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Safety Warning
To prevent the possibility of electrocution, always be aware of nearby electric power lines and mount the transmitter far enough away such that if the antenna fell down, there would be no chance of contact.
FCC Warning
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by ChezRadio could void user's authority to operate the equipment.
Step 1. Choose a Quiet Channel
Drive around your chosen broadcast area and listen for clear channels. Note: car radios are usually more sensitive than portables, so that should be considered too. If you want to broadcast at night, you would have to check if the channel is clear then. It's more difficult to broadcast at night because skywaves from higher-powered radio stations reach into your broadcast area and will reduce your effective transmit range; so bear that in mind. Try to choose one of the highest 42 channels available for the Procaster™ by setting the option switch accordingly. The higher the frequency, the better the range because of the restrictive short antenna length.
Step 2. Choose a Location for Installation
Locate the Procaster™ in as clear an area as possible away from metal structures, trees and other obstructions which can absorb and deflect your signal. Higher mounted antennas work best and give best range. Mounting methods vary - see Step 4. Ensure you can access the transmitter for tuning once it is in its final position. A good height above earth ground is about 25 feet. The roof of a 2-storey building is a good choice.
Step 3. Assemble Antenna
The antenna consists of 3 aluminum tubes (large 5/8", medium 1/2" and small 3/8") which are assembled together. These sections are held together using 2 stainless steel pipe clamps. See picture as guide.
Step 4. Mount External Transmitter
In all mounting cases, make sure you can reach the unit for tuning once installed!
Direct wall mounting
The Procaster™ can be mounted directly to a flat vertical surface using the 4 holes in the case mounting plate. Make sure that there is sufficient space between the antenna mast and the rear wall such that snow/ice does not cause a short.
Direct wall mounting with standoff brackets
If you need to install the Procaster™ further away from the wall, use Radio Shack brackets # 15-883. This will give an extra 4" of clearance.
Pole mounting
For pole mounting use a pair of 2"spacing U-bolts with formed curved backing plates – like the one shown in the following picture. The backing plate prevents the case mounting plates from bending when tightening onto the pole and makes for a more secure installation.
Step 5. Install Ground
Connect the copper grounding lug shown below to a suitable ground.
Good grounding is extremely important and required for safe operation of the lightning protection circuitry and also an important part of optimum antenna performance. Typical grounds include:
- Copper clad steel grounding rod at least 8 ft into earth ground
- Water pipe ground
- Radial ground system
- Metal roof
Warning: FCC rules (47 part 15.219) state:” the total length of the transmission line, antenna and ground lead (if used) shall not exceed 3 meters.” [3 meters = 118 inches]
The Procaster™ has an attached 103 inch antenna measured from its tip to the lower mounting bolt which is the connection of the transmitter output. It has no transmission line. A 15 inch maximum ground lead is allowed from the grounding lug to a ground. Refer to the Optimizing your Range Tip #4 for more details.
Step 6. Connect Power and Audio Wiring
The Procaster™ connects to the studio interface with the supplied 4 conductor CAT3 wire (telephone wire). Because the audio is balanced and the power consumption is low, several hundred feet of wire can be used without issue. Proceed as follows:
- Open the Procaster™ cover by loosening the 3 cover clamps
- Insert 4 conductor CAT3 wire through liquid-tight grommet on the underside
- Connect:
- RED: +12V
- GREEN: 0V
- YELLOW: AUD +
- BLACK: AUD -
- Tighten nut on liquid-tight grommet
Step 7. Connect to indoor Studio Interface Module
Bring the 4 conductor CAT3 cable into the studio area. Proceed as follows:
- Remove the 4 screws from the studio interface enclosure
- Remove the cover
- Pass the 4 conductor CAT3 cable through the hole near the terminal block
- Connect:
- RED: +12V
- GREEN: 0V
- YELLOW: AUD +
- BLACK: AUD -
- When using the wall adapter, move the slide switch to the 'AC' position (normal operation)
- When using 12V battery power, move the slide switch to the 'BAT' position
- Replace the cover and screws
Step 8. Connect an audio source
The Procaster™ is fitted with a universal 3.5mm stereo input jack similar to I-pod™ and modern car audio equipment. It has been designed to accept stereo left and right audio channels and mix them into a mono signal. If you only have a mono signal, you can apply it to either the left or the right input connection.
