Feature Request for FM Transmitter Usage

[Jim_H]

I would try the below attached .bmp. it should limit your range to less than 1/2 mile, if the antenna is near ground level. It should get you into the acceptable rf Field Strength level.

Attached files

[Tim Fischer]

Wow, somehow I missed this entire thread...

Can someone explain a bit more about using RDS with a home transmitter? How do you get the data to the RDS encoder? What's the cheapest way to get RDS encoding on my existing FM25B?

Thanks!

-Tim

[Tim Fischer]

Tim Fischer wrote:

Wow, somehow I missed this entire thread...

Can someone explain a bit more about using RDS with a home transmitter? How do you get the data to the RDS encoder? What's the cheapest way to get RDS encoding on my existing FM25B?

Thanks!

-Tim

Another question for Dan: Will LOR support only a specific RDS encoder or is there some sort of standard? How about something like this: http://www.pira.cz/rds/minirds.htm

-Tim

[bhays]

Tim Fischer wrote:

Tim Fischer wrote:

Wow, somehow I missed this entire thread...

Can someone explain a bit more about using RDS with a home transmitter? How do you get the data to the RDS encoder? What's the cheapest way to get RDS encoding on my existing FM25B?

Thanks!

-Tim

Another question for Dan: Will LOR support only a specific RDS encoder or is there some sort of standard? How about something like this: http://www.pira.cz/rds/minirds.htm

-Tim

I am going to hold off on purchasing anything until I know what LOR will specifically support, but I definitely plan on doing RDS next season.

[Steven]

LightORamaDan wrote:

Changes will be included in LOR II to support RDS.

Is this still true? I didn't see any RDS support in 2.0.14. If it's there, how do you turn it on?

[mmaness]

If this support will be added in the future for LOR II, will it be one item per sequence (such as it takes the name you give it when creating a musical sequence), or will you be able to specify the text at various points in the sequence?

The reason I'm asking is that I generally edit all my music into once piece, so that it flows from one song to another, rather than having a gap between songs. I'd like to take advantage of this (future) feature, but if it's one text item per musical sequence, I'm pretty well dead in the water on this.

[Tim Fischer]

I, too, would still love to hear more info on if/how S2 will support this -- and specifically, with what type of hardware required.

-Tim

[taybrynn]

I'm wondering if this software encoder could be an option for use with LOR ?

http://www.diffusionsoftware.com/airomate.php

[hobbes]

I would think that a hardware encoder would be easier to integrate with LOR than a software encoder. I always thought that if LOR implemented RDS support that it would use another serial port (or possibly USB) to send the data to the encoder. I would to add this feature to my display but prices for the RDS hardware would need to come down first.

tom.

[taybrynn]

I've seen some external decoders for $20 or so ... but I've heard the problem is something like the mpx and pilot are normally handled together in the transmitter ... and they need to be separated when using RDS, then fed back to the chip on the transmitter.

But there are some nextgen chips coming out that actually do the RDS in the chip with the VCO or something like that ...

I've been telling EDM that they should work something out with LOR and have a kit that interfaces a RDS transmitter with the director unit or something.

[bhays]

taybrynn wrote:

I've seen some external decoders for $20 or so ... but I've heard the problem is something like the mpx and pilot are normally handled together in the transmitter ... and they need to be separated when using RDS, then fed back to the chip on the transmitter.

That's true. You have to have a transmitter with a separate stereo encoder like the PCS products. (or know where to tap in on the circuit board of your amp.)

With a ramsey transmitter like so many here use, it would not be possible to add an rds encoder without modifying the circuit board.

[taybrynn]

They did a successful mod on the EDM transmitter ... on the yahoo EDM board (using a LED transmitter) and used a software RDS signal ... but the second sound card lost the RDS signal due to insufficiant sampling rate. I believe the 2nd soundcard needed 192 sampling instead of the normal 48 or 96. Something like an audiophile 192.

