What Happens When the FCC Gets Nasty

For years we've seen the lists of NOUO and NOV notices sent by mail to stations thought to be operating with excess field strength.

Conventionally, unresponsive stations would receive several notices before a fine or shutdown action, but if they responded and shut down, calm would return.

This dinnertime attack and looting is something different than we've heard about in thousands of enforcement actions that have been published.

Was this a real inspector, or a brazen robber?

You and your family are lucky to be left alive.

You might consider filing a house invasion and robbery report with local law enforcement.

So sorry to read about this raid. Too many folks out there with too much time on their hands, no hobbies, and nothing to do but cause others grief.

Part 15 itself seemed more vibrant 10 years ago when I started my station.  I used to make a little money with it, but now, even with the Internet stream there is very little ROI in relation to the time and effort it takes. But I need something to listen to while working in the kitchen. Nothing the licensed guys are doing is going to cut it - it has become unlistenable just like Cal said.

I noticed on RI that a poster with the name radioguy2013 started a thread about your station. I have a suspicion that may be what set this off.

Mighty I would like you to calm down and email me your phone

Kc8gpdATgmailDOTcom

Gerry gaule if you read this email me your home landline phone number as well

I want to do a three way call and try and get to the bottom of this issue.

I am not going to get to the bottom of it via two seperate emails exchanges with two people

Radioboy - What is the RI you refer to?

Radio info

Here in Canada last year a 16 year old kid with the help of his dad learned on the internet how to get a radiostation going..Was putting out enough power on FM to cover ALL of Ottawa and 10 miles beyond...A professional antenna on roof, a studio in his bedroom and must have had one of the 100watt(maybe more) chinese transmitters, had compression..everything!! Even had the phone hooked up to take calls on air! All that happened is he got a letter saying to stop and was told you need a licence. Nothing was taken and they said to Industry Canada OK, Where do you get a licence?..we didn't know. Didn't hear what happened after but this was in the news.
So in your case I agree with your first reply..something's fishy there! If you are using a FCC cetified transmitter like the Talking house for example it can't be illegal. It's not illegal to possess any transmitter of any power...as for AM, the power of transmitter is regulated not the distance. And, as for the 3 metre wire length rule, you can legally use a loading coil and change the electrical length so the wire now works like a 500 ft wire but not illegal as long as the power isn't more than 100 MW. If those transmitters(talking house) were made to cover a small neighbourhood and were FCC certified with their sticker and number on it they can't shut you down and take your stuff..Something not right there! And they need a warrant to enter your house don't they? Seems your civil rights were violated.

It has actually had a name change to Radio-Discussions.

The thread I was referring to is this one:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=230156.0

The original poster starts off using the word "pirate" and sets the whole tone of the thread.

This is found in the Texas section of the Radiodiscussions forum, for those who are not familiar with it.

read the whole exchange in that link from start to finnish. it was his fm operation which was not legal that drew the FCC's attention. apparently his FM was indeed illegal and that may be what got everything confiscated. granted it is odd that this agent would take such a drastic step first time out of the gate.

mighty i would also like scans on the paperwork he left behind if that is possible. i would like to have a look at the NOV, NOUO or whatever it was he gave you.

i would also like the agents name.

this will be kept confidential.

Canada is totally different than the U.S.  You really can't compare the two, in terms of unlicensed broadcasting rules (particularly on FM) and/or enforcement.

This reaction of the FCC here does indeed seem over the top, but then, we're only getting one side of the story.  I would need more information about the entire situation before making any judgements.  Particularly since it does appear (at least from that referenced RI/RD Forum thread) that it was a self-admitted illegal FM signal that may have caused the FCC scrutiny. 

All this seems to have an undercurrent that smells of the totally dishonorable, subversive, deceitful, unconstitutional, and evil thing known as The Patriot Act (which is anything but). Fearmongering at its best, designed to take away our freedoms and chipping away at the Constitution....got law enforcement and presidents behaving like a bunch of mindless droids with lots of weapons.

Nothing really new here folks. This has been going on for thousands of years...read your Bible. or how about..."We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo. Proof positive - we have never and do not now have the ability to 'fix' ourselves under our own steam, but remain open and willing to follow the highest rule of law there can ever be, the most frightening, mysterious, and wonderful 4-letter word....LOVE. Might seem trite, but by comparison, it's the world that is broken and out of tune. I feel I don't belong here, yet here I am.

"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird; it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad." - C.S. Lewis

Bad day?

If so, then no, not a particularly bad day, although it did rain all day and most of the night. Not trying to stir up trouble (it appears that has already been initiated). I'm a conspiricy-guy these days. I no longer believe the U.S. government is on the side of the people....not when there is documented proof that agencies raid farm co-ops at 5:00am with guns drawn, threatening the lives of unarmed families, including children, round them up, and incarcerate them in a room for a full day without access to communications.

The Patriot Act gives far, far too much power to a few people, it must be repealed else we are all vulnerable to such actions. Even the lawyers who represent those folks in the lawsuits have been threatened.

Now it appears Part 15 operators trying to work within the law are also being threatened. Where will all this end?

How can a small organization such as the ALPB garner enough support and legal assistance to be able to negotiate with the FCC to see that the rights of those trying to work within the law are protected without being threatened?

The Crow IS one of the great Part 15 success stories.

I capitalized "IS" because I deliberately didn't say "was."

The Crow worked hard to establish an entire Crow Network of affiliated Part 15 radio stations carrying a stream of programs originating in McKinney, Texas.

What has just been done to The Crow is all the more ugly the more you trace and track the online chatter regarding this horrendous intrusion on one man's liberty.

As a community, and Part 15 is a community, albeit very distinct individuals with wide-ranging viewpoints, WE are the hope of radio's future. We obviously care about what's ON the radio.

Meanwhile the licensed stations, not all of them, but most, have become senseless energy wasters spewing to zero audience.

The fcc (small letters to emphasize disgust) is serving higher power and ignoring their duty to serve the public.

The Crow was guest on Low Power Hour No. 11

http://kdxradio.com/lph.html