Who cares its not like he's manufacturing meth or something. He is only broadcasting on a radio station that can't interrupt any other stations and his signal only travels about a mile..... Therefore no one really gives a rats ass. They could have shown his face and every blemish on it and still nothing would happen
Indeed. A great Alternative rock station was taken out for a sports channel. Now my state has nothing but rap, pop, and sports. Thank god for SiriusXM! Now if only I can get my internet radio up that doesn't play the same songs every 30 minutes :p
Dallas has rap, pop, and what seems like 30 Hispanic language speaking only stations. This is where a thumb drive and a radio with a USB port comes in handy.
London has a lot of pirate radio stations, still. Mostly grime, house and British hip hop. The most famous period was in the 60s though. That was before popular music was played on the BBC. Radio Caroline was so famous that when it finally was shut down some of its DJs went to work for the new BBCR1.
Government Radio tends to be boring or unimaginative so it's not surprising. Radio Caroline was fascinating. Had I been working there, I would have probably been throwing up between records due to seasickness (LOL).
The laws need to be re-written to say that your allowed to broadcast on any frequency in that spectrum as long as you don't interfere with someone else and keep your power under the same level that licensed commercial stations are allowed to use. The current situation enables the rich, which creates radio monopolies. It completely shuts out everyone else.
Those rules already apply to the Amateur Radio Service--except that there is a specific rule against broadcasting on the amateur bands to protect the rich commercial radio stations from competition from amateurs. I've supported an Amateur Broadcast Service for years, but it is unlikely to ever happen.
I have an amateur radio license, and on that end of the spectrum, some people are courteous and follow the rules and others will just try to transmit over your signal. When radio isn't regulated it gets chaotic. A common thing on amateur radio is something called a "pile-up" where you will have dozens of people trying to talk on the same frequency. If broadcast radio was deregulated this kind of stuff would happen there too.
Joe is exactly right, there would be chaos. You wouldn't be able to hear your favorite station in all the noise. Besides, those with the most money would still buy whatever they needed to stay on top of that noise. A Kentucky station, WLW, once ran 500,000 watts until the Canadians complained. You could've probably heard the station through your teeth.
hakachukai any one from the uk and remember how great pirate radio is over here who watched that pirate documantrey on the I player
6 ปีที่แล้ว +1
No, spectrum simply does NOT work that way. It would be the same as saying "You are allowed to shoot anyone in the head with a shotgun at point blank range as long as you don't disturb them." I have a radio license, it costs $15 initially and $10 every *TEN YEARS*
Pirates are the best broadcasters, there is such a large monopoly on transmission its stupid, also at what point does audio fall under freedom of speech?
The timing of this video is interesting, because some friends and I just started a little pirate radio outfit in our small town where we do old-style radio dramas and feature local bands live. It's a BLAST.
I don't think a blur like that hides much of his identity. Sure, i wouldn't pick him out on the street right away, but I have a good idea of what he looks like.
There are enough clues in the video to find Bill using freely available online records. It took me less than a minute to get his full name, address, phone number, and email address. If anyone complains to the FCC, they'll have no problem finding him. As long as he's broadcasting decent material and not causing harmful interference, there's really no reason to complain. If a station starts using the same frequency legally in his area, that would likely result in an interference investigation. If his equipment isn't working correctly and starts interfering with nearby frequencies or harmonic frequencies, that would also likely get him in trouble. In the meantime, I suggest leaving him alone.
With a coverage area that small, it'd take less than an hour to find his transmitter (and thus him) with nothing more than a receiver and a directional antenna. One of the ironies of radio is that a weaker signal is easier to find than a booming one--provided you can hear it in the first place.
I love Shortwave Radio. When I was little, a family friend gave me a big old tube radio, and I was spellbound to hear all the other countries. Today there aren't nearly as many long range broadcasts, but I can also listen to the "Hams", which are nice folks within 1,000 miles. Thanks for this "Good Stuff". =Maine=
That was a stupid movie. The FCC does not have big, conspicuous radio-detection vans as portrayed in that movie. You would not know an FCC agent's vehicle if you saw it. They use plain unmarked cars and the RF sniffer is a handheld device. Also, the idea of evading the trackdown by having the station in a moving vehicle has been tried, and it didn't work.
As always money, money, money. These licenses for channels need to be set up so that if they are not used they are revoked and put to bid back to the public for bid. Similar to how the government sells oil leases. This will prevent huge companies from buying the frequency only to drive the market to their station on another channel. That would drive the cost down for folks to get licensed.
I'm all for it. I'm a Ham operator, and love talking on the radio. To create a pirate radio station and gather a following on it, im all for. Not all Hams feel this way, but so long as the content is not offensive, or dangerous to society, or stepping over an established station, I say go for it.
Dominic Racca I'm a ham too and I'm in the same boat as you I say let the pirates play as long as it is not offensive and under a certain power level of say 30 watts
Thats right. Seize the little guys radio equipment so we can ensure the continuance of radio monopolies and their advertising and political agendas. Of course forget about anti-trust to bust them up. No selective enforcement of the law going on. Go back to sleep, nothing to see here.
