Feedback Requested (Hamilton, Fairfield, Trenton: sales, apartment, rental)

[WILWRadio]

It appears as though my plans to develop my flea powered radio station in Covington have ended. The rising prices of housing and also the pace of sales has made it virtually impossible for me to purchase a second property which was critical for the development of the station. Replacing the car engine in my car this past September more or less wiped out most of my savings which I planned to use for a second house.

While I don't have a problem moving into the existing home for a while its shortcomings such as a tiny yard, no driveway and taller structures around it ultimately will lead me to move.

The following options seem available and I wondered if some of the people that read this board would chime in and offer a suggestion or tell me which of the following paths they would take if they were in this position?

1) Keep the home for now, move in and find a job and then hope that I can purchase a second property if the income starts rolling in.

2) Keep the home, move in, find a job and start the radio station knowing that the nearby structures will adversely affect the signal.

3) Sell the home and look at other areas both in northern KY and in other states.

[Wilson513]

Tell more about this radio station. Can you just do that? I mean do you have to get approval from the FCC or whatnot? What would you broadcast? Music?

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Tell more about this radio station. Can you just do that? I mean do you have to get approval from the FCC or whatnot? What would you broadcast? Music?

It's legal unlicensed AM. Part 15 broadcasting. FCC approved transmitter. 100 milliwatts or a tenth of one watt. Can use multiple transmitters to increase range. Basically it is a shoe box with a CB whip for the antenna. Mounts on the roof or on a small tower in a back yard or on a building. Perfectly legal.

Range is going to be limited to a mile to two mile radius in NKY due to the high density development. Precisely why I need a second property to increase the range. The current location is not good because I have taller brick structures immediately surrounding the house. I know from experience that unless I mount the transmitter and antenna at or above the roof line of those homes, the signal will get bounced around. Won't reach a mile to two mile radius based upon previous experiences in this kind of environment. I doubt zoning would allow that because it would require a height of at least 40 feet from what I see. Covington allows a tower height of 15 feet above your roof line. That means at best I can do about 35 feet.

Format was initially going to be Adult Contemporary Oldies and Jazz with local news, weather, talk and possibly high school sports. Licensed stations ignore most local sports unless it is pro or college in many metro markets now. From what I see there is very little high school sports on the radio in the area including NKY. Would get local people involved and eventually sell some advertising and hope to make a modest part time income from it.

[CarpathianPeasant]

The format sounds interesting.

4) Keep the home for now, move in and find a job and rent a second property if the income starts rolling in.

If that would be feasible.

[Wilson513]

Oh, that sounds so cool. Best of luck!

Let me make a suggestion based on what you posted. I don't see any reason why you would need to own anything. Don't you just need a power source and a roof to put your transmitter on with a whip?

I'm telling you that if you walk around Covington you won't have any trouble finding a person who will run a cord out the window and let you mount the whole setup on their chimney for $50 a month. I any event, you are renting something that could not possibly have more rental value than a parking space. Can you transmit the content from your place and then re-transmit from a higher elevation? I know there is a name for this. i just can't remember it.

[SWOH]

Ouch, WILW. Bummer to hear about the dilemma!

But CP brings up a good point, and I'll throw in a trendy twist - what about renting your Covington place out now via AirBNB or another means, and make a decent enough profit there to rent a centralized place with fewer regulations and more airspace? Trenton, Fairfield, Colerain, and Hebron KY all come to mind as good places to find a place. Maybe East Hamilton too, it's rougher there but I can't imagine a much better spot for a wide listening audience.

The big upside is your Covington location for the rental. Lots of people come to Cincy to visit, and lots of people use AirBNB. The big games, the conventions, the festivals... And you'd have a great place for rent within relative walking or biking distance (I assume). Even for the suburbanites who want a weekend on the town type vacation in their own backyard - you'd have a great spot. So you could make great cash haha.


Good luck!!

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by CarpathianPeasant

The format sounds interesting.

4) Keep the home for now, move in and find a job and rent a second property if the income starts rolling in.

If that would be feasible.

Yes, that was the original plan. Live in the current property for a while and put the radio station on the air in it and possibly rent it out. Could convert the living room over to an office for the radio station and leave the rest of the house as an apartment. Would be a decent sized 1 BR to rent out. And while that is going on, the second property would be fixed up for me to use as a permanent home and also house the second transmitter.

Have this weekend off from work for the first time in a month. Will do some thinking about all of this. I think there may be one way to salvage this project but it is contingent upon finding the right job there.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Oh, that sounds so cool. Best of luck!

Let me make a suggestion based on what you posted. I don't see any reason why you would need to own anything. Don't you just need a power source and a roof to put your transmitter on with a whip?

I'm telling you that if you walk around Covington you won't have any trouble finding a person who will run a cord out the window and let you mount the whole setup on their chimney for $50 a month. I any event, you are renting something that could not possibly have more rental value than a parking space. Can you transmit the content from your place and then re-transmit from a higher elevation? I know there is a name for this. i just can't remember it.

Yes, this is correct. In fact, I plan to use a solar panel or two and batteries to power the radio station and also the second transmitter which would be a translator. The signal retransmitting the original signal in this manner is called a Satellite or Translator.

Yes, this thought did come to mind but one thing worries me. I have a friend from KY here in a suburb of Indy that ran into a problem with his station recently when someone complained to the FCC. The FCC did not shut down his station because it is legal. However, the perception by the ignorant masses is that ONLY licensed radio stations can broadcast. Simply not true if you understand the rules. Fortunately the FCC agent from Chicago is aware of this and no action was taken.

I am not a local guy and trying to peddle a transmitter around town to someone may raise a few eyebrows. This might be more doable if I have lived there for a while and the local people figure out I am not some kind of monster or nut job.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by OHKID

Ouch, WILW. Bummer to hear about the dilemma!

But CP brings up a good point, and I'll throw in a trendy twist - what about renting your Covington place out now via AirBNB or another means, and make a decent enough profit there to rent a centralized place with fewer regulations and more airspace? Trenton, Fairfield, Colerain, and Hebron KY all come to mind as good places to find a place. Maybe East Hamilton too, it's rougher there but I can't imagine a much better spot for a wide listening audience.

The big upside is your Covington location for the rental. Lots of people come to Cincy to visit, and lots of people use AirBNB. The big games, the conventions, the festivals... And you'd have a great place for rent within relative walking or biking distance (I assume). Even for the suburbanites who want a weekend on the town type vacation in their own backyard - you'd have a great spot. So you could make great cash haha.


Good luck!!

Interesting suggestion. Can you elaborate a bit on what you mean by fewer regulations? Since I am unfamiliar with the areas you've mentioned I need to be enlightened.

The key to success for a flea powered radio station is to locate in an area that has a decent population base within a one to two square mile radius of the signal. Also need independent small businesses to tap into for advertising revenue since typically, corporate America will only buy time on corporate stations. I am guessing that the areas you mentioned are less urban and more exurban in nature and probably very spread out. I would need several transmitters located around town to adequately cover the area.

Even a single transmitter can work if it is centrally located in an fairly dense population area. A rural community of just a few square miles and say 6,000 people can be completely covered in this scenario. And since all of the businesses and most of the residences are concentrated within a mile or two of the center of the town, virtually every business and residence has the chance to hear the signal.

[Wilson513]

Why don't you make it uniquely OTR/Pendleton radio and bring it over to my garage roof for a short (three month) test. Here is the view: