The author operates hobbybroadcaster.net.
Michael Baldauf’s article “Streaming Offers ‘Radio Wannabes’ a Way to Start” caught my interest as a former stream operator and active radio broadcast engineer.
However, I’m not convinced that streaming is the ideal cure for the “radio wanabee” crowd. Depending on the motivation for the pursuit, streaming may leave the operator either exasperated or cleaned out!
In starting up a deep-oldies webstream, I’d cultivated some loyal listeners, though it was less than 30. To my surprise, once my stream was discovered by the tuning service integrated into Apple’s iTunes, the unexpected inrush of new listeners required increasing bandwidth multiple times to accommodate listener demand. The royalties for online streaming had my wallet hemorrhaging cash.
Two of the kindest and most dedicated listeners stepped up to help keep the stream from getting too far into the red; but I felt it was unfair for these souls to shoulder the lion’s share of listener contributions. After three and a half years of their kindness, I shuttered the stream.
Streams with pitifully low listener counts will leave an operator frustrated, while those with crazy high listeners counts could leave the operator perpetually broke. Besides, online streaming just isn’t the same as modulating carriers. Now that’s real radio!
Building a community
A few years after I discontinued my webstream, my full-time employer embarked me on a project that could provide a solution to the “radio wannabe” crowd on either the AM or FM broadcast band.
As part of the construction for a new high school, I was enlisted to build campus television and radio station suites. With insufficient spectrum available to file for a licensed radio facility, I decided to employ FCC-compliant, legal, license-free broadcasting under Part 15 regulations.
By the time I was asked to get involved, progress of construction made things a bit more difficult, as walls and ceilings were in place.
We installed leaky coaxial cable in the hallway ceilings to provide an FM signal within the building; a Potomac FIM-71 field strength meter ensured Part 15.239 levels at the exterior walls of the building.
Meanwhile we put a Hamilton Rangemaster FCC-certified AM transmitter on the roof, adjusted for Part 15.221 compliance via a Potomac FIM-41; it provided a usable signal to football field listeners in the bleachers for play-by-play coverage.
FCC Part 15 broadcasting for the radio “wannabe” has a notable advantage: Once you’ve purchased the desired equipment, there’s rarely any ongoing cost beyond electricity. As of this writing, only BMI has music licensing available for Part 15 broadcasters, but the payment (for those who elect to do so) is dramatically less expensive than what online streamers are subject to.
My experience on the McMahon campus project led me to create HobbyBroadcaster.net (also accessible via CampusBroadcaster.net). The website has been providing “radio wannabees” the resources to build and operate their very own Part 15 compliant radio station for almost 17 years now.
Hobbyists and academic institutions have used the FCC legal and technical resources, product reviews, equipment manuals and station profiles with audio and studio showcases to become Part 15-savvy.
The site has the distinction of having published “The AM Transmitter Challenge,” the only side-by-side comparison of various Part 15 transmitters installed in a 100% Part 15.219 compliant manner and measured with the Potomac AM field intensity meter. A new version of that challenge is planned for 2025 once several upcoming Part 15 broadcasting products have been released to the public.
A community forum also is available, where members can ask questions and share tips and tricks. The membership not only consists of novice “wannabes” but seasoned folks allied to the electronics and broadcast industries such as Radio World contributor Al Peterson, Angry Audio’s Michael “Catfish” Dosch and Inovonics Broadcast founder Jim Wood.
In fact, with collective input from the HobbyBroadcaster forum membership, Jim Wood designed an analog AM multi-band broadcast audio processor and an AM modulation monitor, purpose-built and priced for the Part 15 broadcast community. Jim makes them available via his Schlockwood Laboratory.
A half-dozen forum members have graduated from Part 15 AM to licensed low-power FM stations, thanks in part to the resources and advice they gleaned via the site and forum.
Scratch that itch
You can put a Part 15 station on the air with professional-sounding audio using audio sources such as an automation program — free, freemium or for-purchase software — audio processing and your transmitter of choice.
My site’s broadcaster profiles demonstrate hobby broadcasters as well as campus-limited stations whose studios range from a self-contained setup via a simple laptop all the way to those wishing to emulate the full radio studio experience.
Will Part 15 broadcasting satisfy all radio wannabee? Perhaps. I’ve measured signals for Part 15-compliant AM signals out to about a mile, and the ground conductivity here in Connecticut is the poorest in the United States. Odds are those folks who enjoy better ground conductivity would enjoy greater range.
My own signals blanket my hyperlocal neighborhood for those desiring to listen while affording controlled costs. In comparison, online streaming involves ongoing expenses for bandwidth and music royalties.
A typical Part 15 “broadcast” station also uses so little electricity that there’s little worry about leaving it operate 24/7, though the AM frequencies that are clear in the daytime suffer from interference during evening hours, reducing its listenability.