What burned me is when the 97.9 frequency was sold to K-Love up in Chicago. "97.9, The Loop" was a Rock-n-Roll Institution for 44 years there. Cumulus Media had a LMA with the owner, Merlin Media to operate 97.9, The Loop. The Loop's Programming was moved to 101.1 WKQX HD-2, and streaming. K-Love already had another signal in the market. They paid 21.5 million for that 97.9 license! Doubt they will ever in our lifetime give that up! People on other TH-cam Videos have asked how to sabotage their studio to transmitter link. Since the FCC did away with the "main studio" requirements, they must be getting their programming from their network off satellite in California and rebroadcasting at the Sears Tower. Bet the place is guarded to the Max! My point here is don't think you're going to afford to by a existing FM License in the Chicago Market!
I'm actually tempted to start my own little pirate radio station. Unfortunately, I really don't have the money for a transmitter or an antenna, but I _could_ possibly build my own.
What gets people busted is legal station technicians finding a pirate on a frequency that is owned by the network the techs station is a part of or nosy ham operators that have no life or live a miserable life and want to make others just as miserable as them.. I myself am a ham operator and we love to chime in with "Oh I have a license for ham radio you should get one too if you want to use a radio GRRRRR" good for you but Ham radio does not allow broadcasting and even if ham radio did allow it your typical car stereo or home stereo does not pick up ham radio bands so the mere suggestion to someone running a pirate station to "get a hame license" is moot.. it makes no sense to study and test for a license to use a service that will not reach anyone but other shed and basement dwellers on the bands you are allowed to use, besides that again ham broadcasting is nor allowed anyways so there is no logical point to getting a ham ticket at this point. Sorry but ham radio is not the go to fix all solution for every communications situation.. The whole FCC and the big networks in the USA deal is a form of media censorship it's borderline state run media similar to what soviet Russia and North Korea have now.. They feed you shit daily and it's all tightly scripted. It's like TH-cams trending page, they feed you what they want you to get not what YOU want to get.. If we keep bowing down to the jackboots that dont actually exist there will be no more independent and free news and entertainment, all stations will be the same ole 1984 type bullshit..
you guys should do a video on amateur (ham) radio. if you haven't already done it. Its an interesting service with tons of different aspects to it besides just talking back on forth with voice or Morse code. I have been a ham for years. its awesome.
When I was in Maine in the early 1990's, we would listen to Pirate Radio USA on the weekends (Not much to do in the Air Force in Aroostook County near Limestone in Loring AFB)
I like the idea of a pirate station. I am a active ham operator and I hear lots of violations on the bands. Now in my opinion local radio is dead. The only way for big time operators to make money is getting their signal into your car radio. This creates a niche for the pirate station that is after the people at the home market. So I can understand this guy's setup. He can't invade into vehicles audio systems with 30 watts. The locals that due enjoy his material might send him some donations from time to time and that will help him keep going. Big time radio is only interested in getting in your car or your smart phone. Pirate radio will only get better as corporate radio becomes so stale you can't stand it. Rock on pirate we are not all rich.
All part of control and censorship, from radio and TV to TH-cam and facebook... Watch the movie 1984 sometime and you will see where the world is going..
5:23 I live in West Palm Beach, FL and I've heard a Haitian pirate radio station around here before. I haven't listened to radio as much over the past couple of years, but I used to tune into it for short periods while driving. I obviously didn't understand anything they were saying, and it wasn't my style of music (not saying it was bad music by any means), but I thought it was pretty cool nonetheless.
anything under 92 MHz is supposed to be for LPFM non commercial use in the US but the FCC does not enforce that either. Broadcast bands are prime real estate for the FCc and networks.
Also, if you're too lazy to go into a radio station and do your bits LIVE (or in your home studio, whatever your case might be), you are NOT a broadcaster. Prerecording your stuff and loading it into automated software to be played by a fucking computer does NOT make you a classic DJ or radio host. If you aren't going to do it LIVE, don't even bother being a host. don't even BOTHER being a classic disc jockey. Part of why people were so enamored with early radio broadcasting were the Dj's/Hosts, who would be sitting in the studio, cueing up the next song (LP, 45, cassette tape, song cart, CD, etc), would be yammering away about practically anything, doing thier show, taking LIVE (or 5 - 20 second delay) call-ins for requests, or prizes. you know, a human being being a human. Now, everything is basically done offsite and "phoned in" to be automated. it is RARE to find a REAL DJ at any radio station. It's all bullshit conglomerates like Cumulus, iheart radio and that ilk. It's cold, impersonal, unrelatable BULLSHIT. I don't care if i spelled those coonglomerates names wrong...fucking sue me for all I care :)
The FCC fines have gone up to $2M now. But I feel that will not change anything as to taking down more pirate radio stations. Last I checked only in 2 states in USA you can go to jail for running a pirate radio station.
Since WLIR, WNEW went off the Air, NY commercial radio is awful. 90.7 Fordam is OK but we need some good pirates !!!! WPU has a decent station but too young for me
As long as you're under 100 watts, not broadcasting over state lines, not advertising, and not broadcasting over licensed broadcasters, you're all good. The trick is to stay out of the FCC's jurisdiction.
Here in the states the FCC does allow license-free broadcasting, at 100 Milliwatts, that's one tenth of a watt. Doesn't sound like much but if done right, especially in AM, a 100 milliwatt signal could cover a couple of miles. Then the station could easily and inexpensively supplement that abbreviated coverage with an Online stream of their on-air signal, Coverage problem solved. You CAN be in the airwaves, but at the same time eliminate any worries of potential trouble from the authorities by playing by the FCC rules and regulations of Part-15 broadcast operations. Another great thing is that unlike LPFM which must operate as non-profit, there are no restrictions in ad content in Part-15 broadcasting.
