Messages

511

General Radio Discussion / Re: Is 87.7 MHz a good FM pirate frequency?

« on: September 29, 2014, 2025 UTC »

Licesed FM stations are bound to complain, just because you're out there, interference or not.  The interference they're really most concerned with, is interference to their ability to make money.  This is why licensed stations routinely file objections to the proposed licensing of ANY new stations in their areas with the FCC.

It would be a good frequency to get heard on, but, anyone who keeps track of such things will instantly know that you're a pirate station, and it could be reported that much quicker.  If it were me, I would look for a clear frequency somewhere above the educational portion of the band (92.0 MHz + ?), and "hide" amongst the licensed stations.  (There may be more clear frequencies from 88 to 92 MHz, but you're more likely to stick out there also as "something that doesn't belong"... but then again, a station playing bluegrass music might be temporarily mistaken for an NPR show...).

512

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Undercover Radio 6925 AM 2242 UTC 28 Sep 2014

« on: September 28, 2014, 2345 UTC »

Undercover Radio, 6925 kHz AM, 9/28/2014,

2320 UTC- 'Radar Love

ID as "20th Anniversary Show". Dr. Benway talks about starting pirating in mid-70s with a Johnson Viking II,
GLORY HALLELUJAH! Tell it, Doctor!

Signal varying from S-5 to S-9 peaks.
SINPO=34343

Starting to lose it at 2345 UTC, with LSB interference.  Switching to USB to listen.
Ah, guess that's what he did.  Thanks for the shoutout.

513

General Radio Discussion / Re: YHWH - 9/27 update

« on: September 28, 2014, 2338 UTC »

If the FCC busts YHWH,
we may rest assured that they shall burn in Hell for all eternity.

Maybe they'll even catch a nice lightning-bolt or two on their monitoring network.

514

General Radio Discussion / Re: RadioShack warns of possible Ch. 11 bankruptcy

« on: September 13, 2014, 2102 UTC »

"Channel 11:  The Bankruptcy Channel"

I better call my cable company and ask when they'll be carrying this...

515

General Radio Discussion / Re: Avoiding the FCC

« on: September 13, 2014, 2056 UTC »

New York City has been THE pirate hotspot in the US for more than thirty years.  

Florida seems to have many pirate stations that cater to many different non-English speaking immigrant communities, although the same holds true in NYC and many other locales in the country.

No, the FCC doesn't really care what you're programming (except for indecencies, I suppose), but the programming could make a difference in whether complaints get filed with them, or how many....

516

General Radio Discussion / Re: Long-Range direction finding

« on: September 13, 2014, 2044 UTC »

"On Tuesday, July 15^th and Wednesday, July 16^th, you were heard by a
   Commission employee operating your amateur radio station for 20 minutes
   without identifying in a timely manner.  The Commission employee used
   direction finding equipment and confirmed the transmissions were coming
   from your location.  The employee recorded the offending transmissions and
   provided undersigned counsel with recordings of the incident in question.
   Should you desire a copy of the recording, one will be made available to
   you.

  "This incident constitutes a failure to properly transmit your assigned
   call sign in violation of the Commission's rules. Your operation as
   described above is contrary to the basis and purpose of the amateur radio
   service as set out in Section 97.1 and is a violation of Section 97.119(a)
   of the Commission's rules.^ Section 97.119(a) states that "[e]ach amateur
   station . . . must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting
   channel at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes
   during a communication . . ." Please be advised that the Commission
   expects you to abide by its rules."


The way this reads, the guy may have IDed at some point, but not the required amount of times... in which case the long-range DF would only have been used to confirm that the transmissions originated from the general known location of the licensee in question.

I don't believe the FCC would send a notice like this, based on a long-range DF only, without the operator having IDed at some point.  That seems more like a "guess".

"The Commission employee used direction finding equipment and confirmed the transmissions were coming from your location."

Ah-- so that does read as if they had an address from license records, and just used the DF to confirm that the signals originated from that general area.

