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GENERAL QUESTIONS
Q: Do you ship to Brazil/Zanzibar/Afrika/Australia/New
Zealand......?
A: Yes, of course. We ship worldwide. We do however not accept
credit cards from Indonesia, especially Java.
Q: Do you have a representative
in Brazil/Zanzibar/Afrika/Australia/New Zealand......?
A: No. But we are currently looking for distributors for South
America (Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico).
Q: How do I become your distributor?
A: Contact our sales and ask for info package. For a start,
you need to be a registered business, speak and write English
well and have a decent website.
Q: I sent you a question but
you never replied!
A: Please check your e-mail settings. You would be surprised
how many people mis-type their own e-mail address and how many
have incorrectly set their e-mail reply-to addresses. We can't
help you unless you provide a valid e-mail address and set your
reply-to address correctly. It is extremely frustrating to write
an extensive answer and see it bounce since e-mail is not valid.
Lately, people are using SPAM filters. Quite often such a filter
will delete a valid e-mail (ours). Sometimes your ISP installs
such a filter without your prior knowledge. MSN is notorious for
that.
Q: I have no money, please give
me a free transmitter.
A: We are not a charity organization, but we did send a few
free units in extreme conditions, to support democracy in Yugoslavia
and some other countries. Your application will most likely be
denied.
Q: What is RDS?
A: Radio data system. Used in most parts of the world except
US (lately there as well). It is used to display information,
such as time, station name, traffic information, radio text messages....
on the display of your FM receiver.
Q&A ABOUT
SHIPPING AND PAYMENT
Q: How much is shipping to Zanzibar/Afrika/Australia/New
Zealand......?
A: Shipping is calculated automatically by our ordering system
for every country. If you wish to see how much the shipping is,
just go through the ordering process. You don't need to enter
credit card details, just make sure you select a check or bank
transfer as payment type (so no money will actually be remitted).
Think of it as a DEMO version of your future order. You willl
see the total displayed on the last page and you can cancel at
that point or submit the order to have this total delivered to
your email. Note that you haven't paid for anything at this point
and we won't ship until you do anyway so you're ok. Your order
will be cancelled automatically in 14 days unless we receive payment.
Q: How do I pay/order?
A: Just fill out the order form, make sure you enter your
e-mail correctly. Than press the submit button. You will shortly
receive an e-mail with a total and payment details.
Q: What types of payment do
you support?
A: Bank transfer, major credit cards (VISA, Master card, American
express), checks, western union...
Q: In what currency will I be
charged, what are the exchange rates?
A: Our prices are fixed in Euros, all prices are converted
to US$ according to exchange rated on the day of credit card authorisation.
Exchange rates vary from day to day. Your credit card bill will
appear in your local currency. If you want to check current exchange
rates for any of the world currencies, visit http://www.pcs-electronics.com/Currency.htm.
Q: I am from the US, do I have
to pay VAT?
A: In short, no. PCS Electronics is a V.A.T (Value Added Tax)
registered business, we are obliged by law to collect V.A.T on
every product sold within the E.U (European Union). Prices quoted
on this website DO NOT include V.A.T. The V.A.T Rate is 20%. If
you are outside the EU (For example the USA), you may ignore this
V.A.T Notice. So, you do not have to pay VAT! Please contact us
if you need any help whatsoever regarding VAT.
Q: How much is the shipping
for the Antennas?
A: Some antennas ship from within the US and could be more
expensive to ship to Europe than the website shows, but cheaper
to ship to the US. Drop us a line for specific information regarding
shipping for the antennas. Take advantage of the Paypal link for
the antenna/SWR meter.
Q: Type of shipping, air mail
or express?
A: Air mail is typically only a few euros cheaper. Note that
air mail is not trackable, can not be insured for some countries
and is much slower than express shipping. PLEASE CONSIDER EXPRESS
SHIPPING SERIOUSLY!
Q: How long does it take?