[hobbes]

taybrynn,

Do you have a link to the Yahoo message board?

tom.

[taybrynn]

Yes, here is is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/edmdesign/

I believe you have to join it to view messages and post ...

[Dinosang]

Use software to send rds data to your transmitter as long as you have 192kHz soundcard. Maybe Lor2 can incorporate in into there software.


http://www.diffusionsoftware.com/products.php

[taybrynn]

Yes, the aeromate software was what they tested the EDM mod with.

The RDS data was there, but we lost after passing through the second sound card, because of the 96k sampling rate.

I think a cheap $20 external RDS encoder would be the way to go (for most) ... and then S2 could just send it (via serial or USB interface) the RDS information at the beginning of each new sequence.

[Guest wbottomley]

taybrynn wrote:

S2 could just send it (via serial or USB interface) the RDS information at the beginning of each new sequence.

Now you're talking business.

[Kim]

I just finished putting a 1watt Vastelec FM transmitter and the Pira.cz Minirds encoder together. Seems to work well.

All LOR2 has to do to put "Now Playing" info in RDS, is update a .txt file.

The MiniRDS software can be setup to read a .txt file and output the contents as RDS data to the encoder.

Quote from the MiniRDS help file:
Dynamic PS, Radiotext
From file - Reads the text from specified text file
("now-playing" file, music log file etc.). Wildcards ("*" and
"?") are supported (the latest file found will be read). Next
time the file will be read again when the text changes.

But i havent testet that function yet.

/Kim

[Dinosang]

Kim wrote:

I just finished putting a 1watt Vastelec FM transmitter and the Pira.cz Minirds encoder together. Seems to work well.

All LOR2 has to do to put "Now Playing" info in RDS, is update a .txt file.

The MiniRDS software can be setup to read a .txt file and output the contents as RDS data to the encoder.

Quote from the MiniRDS help file:
Dynamic PS, Radiotext
From file - Reads the text from specified text file
("now-playing" file, music log file etc.). Wildcards ("*" and
"?") are supported (the latest file found will be read). Next
time the file will be read again when the text changes.

But i havent testet that function yet.

/Kim

Airomate can be updated as well using a TXT file. I think it would be nice to be able to use both options either direct hadware control or software text file update. Maybe Lor can make a cheap RDS hardware unit using either USB or maybe even putting it inline with the rj45 connection. Or maybe a USB to RS485 Adapter with Booster and RDS encoder all in one!

[Steven]

bhays wrote:

With a ramsey transmitter like so many here use, it would not be possible to add an rds encoder without modifying the circuit board.

Yes and no. Yes, you have to tap into the circuit board, but no, you don't have to cut any traces or unsolder any components. Read my post about how I interfaced a Pira32 to a Ramsey FM25B. In my first attempt, I unsoldered a capacitor, but after that didn't work I put it back and connected it at two points and ground.

Now for a different RDS question: How do/would you send the artist / song name? The Pira32 has a number of "dynamic PS" options. In my testing, I used the "scroll 1 character at a time" mode 1, because it tests the reliability of the transmission and I think it looks neat to have the artist / song scroll by like a marquee.

However, I scanned through the commercial broadcast FM stations yesterday and found that almost all of them use the "word at a time" mode 3. In this mode, you don't have to worry about how to separate the artist from the song name, since they appear at different times. For instance, one station sent their PS info in this sequence:

Ludwig

van

Beethove

n Piano

Concerto

#4 in G,

Op.58

It seems there is no reason to include the album information, as this would make it too long.

My Toyota's radio supports "radiotext" as "MSG", so I used that to put our web site (not written yet) and our hours of operation. The Pira32 manual says that most cars don't support this.

A final question: What is used to pull the information out of the text file and give it to the Pira32 RDS encoder? The "Magic RDS" software from the Pira web site will do this, so I assume I just make sure it's running while my show's running. I can just put it in the "Startup" folder. Does this sound correct?