517

General Radio Discussion / Re: Avoiding the FCC

« on: September 13, 2014, 2029 UTC »

The FCC doesn't have the manpower or man-hours to track everyone down who may happen to turn on a transmitter without a license.  They mainly respond to complaints, and most of those pertain to FM pirate stations (for which they have a very long list, especially in Florida and New York).  

If you can avoid complaints, you can operate on shortwave for years.  I ran for almost seven years on shortwave, for many hours, on a fairly regular schedule, before they took notice of me-- about a month after I ran afoul of a certain long-eared furry competitor. (Coincidence?  Many think not, but that's a whole 'nother long story.)  Their notice to me stated plainly that they were responding to a reported complaint.

Yes, long-range direction-finding may be advanced enough now to narrow things down to a neighborhood, but it won't give the FCC an address.  They have to do that close-in with a DF vehicle, and that usually requires some degree of planning on their part, and for that they like "sitting ducks"-- stations that show up in the same place all the time on the long-range DFs.  If the station uses sites many miles apart, or operates as a mobile, or operates very sporadically, they make it much more difficult for the FCC to plan any stakeout of locations which may be many hours from the nearest FCC field office.  If they can't have a clear idea of where you'll be and when you'll be on, they are unlikely to even try... especially during the overtime hours when most HF pirates operate.

Even if long-range DF could narrow things down to a building, they would still have to have someone on the ground to try to identify a particular person responsible for the transmissions, at the time they are being made....

518

General Radio Discussion / Re: FCC to Radio Pirates: $15,000 Arrgh!

« on: July 12, 2014, 1021 UTC »

The check is in the mail.

No, really.

519

Huh? / Re: Arrrrgh! Pirate ship sails again

« on: July 11, 2014, 0422 UTC »

"The 43-foot vessel can also be rented for children’s birthday parties, weddings and other special events"...

Is anyone else thinking what I am thinking?

 

520

Huh? / Re: Fourth of July Weekend 2014 in Retrospect

« on: July 11, 2014, 0417 UTC »

The Deguello is what the Mexican Army played before the final assault on the Alamo. Probably Mexican military types sending a greeting to their neighbors to the north for the Fourth.

Yeah.  Kinda creepy, that.

521

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio True North (NW) 6925 AM 0406z

« on: July 04, 2014, 0419 UTC »

S-5 in Lansing, MI in USB-- only way I can hear through the local noise.

522

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Whiskey Redneck Radio 6925 USB *0203 UTC 3July14

« on: July 03, 2014, 0245 UTC »

GOT IT RIGHT, finally, it's 6925.09 usb here. Sounds much better there.

"Boy named Sue", Johnny Cash at 0245 UTC.

523

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Whiskey Redneck Radio 6925 USB *0203 UTC 3July14

« on: July 03, 2014, 0239 UTC »

Got em about S-6/S-7 in Lansing Michigan since 0210 UTC...

Having a hard time tuning it in, seems best at about 6925.09 kHz USB on the R-75.
Playing some classic country tunes circa 40s-50s.

DJ commented about not having any whiskey tonight,  (that was the "secret"), "it takes 45 minutes to get to the store," etc. "Coming to you from the Deep South, Whiskey Redneck Radio".  Keeps saying "Let's get it Onnn!"

Peaking S-9 now at 0311 UTC.

524

General Radio Discussion / Re: has anyone ever thought about...

« on: June 17, 2014, 2300 UTC »

"...a lot of them assume that God will send them listeners...."


Heh, that's funny-- I've always assumed the same thing!


As for buying time on WBCQ, well, I've said this before....

I'm a radio pirate.  Running shows on WBCQ is NOT pirate radio.

525

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Wolverine Radio 6935 USB 0139z 6/8/14

« on: June 08, 2014, 0148 UTC »

Interval signal "testing 1 2 3, can anybody hear me" (Barenaked Ladies)

"Wolverine Radio" ID, into "My blue heaven" at 0140 UTC.
"Deep Purple" at 0146.

Killer 20 over S-9 signal here.