An Ideal Scenario.
LPFM
1 Watt ERP Referenced To A Dipole
An Ideal Scenario.
LPFM
1 Watt ERP Referenced To A Dipole
60ft above ground or 20ft above the structure antenna is mounted on along with limiting maximum antenna gain to 3db referenced to a dipole. this would assure range limits and prevent frequencies from getting used up while still being able to provide a reasonable service radius.
Vacated TV Chl's 5 and/or 6 would be used to Expand both Licensed LPFM and these 1 Watt Licensed Exempt stations.
Stations would Still Use 200kHz BW and Standard FM Multiplex.
A set of Frequencies Would Be Set aside strictly for this class of license exempt station in the vacated tv spectrum. 30% of the vacated tv spectrum should be assigned to these stations while the remainder is assigned to LPFM.
ALL LPFM and part 15 operations should be required to vacate the 88-108mhz band and that band be left strictly for class A and above stations and translators. absolutely no translators would be allowed in the tv spectrum.
it would strictly be non profit (hobby) in nature and should require a Amateur Radio License to use this band and the am band.
no commercial advertising should be allowed. PSA's and community announcements should be allowed.
there would be 2 transmitter(s) (1 AM 1 FM) to a customer and repeater or simulcasting or translating another station (except simulcasting AM/FM) (licensed or unlicensed) would be disallowed.
people running these stations would be disallowed from owning or being employed by any newspaper, media, tv, or radio station, city, state, municipality, or government agency) while running one of these stations. this is to keep a scenario from happening where all the frequencies get gobbled up by a few. (i know this will bother many but its the only way to truly keep it a hobby and community based service)
indecency rules would apply.
since these stations would be disallowed from accepting advertising or donations they would be federally exempt from royalties unless running a internet audio stream that is available to the general public.
using license free microwave or internet based or wire line based stl would be allowed.
Radiating Cable Operations would be allowed to remain on the standard FM band under the same rules now in place.
for the AM all the same rules would apply with the exception of being limited to 1 Watt input to final RF Stage, no limitations on antenna system.
the am band would be extended down to 500 kHz and up to 1780 KHz and this expanded band would be limited to this class of licensed exempt station. TIS/HAR and full power am would remain on the standard am band.
frequencies would be in 30 Khz channels like the old days 15 kHz audio BW and CQuAM would be allowed.
100mW Part 15 AM from the standard AM Band would be disallowed while carrier current operations would be allowed to remain on the standard AM Band under the current rules.
this is my dream for a unlicensed hobby broadcasting service and improves upon the similar service NZ has and would hopefully be crafted in a way that avoids the problems NZ has with channel congestion.
Having your dream was a good thing, but since you are in charge of what's in the dream, I think you have needlessly inflicted unnecessary penalties on yourself and on all of us, and a few things in the dream could become more generous.
Why take anything away?
Why not just add things?
BooHoo, I am employed by the local government as a Signal/Radio Technician. That would exclude me; no fair. Perhaps some other way to keep Government out of the picture instead of the peons that work for them.
well i could just see the whole service winding up getting turned into satellators, translators, Godcasters and TIS/HAR stations without those restrictions in place.
While taking my vacation break checking emails, this grabbed my attention real quick!
I am all for the prevention of special interest groups gobbling up channels in expanded sections of the current broadcast bands...but here is my 2 centavos..
1. Unlicensed LW 10 watts 50 foot stick no coax restriction.
2. Unlicensed MW 5 watts 25 foot stick no coax restriction.
3. Unlicensed SW 3 watts no antenna or coax restriction.
4. Unlicensed VHF (FM) 1 watt single bay c-pol no coax restriction.
5. All transmitting equipment FCC certified, antenna systems documented and registered with FCC and FAA where applicable and records kept in a readily accessible location.
6. No programing restrictions.
7. No advertising restrictions.
8. Does not require being a licensed ham radio operator.
9. Stations must meet or exceed all spectral purity requirements and operational guidelines of good engineering practice and good taste.
10. Stations subject to both announced and unannounced inspections.
11. 1 LW, 1 MW, 1 VHF (FM) 1 SW
12. FREEDOM!!!
RFB
kc8gpd has made us characters in his dream, and it is a very interesting dream. Let's not wake up just yet.
