Transmitter power

[netant2000]

Hi all,

A bit of a weird question from me.... ...anyone got any idea what the most powerful transmitter wattage used by a pirate in London or surrounding counties has been in the past

I'm thinking its around 300 watt mark?

Weird question I know, I'm just curious

Thanks all, stay safe

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

[XXL]

Usually 300w now days coz they’re all so low down.

[teckniqs]

Just over 950w from an outer west London tower block about 5 years ago.

....I've never heard of anyone using any more than that in London during my 25 years of radio.

[XXL]

Who the fuck was that ? Can’t of lasted long.

[teckniqs]

I won't say who it was but many people on here know who.

They had the rig hidden behind kitchen units in someones flat and the coax and power running down from the roof to the rig, it lasted for a considerable while before they relocated it a couple of miles further west.

...I live in Worthing over 50 miles away in West Sussex with massive hills directly north in the way of London and it was almost cystal clear by Worthing pier!

[Albert H]

In the early 80s, when the 24-hour stations started from Church Road Crystal Palace, there was a very big Colinear Aerial put up. The aerial had significant gain, and the biggest rig that was run into it was around 650 Watts - the ERP was around 1.5 kW. There were reception reports (and tapes) sent in from northern Germany, Belgium and France.

[nrgkits.nz]

Kiss FM in Belfast late 80’s had an eirp of 1.2 mega watts using an array directional yagi’s, I think the gain was around 26db

[teckniqs]

That's very true, but it's a very long way away from London and the surrounding counties.

[Albert H]

Kiss FM in Belfast late 80’s had an eirp of 1.2 mega watts using an array directional yagi’s, I think the gain was around 26db

You're roughly right. The exciter for that rig was an NRG PLL Pro II. Miles tried the Broadcast Warehouse PLL+, but it just went into wild self-oscillation and the PLL wouldn't lock. (Moral: Don't use "at frequency" generation for higher power stuff!). He picked up an NRG ready-built board from me (in North London at the time) and rushed over to Ireland with it, because he had to get Kiss on in a hurry!

Those stations were true "border blasters" and Kiss was probably the most powerful pirate ever, anywhere!

[Tec1 87.5fm London]

1000w in to A .j pole On 87.5 ... 4 years a go

[famefm]

1000w in to A .j pole On 87.5 ... 4 years a go

So that's why I could pick it up in Wiltshire at that time. I wonder how much power the present station on 87.5 livefmuk is running?

[teckniqs]

Probably just a stolen 150w box, no point in wasting a 300w box for that shite .....even if it was free.

[teckniqs]

Who the fuck was that ? Can’t of lasted long.

1000w in to A .j pole On 87.5 ... 4 years a go

Now you know...

[famefm]

Actually the big signal did last some time I think it was at least 6 months and as for the presant 87.5 station they have lasted for some time now 3 months and counting .I moving in 3 weeks time to 100 miles north of London so don't have long left to listen to London fm pirates

[Sparki]

I know of one that came on years ago that for a day banged out a 300 watter it got into parts of Watford and a little into London which was quite impressive from Kent and by Kent I mean on the tip of the seaside. They did this test for one day but never came on as the DJ's were a let down apparently. I'm not sure how far 300 is meant to go obviously a long way but would you say getting to Hertfordshire and a tiny bit of London sounds about right? or was it to do with luck and nothing in the way of it?

[Username]

Im a delivery driver, well was until lockdown , i drive all over the country , must be talking above about the same signal on 87.5 around 5 years ago i had them from the south coast all the way to a place called Billesdon which is just outside Leicester and had 87.5 crystal clear the whole way

[Username]

just to add - 94.2 a couple of years ago I noticed were getting out same sort of distance

More recently tho just before lockdown I noticed 97.9 clear from Crawley to past Luton clear as a bell

[thewisepranker]

1000w in to A .j pole On 87.5 ... 4 years a go

I picked this up on top of Devils Dyke playing jungle, the signal was really strong. I've got it burned in my memory that the DJs were identifying the station as UK's Finest, although I know that it was actually a different station by that time. I then drove to Brighton and ended up on the beach (on the stones) and could still get it but it was obviously weak.

[Albert H]

I'm not sure how far 300 is meant to go

300 Watts travels exactly the same distance as 3 Watts, if each is put into the same aerial. The power doesn't change "range".

VHF signals always go to the horizon.

You extend the horizon by putting the aerial as high up as you can. The transmitter power just changes the signal-to-noise ratio. The higher the power, the better the S/N. A 1 Watt signal will go to the horizon - just like a 1kW signal - but probably won't be able to be heard above the noise floor. As you increase the transmitter power, you flatten the noise more and more, making your signal able to be heard above the noise at a greater distance from the transmission aerial.

The only VHF exception to that range rule is when you get weird atmospheric conditions (usually in the summer months), and VHF signals go halfway around the world! This is just a freak set of circumstances and is not useable for broadcasting due to the transient nature of the phenomena!

[XXL]

I'm not sure how far 300 is meant to go

300 Watts travels exactly the same distance as 3 Watts, if each is put into the same aerial. The power doesn't change "range".

VHF signals always go to the horizon.

You extend the horizon by putting the aerial as high up as you can. The transmitter power just changes the signal-to-noise ratio. The higher the power, the better the S/N. A 1 Watt signal will go to the horizon - just like a 1kW signal - but probably won't be able to be heard above the noise floor. As you increase the transmitter power, you flatten the noise more and more, making your signal able to be heard above the noise at a greater distance from the transmission aerial.

The only VHF exception to that range rule is when you get weird atmospheric conditions (usually in the summer months), and VHF signals go halfway around the world! This is just a freak set of circumstances and is not useable for broadcasting due to the transient nature of the phenomena!

Albert that is a load of rubbish. If it was a perfect world, yes 3w would go the same distance. 300w would penetrate through things a lot further out, thus the signal will travel further.