The built-in audio processor has a fairly wide accomodation range and will automatically adjust audio level for optimum sound quality. In addition there is an input audio level adjustment control (normally set at mid-point) accessible through the front panel using a small jewellers screwdriver. The audio level can be set from approximately 200mV to 3V which will accomodate most audio devices.
Step 9. Power Up the Procaster ™
Connect the AC wall adapter or 12V DC power source.
Step 10. Choose Channel Frequency
To choose the desired broadcast channel and other additional options, the 10-position DIP switch must be set accordingly.
Note: always choose the highest clear frequency possible. The short length of the antenna is more efficient at higher frequencies and you will get better range.
The function of the 10 position switch located in the Procaster™ is as follows:
- Switches S1 - S6 allow selection of 1 of 42 broadcast channels
- Switch S7 selects 1 of 2 audio processor response rates (music or voice)
- Switches 8 and 9 turns the audio processor on or off (when external processing is used)
- Switch 10 turns on the treble boost
Miscellaneous Functions
| S7 ON |
|
fast response
suited to music sources |
| S7 OFF |
|
slow response
suited to voice sources |
| S8 OFF |
S9 ON |
audio processor on |
| S8 ON |
S9 OFF |
audio processor off |
| S10 ON |
|
treble boost on |
| S10 OFF |
|
treble boost off |
Channel Settings
|
Freq kHz
|
S1
|
S2
|
S3
|
S4
|
S5
|
S6
|
|
1290
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1300
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1310
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1320
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1330
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1340
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1350
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1360
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1370
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1380
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1390
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1400
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1410
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1420
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1430
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1440
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
|
1450
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1460
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1470
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1480
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1490
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1500
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1510
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1520
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1530
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1540
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1550
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1560
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1570
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1580
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1590
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1600
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
|
1610
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
|
1620
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
|
1630
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
|
1640
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
|
1650
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
|
1660
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
|
1670
|
ON
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
|
1680
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
|
1690
|
ON
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
|
1700
|
OFF
|
ON
|
ON
|
OFF
|
ON
|
OFF
|
The Procaster™ is shipped with the following default settings:
| S1 |
ON |
| S2 |
ON |
| S3 |
ON |
| S4 |
ON |
| S5 |
ON |
| S6 |
OFF |
| S7 |
ON |
| S8 |
OFF |
| S9 |
ON |
| S10 |
ON |
Step 11. Tune Antenna
Once the broadcast channel is set, turn the antenna tuning capacitor (this is the white ceramic component labelled C18 near the yellow antenna wire) using a small bladed screwdriver until a maximum reading is seen on the tuning meter. Make sure to stand clear of the antenna as body capacitance will affect tuning. If the reading is not "sharp" and strong, re-check your ground connection.
Choosing a lower frequency will result in a lower reading on the tuning meter - this is normal.
Note: the screw of the antenna tuning capacitor is ground, so you don't need a plastic tuning tool. Antenna tuning is now complete. (Now that was easy!)
Step 12. Final Checkout & Adjustments
Check your sound level and range by listening on a radio. The broadcast signal should be clear and strong when closer to the transmitter, with more noise heard the further you move away.
The built-in audio processor is what makes the Procaster™ sound like a big station. If you want to use your own external audio processing equipment, the Procaster™ audio processor can be disabled by changing the option switch.
The Procaster™ audio processor can be adjusted to suit personal preferences by adjusting the Compression and Modulation Depth controls using a small bladed screwdriver.
Compression: Turning the compression control CW boosts quieter parts of the audio to be more equal to the louder parts. This makes the overall audio louder resulting in a stronger signal and greater range. The tradeoff is the subjective audio quality depending on the level of compression. Default is midway.
Modulation Depth: Turning the modulation depth control CW increases the audio modulation level of the AM signal. Some additional over modulation (depending on your application) adds 'punch' to the received audio resulting in a stronger, louder signal and greater range. Default is midway.
Limiting: Limiting is automatic to prevent sideband 'splatter' and both the above adjustments have no affect on the 'hard limiter' built into the audio processor.
Step 13. Secure cover
Secure cover by evenly tightening the 3 clamps to ensure a weatherproof seal.
Congratulations! You have set up your broadcast station.
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