Community Low Power FM (CLPFM): A proposal

Ill use the Commodore 64/128 phone phreakers and Captain Crunch as an example why.  call it right call it wrong call it indecent call it whatever but this is the real reason you have unlimited long distance at a flat rate. So here is a little schooling. Once there was a man who wanted to be able to talk to his long distance friends and family as a child. He had really good hearing and discovered that when he placed a phone call a 2600 Hertz tone was generated followed by pl tones. At the time computers were more expensive so this young man figured  out how to create the 2600 Hertz tone with a Captain Crunch whistle found in the cereal box. Hence the name Captain Crunch. the phone companies spent millions of dollars reinventing the phone system so that the 2600 Hertz tone would no longer act as an operator. Well along came the break up of the Bell system and your regional Bell operator was in charge of local calls or Lata. for long distance you could choose AT&T or the new company on the block MCI. now keep in mind that to be operative you would need a local access number. You would then dial that number and access code. all went on well and good until Johnny Commodore 64 came along. The first program he invented was called phone man. this program generated random 5 digit codes as well as looked for a dialtone or modem tone.  He would program the computer to dial a random set of 5 digit codes and then the BBS number.  When he got a good code it made the call and the program heard the modem tone and the call goes through and the program would save the working code to disk.  Now after the person was shocked at a 2,000 phone bill that code was changed a little Johnny was at it again.   Johnny realized there was strength in numbers and constructed CODE LINES.  This was done by hacking the admin box on a businesses VOice Mail Box (VMB).  He set up black boxes for his friends to share the codes they got.  The business would have an 800 number which you dial wait for the VMB to answer and punch the extension of the VMB with the code line and you had a fresh set of codes for FREE long distance.  Phone company spent money for tracers and busted a few and make sure it was in newspapers.   Then Johnny got the idea instead of stealing someone's access code in the first place why not jam the very device they use to know who's calling and where?  Hence the ANI jammer was born.  Now to stop this every phone switch would have to be re invented.  Okay so there's a moral to this story. Now that you have 10 thousand FM TX's/day sold at 1Watt or 1/2 Watt its a wack a mole concept that by publicizing it brings more in on the Johnny 1 Mile band wagon.  But if the NAB stays silent yes you have a micro broadcaster in the neighborhood and maybe 10/state  but better than 50/city.  There is a point they have to leave well enough alone.  It causes more issues to draw more attention to this redily available product.  Hence maybe that some agents turn away unless real interference is found.  The fact every kid dont have one is that it hasn't caught on and the "im cool I got a transmitter" has not became a status because it isn't well known and the NAB is best to shut up and deal with it.  Just my two cents so the FCC will legalize what is already being done.  Something for the tools to read and ponder on that.

is clearly indicated in the graphic that i posted above and earlier. The area around the center point is very hilly.  Yes hills in Florida. 🙂

Iy is better to be on a hill.

True

I would imagine if your close to the Georgia line you'd have some really high hills and even at the first or second floor you'd have a chance of getting out a little bit.

On a different note there is a station in Wanchese, NC and its on 95.3 called Pirate 95.3.  There call is WOAR I think.  When I first came down here I thought it was a Pirate station cuz their slogan is "Pirate 95.3 Everything Rock!" and they play stuff from the 80's like Skid Row, 90s Rock and a few harder tracks from the 70s like some Van Halen.  They really don't get quite as Deep in the Deep Tracks as I do and at night at times you get it quite clear.  In the daytime its so so as far as reception.  It made me laugh the first time I heard it because if their licensed and yet saying "Pirate 95.3.  I guarantee the tourists probably tune in thinking they are a Pirate Radio station at first and I am sure it drives more listeners to them.  Just a little food for thought since we're talking about all the possibilities of what we are trying to accomplish here.

The true part of this story is that Bruce MICRO 1690/1700 ran a station called "Dog Radio Studio 2."

The untrue part is that he ran the station with a dog license.

@ post #60

Reading the last bit of your post is slightly alarming.

(taken from post 60 http://www.part15.us/comment/37034#comment-37034, abridged from the original post by Thelegacy):”[…]Now that you have 10 thousand FM TX's/day sold at 1Watt or 1/2 Watt its a wack a mole concept that by publicizing it brings more in on the Johnny 1 Mile band wagon. But if the NAB stays silent yes you have a micro broadcaster in the neighborhood and maybe 10/state but better than 50/city. There is a point they have to leave well enough alone. It causes more issues to draw more attention to this redily available product. Hence maybe that some agents turn away unless real interference is found. The fact every kid dont have one is that it hasn't caught on and the "im cool I got a transmitter" has not became a status because it isn't well known and the NAB is best to shut up and deal with it. Just my two cents so the FCC will legalize what is already being done. Something for the tools to read and ponder on that.[…]

I may be reading it wrong, but it sounds like you are suggesting people break the law; let’s call it spectral civil disobedience

There are several issues with your idea of spectral civil disobedience.

