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Federal Communications Commission allows the operation of type accepted equipment on the AM band with .1 Watt power. One tenth of a Watt doesn't sound like much but a few high performance transmitters (we believe ours is the best) on the market using high tech components can squeeze amazing range out of the allowed .1 Watt. With a good installation you can achieve up to 1-2 miles range and more with our unit.

All you need is a good place to put one.

You can order the mounting bracket for it that will mount the unit on a 2 or 1.25 inch mast. Radio Shack is a good source for these products. Radio Shack sells the 1.25 inch mast. Also you need to buy the antenna for the unit which does not normally come with it (because of cost of shipping) at Radio Shack or a CB shop. (Part No 21-903      102 inch whip antenna). However if you can't find the antenna or just would rather we will gladly ship you one (see order page).

You could just use a board (if you don't order the AM1000BR mount bracket) to mount the transmitter, there is a hole in each corner of the unit. (see picture). Screws are included.

Then you need to install the Cable. See:   Cabling
Connecting the ground wire:   Ground
Tuning the Rangemaster:   Tuning
How to get 100% Modulation:   Modulation
Using audio processing:   Audio
Hints for getting good range:   Hints
Multiple Transmitters:   Multiple Transmitters
Portable lift for installing:   Snorkel

To set full FCC allowed .1 Watt: Leave meter hooked up as described in tuning step. (Black lead in GND hole and Red lead in bottom hole) Note voltage reading (example 2 volts). Move black lead to bottom hole and move red lead to middle hole. Note voltage (example .5 volt). Multiply these two readings and then divide by 10 to determine your power in watts. In this case 2 volts times .5 volt = 1 divided 10= .1 Watt (divide your result by 10 because the current sense resistor is 10 ohm) which is the result you want. .1 Watt is the legal FCC limit. Adjust the power level potentiometer on the transmitter until you are satisfied with the readings. A tip, if you have two meters you can hook both up at the same time to make setting the power easier. Connect one meter to the top and bottom holes (for the voltage reading) and the other meter to the top two holes. See this power chart to help make setting the power easy.

Plug your audio in and adjust Audio level for best sound. We recommend leaving the pot in the transmitter 3/4 up or more and adjusting the audio level from the ground if possible.

For your audio source you can use a MP3 player, the new digital players work great. Some have removable media. Just be sure it has a "repeat" function. you will need a 3.5mm to 3.5mm male to male plug cable to plug the typical MP3 player into the studio interface. We can help make your MP3 player work in the system, for example if you need a power supply we can help find one, just give us a call. We recommend using an MP3 player that has a power supply, or an USB MP3 player with an internal rechargeable battery. We have USB power supplies in stock that will keep your USB rechargeable MP3 player powered 24/7, just let us know you need one when ordering.

The iPod shuffle is a great choice for your MP3 player audio source, just load your MP3 files, and set it to repeat. Be sure to buy the "on the go" power supply with it, you can get 110v AC or 12VDC adapters.(Amazon)

New! RangeMaster is now a dealer for the quality Premier Digital player Line
USB 1100 – The only available Premier unit that downloads MP3 files directly from a USB flash drive (thumb drive) for Music on Hold
•    Downloads standard MP3 files directly from the removable USB drive to the internal memory or:
•    Plays standard MP3 files directly from the removable USB drive
•    No special software needed to record new audio on the drive
•    USB drive comes loaded with 6 licensed audio tracks
•    Easy install for the smallest of locations
•    Aluminum casing with external wall mounts
•    Price is $249 with a 256 MB drive
For information sheet click here
We have tested this unit here and it works great! Balanced audio out can drive the transmitter directly or the 8 ohm out can drive the studio interface, your choice.

Or you could use a computer and one of many software packages available for sequencing audio files, some of which are shareware. You could simply use a CD player, with both music CDs and CDs that you record yourself. Be careful of royalties required for material you play on your station. Check out chat rooms and news groups for more information on this subject. Radio Shack makes a good mixer for small setups.
premtech.com/usb1100.html has a great player made for the music on hold industry, auto power up, 600 balanced out and storage on a removable SD card are featured.  Also look at theOHP6000, a similar unit.

The Radio Shack mixers are #32-2057 $99 and 32-2058 $149. Radio Shack carries microphones and other equipment for your station. A great place to find equipment is MCM Electronics. An Innovonics 222 Audio Processor can increase your range and improve your sound.

Here are some helpful Radio Shack part numbers:

• 4 ft ground rod 15-530
• 8ft ground rod 15-529
• 102" antenna 21-903
• Tripod mount 15-517
• Eaves mount 15-891
• Wall mount 15-886
• 5ft mast 15-862
• 4ft mast 15-883
• 10ft mast 15-863

Radio Shack has a few other useful types of mounts. We recommend getting your copper ground wire at Lowes or Home Depot. Use #12 or #10 AWG

Follow this link for helpful E-mails from a friend to a party that was interesting in starting a station. See this link for some suggestions from the same friend for getting better range.

Multiple Transmitters:

Need more range? It is possible to use more then one Rangemaster unit to cover more area. The easiest method is to spread them out over you area about 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile apart and synchronize the audio only. Because the units are crystal controlled and can be fine tuned to exact frequency this will work, they won't heterodyne unlike PLL controlled AM transmitters. However you will need a method to distribute the audio. Part 15 Microwave, cable, radio, Internet, phone line are a few possibilities. Helpful E-mail  It is also possible to put several RANGEMASTER units on a large building and synchronize the audio and radio carriers together so they will help each other using the onboard digital link, the carriers will actually add in the air. It takes about 5 units to double your range.

Call or E-mail us (see our contact information on the contact page) if you have further questions or to purchase a Rangemaster.