An interesting college campus station, but with exception to some brief expermentation back in the 1990s, they've never actually broadcast over the air, it's always been only an internet station, but it's still a pretty interesting license-free station that's housed in a Yurt, which Jenifer Waits reports on for her "196th radio station tour report and my 137th college radio station tour. ..
Radio Station Visit #196: Yurt Radio at Hampshire College
By Jennifer Waits on April 3, 2026
https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2026/04/radio-station-visit-196-yurt-radio-at-hampshire-college/
Excerpts:
"... Over and above the music, Stahl is drawn to the experimental aspect of the station, which affords DJs the “freedom” and “autonomy” to do their shows as they please, from mashing up different sources to playing around with the left and right audio channels. He finds joy in doing this type of radio and described Yurt Radio is not only an “inviting” place, but also “great place to express yourself.” He explained that participants respect and care about the station, adding that, “It’s a sacred space.” ..."
". the Yurt was conceptualized and constructed in the 1990s. By 1998 the Yurt was completed and opened .. .. Soon after, the radio group presented a successful proposal to create a station within the Yurt. Shelving was added and equipment secured, before Yurt Radio began transmissions that initially aired only over the campus internet. Today the station streams to the world and continues to be a student-led project in a student-managed space.. .
... The students managing Yurt Radio as known as “signers,” and they coordinate scheduling, funding and even trash removal from the space. ..... A huge fan of physical music, Stahl listens to several albums a day, methodically logging the titles. His list had just crossed the 1,862 records mark on the day that he chatted with me. As we looked around the studio, he pointed out a selection of CDs .. ... I was surprised to see a pretty large batch of cassette tapes at Yurt Radio and both Bruner and Stahl told me that they are played on the air. Stahl also checks out cassettes regularly as part of his overall listening project. ...
. This is my 196th radio station tour report and my 137th college radio station tour. .
Neat idea if it could be constructed on the cheap, but it cannot.
I recall reading about "yurts" for the first time 25 years ago, and they were kinda reasonable at the time. Since I've been in the countryside and not urban paradise I've not seen bargains for a radio shack. My permanent dog house structure cost me $500 USD. It's constructed to keep the high winds from blowing it down.
For now, the station 'shack' is in the 'memorial woodshed'.
The ideal structure for a traditional shack would be a steel shipping container where I am. I have a hillside I've kicked around building a partial earthen sided shack because I have a backhoe.
The more I get into radio as a hobby the more minimalist I've become, so not likely to get crazy with an actual shack. The most elaborate station set up I have is retro for me; portable with solar/battery in the event of a disaster.