Meeting with the FCC Enforcement Bureau

LEGACY!!! Look at the above post!

Now's your chance to talk to the FCC....you want change, here's your opportunity.

Look being that I am legally blind I might not be able to go but here is the things I would like to see brought up.

Since the am broadcast band is a dying band and many broadcasters are leaving it I would like to propose 1622 1700 kilohertz in areas where the frequencies are blank becoming a hobby broadcast area officially and allowing up to 10 watts of power and no more ground lead restrictions. Also Alan weiner of wbcq has mentioned a proposal of making a part of the shortwave band from 6.9 to 7 megahertz an official hobby broadcast band where you would have a modest amount of power but yet enough that egg medium-sized town could hear you and during DX conditions you might get heard.

Making radio manufacturers of am radios that also include FM stereo to include C quam AM stereo and if the hobby broadcast band is to be proposed one of the stipulations should be that you broadcast in C-Quam AM stereo.  I just purchased a Directed Elonics HD/C-Quam AM stereo Boombox New Old Stock table top Boombox.  C-Quam is the savior of AM let's bring it back.

Limiting the number of stations one entity can own. Stations like K-Love have taken over too many radio stations and made them all God casters. There should be a law that limits app so that other people to be on the air as well.

Believe me if I could I would be there to represent all the Album Rockers in the United States. I will be contacting some folks like Greg Godovitz to see if he can go because we need something done.  It's time our voice can be heard.

Well, I don't know that those are really issues for the Enforcement Bureau. I was thinking of things more like what they think a ground lead is. Or maybe how much weight users can give to FCC certification of a transmitter in assuming legality - especially when operating on frequencies such as the FM broadcast band where regular citizens have no practical way to measure signal strength.

I'm not sure any of these are open to the public, but there are indeed fairly regular FCBA meetings with FCC personnel, including the Commissioners themselves. I'm only in DC a couple of times a month so some I can go to and some I can't, but when I can, I'm glad to ask questions or propose comments that might be of interest to those of us who are Part 15 enthusiasts.

John

W9LWA

Very well here are a few:

Part 15 section 236 allows for Wireless nics and those Wireless headphone transmitters to operate between 76-88 Mhz at 50 mW.  So why when people are getting NOUO`s for 87.7 Mhz nothing is mentioned about wireless microphones are Wireless transmitters that are certified for operation down there at 50 milliwatts.

Also if I was using one of those transmitting devices to link to my part 15 am transmitter why then stopped could someone not be able to go on a Facebook page and tell people to put the radio in Japanese mode to receive them if they knew the frequency of the transmitter?

Also if the am band is truly a dying band as some broadcasters claim why then worry about something about a ground lead issue when it comes to part 15 a.m. Broadcasting? Why not simply abolish the ground lead limitation rule since it's a dying band anyway and as long as the hobby broadcaster is not causing interference why not allow that type of operation?

If the FM broadcast band is truly limited to 250 feet with a legal certified transmitter why then do we keep hearing so many of those Christmas light transmitters that are high profile and I can hear some of those and a quarter of a mile away is this a true rule or is it a guesstimate and if you can actually go that far with your transmitter up high with something like a decade ms100 why can't we set up a neighborhood radio station are small village radio station so long as we don't cause interference?

And finally if they are considering the ma3 format for digital am Broadcasting can a perc 15 transmitter be manufactured how to broadcast an ma3 AM digital?

Thanks Leg,

I'll see what I can do. I'll be kind of interested just to see how many of these people actually know much about Part 15 to begin with. I don't think they get very many Part 15 questions from the NAB crowd...

John

W9LWA

Here's something to  bring up and that is with FM...why can't the USA have a catagory like Canada's BETS-1 which allows licence free broadcasting to the general public with more power than you have in the USA as long as the transmitter is certified, with a few simple rules. Everything doesn't fall apart here and 250uV/M@3meters is ridiculous. I'm sure that all agree with that.

Indeed, I do agree with that. Part 15 broadcasting is a consumer activity. One needn't be an engineer nor other broadcast professional to be a Part 15 broadcaster. One needn't be an adult nor even have reached double figures, age wise.  Signal strength under Part 15 is not something easily addressed by consumers nor something the average person can measure. Violating these laws carry criminal penalties, yet they are written in such fashion that the average user can't tell if s/he's in violation or not. That's not how laws governing consumer activities by regular folks are supposed to work. Yet, here we are with no relief in sight as far as I can see.

I'd like to know if the Commission is even willing to consider expansion of low-power broadcasting. I have a bad feeling it's not even on the outer edge of their radar.

John

W9LWA

If we are seeking a policy change allowing expansion of LP broadcasting, I'm wondering if the best chance might be to seek a set-aside of  sw broadcast space for LP broadcasting - as opposed to two-way communications  - by licensed ham operators.

Perhaps it wouldn't rub the commission the wrong way as much as wholly unlicensed broadcasting. I don't think we'd be giving up much. Those ham licenses are pretty easy to get...

John

W9LWA

I'm trying to study for my Ham License in case that did happen and because I'd at least like a 2 meter rig someday.  But a Ham License is NO guarantee that some jerk won't start fights, swear, jam.  I called the FCC a few days ago on K9RSY because he was drunk and starting fights ad swearing and he took over 7200 Khz when a QSO is going on.

The license should be as easy as applying for a GMRS license.  And since your talking Low Power 5-10 Watts can DX quite well and cover 30-40 miles on a ground plane antenna.  I DXed a lot with a stock (No linear) CB 4 Watts barefoot.  12 Watts PEP SSB did quite well as well.  I found it laughable when I was told I had to use a linear to shoot skip.  That being said that is what I propose.  Look this kind of activity will curb (Wont Kill It All) Pirate Radio.  In Australia your allowed on the now dead mW band in Australia 400 Watts NO LICENSE!!  So as long as one has a certified transmitter and seeks help from a Broadcast engineer if they don't know how to check their transmitter all should be well.

I'm amazed how the FCC takes AM and FM broadcasting under a lock and key and you have folks like K9RSY getting away with murder and when I called and turned him in I got 15 minutes of silence and even when I wrote the same agent that visited me No Answer to that.  If I were the NAB the FCC would have gone to Drunk Dan's house and dismantled all of his gear and hauled it away.

So that old way of thinking makes no difference Today because children grew up as adults disrespecting authority the day the law took away the privilege of using the Bible and the Belt when disciplining a child.  So Johnny buys a Ham Radio, makes up a call and uses the F bomb on the 40 meter band.  Disgusting.

I would like to endorse the Legacy idea of bandwidth and power.