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View Full Version : Setting up your own community radio station just became much easier (finally!)


FunkyHiFi
12-22-2010, 01:54 PM
I doubt mainstream media outlets will cover this much, if at all, but to us "regular people" it could be very important, especially in light of what's happening with the net neutrality issue :(:

Low power FM bill passed, with Democratic and Republican(!!) help, by both House and Senate (http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2060061&spid=24698)

Excerpt......
The group's Pete Tridish said, "A town without a community radio station is like a town without a library. Many a small town dreamer -- starting with a few friends and bake sale cash -- has successfully launched a low-power station, and built these tiny channels into vibrant town institutions that spotlight school board elections, breathe life into the local music scene, allow people to communicate in their native languages, and give youth an outlet to speak."

From what I've read, low power FM (LPFM) stations are usually only operated by non-profit entities, and since they are allowed at most 100 watts transmitting power, that means there is only enough for a 3 to 5 mile broadcasting range, but that still means a lot of people can benefit from such a truly community-oriented music/news/etc source.

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For other audio geeks :)............

Tuners in most gear nowadays is significantly worse than tuners made in past decades, because IMO manufacturers know much less people listen to radio so why bother designing a good one? But there are exceptions and a few brands still sell separate tuners which you can connect to just about anything with an auxiliary analog input (usually found in the form of red & white "phono" jacks).

Right now Sony is selling a tuner that has been gettings lots of press in the audio community for its super-excellent FM performance, with many reputable people (in other words, NOT shills) saying its actually better than most tuners made in the "golden age" of audio. And it only costs around $90-$100. Doing a search for the Sony XDR-F1HD will result in lots of hits. Yamaha and Denon for example also sell separate FM/AM tuners.

FunkyHiFi
01-12-2011, 09:24 PM
never mind.....

TimDoolan
01-12-2011, 11:51 PM
I loved working as an engineer in my high school radio station. Great times

FunkyHiFi
01-13-2011, 11:10 PM
I loved working as an engineer in my high school radio station. Great timesSounds like fun! (I didn't know high schools could have a radio station). I guess nowadays they also have an internet stream, though I am not sure how much that costs & unfortunately many schools are having to deal with moderate to severe budget cuts. :( Speaking of streams from non-profit organizations, which have helped me discover new music and are much like many stations of "yesteryear", in other words non-formulaic music, live in-studio music and knowledgeable DJs, I listen to several college stations, including Princeton's (http://www.wprb.com/) and U. of Washington (http://kexp.org/Default.aspx).

GreenEarthAl
01-15-2011, 01:22 PM
Nice.

The "Pirate" radio station here is one of two radio stations that plays music from my band.

TimDoolan
01-25-2011, 07:47 PM
Sounds like fun! (I didn't know high schools could have a radio station). I guess nowadays they also have an internet stream, though I am not sure how much that costs & unfortunately many schools are having to deal with moderate to severe budget cuts. :( Speaking of streams from non-profit organizations, which have helped me discover new music and are much like many stations of "yesteryear", in other words non-formulaic music, live in-studio music and knowledgeable DJs, I listen to several college stations, including Princeton's (http://www.wprb.com/) and U. of Washington (http://kexp.org/Default.aspx).

Yeah luckily I went to a nice high school in the south suburbs of chicago. WHFH 88.5. Student run radio station, with very little supervision.