There are two rumors I heard or read somewhere within the past year, but then no further word.
Rumor #1 was word that the FCC "might" increase Part 15 AM power limit to 1-watt;
There are two rumors I heard or read somewhere within the past year, but then no further word.
Rumor #1 was word that the FCC "might" increase Part 15 AM power limit to 1-watt;
Rumor #2 was that the FCC had somewhere indicated that it planned to "change" rules for Part 15 AM.
That's all I remember hearing, wish I remembered where.
Anyone know whether these rumors have any basis in reality?
As far as I know, there's been nothing new since March of this year.
In March, Radio Ready To Grow (RRTG) filed another petition with the FCC to establish a new commercial licensed LPAM service.
Read the petition here:
http://www.lpam.net/page4/page19/page19.html
According to Don Schellhardt of the The Amherst Alliance, RRTG earlier proposed a power boost to 1 watt in a Petition For Rulemaking to the FCC.
He says, "This Petition has never been rejected or approved, which means that the Commission can still save it from "legal limbo", and invite public comments on the idea, at any time. In the Attached Comments by RRTG, as filed in 99-25 [the LPFM initiative] in 2008, RRTG asked the Commission to do exactly that."
You can contact Don at The Amherst Alliance ([email protected]) or Frank Hansche ([email protected]) who is president of RRTG and ask them what they plan to do now that a new administration is coming in.
C5
The RRTG petition linked in Carmine5's post makes the surprising statement that, up to 1968, unlicensed AM operation was legal for everyone at power levels up to 100 watts. I thought that the rules in 1968 were nearly the same as given in Section 15.219 today.
Where did RRTG's assertion come from? If it turns out that RRTG's statement is not true, it would hurt the chances of the petition ever being considered by the FCC.
I can't imagine (and in fact never heard of) any such assertion that at one time in the past you could operate on the AM band with 100 watts! That's just crazy talk! I am sure that should have said 100 milliwatts (for AM only; not FM), which is the same as today.
Sorry to say, I just don't ever see the FCC allowing any power increases for unlicensed operation on either AM or FM (especially FM). The NAB and the big conglomerates would fight this tooth and nail if it ever even got to the point of being considered by the FCC.
I have written about this before. In my personal opinion, increasing the power limit for unlicensed operation would be foolhardy because it would quickly become a food fight for car dealers, real estate agents, religious organizations, etc. I don't see a licensed LPAM service turning out any differently. Keep in mind that unless you live in rural Idaho, there are very few usable frequencies on either AM or FM in a given community, and those would be quickly snapped up by special interests. Most of the members of this board would not be among them.
With the technology we have today, the place for "low power broadcasting" is the Internet. ANYONE with an Internet connection can put a stream on the "air" and there is no licensing requirement. Anyway, in the future, radio as we know it may well cease to exist once ubiquitous wireless Internet connectivity becomes available.
For now-- enjoy Part 15 operation as it is, and have fun maximizing your facilities to the limit that the laws of physics allow under the existing regulations. That's my view!
If you read the petition linked by Carmine5, it is apparent that somebody actually believes that 100 W was allowed until 1968. The petition states that, since 1968, the allowed power level was reduced by a factor of 1000. I would be very curious to know where the petitioners got the idea that 100 W was allowed at one time.
I have old Electronics Illustrated and other mags of the time referencing 100MW of power, not 100 watts.
You were wise to keep your vintage electronics magazines. They are worth money now.
I didn't keep my old magazines, but the limit was 100 mW for as long as I can remember.
Even so, someone sincerely believes that the limit at one time was 100 W. There must be an often-repeated urban legend that a significant number people believe.
I think I still have the issue of Electronics Illustrated that had the FM transmitter construction article, which I built! It was really an amazing piece of gear, with RIAA equalization and a VU meter. It would accept microphone, line, or phono input.
I also have my Allied Radio catalogs from the 1960's when they used to sell the Knight Wireless Broadcaster. I still have one (from a friend); unfortunately I've modified it quite a bit over the years to reduce the hum and improve the audio quality, but the RF section is unchanged. That was the first piece of gear I put on the air!
It just occurred to me that what the original poster may have had in mind is something that was reported on in the November Graham Brock newsletter.
It's a Petition for Rule Making that was submitted seeking to create an “Event Radio Service”. This service is intended to be used at short term live events, like sporting events, concerts, etc.
The service is to be located in the FM band, but will have power and height limitations. The petition indicates that current unlicensed power levels for FM operation are too low to allow for complete coverage of most events. No comment date has been set for this request.
C5