1. The FCC does not like people who sell illegal transmitters. They went after a store who sold GPS and WIFI jammers. No nationwide brick and mortar store is going to knowingly sell non part 15 compliant transmitters.
2. At the price point people will be willing to pay for a transmitter it is likely the transmitters will have harmonics and splatter. Splatter will hurt licensed users of the FM band and poses a threat to health and safety by jamming the air band. Harmonics will hurt licensed users in many services. If someone’s harmonics hurt Verizon’s LTE spectrum, Verizon will hunt down the offender without mercy.
3. The FCC had a similar problem to what you propose with the CB radio service. The FCC has been issuing NOUO’s for CB related violations recently.
4. Your suggestion will hasten the decline of the FM band to what the AM band has become. A rising noise floor is choking life out of the AM band. The biggest culprits in my area are CFL’s and noise from power lines. In your suggestion, thousands of 1W unlicensed FM transmitters would do the same thing to the FM band.
5. “HAM cops” would find, report and possibly harass users of over powered unlicensed transmitters.
6. If illegal broadcasting became as prevalent as you suggest copyright holders would start seeking compensation.
7. [hypothetical] The FCC would have a last ditch option if the analog use of the FM got too cluttered with non-licensed broadcasters: go all digital. If HD radio were mandated on the FM band the resulting digital hash from full power digital stations would utterly blanket/jam any low power analog transmissions.

I am not sure who is a “tool”. If that were referring to my posts, my posts have three main points:
1. There is not much room on the dial for new stations; that is an issue caused by the FCC.
2. The FCC is not going to do anything to let small voices get on the air. (Every day I check the headlines on the FCC website to “see what those f’tards are screwing up now.)
3. The allowed field strength under 15.239 is intentionally limited to keep unlicensed users from negatively impacting licensed users.
I am not happy with the state of radio, but being honest about the state of radio, micro power transmissions, and not wanting anyone to break the law does not make me a tool.

I wasn't calling you a tool.  I actually meant to type troll referring to the ones who were reading this forum only to try and narc on others.  I have no issues with some of what you say as harmonics are an issue with some of the more inferior transmitters sold on the market.  But the ones with the FCC ID# on them and certified also have the higher power settings on them.  Some know of it and some don't.  What I'm also trying to say is that the clean transmitters that are out there are plentiful and yet in other countries the sky has not fallen.  I'm sure that there are Hams out there who rather part 15 or Micro broadcasting not to exist.  There are always those who abuse any service even Ham Radio's.  When I was using speech to text on my droid I said Troll and it came out Tool.  Not good I see where some may think I'm calling others a tool.  But the only tool was the one on that other site who accused MrBruce of being a Pirate and I guess if their reading this only to try and snag people on this forum than they would be the tool lol.  But believe me I wasn't trying to flame on you in no way.  I may have a difference in opinion on some things but a lot of what you say does have reason for concern.

What I'm also trying to say is Yes back then CB was the cool thing to have.  One reason in the 70s Cell Phones were very expensive and Unlimited Long Distance was a pipe dream.  Some people went far and beyond and ran 5K linear amps creating all sorts of interference to Radio, TV, and God knows what.  I remember CBers interfering with our family church's PA system back in the day because some were comming right in on the amp.  Sort of like an IF.  So again it could be a concern.  But after all again the status quo for the young is not having a transmitter and what I'm saying is that by making a media stink about it will only popularize it just like when CB's were talked about in a bad way.  Others said "Hey a CB Great Idea a 5,000-10,000 Linear Great gotta have one.  So media can be good or bad.  I don't know if FM will ever become a waste land probably the corporations are doing a good enough job of that with any help for anyone else.  Radio going Digital?  Could happen just like TV did but again I dont think a few micro broadcasters would have caused that.

Yes I'm big into a little more power on FM and very opionated about it, but really I didn't mean for the word tool to come out and it could not have came out at the worst time when I used speech to text.  I may have to watch the words that Google comes up with on my Galaxy Note 2.

Best Regards no real hurt feelings.

