PCS PCIMAX3000+ User manual

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1
PCIMAX3000+
High performance PC based FM stereo transmitter with RDS
Manual

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2
I M P O R T A N T N O T E
Upon receiving your order inspect the packaging material and unit for apparent damage. Any
damage should be reported immediately so we can make a claim with the shipping company.
Take photos, if you can, they can be used as a proof.
Drivers are available here: http://www.pcs-electronics.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2409
Make sure to connect power to the card, it accepts the 3,5” power connector that used to serve
for hard drives and CD ROMs before SATA came along. Several of these are usually available
inside any PC. Also connect the USB jumper cable.
IMPORTANT!: If you want to connect an amplifier to this transmitter please first make sure that
output power is set correctly and does not exceed maximum allowable input power of the
amplifier.
Study local regulations and ensure that you are always operating in compliance, it is your
responsibility to always comply with laws.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCING THE PCIMAX 3000+ PC FM TRANSMITTER............................................................... 4
WHAT MAKES THIS PC FM TRANSMITTER SO GREAT?...................................................................................... 4
HOW IS PCIMAX3000+ BETTER THAN PCIMAX2007+?................................................................................. 4
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: .......................................................................................................................... 5
THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING PCIMAX3000+ ............................................................................................... 5
PCIMAX 3000+ BOARD LAYOUT............................................................................................................... 6
BOARD LAYOUT ............................................................................................................................................. 6
BEFORE YOU START .................................................................................................................................. 8
ANTENNA....................................................................................................................................................... 8
SO WHAT IS THIS SWR (VSWR) EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT?................................................................................. 9
COAXIAL CABLE ............................................................................................................................................. 9
CONNECTORS ................................................................................................................................................. 9
MAINS POWER SUPPLY AND MAINS POWER CABLE – MAY NOT APPLY TO YOUR PRODUCT ................................... 9
AUDIO PROCESSING AND SCHEDULING SOFTWARE.......................................................................................... 10
ENCLOSURE AND SUITABLE COOLING FOR PCIMAX3000+ ............................................................................ 10
INSTALLING THE PCI MAX 3000+ INTO YOUR PC ............................................................................. 11
WIRING THINGS UP AND FIRST POWER-UP....................................................................................................... 11
USING THE PCIMAX3000+ PC FM EXCITER ........................................................................................ 12
CHANGING FREQUENCY ................................................................................................................................ 12
<RF POWER>..........................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
TROUBLESHOOTING ............................................................................................................................... 21
APPENDIX A: DIY ANTENNA AND IMPROVEMENT TIPS ................................................................. 23
SIMPLE GP ANTENNA DESIGN........................................................................................................................ 23
SOME MORE IMPROVEMENT TIPS.................................................................................................................... 23
APPENDIX B – USB PORT SOFTWARE .................................................................................................. 24
NEEDED FILES .............................................................................................................................................. 24
INSTALLING THE USB DRIVER....................................................................................................................... 24
CONFIGURING USB DRIVER .......................................................................................................................... 24
CONFIGURING COMMUNICATIONS PORT IN CYBERMAXMICRO+ CONTROL PROGRAMERROR! BOOKMARK NOT
DEFINED.
CONFIGURING AUDIO PLAYBACK................................................................................................................... 26
APPENDIX C: GENERAL TIPS FOR SETTING UP TRANSMITTERS ................................................. 27
TYPICAL FM TRANSMITTER SETUPS .............................................................................................................. 27
TYPICAL FM BROADCASTING ANTENNA SETUPS............................................................................................. 28
WIRING ANTENNAS IN MULTI-BAY CONFIGURATIONS ..................................................................................... 29
APPENDIX D – WARRANTY AND LEGAL INFO ................................................................................... 36
IMPORTANT NOTICE!..................................................................................................................................... 36
WARRANTY AND SERVICING! ........................................................................................................................ 36
LEGAL INFO.................................................................................................................................................. 36
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY ............................................................................................................................. 36
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM WWW.PCS-ELECTRONICS.COM............................................................. 37
REVISIONS AND ERRATA........................................................................................................................ 38
INDEX........................................................................................................................................................... 38

