I wonder if in the Joseph Rodney NOUO they mixed up a period with a coma.
http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2003/DOC-337206A1.html
If the NOUO is really for 390 (389.677) microvolts per meter (uV/m) at 3 meters it makes the variance in some FM transmitters that have part 15 compliant markings scary. (see http://www.part15.us/forum/part15-forums/regulations-law/closets-pirate-part-15-nouo%E2%80%99s-i-have-ever-seen That makes me wonder if those two NOUO’s were actually 1000x worse and someone was a sloppy typist.)
On the other hand, Everton Ladrick and Earl Armoogan are so far above 15.239 field strength they were not even trying to be legal. http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2003/DOC-337205A1.html http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2003/DOC-337204A1.html
No field strength was given. Why wasn't that posted? Makes you wonder what the deal is with that.
The 3 fcc doccuments I linked to have the field strengths.
Why do some NOUO's have the address listed and some do not?
If I had my guess it may have to do with rental properties.
OK the field strength was 389.677 uV/M @ 3 meters. This is exactly 139.677 uV/M over 250 uV/M @ 3 meters. Exactly what transmitter was used? See this is a question we need to know. How much power was being delivered to the final? Was it 20 Nw's instead of 11 or 18? What was the antenna? My guess was a dipole of some sort. Now I'd like to know if it was a Whole House FM Transmitter 3.0, SainSonic AX-05B, Decade CM-10, Broadcast Vision. All of this is very important to a hobby operator. If their NOUO's would state: Mr. X was running a Whole House FM Transmitter 3.0 with a long wire we'd know. My guess was he was trying to follow the rules at that small of a difference. Moral of the story DON'T OPERATE FM IN A METRO CITY even if you think your following the rules. Use AM only in metro areas!!
OK here is my advice to stay out of trouble.
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Stay on odd decimal's aka .1, .3, .5 you know.
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Keep at least one clear channel above and below the frequency you plan to transmit on clear.
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Make sure your frequency you plan on using is DEAD QUIET and CHECK AFTER 6PM every half hour for a temperature inversion. This consists of turning OFF your transmitter and checking that frequency. I've stated about my wife's doctor friend who would listen to the station in Morehead city, NC when it came in and asked me to MOVE my station.
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NEVER transmit on FM in Metro cities aka New York, Detroit, anything where there is a Huge Radio Market. Plus be careful of areas where Pirate Radio has been a problem.
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If you wish to remain Legal don't Modify your transmitter.
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NEVER use an OUTSIDE antenna. This puts you in High profile. If you must put the antenna inside in a high place put it in the attic. AM may not be so bad if you MUST transmit ¼ to ½ mile.
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NEVER advertise your station on TV, Newspaper.
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Don't Brag!! This could stir someone up enough to call the FCC on you even if you try and follow the rules.
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Check your Transmitter to make SURE it is not causing interference to other stations. If you live in a complex make sure you don't wipe out your neighbors Radio's. This also is practicing good engineering and broadcasting skills.
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Keep the language CLEAN. Swearing will draw unwanted attention. Plus some folks may not listen to a station where as every other word is a curse word. Act like an adult not a child on the air.
105.7 is 1st adjacent to a licensed station, WQXR on 105.9 which is 11.6 miles from the address listed in the Rodney NOUO. WQXR is authorized to operate hybrid digital, so they are putting energy into 105.7-105.8MHz with their lower HD sub carrier. I doubt the FCC asked WQXR to turn off their lower HD sub carrier while they measured the unlicensed broadcaster’s signal. The unlicensed broadcaster may have been using a 15.239 complaint transmitter on a bad channel where the local “noise” floor made the transmitter look noncompliant.
The nouo gives an individual’s name and address. Thelegacy has everything needed to send a letter if he really needs to know what transmitter was used.
If you look at the FM fool for the address from the NOUO, it looks like there is a hole at 105.5MHz. That may have been a safer frequency to use.
105.5 is WDHA in NJ. It reaches that far.
The fact that they we're so close in frequency to a license station could have been the reason for the complaint in the first place. This should be a warning for everyone to make sure your Transmitter is transmitting on a frequency far enough from any used channel. This is why I believe the NOUO was given. Folks need to check the databases to be sure they're not stepping on another station.
You'd think that if you were just a little over 100uv/m over the max that the FCC would be good about it and give the operator a chance to just move to a different freqency or just reduce the power slightly and given a chance to operate legally. Something like this doesn't justify the riot act and cease and desist.
We don't know the all of what the real story was.
I know for a fact that here in Canada that's not the way Industry Canada(IC) is....you are given the oportunity to just be legal and Michael at Decade told me about a couple of cases of incidents with MS-100 transmitters and IC was very reasonable and it was basically operate the transmitter as certified and you are OK.....that was it.
Mark
If the transmitter comes with a telescoping antenna for example you could lower the antenna slightly to reduce the field strength. In the case of the Whole House fm transmitter 3.0 you could use a short wire antenna instead of the one supplied which would be even shorter than the rubber duck and keep it on low power or out of box power.
My tests this past summer/fall indicated that this violator could have been using a 100% stock FCC certified FM transmitter with it's stock antenna. Of the transmitters I tested, all but one were WAY over the legal limit as they came out of the package. This FM NOUO for 300+ uV/m was probably a store bought certified transmitter.
Note that the antenna that comes with the Whole House 3.0 may look like a "rubber duck" but inreality it was about 5 inches of braided wire shoved into a basically plastic stick to replicate an actual rubber duck antenna. It was not a real "rubber duck". It was a piece of wire. No coils, no helix windings, nothing more than a piece of wire like you could buy at the hardare store. Nothing special.
For me, more reasons to not mess with FM. Unless you're equipped to test you don't know what you've got. Certification means nothing.
TIB
Just for the heck of it I looked up Minnesota NOUO's.
Three. in 12 years!
Two were AM's with high FS and illegal antennas with long ground leads meanint they were breaking .219 and .209 :
26 meters of antenna/ground ain't gonna cut it!
http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2003/DOC-308328A1.html
Neither will having FIVE 3 meter antennas on your roof:
http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2003/DOC-308327A1.html
And one on FM, on 87.9 where NO broadcasting at ANY field strength is acceptable:
http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2003/DOC-299119A1.html
That covers it for Minnesota. Each quite clearly blatant violations.
I'd like to comment that many say things like "Well, they should have let him continue after fixing, etc". Note that I've yet to see a NOUO that says "you may never ever broadcast anythying ever again". They say you must shut down "this station". So, you buck up, accept your violation, or (if you think you can) try to prove it's NOT a violation (I doubt that would work unless you could prove the FCC test results inaccurate). But you could certainly replace the transmitter, change the antenna, etc, do whatever is necessary to make it lgal and fire it back up. It's no longer THAT station, but a new one, that you're making compliant. If it was me not only would I fix, change, replace or whatever to comply, but I would also send a letter to the FCC and invite them back to verify my compliance. I'm crazy that way.
TIB