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2. Outdoor Frequency Test
Follow the steps below to find the best frequency for your location. This procedure will take about 30 minutes,
and is absolutely necessary in order to achieve the best reception.
Step
Action
1
The goal of this test is to find the best AM frequency for you to use at your location. By "best" we mean
the radio frequency which has the best sound quality coming out of a car radio parked at the curb in front
of your house. To get started, park your own car in front of your house at the curb where a home shopper
might pull-up to look at the house. Tune your car radio to 1700 on the AM band. To do this test, you
need to have a sample message already recorded on the Transmitter. Refer to the instructions on previous
pages on how to record a message.
2
Once inside the house, set-up the Transmitter on the window sill of an open window, and let the antenna
wire hang completely outside the window. Be sure not to let the Transmitter fall out of the window.
(Perhaps close the window on the Transmitter to hold it in place.) You are doing this to get the antenna
wire completely outside the house in order to eliminate the interference from the construction materials
of the house itself. It is absolutely critical that the antenna wire hang completely free. It can not be
touching the house, the window, or especially, the ground. Because of this, it is often best to do this test
in a second story window. If your house is one-story, you must still be sure the antenna wire does not
touch the ground. You may need to fold the antenna wire in half, and place a piece of tape around it just
to be sure it does not touch the ground, but is still hanging free of touching anything else.
3
Once you have the transmitter secure on the window sill, and the antenna wire hanging out the window
not touching the ground or the house, you can now plug-in the Transmitter in a standard, three
pronged, grounded electrical outlet. The Transmitter should start to tune itself to the last frequency it
was set to. Make sure the Control Lock Key is completely inserted into the Control Lock jack on the back
of the Transmitter.
4
Set the frequency on the Transmitter to 1700 AM by pressing the Tuning Up and Down buttons located
on the front of the Transmitter. Once the Transmitter has calibrated itself, and is broadcasting its message,
go out to your car and check the reception. If the reception is crystal clear, 1700 AM is a usable frequency.
Now, go back in the house, and change the frequency to 1690 AM. Repeat the process of going out to
your car to check the quality of reception. You must repeat this process at each frequency as you work
your way down the dial until you find the very best frequency. At each frequency, remember to stop and
wait for the Transmitter to recalibrate itself.
5
The frequency that is the most crystal clear on your car radio is the best to use. Do not use a frequency
if any of the following occur:
• you hear another voice or music on the station,
• there is lots of whistling, static, or other interference, or
• the signal fades in and out.
6
To make the Outdoor Frequency Test easier to execute, it's sometimes best to find a friend who's willing
to help. We recommend that the friend be the one inside the house changing the frequencies on the
Transmitter. You should be the one in the car listening to each frequency, and determining which one
has the best reception. You can be talking to each other on your cell phones. This will dramatically cut
down on the time it will take to do this test.
7
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