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From: randall@informix.com (Randall Rhea)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave,rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.noncom,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: The RAMSEY FM-10 STEREO TRANSMITTER KIT REVIEW (Longish)
Message-ID: <1991Mar27.235352.17436@informix.com>
Date: 27 Mar 91 23:53:52 GMT
References: <1991Mar27.061649.17157@lopez.UUCP>
Sender: news@informix.com (Usenet News)
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.
Lines: 36

I big thank-you to Gary for his outstanding review of the Ramsey FM
Stereo transmitter.

I too have built and used one.  Considering the price ($30.00), it is
a fantastic unit.

I have had the following problems:

1) I cannot get the thing to work on frequencies above 98 MHz.  You have
a choice of three capacitors to solder into the unit depending on the
frequency range you want.  Only the capacitor designed for the low end of
the band seems to work.

2) That little variable capacitor that controls the subcarrier is indeed
important.  You need to be very patient in adjusting this thing, or your
receiver's stereo light will not come on. 

3) Getting the transmitter tuned to exactly the right frequency is 
not easy.  You need a TV alignment tool and a lot of patience.  On
modern digital FM receivers, such as my car stereo, you will not get the
stereo light to come on unless you've got the transmitter tuned correctly.

4) Finding an open frequency in the SF area, or any large metropolitan
area, is very difficult.  This of course is not a problem with the 
transmitter, but it can reduce its usefulness.


I hooked the transmitter to a 2-meter ham J-pole antenna on the roof, 
and found that its range was about 1/2 mile.   If I built an antenna 
that was tuned to 88 MHz, I could probably increase its range.

-- 

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Randall Rhea                                        Informix Software, Inc. 
Senior Programmer/Analyst, MIS                  uunet!pyramid!infmx!randall