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Introducing the PCIMAX 3000+ PC FM transmitter
Next generation of FM exciters with new Qsonic VCO/PLL and digital audio streaming
he PCI MAX 3000+ is a high performance PLL controlled FM stereo transmitter with optional RDS for your
everyday PC compatible computer. It is all-in-one solution, perfect for transmitting your music throughout your
house, your yard and further, if you couple it with our new 15W/25W or 40W booster+. It can even serve as a
local, college or a community radio station, with the features and quality you expect from the professional setup,
with amazing audio quality and stereo separation. It is perfectly suited for homebrew DJ’s. It is easily tunable anywhere on
the dial with a simple click of the mouse. Since this product has been featured in the Playboy magazine (June 2002) we sold
thousands of these cards, but our customers demanded even more power and features. And now they are here; this PC FM
transmitter brings direct digital audio streaming and brand new technology, Qsonic PLL/VCO subsystem with impressive
audio performance and excellent bass response.
What makes this PC FM transmitter so great?
Although PCIMAX3000+ is primarily a PC based FM exciter with built-in stereo encoder which easily upgrades to RDS it
can also be used outside of a PC as a stand-alone product (exciter). It can easily drive many amplifiers that require up to 3W
of drive power. It can either accept audio via standard 3.5” audio jack or in digital form via USB. It can even accept
microphone input and it will automatically mute music while you speak. The new Qsonic VCO/PLL subsystem is protected
by a metal shield for even better performance. Power and all other parameters can be controlled with Windows control
software. Software itself was improved greatly and also supports reading output power and temperature from the card. There
should be far less problems with it than in previous versions. Of course this unit is completely no-tune and offers incredible
performance 24/7/365. Even as a stand-alone unit this exciter doubles as an excellent community radio station and can
easily cover a small city with suitable antenna and 15W-40W booster.
How is PCIMAX3000+ better than PCIMAX2007+?
- Put simply into one sentence: There has never been a more major update to the PCIMAX line before
- PCIMAX3000+ has microphone input
- PCIMAX3000+ has the new Qsonic PLL/VCO subsystem
- PCIMAX3000+ has on-board sound card and allows direct digital audio streaming at reduced noise
- You can use PCIMAX3000+ in computers without sound cards
- PCIMAX3000+ can even be used with laptops, but we recommend that you put PCIMAX 3000+ into an enclosure.
- PCIMAX3000+ has flat audio modulation sensitivity across entire FM band
- PCIMAX3000+ has better bass response
- PCIMAX3000+ control software shows approximate measured output power and output stage temperature
- PCIMAX3000+ has on-board ALC (Automatic Level Control) trimmer
- With PCIMAX3000+ it is much easier to write control software and integrate its functions into other programs. Contact us
for sample applications.
- PCIMAX3000+ gives full output power with internal PC power supply.
Chapter
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Technical specifications:
- RF output power: 0 to 3 Watts (variable via windows control program)
- Output connector: F female, 50 Ohms
- Frequency range: 87.5-108MHz
- PLL steps: 50KHz
- Frequency stability: +/- 100Hz
- Spurious/Harmonic rejection: Harmonics: >50dB, Spurious: -80dB
- Power supply: Internal 5.25” drive power or external 11-15V/1A
- External power connector: 2.1mm power socket, center (+)
- Quartz locked PLL frequency control, ultra stable & clean output
- Audio performance: Flat sensitivity across FM band, less than 0.1% distortion, 20Hz-75KHz
- RF output ruggedness: SWR protection
- Polarity protection, temp protection
- Over-current protection
- Pre-emphasis, 50uS, 75uS or none selectable
- Audio Input Impedance: 600ohm, phono 3.5”
- Microphone input line: RCA jack, either powered (electret mic –install MIC PWR jumper) or other type (no jumper)
- Audio Input Level: 0 dB
- S/N ratio: >90 dB
Thank you for purchasing PCIMAX3000+
We hope you will enjoy it as much as we do and remember to tell your friends about it. Please feel free to leave your
comments at our website or post your experience in our forum. From all of us we wish you happy broadcasting!
Your PCS Electronics team

