I apologize for not keeping this blog a bit more active.<\/p>\n
Yes, we are still here, still working on our station construction.\u00a0 In June we applied for an extension to our FCC Construction Permit and it was granted!\u00a0 We also held a Board of Directors meeting and covered our recent events, budget and things left to accomplish.<\/p>\n
We also obtained a used antenna.\u00a0 It is a multi-element array.\u00a0 We don’t have space on our tower for such an array but we can use one or two of the six elements.\u00a0 July saw us tuning up one of the elements for use on our frequency.\u00a0 And we sold three of the elements to help offset the acquisition cost.\u00a0 We still have two of the elements unallocated and may be able to sell them to another LPFM station.<\/p>\n
Today I was doing some feed line work.\u00a0 Feed line is a special kind of co-axial cable which transfers our signal from the transmitter, over and up to the antenna on the tower.\u00a0 Our feed-line situation is good.\u00a0 We have about 200 feet of low-loss 75 Ohm Cable-TV hardline coax with frequency-specific impedance matching sections on each end.\u00a0 Then we have about 25 feet of flexible coax, some on each end, to connect to the antenna and to the transmitter.<\/p>\n
Besides the line itself, there is some math to be done to figure out our total “loss” in the antenna system.\u00a0 The FCC has licensed us for a specific ERP\u00a0 (Effective Radiated Power).\u00a0 We calculate the system losses to tell us how much power our transmitter needs to be generating in order to produce the ERP we want coming out of the antenna.\u00a0 We really could use a 300 Watt transmitter, but the inexpensive 250 Watt transmitter we have obtained will be adequate for now.<\/p>\n
As you can tell, we are trying to cut costs in every area in order to get our station on the air.\u00a0 While doing that we also have been noting the areas we would like to eventually upgrade if the station proves to be a success.<\/p>\n
Oh, one last thing:\u00a0 in July we applied for an equipment grant from the 4-County Electrical Co-Op which services our area.\u00a0 We have not yet heard from them a thumbs up or down. Our success with grants… let’s just say we have not had any success with grants.\u00a0 But maybe something will come through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I apologize for not keeping this blog a bit more active. Yes, we are still here, still working on our station construction.\u00a0 In June we applied for an extension to our FCC Construction Permit and it was granted!\u00a0 We also held a Board of Directors meeting and covered our recent events, budget and things left … Continue reading Events in June and July<\/span>