Great video but I have to say that Part-15 compliance is legal for the typical hobby broadcaster... while under 30w is illegal 500mw is not, in fact 250 microvolts per meter is the maximum for unlicensed operation.
Shortwave pirate radio is alive as well, especially on the East Coast. Not just FM but alot of weekend shortwave too!!! See my pages for recordings & loggings, go to: Facebook: facebook.com/shortwaveradio/ Twitter: twitter.com/rafmanne
FCC restricts the radios too much. Violating their first amendment to say and play whatever they want. The more free a radio is, the better it sounds, as it does not need to comply and fit in with the others. This alone makes them awesome.
This sounds great on paper, but there are technical obstacles that the FCC is meant to address on everyone’s behalf. As a licensed amateur radio operator, I agree that the FCC has more regulations than it needs, many of which are outdated, but it does a job that needs to be done.
I learned how to saftey loose weight from a pirate radio station. My doctor said that the CDC has blocked these herbal remedies and warned me that I could go to jail if I supported such people 🥺 But the weight stayed off and my health drastically improved 😃
I sometimes heard some Pirate radio on FM and MW advising some fake products or fake medicine all day long😫👎(those are really wasting radio band), but the station in the video don't sounds bad at all.😂
Under 30 Watts and antenna height of 40 feet and he only gets a range of about a mile?? Yeah, right. Say he transmits with 5 Watts at that antenna height in an urban setting he should get at least a 10 mile radius.
That does sound like maybe 99% of his signal is being lost before it gets to the antenna? I've personally seen a handheld FM transmitter running ONE watt into a 3' antenna inside an apartment on the second floor going almost that far.
5 watts get me a solid 4 miles and 7 miles fringe. 30 foot mast with a tuned half wave dipole and Andrews RG-6 cable. It's all in the calculations. No magic here.
A hair under 30 watts, antenna 40 feet in the air, only a mile range? Either he's purposely low-balling how far he gets out or his antenna system is severely jacked-up. #swr
really nice video. it was quite sweet seeing the radio guy talk and he seemed to really enjoy. you interviewed well and without presumptions. I like that that you didn't make it seems like he was a terrible guy. cause he is doing really nothing wrong
with the internet and the advent of things like spotify, apple/android car play more and more radio stations die. when those stations die, a big station picks up that open airspace leaving no room for the small guys. I personally think as radio continues to grow smaller and smaller as far as individual radio station go away, the big radio corps should only be allowed to purchase a small portion of that band, leave the rest open for the pirate radio. As soon as the IOT takes over traditional radio, the massive blank spaces left behind unused should be allowed to be used freely and openly much like a public roadway. sure keep the roads clean and fix the potholes damaging the community, but let anyone access that public roadway.
John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
As long as people "keep it reasonable" and don't try to jam everyone else on the air, I'm all for unlicensed radio use, be that Baofengs or my local pirate radio station
pirate radio stations doesn't harm anyone as long as the intent of the radio station really serves the public very well.. only the corporate radio networks does doing harm against these micro radio stations because of their greed for money and impending competition from them..
They should but they are not going to. The one sure way to get the FCC rules changed if if you have the $$$ to grease the wheels under the table along side paying a lobbyist to get your rule changes made.. the recent part 95 rule changes in 2018 proved that big radio makers like cobra, garmin, and midland control what the rules will be changed to because they had the money to get the rules changed.. Sorry but writing your congressman and petitions do not work.. they are just wastes of time.. You need cold hard cash to make a differance these days.
What makes you think we're all millennials? And millennials, and everybody else today no longer listens to commercial radio anymore (FM, and ESPECIALLY AM). Except for some talk and sports programming, RADIO IS DEAD. Greedy corporations killed it, and sent listeners to internet radio, Bluetooth devices, podcasts, and mp3's.
It you're talking about American millennials, then yes, but radio in other parts of the world is still pretty much alive. Plus it's not like Internet radio is all that diverse. Which is a reason why I don't listen to Pandora or iHeart much. And it does bug me that people think American millennials are this influential group. You're not.
In Australia, we have three categories(I don't use the term "class" as implies quality often absent from one of these categories) of radio station, A] National, non-commercial, ABC and SBS(though SBS was allowed to run ads on its TV network). B] Commercial, licences priced in the millions of dollars but the quality of content....now you know why I use the term "category". C] Community, licences are free but there are strings attached. No private individual can own a Community station, it belongs to the region it's meant to serve and is run by a committee and staffed by volunteer presenters, of which I was, once.
No they don't because there is no money to be made from fining CBers.. Just like joe public using a cheap baofeng HT on FRS channels. the FCC knows people do it but they also know it will cost them more to try and enforce the rules that what they will make if they fined people.. It's not logical ,as Spock would say, to pursue such a venture. The only reason you see forfeitures on ham radio is because hams have nothing better to do than to play radio rent-a-cop with eachother.
I don't think you need any special equipment. AM is lower quality, but is cheaper and goes further. From google: "The difference is in how the carrier wave is modulated, or altered. With AM radio, the amplitude, or overall strength, of the signal is varied to incorporate the sound information. With FM, the frequency (the number of times each second that the current changes direction) of the carrier signal is varied."
