Hands-Off Pirates

Went to web site but couldn't see article but if this is true I'm happy to hear it.

Mark

It took some digging around but I found the link to the Guest Editorial

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/tvt_20150413/index.php#/4

IF they have clean transmitters and don't cause interference why worry of Big Daddy conglamerate Radio company don't like the fact your transmitter is getting out 5-10 miles and you're playing some great Album Rock no one else will play and people love your station.  After all Radio waves were suppose to belong to the people not rich folks.  Its an even playng field for FM Radio I don't see any thing wrong with using a blank frequency on the dial as long as you Don't Jam other stations.  Love the Idea.

OK maybe not 5-10 miles but certainly 2 miles won't hurt anyone in the country and maybe in the city you should be able to broadcast 1 mile on FM.

Reading the above posts about range, etc. the thing I have noticed over the years is pirates running enough power to cover a mile eventually become dissatified with that range and upgrade for more power. I personally know a guy running on 87.9.  Started with 1/2 watt, now running 7 watts.  Antenna 15 feet off the ground, wants to get it 40 feet aove the ground. You get the idea.

I know but that is not ME.  I just want to get a few locals to notice my Internet station and if they like it hey will use the Internet.  besides that I can't even if I wanted to put up an outside antenna due to the landlord, I'm legally Blind and I've read when running more than a half watt to a watt on a rubber duck antenna will cause the transmitter and antenna to eventually fail due to heat.  Yes I'd stay happy with 1 mile in fact its a good teaser range to urge people to use the net to enjoy my station.  But folks near me who want to listen can and when I'm outside in close range I can listen to my own station without using cellular data.  Some forums suggest not to mess with IC transmitters but some say the SainSonic AX-05B fits the bill for what I want and will use it for.  The AX-7C (7 Watt) transmitter has the uncanny uverheating issue and noisey fan that seams to go bad.  With my poor vision I don't need to have to get someone to repair or modify my transmitter every 3-6 months to get to work.  Even saw videos on youtube saying how this transmitter likes to heat up and burn out.  Don't want the responsibility of running high power and wasting money due to burn outs.  I think 1/2 watt to 1 watt is indead what I need to fit the bill I'm not a power monger.  Getting out 20-50 miles is a pipe dream for rich folks who have money to burn and land to put up a high antenna.  Still don't see anything wrong with this short range.  Guess time will tell how long the SainSonic AX-05B will last but I'm guessing if I take care of it that it should last a while.

Just a suggestion, but why don't you purchase one of the more inexpensive commercial transmitters that come up a lot on e-bay.  They can often be power adjusted down to almost 0 watts, and they're much better constructed.  Plus, if you run them on a mismatched antenna to get down to the Part 15 level type of range, you're not likely to damage them, as they're designed and made to run at much higher power, and therefore to take more heat.  Not as inexpensive as the Chinese transmitters, admittedly, but not much more than the list price for a new Decade MS-100 (say) - I've seen them in the $1000 range.  Then again, you could just purchase said Decade, which is Part 15 certified so you don't have to mess with power levels or antennas, and it will run almost forever.

which make and model Transmitter are you talking about. I'd like 1 that I could adjust the power. I'd probably keep it around one half watt to A watt.  Possibly 100mW into a rubber duck or inside antenna.  Id like to keep it like 75 to $100 I'm on a very fixed income but want something that can transmit up to a mile when the FCC finally put it in writing which I believe will be real soon. the whole house FM transmitter 3.0 would be nice and it does have the secret high power mode but looks cheap and I'll bet it would break in less than a year. that said I'm looking for something with an aluminum case something I know will last for a while. the Chinese half watt Transmitter I'm looking at looks like it won't break easy.  Plus it dont look like it sounds bad.  I want something that has a digital synthesize tuning circuit. the decade MS 100 I think has DIP switches and those little switches are hard for me to use. maybe you know of someone wanting to sell a decent Transmitter that does not cause harmonics and spurs all over the place. best regards.

The FCC will never make any changes to Part 15 that will benefit an unlicensed broadcaster. When something is not in writing it can actually work in the favor of both the FCC and the operator. Policy is always in writing.

There are no written FCC rules. Only printed ones.

You seem so sure the FCC will change the rules!

I hope you are right. I remember last year I think...not sure, I heard in the news that there was a plan to adopt New Zealand's rules and give us a watt of power for unlicenced broadcasting but then I heard it had been shelved, or put on the backburner because the big corporations lobbied the government to not do this and you know the government is run to an extent by the corporations....a flaw in our democracy!

