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Old 16th Jan 2005, 7:46 pm   #1
immediate
Tetrode
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 85
Default AMT3000/Radio Caroline!

For several months I’ve been toying with the idea of buying an SSTRAN AMT3000 Low Power AM Broadcast Transmitter, so superbly reviewed on this excellent site. But I just don’t have the time to build one, and I am more at home soldering nice, big Octal valve holders than fiddly little IC’s!

So, imagine my joy when I saw an assembled one on eBay! Joy shared by quite a few others judging by the lively bidding! Anyway, I won it and it arrived very quickly with the best packing I’ve ever seen, and assembled to a professional standard. Very many thanks to the seller, radiogammon.

But what to play through it? Well, 1930’s tunes for 1930’s sets perhaps, from CD, MiniDisk, MP3 or a PC? Yes, fine, but at 52 I’m a bit too “young” to enjoy Al Bowly et al. Then … the smell of burning rubber indicated that I was thinking very hard, and I remembered the joy of growing up listening to the pirate radio ships. Of course, Radio Caroline is still on air through the Internet, the WorldSpace satellite system, and a television satellite that can be received on any Sky Digibox. (I actually bought a WorldSpace receiver a while ago, but lining the antenna up is a hassle, and you have to pay a subscription.)

But on Sky, Caroline is free, so why not connect the AMT3000 to the audio output of one of my Sky + boxes?? Tried it, tuned Caroline in on 1485Khz and … PERFECTION! OK some of the music is awful these days, but it’s great to hear the aged Caroline Bell and the jingles as they should be heard: on medium wave! It sounds best with treble boost pre-emphasis switched in. As the signal is already compressed, adjustment of the AMT3000’s compression makes little difference.

Tuning around the band on a Roberts R500 (original 60’s) it is impossible to distinguish the sound of Caroline via the AMT3000 from broadcast stations, which underlines the amazing quality of the unit, and it covers my house with no signal drop outs at all. I only have one complaint: I can’t continue to listen in the car when I drive to work … now where is that 813 rig..?!

If anyone else fancies one of these TX’s I can recommend them without any hesitation at all. And if you don’t feel like building one, they appear to be available ready-built to order at:

http://www.oldtimeradioprograms.com/...rs/am3000.html

Price is $179.95, presumably plus postage to the UK. Info on tuning Caroline on a Sky box is here:

http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/

Last edited by immediate; 16th Jan 2005 at 8:29 pm.
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Old 16th Jan 2005, 8:15 pm   #2
Trev757
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Default Re: AMT3000/Radio Caroline!

Of course, you could always request my massive list of offshore radio recordings and choose some classic moments from the original stations to play through the radio! You would have to change the tape now and again though


Trevor
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Old 16th Jan 2005, 8:27 pm   #3
immediate
Tetrode
 
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Posts: 85
Default Re: AMT3000/Radio Caroline!

YAY!! Consider it requested!! Even though I already have a few...
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Old 16th Jan 2005, 10:41 pm   #4
immediate
Tetrode
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 85
Default Re: AMT3000/Radio Caroline!

I almost forgot another use for this TX: I have a number of germanium diode radios, but neither a long wire aerial nor a good earth. However, loosely coupling the AMT3000 antenna wire to the radio’s antenna gives a cracking signal. I’m sure this would work equally well with 1920’s crystal sets, single valvers etc.
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