It's actually quite a bit more difficult to get an AM pirate station on the air than an FM one, but not for the reasons you'd think: The equipment isn't difficult to obtain (or build if you're reasonably skilled with a soldering iron), but the antenna required to get out even a few blocks on the AM broadcast band is absolutely huge. In a very basic sense, an antenna needs to be 1/2 wavelength long in order to create gain--that is to radiate more energy than is being fed into it. At 87.9 MHz, a 1/2 wavelength antenna is 5.3 ft. long, whereas a dipole antenna for 1,000 KHz (1 MHz) in the AM broadcast band is 468 ft. long. You can see the challenge there. If you try to use a shorter antenna, you can make it work, but it radiate a signal with less power than you're using to drive it (loss instead of gain) and so will require that you pump more power, more than double in fact, into it in order to get similar results, meaning you need a larger and far more expensive amplifier. There are other challenges too, like an antenna for the AM broadcast band tends to emit most if it's signal straight up into the air if it's less than 1/2 wavelength off the ground (again, that's 468 feet) So yeah, all that adds up to make it far easier to pirate on FM than AM. :)
The difference between AM, FM, and SSB: With FM, the neighbors hear a loud buzz in equipment receiving interference. With SSB, they hear "Donald Duck": something that sounds like a voice but makes utterly no sense. With AM, they hear you clear as a bell on everything: The TV, the radio, the telephone lines, the computer speakers, etc. That's how mudducks and maul droppers get busted.
LimitedOptionsMan if the transmitter is built well and properly grounded, that won't happen. I can run a couple of kilowatts on the amateur shortwave bands without bothering anyone.
You and I both know that isn't true because no electric device is built with shielding any more, and amplifiers are going to amplify and rectify. Grounding has nothing to do with RFI. The RFI exists because the device has insufficient shielding and picks up any RF in the air, rectifies it and amplifies it, resulting in undesired operation. The FCC warned everyone about it decades ago, and sides with the licensed transmitter operator because many equipment designs simply had no RF filters. If grounding had anything to do with it (and it doesn't), then a well grounded station would put more RF into the air. A perfect counterpoise maximizes the efficiency and predictability of the radiator. Grounding is just to take advantage of the fact that you've put down radials to dissipate induced static electricity over a wider area than normal. And no, you can't run a few kilowatts on the amateur bands. 1,500 watts PEP or RMS is the maximum.
"Pump Up the Volumen" the movie.... who remembers?? lol #pirateRadio is great. Many of us just dont want today's All-commercials, Same-music-All-day shitty radio stations. Just a good music/topic-content space to listen too!!!!
> does not want his face to be shown > is fine with his building being shown Ok, now I get it that it's a lot more difficult to recognize the building... but it still kinda defeats the point...
You didn't show his face, but you showed his house. Good job 👍
Not to mention he lives in one of the the takeoff runway paths from O'Hare.
@@sheiladawg1664 Might as well have shown his face lmao, we already know so much
Who cares its not like he's manufacturing meth or something. He is only broadcasting on a radio station that can't interrupt any other stations and his signal only travels about a mile.....
Therefore no one really gives a rats ass. They could have shown his face and every blemish on it and still nothing would happen
@@flyineyeaerialfpv5592 yeah, he does use a vacant frequency, so I think that should be legal enough
@@catchyname4353 awesome. Probably better than most known stations
I think this is great! I wish there were more quality radio stations, not 10 different pop stations...
Indeed. A great Alternative rock station was taken out for a sports channel. Now my state has nothing but rap, pop, and sports. Thank god for SiriusXM! Now if only I can get my internet radio up that doesn't play the same songs every 30 minutes :p
John Matthews I built and operate 15O Watt F M Radio Station 1O7.3 FM THE PIRATE...!!! YARGH !!!
Dallas has rap, pop, and what seems like 30 Hispanic language speaking only stations. This is where a thumb drive and a radio with a USB port comes in handy.
He doesn't want to be recognized because all his listeners are near his neighborhood.
**They proceed to show his fuckin' house!**
"So the FCC won't let me be or let me be me so let me see..."
Quality public service. I run a FM pirate station playing public bands and solo artists as they deserve a voice too.
are you in London area ?
London has a lot of pirate radio stations, still. Mostly grime, house and British hip hop.
The most famous period was in the 60s though. That was before popular music was played on the BBC. Radio Caroline was so famous that when it finally was shut down some of its DJs went to work for the new BBCR1.
And Sealand.
Government Radio tends to be boring or unimaginative so it's not surprising. Radio Caroline was fascinating. Had I been working there, I would have probably been throwing up between records due to seasickness (LOL).
The laws need to be re-written to say that your allowed to broadcast on any frequency in that spectrum as long as you don't interfere with someone else and keep your power under the same level that licensed commercial stations are allowed to use.
The current situation enables the rich, which creates radio monopolies. It completely shuts out everyone else.
Those rules already apply to the Amateur Radio Service--except that there is a specific rule against broadcasting on the amateur bands to protect the rich commercial radio stations from competition from amateurs.
I've supported an Amateur Broadcast Service for years, but it is unlikely to ever happen.
I have an amateur radio license, and on that end of the spectrum, some people are courteous and follow the rules and others will just try to transmit over your signal. When radio isn't regulated it gets chaotic. A common thing on amateur radio is something called a "pile-up" where you will have dozens of people trying to talk on the same frequency. If broadcast radio was deregulated this kind of stuff would happen there too.
