If this gets me in hot water; so be it.
Irbil, Iraq (CNN)Not far from Mohamad Al Mawsily's studio, fierce battles are raging to oust ISIS from the northern city of Mosul. But from his secret location, the young Iraqi businessman is waging another war against the militants on a daily basis. Less bloody? Yes. But, still potentially lethal.
We have loyal listeners in an abnormal time and in an abnormal situation.
This is where Hobby Radio is a viable asset for a community even in Iraq. You never know the way this world is there may be a need for a Hobby station like that in the USA.
Please put that article on the New Radio Revolution’s site as well.
Radio in times of war has always been a useful asset. Sometimes it's the only source of information to an embattled population.
Thanks for posting this, A-Train. It's very interesting, although I don't think this broadcasting can be equated with pirate (or hobby) radio in the U.S. (or Canada).
Its the same as my towbn that has NO Weather Forcasts on the Radio, only TV and The Weather app "Viper Radar" but what happens when your on Low Income and can't afford Internet? Yet most Low Income People can afford a dollar store FM Radio or a used one on Ebay or an Aarons rent-to-own Radio of some sort.
Hobby Radio and Information/diverse music go together.
I think this would be properly called clandestine radio, underground broadcasting done to affect political change, where pirate is more like a hobby form of radio, like Part Fifteen, just with more power than the rules may allow.
Even that definition has gotten broader or changed some in these times, it seems more pirates are ethnic or minority stations, finding no form of radio that speaks to their community, they make it themselves and use higher power to be heard. Like a clandestine station, minority broadcasting fills a need too, and has some political bend due to the reasoning behind the broadcasts, but it's mostly about filling that need and not political change.
I have to think there aren't as many hobby pirates around like it used to be, students and others with an interest in radio who would go on the air and play their record collections, many of those I guess have gone on to hacking other technology, or into P15 or radio on the net, and to their local LPFM stations, or went on to found an LPFM themselves.