[etech]

I have the Talking House TH 5.0 and the SSTRAN AMT-3000. Of the two, the SSTRAN unit definitely has the better sound quality. The frequency response of the Talking House unit can be improved by changing one of the capacitors in the audio section. I did that to mine and it is better, but still not as good as the SSTRAN.

Now, as far as the hum in the old radios is concerned, both of my transmitters have it. I believe it is 'hum modulation' getting into the old radios via rf being induced onto the power lines in the house. I never did get rid of it totally. I was able to minimize it somewhat on the SSTRAN unit by connecting the transmitter ground to the ground on the electrical plug outlet nearby.

My brother has the SSTRAN unit also. He tried nearly everything to eliminate the hum problem. He did things such as moving the transmitter from one part of the house to another. He moved it to the basement once and also to the attic. No luck! He tried different grounds including the electrical outlet, cold water pipe, heat system duct work, etc. No luck! He still had the 'hum modulation' problem.

Out of desperation, he finally built the outdoor antenna as described on SSTRAN's web page and mounted it on a pole in the backyard. He moved the transmitter out to the pole and installed it in a waterproof box. He also installed a multi-radial ground system below the antenna. Once the antenna was tuned and operating properly, there was no longer any hum problems with any of the old radios he had. And, better yet the range of the transmitter had increased to nearly three miles, while still maintaining full part 15 compliance.

So if you want to know the 'fix' for the hum problem that's it, if you are willing to go through the effort.

Best regards,

Ed