Joe is exactly right, there would be chaos. You wouldn't be able to hear your favorite station in all the noise. Besides, those with the most money would still buy whatever they needed to stay on top of that noise. A Kentucky station, WLW, once ran 500,000 watts until the Canadians complained. You could've probably heard the station through your teeth.
hakachukai any one from the uk and remember how great pirate radio is over here who watched that pirate documantrey on the I player
No, spectrum simply does NOT work that way. It would be the same as saying "You are allowed to shoot anyone in the head with a shotgun at point blank range as long as you don't disturb them." I have a radio license, it costs $15 initially and $10 every *TEN YEARS*
Pirates are the best broadcasters, there is such a large monopoly on transmission its stupid, also at what point does audio fall under freedom of speech?
30watts and only a mile! Ermmm something is not right there!
Me thinks he's under exaggerating his range
@@CaptainDominic And power .
Did you see the antenna?
@ time stamp?
@@PracticalTacticalSheepDog Within the first 3 minutes.
The timing of this video is interesting, because some friends and I just started a little pirate radio outfit in our small town where we do old-style radio dramas and feature local bands live. It's a BLAST.
Heh - electromagnetic booty.
So you don't show his face but tell his name and show where he lives?
what logic is that for safety against police
Scratch that
I don't think a blur like that hides much of his identity. Sure, i wouldn't pick him out on the street right away, but I have a good idea of what he looks like.
And there's enough footage of his house to locate it.
There are enough clues in the video to find Bill using freely available online records. It took me less than a minute to get his full name, address, phone number, and email address. If anyone complains to the FCC, they'll have no problem finding him. As long as he's broadcasting decent material and not causing harmful interference, there's really no reason to complain. If a station starts using the same frequency legally in his area, that would likely result in an interference investigation. If his equipment isn't working correctly and starts interfering with nearby frequencies or harmonic frequencies, that would also likely get him in trouble. In the meantime, I suggest leaving him alone.
took me less than a minute to get his full name, address, phone number, and email address...how?
With a coverage area that small, it'd take less than an hour to find his transmitter (and thus him) with nothing more than a receiver and a directional antenna. One of the ironies of radio is that a weaker signal is easier to find than a booming one--provided you can hear it in the first place.
@Syed:
OSINT
I love Shortwave Radio. When I was little, a family friend gave me a big old tube radio, and I was spellbound to hear all the other countries. Today there aren't nearly as many long range broadcasts, but I can also listen to the "Hams", which are nice folks within 1,000 miles. Thanks for this "Good Stuff".
=Maine=
This was delightful! Pirate Radio is doing a good service! Unless they are blocking out other stations or being jerks... then that's no good!
We need more pirate stations, because commercial radio really sucks. At least pirate radio gives the people what they want.
Wait till someone has a pirate tv station! You can get analog equipment cheap and somebody is going to see it eventually.
Anyone remember the movie "Pump Up The Volume" about pirate radio? good times
That was a stupid movie. The FCC does not have big, conspicuous radio-detection vans as portrayed in that movie. You would not know an FCC agent's vehicle if you saw it. They use plain unmarked cars and the RF sniffer is a handheld device. Also, the idea of evading the trackdown by having the station in a moving vehicle has been tried, and it didn't work.
th-cam.com/video/hkQsHHwsj4M/w-d-xo.html
As always money, money, money. These licenses for channels need to be set up so that if they are not used they are revoked and put to bid back to the public for bid. Similar to how the government sells oil leases. This will prevent huge companies from buying the frequency only to drive the market to their station on another channel. That would drive the cost down for folks to get licensed.
I'm all for it. I'm a Ham operator, and love talking on the radio. To create a pirate radio station and gather a following on it, im all for. Not all Hams feel this way, but so long as the content is not offensive, or dangerous to society, or stepping over an established station, I say go for it.
Dominic Racca I'm a ham too and I'm in the same boat as you I say let the pirates play as long as it is not offensive and under a certain power level of say 30 watts
Thats right. Seize the little guys radio equipment so we can ensure the continuance of radio monopolies and their advertising and political agendas. Of course forget about anti-trust to bust them up. No selective enforcement of the law going on. Go back to sleep, nothing to see here.
Small local radio (1 mile) is usually legal without a license, but I understand how a huge city like Chicago might have all the frequencies taken.
What burned me is when the 97.9 frequency was sold to K-Love up in Chicago. "97.9, The Loop" was a Rock-n-Roll Institution for 44 years there. Cumulus Media had a LMA with the owner, Merlin Media to operate 97.9, The Loop. The Loop's Programming was moved to 101.1 WKQX HD-2, and streaming. K-Love already had another signal in the market. They paid 21.5 million for that 97.9 license! Doubt they will ever in our lifetime give that up! People on other TH-cam Videos have asked how to sabotage their studio to transmitter link. Since the FCC did away with the "main studio" requirements, they must be getting their programming from their network off satellite in California and rebroadcasting at the Sears Tower. Bet the place is guarded to the Max! My point here is don't think you're going to afford to by a existing FM License in the Chicago Market!
You said they used it for good,then said gangbangers used it to avoid cops,was that meant to be that they were the good guys?
I'm actually tempted to start my own little pirate radio station. Unfortunately, I really don't have the money for a transmitter or an antenna, but I _could_ possibly build my own.
What gets people busted is legal station technicians finding a pirate on a frequency that is owned by the network the techs station is a part of or nosy ham operators that have no life or live a miserable life and want to make others just as miserable as them..