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PCIMAX 3000+ board layout
Board layout
Fig. 1: PCIMAX 3000+ board layout
Chapter
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Ref. Function
A Place for PC 5.25” drive power plug
B Place for optional LCD control display
C RS232 jumper for the RDS daughter board
D Plug in RDS daughter board here
E Regular analog audio input, stereo 3.5” socket
F Microphone input, regular RCA socket, center can be powered for electret mic (install MIC PWR jumper)
G This is for powering electret microphone. Install, if using electret mic.
H Install, if you want to disable automatic background music mute during speech.
I USB socket for digital audio streaming and USB remote control.
J External power supply, 2.1mm jack. Provice 11-15V DC @ 1A, stabilized. Center is positive.
K RF output. F female socket. Connect antenna here. Do not operate without antenna!
L,
M
Pre-emphasis jumpers. For EU and most of the world install to the 50uS position. For americas install into 75uS
position.
N In MicroMax we use this jumper to connect power on/off switch. In regular operation install jumper here.
Table 1: Description of various elements of the PCIMAX 3000+ PC FM transmitter board

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Before you start
If this is your first step into the world of radio, it is recommended that you read this section before you power your unit up
for the first time. Let us clear up some basics you should know about. You will also find some useful tips in our guides and
forum at http://www.pcs-electronics.com. Here is what you need to get your TV transmitter on the air:
Antenna
Preferred type of antenna is affected by several factors, but mostly by desired radiation pattern, space available and your
budget. If you are located in the middle of the area you want to cover you'll need an omni-directional antenna which
transmits equally in all directions. If you are located at the edge of your desired coverage area you can beam the signal into
the target area with a directional antenna. Directional antennas are also practical for point-to-point communications.
Another thing to consider is that directional antennas usually have much higher gain than omni-directional antennas since
the power which is radiated in all directions with omni antenna is concentrated mainly into one direction with directional
antenna. Antennas with more gain thus have narrower beam. A compromise is usually made depending on budget and
space available, higher gain antennas are often bigger and often more expensive.
Once you’ve chosen and installed your antenna there is another thing to consider. You can read more about it in the next
section (So what is this SWR everyone talks about). Before powering up your transmitter on the air you should tune your
antenna to get minimal SWR. This is typically done by adjusting the position of the antenna and any adjustable pieces. Aim
for 2:1 or less. Use low power into the antenna when tuning it up and making adjustments. If you were using full power and
a bit of the antenna came off in your hand the VSWR could be so bad as to blow the final transistor. For the same reason
check the DC continuity of the antenna with an ohmmeter before plugging it in, to be sure it's what it's meant to be, either a
short circuit or an open one, depending on the antenna type. For instructions regarding construction of antennas please see
our website: http://www.pcs-electronics.com (guides section - antennas).
Antenna is a crucial part of the system so take special care. It is usually a good idea to place antenna away from your
transmitter, power supply and audio system. Also any transmitter should be in a metal case which shields circuitry from the
radiation of the antenna. If you cannot meet these requirements, you could experience feedback and other RF problems. We
cannot guarantee proper operation of any transmitter/amplifier unless suitable antenna system is used and transmitters are in
ventilated metal enclosure! This applies to any transmitter. Interestingly, strong RF field can make CD players and other
digital devices go bezerk. Try placing antenna next to yours and see what happens. Most of the modern audio gear is not RF
shielded – reducing costs is unfortunately the mantra today. This is why keeping antenna away from audio gear is a good
idea.
If you are going to place your antenna outside, on your roof, please take care of the grounding. This should be done to
prevent lightning hazard and should be done by a company specializing in lightning protection. You can read more about
lightning protection in the book recommended below or many of the websites (Google up “lightning protection ham radio”
for example) .
I hope this basic introduction will not scare you too much, it should be sufficient for the time being although we encourage
you to explore this exciting subject further with the help of a book such as the ARRL Antenna Book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0872598047/mightyspiraterad
Chapter
3

