Looking for a good LP FM Transmitter

[Relay]

Can anyone suggest a good low power FM TX - 10 W to 100 W
A Web GUI Interface for remote monitoring and control
Reliable and robust.

Something like the Nautel VS300 but 10 - 100 watts?

Thanks..

[BroadcastDoc]

100w is hard to come by - however 50w can be done with BW Broadcast gear:

http://www.bwbroadcast.com/fm-transmitters

[Shane]

Wow. You'd think with all the 100 watt LPs coming on the air there would be a market. Having said that won't the VS300 do those lower levels?

We have a 250 w translator I thought we were going to be able to use a VS300 for but the line loss and low-to-zero antenna gain (1-bay) required 665w TPO! So we got the 1kw version.

Reckon the LP feed line won't be as long as ours.

[Slab Bulkhead]

300W seems to be the most common for LPFM transmitters. I think the reasoning is that you run into a lot of single bay and 2-bay half-wave antenna setups that need more power to make the 100W ERP.

The BW 300W box is reasonably priced.

I'm running into the Nautel issue with a translator install that I'm helping with. Looks like it will need about 350W TPO, the Nautel VS300 won't have enough juice but the 1kW unit is overkill.

[kcbooboo]

Be aware that the Nautel VS300 needs 220-240VAC. I guess this is because they use it as an exciter in much larger boxes that have that power available. For stand-alone use, you'll need a step-down transformer, which translates to additional cost.

Most small LPFM installations would only have 120VAC available.

Bob M.

[NECRAT]

I've installed the BW transmitters and can attest to them being very fine boxes.

For the price tag, the ones I've installed have been trouble free.

[awsherrill]

Be aware that the Nautel VS300 needs 220-240VAC

The newer VS300 boxes have an updated supply that will work with 120V mains voltage.

[TPT]

300 watts is a reasonable power level considering the limitations of many LPFM installations. Ideally, one would go for height at the transmitter site, allowing for smaller TPO requirements. But the flip side of the coin is that the limited coverage and limited budgets make it more practical to locate the transmitting antenna at the studio, avoiding STL costs, tower rents, etc.--even if the co-located site is less than ideal for AHAAT considerations.

For example: Community college journalism department--studio on second floor of the building, with flat roof single story outside the window of the studio. Antenna 70 feet above ground--but at a negative AHAAT since the college campus is in a bowl.

Five sections of Rohn 25G attached to the outside wall, sitting on a pad on the roof of the single story section. Single bay CP antenna; 1/2 inch down to the base of the tower. Needed to use a single bay to get the antenna far enough above the roof for RF exposure. Then it got interesting--feedline had to be snaked through the studio into an adjoining closet where the transmitter was to be located. We ended up using a superflex cable, at the cost of more loss. However, we were able to build a wooden trough along the wall to conceal the cable (plus RG6's for EAS antennas). The trough--stained for appearance--kept the cables from being kicked, etc. Final TPO for 100 watts ERP: 259 watts.

As can be guessed this was a VS300. Yes--needed the 110 to 220 step up transformer, but that cost was minimal. We also bought the Orban 5300 card for the VS-300, which made the total package quite reasonable--compared to buying a stand-alone processor, or going with a lower power transmitter but a more expensive 2 bay antenna.

[Ray]

The new VS300 will work on 120 VAC or 240 VAC.
They have a new power supply to retrofit older boxes if required.
Its hard to beat the VS300 with the Orban audio card built in even though the cost is high.
I'm using the BW50 transmitter as my backup transmitter (with a FCC approved 300 watt amplifier).

Ray

[Slab Bulkhead]

I would be happy with either the Nautel or the BW 300 watters at the LP station I am involved with. Either would be an improvement on the Nicom that's there now. This station dates back to the first LPFM window and there was not a wide selection of LPFM "Type Certified" transmitter options available at the time it signed on.

[JFM]

Count me in as another for the BW Tx300 V2.

Great little transmitter, built-in audio processing, uses 120V, great web interface that is easy to understand, and more.

Right now you can pick one up for around $3k.