A: Air mail usually takes from 1-3 weeks. USE EXPRESS SHIPPING
WHEN IN A HURRY! Express shipping takes up to one week. Please
don't forget that it often takes a week to process your order
and prepare the products. Sometimes even more, if the demand is
big or during holidays.
Q: Do I have to pay and duties
or import taxes?
A: PCS Electronics is not responsible for any duties, taxes,
or other fees that may be imposed by customs when your package
reaches your country. For our mutual protection, all packages
are insured for the exact value of your order. We are also unable
to provide you with information about duties, taxes, or other
fees that may originate in your country. Citizens of the European
Union do not have to pay any import taxes.
Q: I am from EU; Do I have to
pay and duties or import taxes?
A: PCS Electronics is based in EU, you do not have to pay
any import tax. The only exception are the products shipping from
the US (Comet antenna, filters, SWR meter).
Q&A ABOUT
RADIO INTERFERENCE
Q: If I use filters I can put
my antenna right next to my neighbor's TV antenna without any
problems right?
A: Wrong! The low pass filters only attenuate harmonics. If
harmonics are not the cause of your problem (they almost never
are - our exciters are very clean!) removing them won't help.
What causes 99% of all radio interference problems? YOUR FUNDAMENTAL
SIGNAL!!! A high power fundamental signal in CLOSE PROXIMITY to
ANY type of receiving equipment (TV, radio, telephone, PA system
etc.) will blow right past any tuner or filtering on this equipment
and enter the amplifier stage along with the intended signal where
it will cause interference. This type of interference is called
"fundamental overload". All the harmonic filters in
the world won't help in this very common situation. What will
help? Increase the standoff distance (vertical, horizontal or
both) between your antenna and what you are interfering with.
This is one of the many reasons high power FM radio station antennas
are located on high towers. A 100 KW radio station with a 20'
antenna would cause a lot of RFI even though the harmonic levels
meet FCC requirements.
QUESTIONS ABOUT
SETTING UP A TRANSMITTER
Q: I want to start a radio station
and I know nothing about it! What do I need?
A: Hmm, think small and simple for a start.
- PCI MAX is perfectly suited for this application. All you need
is a PC and PCI MAX card (see under PC FM transmitters). You can
even upgrade this package up to 5W later by adding a booster amplifier.
You will also need an antenna. And coaxial cable to connect it
to the card. A small antenna is included with PCI MAX. See below
for range!
-CYBER MAX LCD is another perfect starter transmitter. It comes
with everything built in, even the RDS encoder, if you want one.
It also has built-in power supply so you'll only need antenna
to start transmtting. The quality of Cyber MAX LCD exceeds the
quality of PCI MAX ULTRA!
Also look at complete setups under
products, they include more/less everything and also give good
explanation what and why is needed.
Q: I'm an advanced user and
want more than a simple PC based solution for playing MP3 around
the house. I want a stand-alone solution.
A: Hmm, than have a look at the boxed transmitters. What you
need to start is:
1.) FM transmitter (MAX PRO
I, MAX PRO II or MAX PRO III, Cyber MAX LCD, Cyber MAX FM...),
preferably in an enclosure with stereo encoder.
2.) Power supply, 13.8 - 15V / 2A. This needs to be well stabilised
DC power supply, the kind that hams and CB-operators use. You
could use car battery as well. Some of the units come with integrated
power supply (check product description). Cyber MAX LCD does not
need one as it is built in.
3.) Antenna. We recommend COMET or RPL 0205.
4.) Coaxial cable to connect the transmitter and the antenna.
Check under accesories on the left.
Optional items:
-SWR/power meter
-Audio processing equipment; compressor, sound processors...
-Optional extra power amplifiers
But
this picture says more than a hundred words...
Q: How much range can I expect?
A: This is an estimate, it is unpossible to predict your range,
there are too many parameters involved:
PCIMAX: This unit was designed
to cover a large house and a yard. However, it has been reported
to cover up to about 3/4 of a mile.