I myself am a ham operator and we love to chime in with "Oh I have a license for ham radio you should get one too if you want to use a radio GRRRRR" good for you but Ham radio does not allow broadcasting and even if ham radio did allow it your typical car stereo or home stereo does not pick up ham radio bands so the mere suggestion to someone running a pirate station to "get a hame license" is moot.. it makes no sense to study and test for a license to use a service that will not reach anyone but other shed and basement dwellers on the bands you are allowed to use, besides that again ham broadcasting is nor allowed anyways so there is no logical point to getting a ham ticket at this point. Sorry but ham radio is not the go to fix all solution for every communications situation..
The whole FCC and the big networks in the USA deal is a form of media censorship it's borderline state run media similar to what soviet Russia and North Korea have now.. They feed you shit daily and it's all tightly scripted. It's like TH-cams trending page, they feed you what they want you to get not what YOU want to get.. If we keep bowing down to the jackboots that dont actually exist there will be no more independent and free news and entertainment, all stations will be the same ole 1984 type bullshit..
This is kind of awesome. Really interesting.
Would you go so far as to call it Good Stuff?
Andy Lord Yeah, it's good. I'd even call it great.
th-cam.com/video/hkQsHHwsj4M/w-d-xo.html
"You can't stop the signal." :-)
Is it technically illegal to use car radio transmitters that broadcast music from your phone to your car?
Player 2, the zone it covers are in feet more then blocks.
pirate radio hek ya
The fact that this gentleman is doing both traditional radio and streaming is pretty cool. Best of both worlds
I heart radio is killing the good radio stations. Play the same stuff as they do everywhere in the country. Pirate radio is what we need.
yes sir fuck iheartradio
you guys should do a video on amateur (ham) radio. if you haven't already done it. Its an interesting service with tons of different aspects to it besides just talking back on forth with voice or Morse code. I have been a ham for years. its awesome.
Ham radio is full of creepy undermining people.
I'm going to make a radio station that plays nothing but dank memes 24/7.
When I was in Maine in the early 1990's, we would listen to Pirate Radio USA on the weekends (Not much to do in the Air Force in Aroostook County near Limestone in Loring AFB)
The Airwaves belong to all.
What a stupid title. What's so good is they play the music that commercial stations don't.
If they live so close they will recognize his house.
I like the idea of a pirate station. I am a active ham operator and I hear lots of violations on the bands. Now in my opinion local radio is dead. The only way for big time operators to make money is getting their signal into your car radio. This creates a niche for the pirate station that is after the people at the home market. So I can understand this guy's setup. He can't invade into vehicles audio systems with 30 watts. The locals that due enjoy his material might send him some donations from time to time and that will help him keep going. Big time radio is only interested in getting in your car or your smart phone. Pirate radio will only get better as corporate radio becomes so stale you can't stand it. Rock on pirate we are not all rich.
All part of control and censorship, from radio and TV to TH-cam and facebook... Watch the movie 1984 sometime and you will see where the world is going..
5:23 I live in West Palm Beach, FL and I've heard a Haitian pirate radio station around here before. I haven't listened to radio as much over the past couple of years, but I used to tune into it for short periods while driving. I obviously didn't understand anything they were saying, and it wasn't my style of music (not saying it was bad music by any means), but I thought it was pretty cool nonetheless.
We need to set aside 87.5, 87.7 and 87.9 for armature broadcasters of 5 watts or less.
anything under 92 MHz is supposed to be for LPFM non commercial use in the US but the FCC does not enforce that either. Broadcast bands are prime real estate for the FCc and networks.
Very helpful Thank You
I'm not gonna lie, a small part of me was hoping to see some mention of the movie Pirate Radio haha. (I'm kinda obsessed with it)
Me too!
As long as they aren't interfering with other stations, i really don't see much of a problem.
Anyone know what program this is? 7:00
Sounds like fun to me.
Also, if you're too lazy to go into a radio station and do your bits LIVE (or in your home studio, whatever your case might be), you are NOT a broadcaster. Prerecording your stuff and loading it into automated software to be played by a fucking computer does NOT make you a classic DJ or radio host. If you aren't going to do it LIVE, don't even bother being a host. don't even BOTHER being a classic disc jockey. Part of why people were so enamored with early radio broadcasting were the Dj's/Hosts, who would be sitting in the studio, cueing up the next song (LP, 45, cassette tape, song cart, CD, etc), would be yammering away about practically anything, doing thier show, taking LIVE (or 5 - 20 second delay) call-ins for requests, or prizes. you know, a human being being a human. Now, everything is basically done offsite and "phoned in" to be automated. it is RARE to find a REAL DJ at any radio station. It's all bullshit conglomerates like Cumulus, iheart radio and that ilk. It's cold, impersonal, unrelatable BULLSHIT. I don't care if i spelled those coonglomerates names wrong...fucking sue me for all I care :)
lol 89.7 is a legit radiostation where I'm from
The FCC fines have gone up to $2M now. But I feel that will not change anything as to taking down more pirate radio stations. Last I checked only in 2 states in USA you can go to jail for running a pirate radio station.
Since WLIR, WNEW went off the Air, NY commercial radio is awful. 90.7 Fordam is OK but we need some good pirates !!!! WPU has a decent station but too young for me
As long as you're under 100 watts, not broadcasting over state lines, not advertising, and not broadcasting over licensed broadcasters, you're all good. The trick is to stay out of the FCC's jurisdiction.
