That's not the way I remember the story.. but then again I don't really remember the specifics at all other than the agent had gave them the green light to broadcast despite it being much more powerful than permitted under part15.. Myself I wasn't particuarlly concerned about it one way or the other, but did realize it was unfair to others, but somehow, when it's a matter of the concerns of children, then naturally most people become much more tolerant of bending a rule or two..
End80 is right: "When it's a matter of the concerns of children, then naturally most people become much more tolerant of bending a rule or two."
But when the same children grow into adults they are placed under arrest for breaking rules.
Maybe kids are being taught the wrong lessons.
Wellllll... that leaves the question of which lessons are right to begin with.. But anyway, the point I was making is that the way I recall it, the agent allowed the over powered part 15 because it was a childrens group.. I also seem to recall there were members on this forum who expressed their objections to it.. not just over at HB.
End80 takes the middle path: "That leaves the question of which lessons are right to begin with."
The kids radio situation reminds me of the lemonade stand set-up last summer by some "cute" kids, right at the corner with 4-way stop signs and directly in 90-degree sun. It looked like a very unsanitary operation.
If adults ran even a well managed lemonade stand they would be shut down and fined for not having all the licenses and inspections.
At the very minimum it would be useful to teach children about the same rules others are expected to live by, or they might grow up to be Donald Trump.
It's funny you mention that because I was actually thinking about that.. It's been some years ago, but there was a national story about a kids lemonaide stand getting shut down by the local city becuase they neither had a business licence nor a health permit. After much ado and outcry the city eventually reversed their decision and allowed the kids to "reopen".
Point is that although the enforcement against them was actually correct in the letter of the law, the real world application of it in this case was ridiculous.
I had originally seen this on the nightly news, but a quick google search shows that apparently is was not a one time type occurence: https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&q=Lemonaide+stand+shut+down&oq=Lemonaide+stand+shut+down&gs_l=serp.3..0i13k1l2j0i22i30k1l8.5848834.5855315.0.5857399.25.21.0.0.0.0.729.4551.3-3j2j2j2.9.0....0...1.1.64.serp..16.9.4485...0j0i20k1j0i10k1.BGu_BK5ARaE
At the very minimum it would be useful to teach children about the same rules others are expected to live by, or they might grow up to be Donald Trump.
I can't really argue with that, except to say that kids probally shouldn't have to be subjected to the same rules as adults.. their kids, they neither comprehend why, nor have the resources to abide by the rules of adults... Should a child be required a licence to ride their bike on a public roadway? Should they be required to pay a few thousand dollars in permits to sell lemonaide on the corner? Should they not be permitted to transmit or receive their school radio station a few blocks in their area without a license?
I guess it's all debatable, but I say let the children have their chance of such little accomplishments.. Your only young for a breif time, no point subjecting them to what we have to endure before their time.
When I was in grade-school I really tried to reach Patricia's house 5-doors up the street with my Knight Kit AM Transmitter.
Several times a week I would call on her to see if my signal could be heard on her radio. It never was.
What I didn't know is that my horizontal antenna was aimed the wrong way. It could have been a great romance.
And her father was a city detective wearing a shoulder holster as he read the evening paper.
Back to the originating topic, "Avoiding Complaints" in regard to part 15, it's quite simple..
1. Avoid FM, it's only legally capable of covering maybe your yard, and in the last 6 or 7 years there have been several multiple thousands of individuals who received NOUOs.
2. Broadcast AM, it's legally capable of ranges far in excess of FM, and in the last 6 or 7 years, there have been about 10 individuals who have received NOUOs.
The only states AM NOUO citatations were issued in from Jan. 2011 till the present:
It could also mean if the TX is clean,the content is good and no interference you ate good.
It also shows possibilities for an eventual respect for individual broadcasting. As I'd like to know if he used all 25mW to the outside antenna?
Thelegacy said "It could also mean if the TX is clean,the content is good and no interference you ate (sic) good."
In a word, no.
This is obviously a special case, because of the involvement of children, and their reaching out to the FCC. The Ramsey can be tuned down significantly and in reports about this station that I've read, the FCC agent did just that. How much they tuned it down is another matter, and we may never know.
I wouldn't take anything in the general case from this story. In other words, if your field strength is over the legal maximum, you will still likely be shut down (and potentially fined) if found out, even if your TX is good, there's no interference and the content is good.
I think that people are missing the point of the objections to the early part of this thread.
The FCC is only your enemy if you are operating illegally.
While I won't go so far as to say they're your friend, you really don't have to worry about complaints if you are operating legally, or, at the very least, are doing everything in your power to ensure that you are operating legally.
That means using a certified transmitter, installed according to the documentation (which forms part of the certification), or being really sure about what you're doing otherwise (and keeping records).
It means monitoring your range to ensure that you should have a fairly good idea that you're legal. There's enough information available on typical and maximum Part 15 AM & FM ranges so that anyone with some common sense should know if they are at least close to operating legally.
By the way, part of operating legally is ensuring that your transmitter is clean (there are technical standards in Part 15) and you're not interfering with any other licensed station. That just goes with the territory.
And it means that if the FCC does show up, working with them in a respectful manner and demonstrating to them why you believe you are operating legally. Most legal installations pass with no problems. But you will have problems if you give the FCC agent attitude, as some have found out to their regret.
Ultimately, it is up to the FCC inspector to determine your fate, as evidenced by the WKID station. I wouldn't count on that kind of leniency, though.
AM may be the way to go with part 15, but I have to tell you, creating an antenna for AM is a real pain in the arse when you don't understand how to use the math accurately.
I try to understand the math people post over and over again, but because I never studied engineer's math, I can't make any sense out of it for the life of me.
People say the math does not cover every situation and every case, so we, as individuals, have to do our own math for our specific situation, ground conductivity, location, height, wire type, the list goes on.
FM simply requires a specific length for the antenna per frequency.
Ya know guys, what I can not understand is why AM broadcast antennas are not commercially available for Part 15.
Years ago police used the upper end of the AM broadcast band before the public service bands were created. My local police were on 1700 KHz before they moved to VHF Low 39.900 MHz.
What were they using for antennas back then? I can not recall an active 800 foot tower erected for their use, or even a 1/4 wave antenna for that matter, so they had to have been using some commercially available antenna tuned for 1700 KHz that worked. Where have those antennas gone? Who made and sold them?
Inquiring minds would like to know.
Bruce.
DHR says, "License plates as antenna."