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So what is this swr (vswr) everyone talks about?
SWR is a measure of how well two devices are impedance matched to each other. Typical radio/TV transmission equipment
is designed for 50 ohm load impedance, so we usually use 50 ohm cables and build or buy antennas that are specified for 50
ohm. While most cables have flat impedance over frequency (they measure 50 ohm at all frequencies you are likely to use)
the same is not true of the antennas.
A 1.0:1 VSWR is a perfect match. That means the load impedance is exactly 50 ohms. A 2.0:1 VSWR is obtained when the
load impedance is either 25 ohms or 100 ohms.
Because most transmitters will deliver full power with a load VSWR of up to 2.0:1, this value is usually considered the limit
for acceptable operation. Many prefer to keep their VSWR below that however, but for all practical purposes, it is
unnecessary to spend time or money trying to get much below a VSWR of 1.5:1. The benefits will be hard to measure and
even harder to notice.
On the other hand, coaxial cable losses increase rapidly, for a given frequency of operation, when the antenna VSWR
exceeds 2.0:1. This can even, in some extreme cases, result in the coaxial cable burning, even when running 100 W. Using a
higher grade of cable will definitely improve things, but even high quality coaxial cable becomes very lossy when VSWR
exceeds 3.0:1 at higher HF frequencies (or VHF and higher).
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable is an electrical cable consisting of a round, insulated conducting wire surrounded by a round, conducting
sheath, usually surrounded by a final insulating layer. The cable is designed to carry a high-frequency or broadband signal,
usually at radio frequencies. Coaxial Cabling is a two conductor closed transmission medium that is often used for the
transmission of RF energy. It yields excellent performance at high frequencies and superior EMI control/shielding when
compared to other types of copper cabling. Coaxial cabling is commonly found in broadcast and networking systems. Most
coaxial cables have a characteristic impedance of either 50 or 75 ohms. The RF industry uses standard type-names for coaxial
cables. The U.S military uses the RG-# or RG-#/U format (probably for "radio grade, universal", but other interpretations
exist).
The common RG-58 from Radio Shack is NOT the best you can do and can eat a lot of your effective power out! Use it
only for short runs. BELDEN makes terrific coaxial cable in various qualities and with very low loss (measured in
dB’s…decibels). 3 dB loss = 1/4 of your signal strength - either lost or gained. Watch out for the correct impedance; RG58,
RG213, H-500 and H-155 have 50 Ohms, RG-59 and RG-6 have 75 Ohms. Most antennas and transmitters including ours
are 50 ohm. Check our website for good coax. Don't buy more than you need to make the long run to your antenna and
don't make up a few "jumpers" to go between your exciter, VSWR meter and your antenna as all you'll do is create higher
SWR and more line losses. H-155 or H500 are good choices! RG-142 with Teflon is recommended for wiring inside
cabinets, for baluns, Wilkinson couplers and everywhere where resistance to heat is required as insulation won’t melt during
soldering or operation.
Connectors
A connector comes between coaxial cable and your transmitter. Our card has F female connector and for many this is not
very convenient. It is recommended that you get some kind of adapter, such as F male to BNC adapter or F male to N
female or F male to SO239 (CB); we offer all of these at our website. Than following the adapter install N, BNC or SO239
on the cable, these are all standard VHF RF connectors. Try to find a good quality connector as cheap types usually use
cheap plastic instead of Teflon. The good ones are usually easily recognized by higher prices. Another reliable method is a
test with soldering iron; Teflon won’t melt while plastic will.
Mains power supply and mains power cable – may not apply to your product
Do not underestimate the importance of mains power supply, despite abundance of all kinds of cheap units available today
they unfortunately do not always meet requirements. What you need is a well stabilized DC 15V mains power supply that
can supply at least 5 amps of continuous current without overheating, introducing buzzing, dropping the voltage down to
12V or lower (a classic case) or acting up in other way. Whenever in doubt please buy our mains power supply. One final
note, our units are set for 15V and if you use less this may lower your output power a bit. The lower the supply voltage the
lower the power. You can compensate for this by slightly increasing output stage bias current.
If you ordered and received our mains power supply (which is recommended) you’ll notice the mains cable is not included,
but can be obtained in any radio/computer/hardware shop at the cost of about 1 US$. It is the type used in your PC for
mains power. Since these cables vary from country to country and we had trouble getting the exact type locally we decided
against including them, especially since finding them is so easy locally.