Range
is limited by:
a) Optical visibility. This can sometimes be up to 40 miles, if
you are looking out from a mountain top.
b) Interference from other stations on the same or close-by frequency.
c) Transmission power. Even if optical visibility is 20 miles,
1W probably won't get you more than a mile. If 50 Watt ERP is
used, it's very likely that 20 miles of range will be achieved.
This is because 50 Watt ERP is ample power to propagate a strong
signal 20 miles. If 1 Million Watts of power is used, it is very
likely that signal will only propagate just over 20 miles. This
is because the range is limited as described in point a) above.
Assuming the antenna has a clear view, the frequency is clear
and an average (poor) quality portable receiver is used, typical
transmission power vs range figures are as follows:
| Power
watts ERP |
Range
(miles) |
| 1W |
approximately
1-2 (1.5-3km) |
| 5W |
approximately 3-4 (4-5km) |
| 15W |
approximately
6 (10km) |
| 30W |
approximately
9 (15km) |
| 100W |
approximately
15 (24km) |
| 300W |
approximately
30 (45km) |
It is not normally
possible to have hundreds of miles of range on FM broadcast band
(87.5MHz to 108MHz), even if terrain is perfectly flat and you
have your antenna on the top of the mountain and you're using
killowatts of power. It is occasionally possible due to special
atmospheric conditions, such as inversion etc. Such special conditions
happen rarely and only last for a very short time so it is not
possible to rely upon them in any way. In order to cover so many
square miles it is necessary to setup a grid of transmitters and
link them via wireless audio links, making sure they do not transmit
at the same frequency as they could interfere.
Q&A ABOUT
PCI MAX CARDS
Q: Is PCI MAX stereo?
A: Yes,
PCI MAX IS STEREO! It can even do RDS!
Q: Can I connect RDS MAX to
PCI MAX to make it RDS capable?
A: Yes,
instructions are included with every RDS MAX. Note that PCI MAX
now supports RDS directly.
Q: Can PCI MAX transmit any
PC audio including Internet radio, either Real Player or Windows
Media, or is this strictly for use with MP3 files? Looks like
a nice product.
B: Absolutely. It will transmit anything your sound card plays.
You can transmit "Everything" audio. You can even connect
it to an external MD player, CD player, cassette deck, turntable,
audio mixer......The sky is the limit.
Q: Do I need an external power
supply for PCI MAX?
A: No, it is entirely powered by the PC. If you choose to
use the 15W amplifier, you can use the power supply provided with
the booster to power PCI MAX. Note that this eliminates the remaining
noise originating from the PC. You can also buy your own stabilized
DC power supply (13.8V / 1A) to power PCI MAX, just make sure
that the middle is positive (+). They are available from radio
shack or electronics/CB/ham stores.
Q: What is the range of PCI
MAX?
A: High power setting will cover the house and a large yard,
with external antenna possibly up to half a mile. With 15W amplifier
you are likely to cover about 1- 5 miles, depending on antenna
and terrain configuration.
Q: Tell me more about the 15W
amplifier!
A: This is actually a
two-stage unit with a high quality low pass filter at the output.
Harmonics are at least 60dB under the carrier. You are advised
to consult the legal limitations in your country before you attempt
to use it.
Q: Where is the driver?
A: Drivers
for all our products for WinXP, 2000, 98, Me, and 95 (March 2002)
Q: Do you have any cool DSP
programs for PCI MAX?
A: Here
is a cool DSP program, with a limiter, low pass filter, preemphasis,
multi band compressor, worth every penny and highly recommended
for PCI MAX and ISA MAX. There are a few included on installation
CD as well. Click
here to get Audio
stocker,
a WinAmp plugin. It is a limiter/compressor for PCI MAX/ISA MAX
that will make your station louder
Q: I can't get
it to install, no matter what I do!
A: Check the support
section, there is a new section dedicated to reporting problems
and installing PCI MAX ULTRA.
