Micropower Broadcasting - A Technical Primer
Many people still assume that an FM broadcast station consists of
rooms full of equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars. The
Micropower Broadcasting-Free Radio Movement has shown this to be
untrue. Micropower broadcasting uses FM transmitters whose power
output is in the range of 1/2 to 100-150 watts. Such transmitters
have a physical size that is not much greater than that of your
average brick. Combined with other equipment including inexpensive
audio mixers, consumer audio gear, a power supply, filter and
antenna, these transmitters enable any community to put its own
voice on the air at an average cost of $1000-$1500. This is an
affordable figure within the range of most communities.
All of the technical aspects of putting together a micropower
broadcasting station are covered in the following material. It is
important to note that the main argument the FCC uses against
micropower broadcasting is its claim of interference with other
broadcast services. Interference is a valid concern. By using
equipment that is frequency stable and properly fitted with
harmonic suppression filters, along with good operating procedures
and standards, the FCC’s argument can be effectively
neutralized.
Further, the technical aspects of micropower broadcasting require
some basic knowledge in the areas of electronics and broadcast
practices. Hopefully, this primer will be able to convey some of
this knowledge to you. If you are unsure of your abilities, try to
find someone who has the technical experience to help you. Radio
Shack sells some introductory books on electronics. The ARRL
(Amateur Radio Relay League - www.arrl.org) handbook, published
every year, is one of the best books available for radio theory.
Although some of the content changes every year, the basic theory
sections remain the same. Copies of past years handbooks are fairly
easy to find at used book stores. There is a wealth of information
available on the internet. Just enter “electronic
tutorial” as a search term in Google or another search
engine. As this movement grows, a network of people with the
required technical skills will be formed to assist in the process
of empowering every community with its own voice. If you are a
person with engineering or technical experience, please contact
Free Radio Berkeley to become part of this network.