The FCC does not do any kind of active monitoring or patroling or trying to catch anybody, they do not function like a poiice agency. If they want to bust somebody they must call the local police themselves.
The rules are for deciding if they can punish you AFTER they investigate you. Something has to provoke them to investigate you, which means somebody must file a complaint.
The important topic to me is how to avoid a complaint. What causes complaints :
-- you are getting out all over town and people notice you, especially commercial broadcasters
--you are interfering with another signal somebody else cares about
-- your signal is getting into other electronic equipment like your neighbors stereo speakers or wired telephone.
--somebody sees your antenna and doesn't like it being there, especially a problem with home owners associations.
-- you are putting out some kind of content that somebody doesn't like, such as politics or curse words.
you could think of more I'm sure.
You make many claims in your post. What experience or sources do you have for this?
Neil
I have read the FCC's own enforcement actions and I have observations of what the FCC actually does. People think it is a police force like the FBI but that is not the case.
Read enforcement actions for yourself here
http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/sed/ulo.html
The FCC is a regulatory body like the Federal Trade Commission or other similar commisions.
"The FCC does not do any kind of active monitoring or patroling or trying to catch anybody, they do not function like a poiice agency. If they want to bust somebody they must call the local police themselves."
FCC Monitoring Locations:
The FCC does not randomly monitor or randomly drive around looking for small time hobbyists to bust.
Here are the actual enforcement actions of the FCC and you can tell what they are after and how they operate.
http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/sed/ulo.html
Its pretty clear they are going after the pirate stations.
The FCC does not randomly monitor or randomly drive around looking for people to bust.
So who's sitting at Vero Beach or Powder Springs? The Good Humor Man?
Do not think that there is some FCC employee whose job is to randomly go after hobby am transmitters with 100 milliwatts. Please check out actual enforcement actions, it is on their website.
http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/sed/ulo.html
I didn't say that.
YOU said: "The FCC does not do any kind of active monitoring..." I ask what do you think these monitoring stations are for?
I have said my opinion pretty clearly.
You are hijacking this thread by the way, the topic is how to avoid complaints.
There has been no hijacking here. As I stated in the other thread that you started, if you're going to put forward your opinions in the Forum, you'd better be prepared to back them up. Someone disagreeing with you (and quite rightly, I might add), is not 'hijacking' the thread.
This is rediculous , please delete all of my comments and my account.
skywave stated "The FCC does not do any kind of active monitoring or patroling or trying to catch anybody, they do not function like a poiice agency. If they want to bust somebody they must call the local police themselves." That's the opening statement of the original post in this thread.
That is an opinion, period. And there are plenty of examples that contradict that opinion. Including at least one in this thread.
The conclusion of the original poster appears to be based upon that erroneous opinion - because the FCC does not actively seek out violators, you won't get caught if no one complains.
I would not bet the farm on that conclusion.
In actual fact, if you are attempting to operate legally (such as using a certified transmitter, ensuring that you're not broadcasting over an existing signal, etc.), then you have no reason to fear anyone complaining about you (particularly on FM, where your signal is unlikely to be heard very far off your property unless someone is using a particularly sensitive radio, such as a car radio).
The FCC apparently closed all 12 remaining monitoring locations about 11 years ago, so the info in post # 4 by Druid Hills citing willsnook.com is a bit outdated.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.radio.cb/Yd1L5ZxVjqs/CjREXoxn-_IJ
For example, the one in Belfast, ME is long gone, but is on the map cited by willsnook.com. A friend of mine lived right across the street from it, but has been a vacant field now for many years.
DHR, I enjoyed the vid clip of the FCC engineer and vehicle. Very cool! However I beieve this only happens after a complaint is received. If I am mistaken, and FCC engineers are patrolling the whole country looking for Part15 stations in violation technicalities, then I'd say the FCC needs to get its priorities re-organized, and probably have its budget reduced by 80% or more.
I believe the issue is whether we respect and try to follow the rules and is not what we think we can get away with without being caught. Call me old fashioned but I believe that conscience is what you do when no one is looking.
Neil