Newbie low-brain question fm stereo broadcast antenna
 

I have a small 1 watt transmitter. I have a simple goal of using it to
cover my horse so I can tune the same music throughout.

I have tried a variety of antennas to get it to work, but have been
largely unsuccessful. I guess I don't know what I'm doing!

My latest and best antenna is a j-pole I built with copper pipe and
mounted inside my garage. No matter where I place it in my house though
I am simply unable to create a quality signal that carries more than 50
feet.

If anyone is willing to give me some tips I'd be very appreciative.
James

James

Your poor horse (house - grin)

Might be worthwhile using leaky coax (radiates over its length - often
used in road tunnels and mines) or maybe working out an antenna
splitting exercise to various parts of the house. (ie two or more
antennas) Use 1/4 wave (or odd multiple) Q sections at each antenna and
combine them with a T connector before plugging into the TX. You will of
course get occasional nulls where two antennas patterns meet out of phase.

A "badly fed" antenna at one end of the house with the TX at the other
may radiate enough from the feedline to make the system usable. I am
talking about making a deliberate mismatch here that still looks like 50
ohms at the TX. My first thought here would be to use a 4:1 coax balun
at each end and use 300 ohm ribbon in the middle for maybe 30 feet. In
odd places I'd then spread the 300 ohm ribbon conductors apart so they
radiate a little more..

You may even find that placing the current good antenna in the roof
space might work better.

Cheers Bob VK2YQA

wrote:
I have a small 1 watt transmitter. I have a simple goal of using it to
cover my horse so I can tune the same music throughout.

I have tried a variety of antennas to get it to work, but have been
largely unsuccessful. I guess I don't know what I'm doing!

My latest and best antenna is a j-pole I built with copper pipe and
mounted inside my garage. No matter where I place it in my house though
I am simply unable to create a quality signal that carries more than 50
feet.

If anyone is willing to give me some tips I'd be very appreciative.
James

If that won't do it, it must be an awful big horse.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a small 1 watt transmitter. I have a simple goal of using it to
cover my horse so I can tune the same music throughout.

James wrote:
"I have a goal of using it (1-watt FM transmitter) to cover my house so
I can tune the same music throughout."

Use twinleaad between the transmitter at one end of the house and a load
resistor at the other end. Twinlead will leak enough due to imbalance to
be received all along its length.

Works for 2-way radio operation in tunnels, etc.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI

Excellent. I appreciate all the feedback so far.... BIG horse!

wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a small 1 watt transmitter. I have a simple goal of using it to
cover my horse so I can tune the same music throughout.

I have tried a variety of antennas to get it to work, but have been
largely unsuccessful. I guess I don't know what I'm doing!

My latest and best antenna is a j-pole I built with copper pipe and
mounted inside my garage. No matter where I place it in my house though
I am simply unable to create a quality signal that carries more than 50
feet.

If anyone is willing to give me some tips I'd be very appreciative.
James

I can think of a couple of things. Firtst, you may have insulation with a
metal backing between the house and garage; not good. Also, what is the
polarization of the receiving antennas? If they are horizontal, you would be
better off with a horizontal transmitting antenna. You might try a dipole in
the attic, under the insulation. That is, on the ceiling of the room below.
If the insulation has a metal backing, take it off from directly above the
antenna. This should be in the center of the house. Basement might work just
as well. BTW. I don't think your gizmo puts out 1W. That would easily go a
mile. Probably 1 - 10 mW. Lastly, make sure the transmitter is on
frequency. Going 200 KHz up or down in either direction should be equally
bad.

Tam/WB2TT

Nay nay that will never work.