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Audio processing and scheduling software
You need some kind of audio source to drive your transmitter. This will typically be a computer although you can plug any
audio source into the 3.5” audio stereo socket. You will need some kind of playback and scheduling software. In most simple
form this is a simple Mp3 player, such as WinAmp. However you can do much better, software packages exist that offer a
world of features and options. We offer two of these on our website here, especially Jazler is very versatile and is used by
many professional radio stations out there:
http://www.pcs-electronics.com/software-c-28.html
Enclosure and suitable cooling for PCIMAX3000+
If you are going to use PCIMAX 3000+ in stand-alone mode outside of the PC, use metal (preferably aluminum) for your
enclosures and allow some free space for heat dissipation, also make ventilation holes at the top and/or back of the
enclosure. Fix the PCB and heat-sink with all screws tightly. Make sure you tightly screw the rf board to the enclosure
as this is how the output transistor dissipates its heat!

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Installing the PCI MAX 3000+ into your PC
Wiring things up and first power-up
Installing the PCIMAX3000+ is easy, just make sure you read the previous chapter to pick up some basic knowledge. For
best range and performance or when used outside the PC also properly setup enclosure, antenna and coaxial cable. Than
proceed with the following:
- Install the driver off a CD or download and install it from our website. Also install USB port driver.
- Install PCIMAX3000+ in a PC as any other computer card. Power off the PC, disconnect mains power cord, open up the
side cover and find a free PCI slot. Than insert PCIMAX card and secure it with a screw.
- Insert the EIDE harddisk (4-pin) power cable into the back of the card.
- Insert one end of the USB cable into the back of the card and the other end into any free USB ports.
- Connect provided or other antenna into the end F corrector and secure the connector until tight.
- Some air flow is recommended so if you have 3W version ensure some air flow is moving across the card.
- Check everything again and replace the side cover, plug mains cable back in and power up the PC.
- Let windows find the drivers for digital sound streaming and USB port. If something is missing look for drivers off our
website and install as necessary.
- Start the CyberMaxMicro windows program.
- Turn on a radio receiver and set it to your intended transmitter frequency.
- Set frequency and power as desired.
- Wait a few seconds for the transmitter to lock onto frequency. Your radio should now mute since you did not connect any
audio sources yet. If you want to play audio through the analog input on the card you can now connect that input to any
audio source or sound card of the PC. The audio should be heard on the radio. You should not sound louder than other
stations, in fact unless you have an expensive high performance software or hardware sound processor you should sound
slightly quieter than other stations (but less distorted).
- You can set RDS parameters, but this only works when you have a RDS daughter board.
- If you want to stream audio digitally, you have to let your audio playback software know which output it needs to use. On
system level you can specify default Windows audio playback device by going into Start>Settings>Control Palen> Sound
and Audio Devices Properties. Here on the Audio tab select USB audio device and all audio will be streamed through
PCIMAX 3000+. Quite amazing how clear the audio is when you stream audio directly in digital fashion. Many radio
scheduling programs, such as Jazler, Sam and others, will let you select through which audio device audio should play. We
recommend that you look at these choices.
Chapter
4

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Using the Windows control program
Setup
COM port
Select correct COM port here. Usually this would be COM1.
Communication test tool
Use this feature to find correct settings easily. Try different settings and check them by clicking the button.
Chapter
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FM Transmitter
FM transmitter frequency
Set the frequency by 0.5 or 0.05MHz step..
Transmitter output power
Set the desired output power.
Stereo/Mono
Select audio mode.
FM Transmitter status
These are some FM transmitter status fields (read only).
Automatic refresh
Check this box to periodically read and refresh corensponding status fields of the FM transmitter status