Oh and one more thing I'm not telling anyone to throw up a 10 Watt, 7 Watt Transmitter.  In fact I did say that I'd like to see no more than a 1 mile or 2 Mile range to be legal and people running these super power transmitters are in my opinion Not Micro.  They are a want to be unlicensed LPFM station and those folks that I've read about in NY are not what I'd consider to be cool people.  The people who want to do the mile I think if they could have clean transmitters and should it be legal in my book should be welcome to FM.  AM does it and nothing bad has happened.  FM can be safe if maybe the FCC did require a permit to be sure the person using the micro broadcasting station is far enough from a flight path and too if interference was caused they could be asked to change their transmitter, fix it or go dark.  I've also mentioned this as well.  Though I don't have my Ham license I did study it a little back in the day and have a little knowledge of harmonic interference.  Its also why I talked about band pass and low pass filters to block such issues.

WiFi Jammers, Radar Jammers should never be legal they are used to Jam Radio reception thus causing interference outside the area you want to jam.  And that idea of jamming WiFi should get someone in huge trouble just like what happened to some of the motel chains that were caught using them to try and get residents to pay for "their" internet instead of using another hotspot that may be near by.

Well I suppose that may halp make your TX go further.  It could also by the time it got to the ground be unusable.  But a house accross from you on the same elevation as you well it may work better because of less trees and such blocking the signal.  Part 15 FM however does do things that baffle me.  Things I would think would stop a signal sometimes seem to have litle effect and things I would not think of sometimes effects the signal.  Funny how that is.

You people need to get over this persecution complex you have in relation to the "other" board.  I posted the FCC document in which contained the information as to why the agency eliminated the LP10 service.

Here is the link:

https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-134A1.pdf

You need to read and re-read it because the FCC will give you these very same arguments when you put forward your petition--unless you can prove with hard facts that their reasoning is incorrect or that they haven't considered some new evidence you have.  In the end, should the FCC issue an NPRM based on your petition, it will be open for comment.  Can it stand up to attacks from the NAB and other broadcasters?  The worst attacks will probably come from NPR (who hate LPFM).

https://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/rulemaking-process-fcc

You also need to rid yourselves of the idea that the FCC will ever allow a licensed service, other than translators, to not have EAS.  Sure EAS decoders can be expensive (although you probably won't need a full endec) but the commission is very serious about EAS and, in fact, have just recently strengthened their requirements for EAS as it relates to broadcasting.

You also need to rid yourselves of the notion that the FCC will open up VHF channels 5 & 6 to FM.  They won't. Ever.  End of discussion.  They have made it very clear that TV broadcasters will be moving back to those and other low VHF channels after the repack.  As it is, there are already over 300 stations and CPs on those two channels.  They're not going anywhere else.  So forget about 87.9 or 87.7.

If you read the above linked FCC document, you will notice that the commission, at the time, turned down a request to consider an LP50 service.  Not because it wasn't a good idea but it wasn't the appropriate time then to consider a new service.  This doesn't mean that a petition for an LP50 service can't be put forward in the future.  Can an argument be made to the commission that now is the time to consider creating an LP50 broadcast service?  Something you might want to think about.

My suggestion, at this point, is to look into the requirements of starting a 501c (e) non profit.  Sure, it's a pain in the buttocks but its a hoop you have to jump through to get an LPFM station.  You don't have to form a non profit until the FCC announces an LPFM window.  If you notice during the last window, a lot of non profits that received CPs were formed right after the FCC announced the LPFM filing window. You only need to have the non profit established and recognized by the state in which it is incorporated at the time of submitting the application for a construction permit.

Like I said, you need to stop thinking like radio enthusiasts and start thinking like the FCC.  Not trying to offend here but trying to help.

Looks like the increase of part 15 to the field strenth to the value of 500mW to a rubber duck or telescoping antenna is the best approach to limit expense as was talked about at the other forum why that would not likely work here.  I agree we need a very rich lobby group and this we are working on.  I started with the 500mW idea and sticking to this may have better results.  I also realize FM may not work in every city in the USA.  Somehow we came up with CLPFM but extended part 15 is where we need to think as far as a petition.  This I know will cause an out cry from NPR and the NAB and the pre scan mandatory scan and other safe guards should help resalve some concerns.   More research needs to be done and getting the lobby group to help as well.  I still say 500mW is not out of the scope of things.  If not 500mW 1000 uVm.  We will still move forward without a licensed service like I first introduced.

Carmine5 seems to forget we are "magical thinkers," a power by which anything is possible.

Carmine5, I'd like to thank you for your suggestions.  I appreciate you taking the time to post here with some constructive criticism when others elsewhere have just made disparaging remarks (with nothing to back them up).