How the FCC Actually Monitors a Pirate Station in Modern Times

At least in the situation described in the link in post 1 above, the FCC used an R-507 FI meter manufactured by Z Technology of Portland, OR.  Here is a description of it:

http://www.ztechnology.com/pdf/r-507.pdf

Cost of a single unit with the needed accessories probably exceeds $15,000.

"Field Strength With Accuracy Allowance in Favor of the Subject."

I like that, it seems friendly.

One of the stations was noted as playing "Latin music," which I wondered about.

When people go to elaborate lengths to transmit without a license my first question is, "What are they trying to tell their listeners?"

In so many cases it's just plain music promotion.

Might be easier to hand out Latin music CDs.

I looked for "rikafm.com" and it expired in June.

I don't see the fascination with pirate activity, either here or elsewhere.

There's no correlation between Part 15, at least as how it is practised here, and pirates.

Part 15 radio stations attempt to adhere to the rules.  They don't hide.  In fact, many advertise their existance, and even make a business out of it.

Pirates don't care about the rules and blatantly break them.  They attempt to hide, at least from the rule enforcers.  I guess you can try to make a business from it, but it is the complete definition of high risk, low return.

Anyone operating with a field strength of over 8,000 times that of legal limits absolutely knows what they're doing.  And judging from the way they continued to broadcast after they were caught, they were a little short in the brains department as well.

There are easier and safer ways to make a living, or to even make a political statement if that is the intent.  If their purpose was to promote latin music, as Carl says, there are easier ways to do that as well.

I can understand why. Listen to epsisode 3 of Radio Survivor. There's a professor from Brooklyn who talks about that in-depth. Essentially, pirate radio is the illegal version of my CLPFM proposal, I just don't want to do it illegally. There's nothing in-between Part 15 FM and LPFM. And there should be. 

Analysis of the numbers reported on page 21 of that FCC paper linked in Post 1 above shows that the field used in calculating the 8,811x factor by which that station exceeded §15.239 was the 2,202,873 µV/m field extrapolated for 3 meters -- not the field with an accuracy allowance in favor of the operator.

That 2,202,873 µV/m field could be produced three meters in free space away from a transmit antenna by the radiation of about 880 milliwatts, and probably a lot less than many people expect from a "pirate" operator.

At what stage of the field strength scale ia piracy declared?

886 mW is sort of close to 1 Watt, and few would deny that 1 Watt gets into serious coverage territory, in New Zealand it proves to cover a useful patch of map.

Would it be fair to think that a gray area resides between 15.239 certified and the lowest boundry of piracy?

Possibly, but maybe Part 15 has enough gray areas already 🙂

Well ya, Part 15 basically is a gray area.

But in particular, the range between the tip-top of 15.239 "Suspect's Allowance" and the lower boundry of piracy.... that gray area.

I read that article linked to in post #1

At least they know who their complainant was, mine wanted to remain a mystery and made NO attempt to contact me for a likely resolution.

I am only willing work with those who are willing to work with me. I know everyone here is tired of hearing it, but there are right ways and wrong ways of doing things.

Pirates hide, we did not operate as pirates and did not hide, the radio station that had issues with my station could of had the decency to call our phone number, got to know us on a personal level and visited our studio. If anything was taking place that violated their right to operate their station, we would shut down our operations until the problem was corrected and both of us would have been satisfied in the end.

All this 'fox hunt' BS and slander on another site was not called for.

I just wish that 'radio station' would come forward and identify themselves to me and talk to me about their concerns and perhaps we can become friends and work together for our community's best interests.

Is that really asking too much?

Oh and let me make sure this part is known: We only used a series (8) of Decade MS100 FCC CERTIFIED FM transmitters to transmit our signal. No Chinese imports.

Bruce.