Here in the states the FCC does allow license-free broadcasting, at 100 Milliwatts, that's one tenth of a watt. Doesn't sound like much but if done right, especially in AM, a 100 milliwatt signal could cover a couple of miles. Then the station could easily and inexpensively supplement that abbreviated coverage with an Online stream of their on-air signal, Coverage problem solved. You CAN be in the airwaves, but at the same time eliminate any worries of potential trouble from the authorities by playing by the FCC rules and regulations of Part-15 broadcast operations. Another great thing is that unlike LPFM which must operate as non-profit, there are no restrictions in ad content in Part-15 broadcasting.
Great video but I have to say that Part-15 compliance is legal for the typical hobby broadcaster... while under 30w is illegal 500mw is not, in fact 250 microvolts per meter is the maximum for unlicensed operation.
How does Bill handle his public distribution of copyrighted works? It would seem this would be a greater consideration than breaking FCC rules.
That blurred face is so poorly made..
Shortwave pirate radio is alive as well, especially on the East Coast. Not just FM but alot of weekend shortwave too!!!
See my pages for recordings & loggings, go to:
Facebook: facebook.com/shortwaveradio/
Twitter: twitter.com/rafmanne
Nice
I had many of these Transmitters in UK Veronica from Original Company UK 150 Watt Version Stephen Moss Legend, not Paul Hollings Fake
FCC restricts the radios too much. Violating their first amendment to say and play whatever they want. The more free a radio is, the better it sounds, as it does not need to comply and fit in with the others. This alone makes them awesome.
This sounds great on paper, but there are technical obstacles that the FCC is meant to address on everyone’s behalf. As a licensed amateur radio operator, I agree that the FCC has more regulations than it needs, many of which are outdated, but it does a job that needs to be done.
It's legal if you do it on the right frequency
I think you'll find places where 30 Watts is going 20 miles, even further! Well done with the video.
very interesting, cool job
I learned how to saftey loose weight from a pirate radio station. My doctor said that the CDC has blocked these herbal remedies and warned me that I could go to jail if I supported such people 🥺 But the weight stayed off and my health drastically improved 😃
first video i watched by this channel.
a really nice video about a very interesting topic.
subscribed! :)
The good stuff. Living up to your name.
Really awesome video & content. So damn interesting every time.
If he were running a Part 15 compliant transmitter, it's not illegal. But 30 watts is a lot.
I sometimes heard some Pirate radio on FM and MW advising some fake products or fake medicine all day long😫👎(those are really wasting radio band), but the station in the video don't sounds bad at all.😂
Under 30 Watts and antenna height of 40 feet and he only gets a range of about a mile?? Yeah, right. Say he transmits with 5 Watts at that antenna height in an urban setting he should get at least a 10 mile radius.
That does sound like maybe 99% of his signal is being lost before it gets to the antenna? I've personally seen a handheld FM transmitter running ONE watt into a 3' antenna inside an apartment on the second floor going almost that far.
I had a Pirate Radio Mobile station I used to do for Trucking events used to push one watt of power and I would get a 5-mile radius out of it.
Likely poor ground plane grounding and antenna VSWR loss.
EdEditz he’s probably trying to make it seem smaller than it is so no one complains
5 watts get me a solid 4 miles and 7 miles fringe. 30 foot mast with a tuned half wave dipole and Andrews RG-6 cable. It's all in the calculations. No magic here.
What is the na,e of the track at 0:50 sec?
I can start a pirate radio now in Norway without anyone bothering me. The goverment killed the fm band here, all gone over to DAB......
A hair under 30 watts, antenna 40 feet in the air, only a mile range? Either he's purposely low-balling how far he gets out or his antenna system is severely jacked-up. #swr
really nice video. it was quite sweet seeing the radio guy talk and he seemed to really enjoy. you interviewed well and without presumptions. I like that that you didn't make it seems like he was a terrible guy. cause he is doing really nothing wrong
with the internet and the advent of things like spotify, apple/android car play more and more radio stations die. when those stations die, a big station picks up that open airspace leaving no room for the small guys. I personally think as radio continues to grow smaller and smaller as far as individual radio station go away, the big radio corps should only be allowed to purchase a small portion of that band, leave the rest open for the pirate radio.
As soon as the IOT takes over traditional radio, the massive blank spaces left behind unused should be allowed to be used freely and openly much like a public roadway. sure keep the roads clean and fix the potholes damaging the community, but let anyone access that public roadway.
John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
So to protect this dude's secret identity from his neighbors, you blur his face but.....show the outside if his house.
really fascinating video, thanks for the great content!
30 watts with a 40 foot high antenna and you he can only broadcast a mile? must have a terrible SWR
As long as people "keep it reasonable" and don't try to jam everyone else on the air, I'm all for unlicensed radio use, be that Baofengs or my local pirate radio station
The FCC is always so good at shutting
These guy's down.
They don't even break a sweat.
pirate radio stations doesn't harm anyone as long as the intent of the radio station really serves the public very well.. only the corporate radio networks does doing harm against these micro radio stations because of their greed for money and impending competition from them..
pirate radio stations are cool sometimes better then the local stations. I agree they should rewrite the law!!!!
They should but they are not going to. The one sure way to get the FCC rules changed if if you have the $$$ to grease the wheels under the table along side paying a lobbyist to get your rule changes made.. the recent part 95 rule changes in 2018 proved that big radio makers like cobra, garmin, and midland control what the rules will be changed to because they had the money to get the rules changed.. Sorry but writing your congressman and petitions do not work.. they are just wastes of time.. You need cold hard cash to make a differance these days.
You'll hear music that will expand ur mind frm the same worn out 100 songs on corporate radio
If you wonder why you need a license to broadcast look up Father Conklin.
wouldn't any one around the area instantly know where this was filmed?
