The Reality of FCC Enforcement

"If your antenna is 1 foot too long or your transmit power is 25 milliwatts too high nobody really cares unless you cause a problem and then don't fix it.

Even if they find you in violation they will give you a warning before they fine you."

And how do you know this to be true?

Neil

I don't buy the initial post.

NOUO's have been issued for as little as 700uv/m@3 meters.  Since it takes somewhere between 10-20 NANOwatts (billionths of a watt) into a dipole to generate a legal Part 15 FM signal, you're still dealing with nanowatts (and not even microwatts, never mind milliwatts) for that kind of field strength.

Also, antennas have nothing to do with Part 15 legality, other than being sometimes used to attenuate a signal (such as the Whole House using a wire stub).  If you increase the length of a resonant antenna by a foot, you can actually decrease the field strength of a signal.

You can read it for yourself at this address if you click on the individual enforcement actions. 

http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/sed/ulo.html

Click and read about the individual enforcement actions. They all say that the offender was given a warning and they did not stop. 

It is a fact that antennas are part of the Part 15 legality as has been discussed at length in this forum. 

If you're on AM antennas have EVERYTHING to do with legality. 3 meters, tops. Period. 

TIB

That's true, but the point was made that ALL recent FCC actions were for FM.  Antennas have nothing to do with FM Part 15 legality - it's all about field strength.

And as NOUO's in the past have proven (not just the past year), the FCC DOES care if you go over the requisite field strength limits, period.  They may not catch you for various reasons (which are obviously subject to debate), but if they do, you're asking for trouble.  They MAY ask you to stop first, but then they may also just go ahead and issue an NOUO (and fine).

It's highly irresponsible to suggest that you can get away with knowingly exceeding FM field strength limits (i.e., operating pirate), and that the FCC doesn't care unless you do something else bad.  Particularly for those new to Part 15 broadcasting.  If you're going to do it (and people do), understand the very real risks involved, including the financial ones.

In my opinion, however else you may feel about following fules & laws in general, it just isn't worth those risks.

"It's highly irresponsible to suggest that you can get away with knowingly exceeding FM field strength limits (i.e., operating pirate)"

i never suggested that and I am not a pirate.

What you are suggesting is that the FCC is out hunting radio hobbyists and they should live in fear of some totally frivolous violation. 

No, I am refuting your contention that the FCC doesn't care about enforcing the rules for radio hobbyists.

Your statements in this post, and elsewhere, suggest that you can run higher power (i.e., field strength) without worrying too much about the FCC unless you're doing something else (such as interfering with another, licensed, signal).  That is clearly not the case, particularly with NOUO's being issued for 700uv/m at 3 meters - at that level, you're barely able to cover a few houses.

"No, I am refuting your contention that the FCC doesn't care about enforcing the rules for radio hobbyists."

The government always "cares" about the rules, that is not the point. 

I am refuting your contention that the FCC is hounding hobbyists for frivolous violations. 

Wonder why Florida has the most of these citations.

Mark

Haitians in Miami. Minorities in Miami, Tampa, Orlando. They all see these 100 watt systems on eBay for cheap. 

My station ran a hundred watts ERP (30watts x 3.4 gain), I went for five years without a complaint. I did my homework. I had a limiter. I did it right. When it became a State felony, I unplugged it. 

These Miami Pirates are idiots. They don't listen. You cannot convince them they don't need 200 watts to cover their community! A limiter? That's MONEY! Nope. So they blast that ---- as loud as they can. Overmod? That's an understatement. At 200 watts...that's trouble.

Doug

Operating at an extra 25 milliwatts output, as you state in your original post, is not 'frivolous', when you consider that you need just under 20 NANOwatts to meet the legal field strength.

I am somewhat concerned about this thread and a companion one, also started by the original (new member) poster, which, while not overtly promoting breaking the rules, are certainly suggesting that it's easy to break them and not get caught.

This Forum is about 'unlicensed, LEGAL, low-power radio broadcasting'.  Please confine posts to that subject - I believe that it's sufficiently broad so that we don't have to keep coming back to threads such as this one.

"I am somewhat concerned about this thread and a companion one, also started by the original (new member) poster, which, while not overtly promoting breaking the rules, are certainly suggesting that it's easy to break them and not get caught."

I am discussing facts taken direct from the FCC website which quite frankly is a more reliable source than you are.  

As a new user on a hobby forum I am suprised to be getting attacked like this and I am not continuing any conversation with you. 

If somebody can tell me how to block users I would appreciate it. 

For your information, I am a moderator of this hobby site.

If you're going to express opinions such as "The rules are there to keep you out of trouble and to give them some kind of basis for nailing the real pirates.  If your antenna is 1 foot too long or your transmit power is 25 milliwatts too high nobody really cares unless you cause a problem and then don't fix it.", you'd better have some real good arguments to back those opinions up.

It appears to me that your posts, both here and in the other thread that you started, are intended to provoke and not to generate real discussion.

This thread is now locked.  And I would suggest that in the future you refrain from pushing the boundaries of discussing 'legal, low-power radio broadcasting'.