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PI, PTY...
PI code
This information consists of a code enabling the receiver to distinguish between countries, areas in which the same
programme is transmitted, and the identification of the programme itself. The code is not intended for direct display
and is assigned to each individual radio programme, to enable it to be distinguished from all other programmes. One
important application of this information would be to enable the receiver to search automatically for an alternative
frequency in case of bad reception of the programme to which the receiver is tuned; the criteria for the change-over
to the new frequency would be the presence of a better signal having the same Programme Identification code.
TP flag
TP is a flag to indicate that the tuned program carries traffic announcements. The TP flag must only be set on
programs which dynamically switch on the TA identification during traffic announcements. The signal shall be taken
into account during automatic search tuning, so I recommend to turn this flag on even though you don't transmit
any traffic announcements.
Program type PTY
This is an identification number to be transmitted with each program item and which is intended to specify the
current Program type within 31 possibilities. This code could be used for search tuning. The code will, moreover,
enable suitable receivers and recorders to be pre-set to respond only to program items of the desired type. The last
number, i.e. 31, is reserved for an alarm identification which is intended to switch on the audio signal when a receiver
is operated in a waiting reception mode.
Music/Speech
This is a two-state signal to provide information on whether music or speech is being broadcast. The signal would
permit receivers to be equipped with two separate volume controls, one for music and one for speech, so that the
listener could adjust the balance between them to suit his individual listening habits.
AF - Alternative Frequncies
The list of alternative frequencies gives information on the various transmitters broadcasting the same program in
the same or adjacent reception areas. This facility is particularly useful in the case of car and portable radios. When
the PI code indicates local coverage-area, i.e. only one frequency is used, AF list may contain this frequency.

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PS0
PS
This is the label of the program service consisting of not more than eight alphanumeric characters, which is displayed
by RDS receivers in order to inform the listener what program service is being broadcast by the station to which the
receiver is tuned.
If you want to use just one PS setting please set delay for all others to 0.
You can select delay for each of the PS labels. Note that setting a 0 disables associated PI.
Labels will start at the start of the list once they reach the last defined PS label.
Do not exagerate, fast changing PI labels can compromise driver safety!
More information about PS feature
This is the most interesting feature for 99% of customers out there so we will dedicate a bit more time to it. RDS
standard provides for a 8-character PS string which is used to identify radio station and is displayed by RDS-enabled
radio receivers. Some countries prohibit changing this text dynamically, but others don't. Whatever your decision
may be, RDSMAX supports either static or dynamic PS. It is best to check with the local authorities before setting
up the RDS encoder.
The mechanism for handling dynamic (or static) PS text is best demonstrated by the following example:
Imagine a train traveling in a round trip involving 100 train stations. The train starts on station 00 (PS00) and goes
through stations 01, 02…. until it passes through station 99 and finally returns to station 00. Every time a train stops
at the station it sends the message back to the headquoters (PS text shown on RDS receiver). The amount of time
the train stays at the station (delay - PD00 to PD99) varies and can be from 0 minutes (train does not stop) to 9
minutes. I hope this little analogy has illustrated the process. You have 100 8-character strings (PS00 to PS99) which
are displayed one after the other until the entire loop repeats itself. You can define how long each of these strings is
displayed, the parameter which defines this is PD (PD00 to PD99).
Example: If you wish to just have one static PS, set all delays to 0 and set just PD00 to 1. Than set PS00 to desired
statis PS, which will be displayed indefinitely.