MRAM has a good pleading. He works for government, but is a person with a personal love for the art and science of radio. I think we need to say that "persons" are not left out, but governments and corporations are not persons. That might work.
kc8gpd has a good point that he doesn't want special interest groups to grab all the frequencies. But I think RFB did a perfect job of solving that with his #11, only one transmitter in each band for each person.
RFBurns Point # 5 may need some more thought, as I think good kits and some experimentation should be allowed, so let's kick that around some more.
RFB's #9 combines good engineering and good taste, which are two different things. There probably should be two different categories.
#10 is bothersome, with unannounced visits from inspectors. That could interrupt family business or personal activity and be very inconvenient. If there's a big immediate problem the inspector should be allowed to make a phone call but not come to the door.
Otherwise, all the other points sound great and we'll start tomorrow.
I'm with you guys 100%, but lay some new rules on the big boys too. Limit of ONE station per band, per market, per owner, and decrease the flamethrowers power by half to open up rural areas for local programming.
Tommy J.
AM-580 The Bull!
As long as we are improving things, let's fix a few mistakes made by the courts, such as their claim that corporations are individuals.
I happen to own a corporation, which was an audio/video business when my wife was alive, but is now in a dormant phase just barely on life support.
If corporations are individuals, I should be able to marry my corporation. Who would walk it up the aisle? What would I kiss? How big a honey moon suite would I need?
"As long as we are improving things, let's fix a few mistakes made by the courts, such as their claim that corporations are individuals."
Those courts must have been using that black market dictionary...you know the one that has blank lines next to each word.
Funny, but if corporations are individuals and those individuals can evade tax laws and earn billions per year and get away with not paying income tax, then why can't individuals?
Did the word "INDIVIDUAL" suddenly wake up one day and decide it will have two meanings with a grey zone in between to allow for debate and teeter totter politics?
Guess the word "INDIVIDUAL" got together with the word "RACIST" and they both got married and are now producing completely new words with anything goes definitions.
And we wonder why they don't teach real useful education in schools these days!
Before we start adding more useless regulations that favor the few and ignore the mass...as it is today...lets clean the house and lay down new carpet and put in new furniture and fixings and then add new things to make life better.
RFB
Yes! RFB has put a lid on the coffin of bad politics. Anybody got a nail?
And then, our free'ed up little radio stations can run commercials for FIXINGS for the house!
My corporation and I live happily ever after.
"lay some new rules on the big boys too. Limit of ONE station per band, per market, per owner"
Indeed. I see no reason why there needs to be 10 religious stations gobbling up the entire lower FM non-commercial band and some even run commercial stations on up to a full 100Kw ERP.
Nor do I see any reason why a single person, or a company or corporation is allowed to own more than 1 station in any market.
Let me give a very good example of monopoly radio and tv.
Casper Wyoming, a city with 69,000 people, in a state where the population does not even hit 700,000. Right here there are two broadcast entities that own more than their fair share.
The CBS, ABC, FOX, CW stations are owned by a single company, all originating here in Casper and cover the entire state with co-located translators.
There are 5 radio stations here in Casper owned by one individual, 3 of those stations are 100KW ERP FM's.
I think the broadcast industry needs a good hanging like that of the infamous AT&T Ma Bell monopoly breakup. And that happened because of public outcry over ridiculous phone bills and fees and a ton of other nonsense.
If broadcast radio and tv were not free...would there be a similar outcry for change like that of the phone company monopoly?
Lucky for us we do not need a receiver license like that in the UK. But then again, if everyone was paying a yearly fee, perhaps broadcast radio and tv would be very different today, and actually serve the public interest!
RFB
the other problem is the copyright holders are getting to charge more and more higher fees to radio and streamers putting a strangle hold on small mom and pop stations
On my website I post a "philosophy" of operation for the radio station, and in there I say that copyright owners of music, mainly the composers and musicians, deserve to get paid for their talented work. It's the truth.
HOWEVER, what I don't say, because it is not a battle I want to play a losing role in fighting, is what everyone knows.....
NOTHING DOES MORE GOOD FOR MUSIC SALES THAN EXPOSURE ON THE RADIO!
Therefore, part 15 radio stations should be PAID by the music industry for running commercials, in the form of music, which results in lucrative record sales for the music industry!
But the truth will not set you free, it will incarcerate you.