These retards are not hobbyists they are Radio terrorists. They had the opportunity to work something out something with the station owner when they were called to warn of interference. Instead they first hung up. The second time they lied and said they would stop. Instead of doing what they promised they raised the power and taunted the Radio station and then made death threats if they said anything. OK first we as part 15 operators don't have a goon squad waiting to harass you if you call us and tell us our transmitter is causing an issue with another station. Next though some may operate a little above 15:239 (most unknowingly) still won't go like 10 times the field strength limit. Next they usually aren't making any profit. If any ads are played its usually to pay for their Internet stream. I'll give you a for instance that happened on Facebook and I admit at first it scared me as I thought Oh crap I have an anti FM extremist maybe but didn't know why he wanted to know how far I was from a station that transmitted on 88.3 on Welfield road. Well I looked it up and reported that I was 5.7 miles away and that I should not be interfering with his station if he owned it and also I don't bleed 96.7 Mhz. I let him know I was concerned if I was causing any issue on FM. Later I messaged him on Facebook privately and told him if my Transmitter was messing up I'd most likely throw it in the trash and buy a different one after all $54 is better than causing issues with other stations. Turns out he was curious about a complaint I made about that station causing interference to me and causing me not to be able to use 107.3 Mhz because of a spur and another spur on 87.5 and a little on 87.9 Mhz which would have made that frequency unusable. See he was a Broadcaster actually HELPING not trying to HURT my station. If I would have went off the deep end and started acting anywhere near what I read it would have been a major loss for me. Turns out he has ran Micro powered Radio since he was 12 and is in favor of my station.

That is what happens when your not a butt wipe on FM. Most folks are turned in to the FCC because they want to play God and act stupid. Field strength aside from their actions.

TheLegacy I agree with you 100%

I also know that everyone here has their opinion and stories to tell.

What can really mess you up and I feel this has to be at the top of everyone's list that wants to dabble in part 15 FM broadcasting, is when a station that is questioning your operations goes to a biased part 15 website asking about part 15.

Just like you, I would have complied and opened my door to the radio station staff that filed the complaint.

Their source of information convinced them there were no two ways about it, our station was violating their stations rights, operating as a blatant FM pirate and that FCC involvement is the only way to resolve it.

Now, how do you over power that source's advice, when that source, lives under the title of SBE Engineer?

I want more than anything to talk with the station's owner or General Manager and talk things out. I do understand that the station this topic is focused on operated just like my station did regarding the studio to transmitter link. But no way did it operate with the intentions of producing an RF power output that is 800,000 times the limit though!

I provided the studio feed via an IP address, which was intercepted at various locations and transmitted over the FM broadcast band.

To the best of my knowledge and to the best of my ability that I can confirm, no one operated a transmitter that covered even two times the allowed limit for part 15 FM. Nor did I ask anyone behind closed doors or on line for anyone to include my operations in any law breaking operations, including excess power.

And...at my studio end of things, I did not broadcast any obscene or indecent programming at any time, even in the late hours of the night.

I see where the studio operators of RIKA FM were found guilty, of pirate operations. Does that mean if someone out there carried my station on a powerful FM transmitter that I am also guilty of pirate operations?

When I read that article, I could almost see my station being the subject of that article, because, we had a studio that did not have more than what their studio did, provided the music and entertainment feed, but did not house the broadcast transmitters.

Those were remotely located and owned and operated by other parties. So does this make me an unwilling accomplice?

If it does, then I say the hell with this hobby, it's not worth it, if you can be screwed over because someone else broke a law with your studio feed.

This is why I say my defunct station is staying defunct.

I will still stress this though, the station should have called me first and things would have worked out for both them and me.

That is why I get angry and post my contact information on public sites, hoping the station owners will contact me and talk to me and next time, avoid consulting a toy related part 15 website for help or advice.

Bruce.

MrBruce I get bent way out of shape over the common practice of hiding the identity of a complainant who brings investigators to the door.

One definite fault in the Bill of Rights is that only criminal defendants are allowed to face their accuser, whereas those pests who complain about long grass or radio antennas are privileged to remain anonymous.

As far as the unknown complaining radio station is concerned, you have one fact: there was a complaining radio station.

Using the process of deduction maybe you can narrow it down and find out who it was.

It is likely a station on or adjacent to your frequency (at the time) and you could start collecting names and phone numbers of key people at those stations. Next, you could call the chief engineers and converse about whether they have ever complained about anyone. Then the general managers. Someone might say something that will give you a clue.

If you actually find the station who complained, they might tell you who tipped them off, and that might point to hobby stalkers, amen.

Those subject to FCC Part 15 rules and who actually comply with those rules probably won't ever be cited by the FCC.

The FCC might investigate any/every complaint made against such operators whether such complaints were public, or private.

But none of those complaints should lead to an FCC action against those operators, as long as such operators are compliant with Part 15.

I'm finding out that usually a station is interfering with another or Spurs are found.  There was a station in Fargo North Dakota that operated for quite some time before a NOUO was given.  It was stated that he was heard bleeding an adjacent frequency.  Funny thing was he got a license several months after his citation.  Now he runs a low power FM station.  He did have a spectrum analyzer.  He also showed on YouTube  how commercial stations in his area was creating harmonics and spurs.