[TowerTalk] A question of newbie proportions.

[Jim Lux]

In general the FCC will want to make sure you can cover your city of license
with a given field strength (and demonstrate it in "proof of performance"
tests), which will require a substantially larger antenna than you are
contemplating, especially with the low power you are contemplating. I don't
know that you can get a license for "less than a city" for AM.

In exchange for letting you use some extremely valuable RF spectrum, the FCC
wants to make sure you "serve the public" in the appropriate area, and that
means having a strong enough signal to be useful. For instance, you have to
have EAS equipment, and your listeners have to be able to receive the EAS
signals reliably.

For FM, sub-100W and a low tower works, given that the terrain cooperates.
There are several FM stations near me with their antenna on a 30 foot pole,
but it's also hilly, and pole is up on the side of a hill, and is mostly
there to keep the field strength at the ground reasonable.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Frankson" <michaelcfrankson at yahoo.com>
To: <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2005 12:08 AM
Subject: [TowerTalk] A question of newbie proportions.


> Hi,
>
> I have a question for you guys. I'm looking to start a
> low powered AM station (0.1kw) and maybe grow into a
> community station one day. Depending on the FCC,
> licenses, application windows, bidding, resources etc.
> My community would only need a 6 mile radius.
>
> Does a tower for AM HAVE to be a tower, or can it be
> placed on a pole mast on an existing structure?
>
> Also, if I place say a 30 foot tower on top of an
> existing structure, would it give me the same results
> as if the whole thing were a tower?
>
> Thanks,
> Mike
>
>
>
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