aaronsnet Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Youre right. You have given this alot of thought apparently I am getting a part 15 station by spring. even an LPFM station is a big commitment at I dont have time for that right now, I am a busy guy and I run about 12 websites that need to be constantly updated. On Part 15 the signal may be small but you have alot of freedom since the signal is so small. I am debating whether to simulcast my internet station on the part 15 or to make it have its own programming. Right now I think I will simulcast my current station because the name after christmas will change to 99.9 The Beat and 99.9 is actually the most vacant frequency in my area plus I wouldnt reach a very large audience so spending all this time on programming for that station would be pointless. Just because you have a small signal doesn't mean you can't reach a large audience. One of our part 15 transmitters covers a local college with 12,000+ students living on/around it. Works out great! If you live in the middle of nowhere, you may have a harder time covering more people. I agree that if you are really busy and don't have the time to organize..that running even a LPFM could be a major endeavor. Just the compliance with the FCC can be a pain in the ass...having to fool with logs, EAS, and all of the engineering. Not only that, if something goes afoul and the FCC decides to fine you...that could be a lot of money. Another thing that you have to fool with are larger stations that want a frequency but would overlap yours. The list goes on and on...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazin 97 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Yeah with part 15 audience totally depends on how populaed/crowded your area is. I am really starting to get the ball rolling for the part 15 thing, I already know what transmitter i am gonna use, but for the other technical specs would i need a tower? Also what cables whould I need to connect to the music source that would be a CD player? Since it sounds like you have a part 15 station, what are your reccomendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildun Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Why not simulcast your internet station? Easy since you have it already. A decent sound card and you have your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneOwens Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 The only problem with LPAM or Part 15 is that when it comes to cost if you get the good transmitters it can cost upwards of 12K just to get the signal you want when you link them to your original XMitter.... Whereas LPFM, I mean granted, I've already got my stuff aligned and ready to rock and roll. all I need is the xmtter and the antenna. The license is free to file for, the engineer if you know a good one, which i know one already and can easily get a hold of him by calling the terrestiral station 3 cities over, he's a good friend, and I could get him to help me out....so if you know someone that might work with you for a low rate you'll be good...then the antenna and XMitter, you're looking at a total of about $10,000 maybe a little less....which really in all relevance is the cheaper route to go, just in the plain and simple fact the xmitters and antenna are cheaper to purchase, with the engineer, than getting multiple Part 15 AM Transmitters to cover an area that has a large target....LPFM can cover if done right with a 90 foot tower and a 8 ft antenna on top, you've already set up 98 feet high, and with even a 150 watt xmitter you might be able to get 15 miles with one XMitter as compared to 15 miles with 7 Part 15 Xmitters....get my point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwdservices Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Whereas LPFM, I mean granted, I've already got my stuff aligned and ready to rock and roll. all I need is the xmtter and the antenna. The license is free to file for, the engineer if you know a good one, which i know one already and can easily get a hold of him by calling the terrestiral station 3 cities over, he's a good friend, and I could get him to help me out....so if you know someone that might work with you for a low rate you'll be good...then the antenna and XMitter, you're looking at a total of about $10,000 maybe a little less....which really in all relevance is the cheaper route to go, just in the plain and simple fact the xmitters and antenna are cheaper to purchase, with the engineer, than getting multiple Part 15 AM Transmitters to cover an area that has a large target....LPFM can cover if done right with a 90 foot tower and a 8 ft antenna on top, you've already set up 98 feet high, and with even a 150 watt xmitter you might be able to get 15 miles with one XMitter as compared to 15 miles with 7 Part 15 Xmitters....get my point Maybe the total is $10k but the FCC license is going to be at least 10 times that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneOwens Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 LPFM doesn't cost for a license to be filed....plus I have the papers to prove so, I have looked up and down the price charts from the FCC to file applications and construction permits, it says nothing on the cost of LPFM's, so I checked the site to make sure and indeed there is no cost to file for a LPFM construction permit nor to file for a broadcast application for LPFM, now when it comes to regular AM and FM, AM is roughly around $4000 by the time all the stuff is taken care of with the FCC, and for FM it's about $3500 after all the goodies have been filed... As I mentioned, I have all the papers to prove what I have mentioned in this post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronsnet Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 LPFM doesn't cost for a license to be filed....plus I have the papers to prove so, I have looked up and down the price charts from the FCC to file applications and construction permits, it says nothing on the cost of LPFM's, so I checked the site to make sure and indeed there is no cost to file for a LPFM construction permit nor to file for a broadcast application for LPFM, now when it comes to regular AM and FM, AM is roughly around $4000 by the time all the stuff is taken care of with the FCC, and for FM it's about $3500 after all the goodies have been filed... As I mentioned, I have all the papers to prove what I have mentioned in this post For part 15, all you need is a simple antenna. Be sure to adhere to the height restriction of part 15 though. The top of a house or building should be sufficient. You are correct. There is no fee to file a LPFM application with the FCC. The fees that do come into play are hiring a broadcast engineer to preform the surveys, a broadcast attourney to review all documents to make sure that they are properly filled out and to make sure your application gets fair consideration instead of being bullied by another organization competing for the same frequency as the one you are applying for, etc. You then have to purchase the transmitter, antenna, EAS system, broadcasting equipment, royalty payments, remote controling equipment for transmitter, etc. It can get very expensive. The problem that a lot of people run into is filing the application correctly. There are many surveys that need to be done to make sure that the frequency that is being applied for will not interfere with any other stations in a 360 degree area. The technical requirements of the application are what screw a lot of people over because they don't take the time to hire a broadcast engineer to help out with filling out the technical information. The FCC is not forgiving if an application is filled out correctly, and will reject it. You always want to make sure you fill out your application correctly the first time because of the strong interest in other organizations for a license. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazin 97 Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Yeah there is no fee for LPFM liscences, Wayne Owens you are correct. Like I said earlier, LPFM is good, but it is a big commitment operating your own LPFM and I don't have time for that right now. That's why Part 15 sounds good; since the signal is smaller it can be more of a hobby, and you dont need to go through the FCC for anything & it's cheap enough that anyone can open up thier own hobby terrestrial station and toy around on the airwaves! I plan to open up a part 15 station, and then when I hear of an LPFM filing window, I will apply for a station and if approved my station will "increase it's power" to 100 watts. This way the people who listen to me as a part 15 wil lthen be able to hear my station for a few miles in a stronger signal. P.S. Pirate radio is out of consideration, I don't want to end up like darren :Z: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySouthRadio Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 lol haha i only got year probation and payed 1000 fine but if i where toi do it over i would not have done it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.