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AUTO PS, RT...
Auto PS and RT update is another hugely popular feature. Basically you can take the song title from Winamp or
another program via text file. Winamp must be setup to write its song info into a text file, this is done with TitleSpy
plugin. Most other playback programs can easily be setup to write song info into a text file. You can use this info to
update PS or RT text. PS text is limited to 8 characters so the entire song title can either be scrolled or split into 8-
character blocks. You can set the speed of scrolling on the panel above. You can also insert DATE at the end of the
scrolling block. A really popular and nifty feature indeed. This feature requires your PC to be connected to the RDS
encoder at all times during music playback.
Auto update PS from txt file
This mode makes it possible to have the PS updated automatically. A number of very usefull features make this
mode extremely usefull. It is possible to insert time, date or song name from external file. This external file can be
updated via Winamp or any other program.
If you want to collect data from Winamp (MP3 ID tag, song name) please use winamp plugin called VtitleSpy. This
little program was shipped with our driver, you will find it in the RDS MAX installation folder. Install it and
configure it to output winamp song info into your text file and than set RDS MAX driver to read song name from
that file. Also make sure you setup VtitleSpy plugin to limit song name to 64 characters.
Auto update RT from txt file
This is another popular feature, RDS allows for 64-character text string to be displayed on the receiver. However this
feature is rarely used as you need to press a button to display it (PS is always displayed by default). Another "nail in
RTs' coffin" is the fact that typical receiver only displays a maximum of 8-characters at a time meaning the message
needs to be scrolled. However popular or unpopular it may be, we support it.
The field at the top (RT) shows the currently active RT message
The auto update RT field makes it possible to collect the RT from any text file. In order to pick RT from a text file
select the text file with the browse button and enable auto update by selecting the Yes option. RDS MAX driver will
check the file once every second and update the encoder automatically, if it detects any changes of the text file.
If you want to collect data from Winamp (MP3 ID tag, song name) please use winamp plugin called VtitleSpy. This
little program was shipped with our driver, you will find it in the RDS MAX installation folder. Install it and
configure it to output winamp song info into your text file and than set RDS MAX driver to read song name from
that file. Also make sure you setup VtitleSpy plugin to limit song name to 64 characters.

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About

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Common controls
These are common controls belonging to all program tabs.
Tray
Click Systray to move this program into taskbar immediately.
Check To tray at start checkbox to start the program minimized in system tray.
Preview
This window shows PS and RT preview.
Select desired preview type by clicking appropriate radio button.
RDS active
Check this box to activate RDS features.
Update
Update RDS and Update FM Transmitter buttons may change their
appearance and accessibility according to currently active tab.
Use Update RDS to send parameter values RDS encoder.
Use Update FM Transmitter to send FM Transmitter parameters to RDS
encoder.
Shut down TX at exit
Check this box to automatically reduce transmitting power to 0 when exiting the
program.
Send settings at start
Check this box to automatically send TX settings at starting the program. This may come handy when Shutdown TX
at exit is activated to automatically raise TX power when next time starting the program.
Status window
Some communication activities can be observed here.

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19
Scheduler
Built-in scheduler allows to user determine automatic switching of transmitting power and frequency according to
predefined scheme. Schemes can be defined on daily or weekly basis. To accomplish this task the PC must be
connected to the transmitter and the program must be running all the time.
Up to 20 controlling lines can be entered into list box. Each line defines transmitting power, frequency and switching
time.
Put a tick at the beggining of each line to make that line active. There can be many lines active if desired.
It is recommended to be careful while entering lines not to make time-overlapping lines active at the same time.
Example: if you define a line on daily basis and at the same time another weekly based line is active the results may
be unpredictable.
You can always enter many lines and then decide which of them should be momentarily active by putting ticks into
checkboxes.
Enable
Check this box to make the scheduler active in general.
Add...
Click Add... button to open Add form to add a new line into list box.
Edit
Select desired line first, then click Edit to open Edit form.
Remove
Select desired line first, then click Remove to delete it.

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Add form
Add form allows you to enter the following parameters:
transmitter frequency transmitter power repetition mode; it can be Daily or Weekly switching time
Daily repetition mode switches every day at the same time. To make sense, at least two daily based lines should be
active at the same time.
Weekly repetition mode allows individually selection of days in the week.
Add or Modify
Click this button to accept changes. In the case of adding lines more lines can be entered subsequently.
Close or Cancel
Click this button to finish adding lines or to cancel editing.