SIO 353 I listen via the Kiwi SDR of radio Elvira http://radioelvira.sytes.net:8073/
The last summer via medium wave?
With summer just around the corner, we really need to start thinking about the future of Extra AM as a niche channel.
Financially it still looks gloomy with the aftermath of the corona crisis and the current inflation.
Moreover, we still haven't been able to find a permanent sponsor and, despite the price cap for energy, we are still at double what we were a year ago.
In short, the costs of keeping the medium wave transmitter in the air, including the rent of the site on which the mast is located, have become too expensive.
We wrote it before, we cannot and do not want to continue in this way in 2024.
In order to reduce costs, a new temporary employment location 'for nothing' would be ideal.
Of course that also requires an investment, but that is only a one-off and all expenses are of course reimbursed.
What we are looking for is a piece of land of at least 12 x 12 meters without high buildings but with an electricity and internet connection within 50 meters.
A flagpole of 12 meters will be erected on this piece of land (we have nothing to do with the roofs of apartment buildings or industrial buildings).
If you know anything first hand, please send an email to info (at) extram dot nl
Do you possibly know someone else who has space available? Then submit this question including our contact information.
Unfortunately, we cannot respond to e-mails suggesting to try so-and-so.
By 15 August at the latest, we will decide whether Extra AM will continue in 2024 or not.
Thank you very much for thinking along.
Extra AM is a non-stop old-fashioned channel for the region "Greater Amsterdam" that broadcasts via the old-fashioned medium wave.
The AM has advantages and disadvantages and yet all those "oldies" of yesteryear come into their own much better through this technique.
For example, "mono AM processing" ensures that typical warm, full sound as it used to come from your speakers.
The format is music from the 60s to the 90s, with a focus on the 60s, followed by the 70s.
In addition, there is also room for the "forgotten" records under the motto "Do you remember this one, still,... ?!!".
You can best receive Extra AM on your car radio or on your portable radio. Or - for those who are lucky - on your tube radio that you may still have in the attic. However, buildings with steel/concrete constructions simply throw a spanner in the works, which means that reception indoors is often poor, unfortunately.
But you can also, just like before, experiment with a piece of wire or loop antenna, which often leads to improvement. And for those who want to tinker themselves: there are plenty of examples of a window or loop antenna on the internet. You can also buy them ready made.
Before you start: keep in mind that the range of the transmitter is about 20 to 30 km, calculated from Amsterdam-West.
However, we also sometimes receive reception reports from radio amateurs who live tens of kilometers away.
Almost all employees have a preference for making radio. Many once started with a hospital broadcaster or radio pirate and a few even made it to public and/or commercial broadcasting. We all have one thing in common: a passion for radio. We have combined knowledge and skills, resulting in our own local commercial radio broadcaster for “Greater Amsterdam”. Commercial in a formal sense because the Media Act does not provide for hobby projects. Commercial exploitation of an AM station has long ceased to be profitable. The starting point is that Extra AM is a hobby project. In addition, we envisioned a non-stop Golden oldies channel without DJs. After all, our target group knows by now that The Beatles came from Liverpool.
In 2016 it became possible to apply for a license for a low-power medium wave frequency. Both the public and commercial broadcasters had since abandoned medium wave, creating space for small-scale AM broadcasts. However, medium wave has two disadvantages: the relatively low sound quality and the gradual disappearance of AM receivers, also from the car. On the other hand, that medium wave sound has a typical character that reminds many of the bygone days of Radio Luxembourg and the offshore stations. We also see this in the many reactions from enthusiastic listeners who discovered us by chance and feel like a teenager again.
The first frequency that was requested was 1485 kHz with a power of less than 1 Watt. The range was only a few hundred meters. Because this was a bit disappointing, the 1224 kHz was requested with 100 watts, but due to physical limitations only 10 watts were broadcast.
Now that we had a taste for it and a considerable attack had been made on our wallets, we decided to look for another broadcasting location. In terms of location and from a historical perspective, our eye fell on the REM island in 't IJ. The talks were well advanced, but fell apart because it all became very costly. Meanwhile, a new frequency distribution would take place that we were not sorry about. On 1224 kHz we experienced a lot of nuisance, especially in the evening, from an English channel that still broadcasts on 1215 kHz to this day. Broadcasting on 1224 kHz in the evenings and at night therefore made no sense at all.
With the new distribution in May 2019 we managed to get hold of the 1332 kHz and a month later we found the current transmitter location in the former Lutkemeer, just west of Amsterdam. The advantage of this location is the space for a radial network under the antenna mast to create a strong ground wave. In fact, such a network of wires is even more important than the antenna itself. And because the antenna is too small in relation to the wavelength, it now transmits with about 20 watts. The antenna itself is a greatly shortened radiator of 11 meters with “top load” and horizontal top capacity. The network consists of 24 radials with varying lengths of up to 56 metres. That length corresponds to a quarter wave of the wavelength: 300,000 (the propagation speed of light and radio waves) divided by 1332 is 225, divided by 4 is about 56. A nice side effect is that the former seabed mainly consists of clay that has a good conduction provides. On top of this is a thin layer of peat that is continuously kept wet to prevent it from drying out. The conditions at this location can therefore be called good and stable.
Look photos on antenna
https://hugosdxhoekje.wordpress.com/2020/04/30/qsl-from-dutch-lpam-station-extra-am-in-amsterdam/
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