Time to open channels 2 to 6 of the FM band which is like 82.1 to like 87.5 for licensed broadcasting. The translater explosion is killing FM most of these traslaters are broadcasting junk that will never give them more than 300 total listeners S M H. I would love the FCC to allow 15mile car radio range unlicensed broadcasting on low end of the FM band 100w with atenna 100ft high would be fine even 60w or 40w would work. If they do not want to make it a unlicensed part of the FM band they could make it licensed but really easy to get that is good for like 10 years only for schools and neighborhood gorups.
Just a note of clarification....Channel 2 "starts" at 54 MHz, just above the 6 meter ham band.....
While this idea is interesting....it begs the question....what to do about RECEIVERS??
Modified TV audio boards? Petitioning receiver manufacturers to design new stuff?
And then.....getting the listener to actually BUY one???!!
IMHO.....you have a much better chance of getting hit by Halley's Comet than seeing this plan come to FCC fruition......BUT....there's always hope.....:)
In Russia the FM band is 64 - 108 MHz... and in Japan and (I think) part of South America the FM band is 76 - 108 MHz.
My TECSUN PL-310 radio can be set for these various FM bands because the same radio is sold in all these countries.
There are other radios out there that have this flexibility, you may already own one... read the manual.
DJbout it is absolutely right with his basic idea, the FM band in the US should be expanded and provisions should be made for hobby broadcasters to have their space.
For once something should be given to PEOPLE instead of always to money-bucks corporations.
My I say Amen to posts 1 and 3?
You know my feelings about these ideas, get 'er done!
Bruce.
There's an LPFM station here that transmits on 87.7, but I think they have to do video as well because of where their frequency is.
http://www.prometheusradio.org/white_spaces
Station just east of Houston broadcast on 87.7 in the white space with a decent amount power they got approval from the FCC to do this.
The "White Spaces" item just posted/linked by DJboutit is the kind of thing that's been talked about by the movers and the shakers who want to get things done.
"Freeing the Airwaves From Corporate Control" is a tremendously democratic almost "occupy" type of slogan that elevates Prometheus Radio in my view above its heretofore mission of helping LPFM stations get started.
Tweak the rules a little bit and low power unlicensed stations could drop into those empty slots.
Grab your antennas and let's go.
that is 12 MHz of spectrum @ 200 kHz per a channel that is a lot of added channels and plenty of room to add two swaths of frequencies with guard bands. maybe 5 channels each. 2 guard channels and 3 transmitting channels per a segment for a total of 6 transmitting channels. we can be allowed 1 W ERP on these two frequency bands and would be no danger of interference to licensed stations since the frequencies would be void of any licnesed stations and be for this new zealand type service only.
but given the current political and regulatory environment i am sure we can wish in one hand and crap in the other on that one.
still nice to dream.
In fact North America is the only part of the world where it's 88-108MHZ(not sure of South America countries)
Easy to get from Amazon or Ali-express radios that go from 76-108.
But would people care enough to bother...that's the thing.
Mark