Hi all,
Long time Part 15 enthusiast and lurker here... I am using a Drake FMC-1000 FM Stereo Modulator for property-wide (personal use) rebroadcasts of streaming music, audio from my shortwave SDR and police scanner. The Drake has nice clean audio but the RF output is only just a tad above 1mW (+50dBmV @ 75 ohms). I am currently using a 1/2 wave vertical dipole fed with about 15 ft of RG-6 coax.
My issue is I need a bit more coverage of my semi-rural property. While still within line of sight of the antenna the signal fades a bit here and there. Of course these are areas I frequent most often. It isn't frequency related because I have tried multiple vacant frequencies across the band with the same result and it doesn't appear to be multi-path cancelation either. I am fortunate to have 7-10 good vacant frequency choices. I'm looking to add an additional 100 feet or so of coverage.
My choices seem to be 1) improve the antenna or 2) get a higher output transmitter.
Option 1 is limited due to the potential mounting options available. Using a Yagi or other directional antenna isn't a total solution since the low signal spots are not in the same direction. I may be able to add a few extra feet to the antenna elevation but that is also limited.
Option 2 is more expensive but a possibility since I used this transmitter so often and is of value to me.
Any recommendations for me for either option? Thanks!