Bruh, you’re just better off doing a podcast!
What makes you think we're all millennials? And millennials, and everybody else today no longer listens to commercial radio anymore (FM, and ESPECIALLY AM). Except for some talk and sports programming, RADIO IS DEAD. Greedy corporations killed it, and sent listeners to internet radio, Bluetooth devices, podcasts, and mp3's.
It you're talking about American millennials, then yes, but radio in other parts of the world is still pretty much alive.
Plus it's not like Internet radio is all that diverse. Which is a reason why I don't listen to Pandora or iHeart much.
And it does bug me that people think American millennials are this influential group. You're not.
Well, that explains why the criminal element calls the police, 5-O.
He asked for his face to be blurred, people stop acting stupid and listen.
I like it. Good for him!
Can you do what whatever you want if you don't go over 500 watts?
Graffiti writers also do it “because they can”.
So why would you make a pirate Radio Station if you can legally do online Radio and reach more People? Just curious
Dunno online radio just doesn’t feel the same I guess
CITIZENS BAND RADIO THE ORIGINAL SOCIAL NETWORK!!
and THE AIRWAVES OF THE PEOPLE!! (hint hint,nudge nudge) are you listening ... closely??
LMFAO 1000 listeners
In Australia, we have three categories(I don't use the term "class" as implies quality often absent from one of these categories) of radio station, A] National, non-commercial, ABC and SBS(though SBS was allowed to run ads on its TV network). B] Commercial, licences priced in the millions of dollars but the quality of content....now you know why I use the term "category". C] Community, licences are free but there are strings attached. No private individual can own a Community station, it belongs to the region it's meant to serve and is run by a committee and staffed by volunteer presenters, of which I was, once.
27mhz SSB is basically pirate radio these days and it aint matter how many complaints the fcc gets about ppl running big power they dont care
No they don't because there is no money to be made from fining CBers.. Just like joe public using a cheap baofeng HT on FRS channels. the FCC knows people do it but they also know it will cost them more to try and enforce the rules that what they will make if they fined people.. It's not logical ,as Spock would say, to pursue such a venture. The only reason you see forfeitures on ham radio is because hams have nothing better to do than to play radio rent-a-cop with eachother.
Are there any pirate stations on the now under-used AM frequency? What kind of equipment would that take compared to FM?
I don't think you need any special equipment. AM is lower quality, but is cheaper and goes further. From google: "The difference is in how the carrier wave is modulated, or altered. With AM radio, the amplitude, or overall strength, of the signal is varied to incorporate the sound information. With FM, the frequency (the number of times each second that the current changes direction) of the carrier signal is varied."
It's actually quite a bit more difficult to get an AM pirate station on the air than an FM one, but not for the reasons you'd think:
The equipment isn't difficult to obtain (or build if you're reasonably skilled with a soldering iron), but the antenna required to get out even a few blocks on the AM broadcast band is absolutely huge.
In a very basic sense, an antenna needs to be 1/2 wavelength long in order to create gain--that is to radiate more energy than is being fed into it. At 87.9 MHz, a 1/2 wavelength antenna is 5.3 ft. long, whereas a dipole antenna for 1,000 KHz (1 MHz) in the AM broadcast band is 468 ft. long.
You can see the challenge there. If you try to use a shorter antenna, you can make it work, but it radiate a signal with less power than you're using to drive it (loss instead of gain) and so will require that you pump more power, more than double in fact, into it in order to get similar results, meaning you need a larger and far more expensive amplifier. There are other challenges too, like an antenna for the AM broadcast band tends to emit most if it's signal straight up into the air if it's less than 1/2 wavelength off the ground (again, that's 468 feet)
So yeah, all that adds up to make it far easier to pirate on FM than AM. :)
The difference between AM, FM, and SSB: With FM, the neighbors hear a loud buzz in equipment receiving interference. With SSB, they hear "Donald Duck": something that sounds like a voice but makes utterly no sense. With AM, they hear you clear as a bell on everything: The TV, the radio, the telephone lines, the computer speakers, etc.
That's how mudducks and maul droppers get busted.
LimitedOptionsMan if the transmitter is built well and properly grounded, that won't happen. I can run a couple of kilowatts on the amateur shortwave bands without bothering anyone.
You and I both know that isn't true because no electric device is built with shielding any more, and amplifiers are going to amplify and rectify. Grounding has nothing to do with RFI. The RFI exists because the device has insufficient shielding and picks up any RF in the air, rectifies it and amplifies it, resulting in undesired operation. The FCC warned everyone about it decades ago, and sides with the licensed transmitter operator because many equipment designs simply had no RF filters.
If grounding had anything to do with it (and it doesn't), then a well grounded station would put more RF into the air. A perfect counterpoise maximizes the efficiency and predictability of the radiator. Grounding is just to take advantage of the fact that you've put down radials to dissipate induced static electricity over a wider area than normal.
And no, you can't run a few kilowatts on the amateur bands. 1,500 watts PEP or RMS is the maximum.
I thought this was about the movie pirate radio.
👎
Pirate radio is cool.
"Pump Up the Volumen" the movie.... who remembers?? lol #pirateRadio is great. Many of us just dont want today's All-commercials, Same-music-All-day shitty radio stations. Just a good music/topic-content space to listen too!!!!
> does not want his face to be shown
> is fine with his building being shown
Ok, now I get it that it's a lot more difficult to recognize the building... but it still kinda defeats the point...