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Frequently
asked questions
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Click
one of the quick links below:
GENERAL
QUESTIONS
Q&A ABOUT SHIPPING AND PAYMENT
Q&A ABOUT RADIO INTERFERENCE
QUESTIONS ABOUT SETTING UP A TRANSMITTER
Q&A ABOUT PCI MAX cards
Questions and answers about MAX
PRO I, MAX PRO II and MAX PRO III
PLEASE
READ BEFORE YOU CONTACT US WITH QUESTIONS!
Also
read this for info
on setting up a transmitter.
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 looking for distributors so if you wish to become
one please drop us a line.
Q: How do I become your distributor?
A: Contact our sales and ask for info package.
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-typel 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: What is your warranty policy?
A: Within one (1) year of receiving your order, if any product proves to be defective; please contact us via e-mail or our feedback form. Please DO NOT ship the product back to us without contacting us first and receiving return instructions. After we receive the defective merchandise, we will test it if need be, and we will ship back to you a non-defective replacement product. Please note that this doesn't cover final RF transmitter stage as it can be damaged by using defective or poorly matched antenna. An exception is as well any mishandling or abuse by the customer.
If the product is defective, you will receive a replacement. If you choose to return the defective item, rather than replace it, we will charge a 15% restocking fee and your original shipping and handling charges will not be refunded. The return of the product is at your expense. We believe that this is a fair policy because lower overhead results in lower prices for all of our customers.
If within fourteen (14) days of receiving your order, you decide you no longer want the product, please contact us immediately via e-mail or our feedback form. Please DO NOT ship the product back to us without contacting us first and receiving return instructions. We will charge a 15% restocking fee and your original shipping and handling charges will not be refunded. The return of the product is at your expense. We believe that this is a fair policy because lower overhead results in lower prices for all of our customers.
Q: What if the package is damaged?
A: If the packaging appears damaged on the outside, please make sure when signing the shipper's proof-of-delivery slip you include a note stating the package is or appears damaged. Depending on the product and where/how it was shipped, it may be necessary for you to deal with the carrier. Also, if there was any internal (non-visible) damage, this will need to be reported to us or the carrier within two days of receiving the product. Please note that it is not possible to insure and track air mail packages to some countries and we take no responsibility for damaged air mail packages to such countries. Express shipping costs only a few euros more, please consider express shipping!
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.
Q: Type of shipping, air mail or express?
A: Air mail is 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! It is not possible to insure and track air mail packages to some countries and we take no responsibility for damaged packages to such countries. Express shipping costs only a few euros more, please consider express shipping!
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!
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!
Q: Can I connect RDS MAX to PCI MAX
to make it RDS capable?
A: Yes, instructions
are included with every RDS MAX.
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
5W amplifier, you can use the power supply provided with the booster to
power PCI MAX. Note that this eliminates most of the noise originating
from the PC. You can also buy your own stabilized DC power supply (13.8V
/ 1A) to pow. 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 5W 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.
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in our Forum!
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by anyone using Google.
Tan See Chun
41,Jln USJ 20/1C, UEP
Subang Jaya
Selangor
47630
Malaysia
harry kasep
jl. puspa lubis no.81
ciamis
jawa barat
46211
Indonesia
+62818642075
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