You have to go to your congress people in large numbers and get them to change the law.

If the numbers are large enough it can be done. It got Nixon to end the Vietnam war!

Mark

Yes it did.  From what I've been reading the FCC really dosn't want to nab flea power transmitters unless the operators are making a nucance of themselves by doing mischief causing interference on purpose or just running dirty transmitters.  Wasn't there even a member of the FCC who was for open Radio where folks could DJ and share different forms of art/culture and music?  seems I've read somewhere.  I had friends who ran FM Transmitters at the school for the Blind and they'd get out 2-3 miles from the school and we had a good ole time.  One student desided to call the station WMSB for Michigan School For The Blind and broadcasted Album Rock.  Durring our wresteling matches he and some other students would broadcast a play by play as to what was going on.  Back then 88.3 was blank and you could hear the station close to campus.  I remember too when there was a temperature inversion you'd get it across town.  No one ever complained and nothing was ever done to the student/students who was on air after school with it.  On the 3rd floor of the main building North Wing 3 it was called made this transmitter go so far.  But at ground level it did go maybe a mile from campus.  Nice way to teach students about Radio.  It was never an official station that the teachers endorced they knew the transmitter existed and the only thing they said was to watch the language and not use a call sign from another existing station.  Plus they only wanted us to transmit after school hours as to not interfere with our school work.  So we all followed the rules till one day the student graduated and he took his transmitter with him thus ending WMSB.  It was so much fun and we were indeed one of the best Album Rock stations in Lansing.  Even though it only got out 1 mile at ground level and hit 2-3 at times from North Wing 3.  Not sure the wattage of the transmitter never got a straight answer from the student who owned it.  But it was long before true degital displays were on these transmitters.  I think it was crystal controled not VFO and it was Stereo I can tell you that cuz we all hated mono.  He said it was very expensive and he guarded it and when he was not in the dorm the transmitter was Locked in a closet so it was not to get stolen or messed with till after school.  There was even a Ham Radio club where the teacher was a licensed ham and the school allowed an antenna to be put up at Loins Hall and there was classes after school for those wanting to get their license.  Good stuff back in the day.  Just another reason the FCC should make at least 1 watt or 1/2 watt legal because 1/2 watt to a watt can do alot but not enough to raise cain.

I'm sure there are plenty of radio stations not meeting Part 15 rules out there not getting caught.

But the fact of the matter is that if you're knowingly transmitting and breaking the rules, then you're a pirate.  And you do risk getting caught.  If you're an amateur radio operator, or have another FCC (or Industry Canada) radio license, and you get caught for pirate activity, you risk losing that license as well.  Plus you'll lose any chance at getting an LPFM license in the future.

Not worth the risk, in my opinion.

Part 15 AM in the U.S. allows you to get that 1 mile + range, and you can augment that with an Internet stream.  Which will get you more listeners in any event, whether you're running 1/10th of a watt, or 1 watt.  Like it or not, while some form of over-the-air radio will never truly disappear, digital streaming is gradually taking over.

If people can't follow the current Part 15 rules, then how can the FCC relax those rules and expect people to follow them?  I imagine that some will want to run 10 watts or more to get extra range, and you're back to the same problems of enforcement.  Plus, even if the new relaxed rules are followed, there's far more chance of interference with higher power, particularly since there may be more people wanting to get in and try it out (since you have a chance at a larger audience).

The only way I can see something like relaxed rules working is to allocate a fixed portion of the spectrum for these low power stations, and have it mostly self-enforced.  It may work, or it may degenerate into what the CB band is today.

Right, it does seem that people have a lust for more power once a certain standard is set, it's only natural. Another blog article made a point that if unlicensed power was allowed to increase too much, there would be a point where national broadcast groups would get interested and pepper the landscape with large numbers of satellite transmitters, as they do now on FM.

The range is there on AM at such a low power right now, where you can reach car radios for a few miles around the station, but the trouble of siting and tuning up transmitters, and keeping them tuned, along with some ambiguous rules is probably keeping national groups away from part 15 AM so far, those who are into buying the protection that a license gives.

It might be easier to run a pirate station on a school campus, thinking of the politics involved with going after a student group and creating a bad impression in a school situation. To me it would seem the individual broadcasting at home or from a business and with less community support is more vulnerable.

I don't know what's wrong with CB, few people are even using it, at least in my area.

I'm glad to see some discussion about pirates, since radio hobbyists are sharing something and we're in this together in many ways.