Starting out on Pirate

[Weighted_Cube (Ali)]

Hey guys, it's me Weighted here.

I was considering having a pirate radio station for a while now and I thought I might as well get into it before it dies on SW. I was checking out this transmitter here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/131528950533 but I need to ask if you guys have any recommendations. I do have some experience with soldering things onto a PCB.

I live in a busy city and therefore would be easy to hide it so I was considering having the transmitter, a cheap mp3 player and batteries (24 AA batteries cost around 2 pounds) but I want to know if I would need to get a modulator for it to function as I want it to as I only want it around 10-15 watts.

My second question is if I need anything else except for the batteries, mp3 player and the transmitter.

I think I would be secure email wise as I can always use ProtonMail to receive and check emails as it's very secure.

Anyways, those are my questions for now

-Weighted

[ff]

Hi WC

1) The Ebay Lulu transmitter is definitely NOT for newbs.  Too hard to build.  "Some experience" will not be enough.  But this kit is a Godsend for seasoned builders who want to forego the "pleasure" of constructing from scratch.  Please see my posts on the other thread. 

2) If anything, pirate radio will SAVE shortwave, at least for the forseeable future.  The shortwave bands have not been financially viable for a long time and now most government users are abandoning it for the Internet.  Pirates don't give a fig about making $$$.  And most pirates still respect and appreciate their listeners which makes them the MOST reliable QSL-ers left.  The mass exodus of "legit" stations leave much more space for unfettered pirate operations.  As long as the listeners keep listening, the pirates will keep doing what they do, because they are motivated by things other than dollars, dogma, and damnation.

3) Good luck fitting a resonant shortwave antenna into the city space you are talking about.  Shortwave is NOT a good medium for reaching the neighbors but its a GREAT way to reach the entire region.  Time for some serious research, reflection, and rethink. 

Whatever you decide to do - have fun and be safe...

[Weighted_Cube (Ali)]

Well, considering that I live in London; hiding the transmitter in a bush would be easy.

Tbh, I aim to have a 15 watt output if possible and if you got any suggestions for a transmitter; go ahead but I did see that you were talking about Radio Anarchy's Guerilla kit which should be adequate.

Hiding a transmitter in a park would be easy as police NEVER tread in the parks around my area and mostly around the poorer parts of London because of gang crime. That being said, I aim for this to be national and not in the local area as I find it more of a challenge if I do so and likelihood of being found out is low because of the people density and the over abundance on hiding spots therefore hiding a antenna in dense bushes are very likely to work.

[ff]

Well, considering that I live in London; hiding the transmitter in a bush would be easy.

But hiding the necessary antenna for shortwave is not.  We are not talking about the FM band here.  As I said WC, its time for some research on your part.  Then and only then will you have an idea about how to go forth with what you would like to accomplish.

[Weighted_Cube (Ali)]

So are you telling me that I would need a resonant loop antenna focused on the 'magic' frequencies of pirate radio which is connected to the Radio Anarchy Guerrilla transmitter with a audio modulator and that audio modulator connected to the cheap mp3 player?

So far, I understand what you are trying to tell me and I do appreciate the help and because of the need for a resonant loop antenna, do you have any that you suggest? For instance, any pre-made ones or good designs?

It's pretty difficult to get relevant articles on the internet as people who teach how to build these things are rarer than the ones which teach you how to listen to them   - fortunately this forum exists 

[ff]

It's pretty difficult to get relevant articles on the internet as people who teach how to build these things are rarer than the ones which teach you how to listen to them   - fortunately this forum exists 

Nobody can truly teach this stuff WC.  Once you choose to build a transmitter rather than to buy something pre-made, you begin a learning journey.  Even if one is well-versed in electrical theory, RF circuits bring a whole new dimension to the fore.  You enter a realm where component leads act like antennas, where poor solder joints and cladded circuit boards exhibit capacitance, and where even the orientation of many components will determine whether your circuit works properly or not.  That's why we chose the name "Black Arts".  Like your Doctor who progressively gains his expertise by practicing the medical arts, transmitter builders must practice their craft in order to become successful at building progressively more ambitious projects. 

If you are trained in electrical engineering then I would say you are ready to start the journey.  If not, then you need to start small, and take baby steps toward your goal.  Like it or not, there is no other way.  You will never learn what you need to learn by bouncing posts back and forth on this or any forum.  We exist to share experience and provide support for fellow builders.  Nobody here can solve another's problems because nobody here can ever be present at another's workbench.  If you should decide that you would like to start the journey, we're happy to provide support if we can.  One site that I often recommend for newbs is makerf.com which covers the very basics and does it in a fun and interesting way.  He has some starter circuits - including a small shortwave transmitter.  Then with some electronics study on the side you might be ready for Radio Anarchy's Guerilla.  Start small and build on your successes.  Step by step, one foot in front of the other.  That's how the journey is made.

If you decide this is not for you, I understand.  In that case I would recommend you purchase your rig.  It is much easier, and you'll save a lot of frustration.  As to your Antenna question - a resonant antenna is all you need - dipole, inverted vee or similar.  You will need some real planning to fit one of them into a city environment. Getting into more arcane designs such as loops require a lot of complicated impedance matching and tuning.   However you decide to proceed WC, good luck with your project...

[Weighted_Cube (Ali)]

I appreciate the help ff, and after a day of debating I decided to continue with the project.

Pirate radio is more than just listening to it, you can do it yourself and even if the police are behind you from every step of the way; there is an art to it which to me is something I would like to participate.

So I appreciate the help which has let me finally realise that it's difficult to start the hobby, at the end its rewarding.

After checking out the makerf.com site, I decided to find a good spot to set a station up. I live close to the countryside and a national park so it should be easier to put it up. Since its fairly remote, a inverted vee should be easier to put up as there is a higher density of woodland and therefore more difficult to spot. After a little more planning, the setup will be camoflagued and the antenna also camoed to make it more natural.