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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
PROCASTER FM
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What is involved in the installation?
The Procaster transmitter consists of two parts: the outdoor weatherproof transmitter with attached antenna connected to an indoor studio interface with 4-conductor cable. The audio and power for the system connect to the studio interface; a 3.5mm jack for audio and a 2.1mm centre positive jack for the AC wall adapter.
What kind of range can I expect?
Typically 1/2 to 2 miles depending on the quality of your installation (check out the Installation and Grounding and Range Optimization) and the surrounding environment.
What am I allowed to broadcast?
You can broadcast any material you wish. Rude, hateful, controversial or offensive material may get you into trouble in ways that are not associated with the legalities of radio broadcasting and copyright protection laws must, as always, be observed.
How important is grounding?
Because the Procaster is a low power transmitter, the ground must be as efficient as possible to achieve best range. Generally the radial ground system is best, but often many other readily available grounds work very well, e.g. building electrical grounds. Try these first before you go to the trouble of more elaborate grounding. Just be aware that if the building electrical ground is noisy (motors, dimmer switches etc.) that noise will be superimposed on your broadcast. Grounding Tips can be found here.
How do I connect audio devices?
Via the standard 3.5mm on the studio interface. Any audio source: MP3 player, tape deck, computer, home stereo, mixer console etc. can be connected using an off-the-shelf patch cable available at many stores. Stereo signals are automatically mixed to produce a mono signal for the Procaster.
Can I rebroadcast Internet radio stations?
Yes. Using an Exstreamer device from Barix, you can recover streamed audio and feed it to the Procaster for re-transmission on the AM band.
Do I need a broadcast license?
Not required! Many people ask this question. The Procaster has been certified for unlicensed use by an approved testing laboratory.
What is the function of the audio processor?
The built-in audio processor 'compresses' the quieter parts of your audio signal to keep the average sound at a louder level. A louder signal maintains a higher level of modulation resulting in a stronger, clearer sound with better range. The audio processor can be adjusted for personal listening tastes.
Can I lengthen the antenna to get more range?
No. The tuning circuitry inside the Procaster has been optimized for the length of antenna included. Altering the length of the antenna will also void certification of the unit.
Can I link Procaster AM transmitters together over the Internet?
Yes. Using Instreamer and Exstreamer devices from Barix, you can link Procaster AMs together in real time to form a large wide area network of transmitters that can be fed from a single point. These can be placed anywhere there is an Internet connection.
Make sure the transmitters are far enough apart to prevent the carriers from affecting one another. If they overlap, then strange noises could be heard due to the carriers not being synchronized.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
PROCASTER AM
How do I set up the Procaster FM transmitter
The Procaster FM transmitter can be placed on a flat surface, hung on a vertical surface using key slots on the underside or screwed onto a standard tripod, also located on the underside.
Power can be AC or DC via a standard 2.1mm jack:
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A 12VAC wall adapter is provided with a 120VAC input for North America.
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A 12VDC wall adapter with 90-240VAC input is supplied for export to other countries.
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The Procaster FM can be connected directly to a vehicle 12VDC battery. Use a fuse for protection against short circuits.
What kind of range can I expect?
Typically 250ft line of sight depending on the sensitivity of the receiver. Good quality car radios can achieve 500ft.
What am I allowed to broadcast?
You can broadcast any material you wish. Rude, hateful, controversial or offensive material may get you into trouble in ways that are not associated with the legalities of radio broadcasting and copyright protection laws must, as always, be observed.
How do I connect audio devices?
Via the standard 3.5mm jack located on the front panel.
Any audio source: MP3 player, tape deck, computer, home stereo, mixer console etc. can be connected using an off-the-shelf patch cable available at many stores. A 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable is included.
The input accepts stereo left and right signals. Stereo or Mono operation can be selected on the transmitter.
Can I rebroadcast Internet radio stations?
Yes. Using an Exstreamer device from Barix, you can recover streamed audio and feed it to the Procaster FM for re-transmission on the FM band.
Do I need a broadcast license?
Not required! Many people ask this question. The Procaster has been certified for unlicensed use by an approved testing laboratory for use in Canada and the USA.
What is the tunable frequency range?
For Canada (BETS-1): 88.1 - 107.5MHz
Channel spacing: 100kHz
For the USA (FCC 15.239): 88.1 - 107.9MHz
Channel spacing: 100kHz
How do I know if my audio input signal is too strong?
The Procaster FM will automatically limit the modulating signal to prevent splatter into adjacent FM channels.
All the user has to do is turn up the input level control and listen on a nearby FM receiver for the sound to become overmodulated, then back off the input level until the sound is clear.
Bass and treble tone controls (+/-15dB) can be adjusted for personal listening tastes.
Can I link Procaster FM transmitters together over the Internet?
Yes. Using Instreamer and Exstreamer devices from Barix, you can link Procasters together in real time to form a large wide area network of transmitters that can be fed from a single point. These can be placed anywhere there is an Internet connection.
Make sure the transmitters are far enough apart to prevent the carriers from affecting one another. If they overlap, then strange noises could be heard due to the carriers not being synchronized.