Q: I've got problems
in Windows 2000
A: It seems that
some problems just can't get it to work under Windows 2000. We
recommend using Windows XP, Windows 98 or NT in all such cases..
Questions
and answers about MAX PRO I, MAX PRO II and MAX PRO III
Q: What is the difference between
MAX PRO I and MAX PRO II?
A: MAX PRO II basically provides the same functionality,
but does not have LCD display. In order to set the frequency you
need to setup jumpers. Also, MAX PRO II does not have the tuning
facility so you have to use a V-meter to set it for maximum power.
Q: What is the difference between
MAX PRO I and MAX PRO III?
A: MAX PRO III is an entirely different beast. It has been
redesigned and upgraded to offer more power, no-tune wideband
operation, SWR and temperature protection, extremely high grade
of RF field immunity etc. In short, MAX PRO III is a much better
transmitter.
Q: What kind of power supply
do I need?
A: You need a stabilised DC power supply. 13.8 to 15V at
2A should be enough for MAX PRO I or MAX PRO II. MAX PRO III requires
a stronger power supply, up to 4A. You can get that either from
us (see accesories on the left), Radio Shack or any HAM shop.
Q: What is the range of MAX
PRO I, II and III?
A: It really depends. Anywhere from 1 mile to 20 miles,
depending on your transmitting position, your antenna and terrain
configuration. Its really hard to predict range without doing
an actual testing. MAX PRO III has 50-100% more range when compared
to the two younger brothers.
Q: Can I increase power/range?
A: Yes, you can add an amplifier to any version of our
MAX PRO transmitter. Make sure your amplifier has a low pass filter
at the exit. You are advised to consult the legal limitations
in your country before you attempt to use it.
Q: Do I have to use an output
RF filter?
A: MAX PRO I, II and III have pretty good filters at the
output making an extra filter basically unnecessary. However,
some people will tell you that you can never have too much filtering.
Its up to you to decide. If you're living in a densely populated
area, you may opt for more filtering just to be sure. But it is
not necessary.
Q: How do I make my old MAX
PRO stereo?
A: Just order SE-3 or even better SE4 stereo encoder and
hook it up to MAX PRO ...easy. Don't forget to disable preemphasis.
Q: What is the difference between
the units in an enclosure and without enclosure (assembled)?
A: Technically there is no difference. But its hard to
find an enclosure with a suitable LCD aperture. And all units
in an enclosure are properly matched with the stereo encoder (levels
are properly adjusted). And they look much better.
Q: Can I make an antenna myself?
A: Check the guides on the left, there are a few designs.
Antenna is the most important factor as far as range is concerned,
bad antenna will give you poor range even with a huge power output.
Q: Hello, I found your website
while searching for an FM stereo transmitter solution that I might
put on my boat so that when we have rafting parties with a bunch
of friends (on their own boats) that we can all listen to the
same music. Do you offer a solution that would allow me to plug
in an audio source (such as a CD player) and broadcast it up to
maybe a quarter mile to my friends radios?
A: Sure, check any of our transmitters. Perhaps PCI MAX
with that LED module or MAX PRO I, II or III with stereo encoder.
I'd use Comet antenna with these. Range on the water should be
excelent. Remember that the transmitter takes 12-14V at 1.5A.
PCI MAX has lowest power consumption of the lot.
Q: I am consultant to a childrens
home campus. It is a campus of about one square mile. They wish
to put in a low power radio station to serve just the campus.
It will be run by the campus children about two hours an evening.
I wish to know if your products may be suitable for this. Broadcasting
will include music, interviews, and chit chat. I am use to dealing
with large commercial broadcast facilities and have never put
anything like this campus station together. Can you be of help?
A: Sure, check MAX PRO II stereo or MAX PRO I stereo. I'd
use Comet antenna with these. Remember to order the power supply
as well as the transmitter takes 14V at 2A.
Problems or questions? CONTACT
US
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