part 15 Rules. https://www.hobbybroadcaster.net/resources/carrier-current-AM-broadcasting.php You, may remember Carrier-Current Broadcasting from college radio. There are still a couple of stations doing so, like WPPJ in Pittsburgh, PA. https://wppjradio.com/ Our carrier-current experiment started in the mid-1980’s, where I coupled a cheap AM radio’s local-oscillator to the Neutral of our house wiring and discovered that the signal could be heard over 300ft away, down the power lines. That project went up in smoke, literally! And, scrapped until April 1991, where we bought the Panaxis Productions, from Ernest Wilson, the AM-100, 100 milliwatts AM transmitter kit. (Still have...) Coupling to the power lines was crude, at best, until I was able to obtain, first a JOY Mine-shaft COMM’s coupler, (Sent to Boomer of WAG AM690.), then a Radio Systems, CP-15 Coupler, (Using that presently.), and an LPB, Inc., T-8. Our transmitter now is an older PLL.gr 0-20 watt transmitter kit, bought an assembled in 2015. AM610 is using the James R. Cunningham method of Neutral-Injecting, with a ½ watt carrier. Our signal, today, only travels +/- ¼ mile, due to newly installed power transformers in our neighborhood. So, AM610 is pretty much a glorified STL, (Studio to Transmitter Link), to feed AM1620’s audio. Next, plan to cover Auxiliary Station 49.870MHz FM.
Want to roll-your-own AM Carrier-Current Station, from an AM transmitter that made for 50 Ohm antenna impedance output? Boomer, of station WAG AM690, up by Pittsburgh, PA reminds us of this simplified Carrier-Current Coupler circuit. What a Carrier-Current Coupler is essentially a type of antenna tuner, used to match a 50 Ohm transmitter to very low impedance's, of like 10 Ohms and less. However, if you were to apply these to HOT AC power lines, then that have to pass the RF that were want to transfer to these lines, yet block the high voltage AC, on the lines, from backing into your transmitter. Thus, why the Coupling Capacitors and fuse. (BTW, they also help protect your station in the event of a power line lightning hit. THANK YOU BOOMER!!!!! And BTW, we are in the process of a Ye Poor man's AM Carrier-Current Coupler, with parts that most likely, you already have. More, later! Happy Juneteenth, and watch that HOT weather and T-storms!