Welcome to the Free Radio Forums . Pirate radio stations usually use the same frequencies/channels that you can pick up on a normal radio. There are three major bands that Pirate stations use- shortwave, AM (also known as MW or BC band 530-1710KHz), and FM (87.9-107.9MHz)
Unless you know of a pirate radio station that operates not far from you there is only a slight chance that you will pick up on on the regular AM/FM radio. However you should still try and tune around. Most pirates only broadcast at random times and days/nights. Very few keep a schedule because it makes it easier for the FCC to track them down and bust the illegal station.
Shortwave is really the best form of radio to use to pick up the far away pirates because of SW (shortwave) ability to skip signals from far away. But a good SW radio will cost you some money and you also need to setup a good antenna which is usually a long 30-60 foot peice of wire. SW pirates can be heard broadcasting around 6.855-6.955MHz in the US, or just above 6.200MHz and 7.375MHz outside of the US (mostly Europe). If you do get a SW radio I highly suggest getting one with a digital display. The older analog dials don't give a good idea of what frequency you are listening to and since most SW pirates tell you when to tune in and on what specific frequency on internet forums and stuff, well you get the idea.
If you don't have access to a SW radio then I would start with your basic AM/FM stereo receiver. Use a good one and a good antenna. Start with FM and just tune around. If you find a station that has no commercials, weird DJs or only a mono signal then there is a good chance it could be pirate. If no luck then try AM radio in the early morning hours and right before sunset. Usual channels pirates use on AM are from 1610-1710KHz on the dial.
If you still don't have any luck then don't be discuraged. This is a hobby for both the broadcasters and the listeners. Your best bet is to see if there are any illegal stations around your area by checking on the web for sites and talking to some people into radio "DXing".
If you can't find a darn thing on the dial then there is always the internet and webcasts. A lot of pirates today broadcast not only on radio but also have live or recorded shows on the internet for those not in the listening range.
If I were to broadcast from a fixed location, how long would it take the FCC to track me down? Is it only the FCC that can find pirate stations?
That depends on a tonne of factors.
If you operate with political talk, putting you more in the clandestine class of pirate, expect to be caught the same day.
If you're an average Joe station, they probably won't bother until someone complains or you get popular (and therefore a threat to the commercial stations).
If you cause interference or run high power, it'll take as long as for them to track you down.
If you're a "micropower", covering a community block, they may never bother you.
Depends on your FCC office too... some are layed back, some polish their machine guns while chewing on toothpicks when they're bored
Your behavior, dictates how long you will be on more than anything. Your technical operation, also affects how long you stay on the air. Kind of like a drivers license; some people are able to drive for decades without a license, while others managed to get popped the same day. I know some undocumented broadcasters, who have been on for decades, running 40 watts or more; while others manage to get busted running a 25 milliwatt Ramsey, within weeks after turning it on.
It's true, political talk is very likely to get you tagged; because someone is going to get teed off at your point of view, and will go out of their way to silence you. If even happens to license broadcasters; where someone tries to go after their station for something a talk show host said. Keep your music, radio clean too; if it has four letter words, don't air it!
If you keep a low profile, and do your best to blend in, keep your power low and be responsible with your program content; you could survive for years. If you are in a normal residential neighborhood, keep your FM power under a watt; so you don't overload nearby radios. I know in my area, I overload some nearby radios with less than a watt; I would not dare crank it up.
I generally stay away from politics and stuff like that. If I talk on the air its to announce the artists name or song name... I'm currently broadcasting out of my tool shed in my backyard... but my paranoia keeps growing. I'm broadcasting with a 40 watt FM HLLY transmitter and a homemade 6 watt tube AM transmitter broadcasting on 102.7 FM and 1610 AM.
I play mostly underground rock bands... "coldplay and shins" type of music
ooh one last thing. I looked up FCC offices here in Arizona and there is one but its located way out in the middle of nowhere, if i remember corectly its near the border of new mexico and texas
ooh one last thing. I looked up FCC offices here in Arizona and there is one but its located way out in the middle of nowhere, if i remember corectly its near the border of new mexico and texas
It's the mobiles you gotta worry about
1) FCC gets complaint.
2) If out of the tracking station range, they send a mobile unit. This can remain deployed for days to weeks, gathering evidence and recordings.
3) Depending on the action the head dude at the local office wants to take, you could receive a visit to investigate the complaintants claim, a notice to shut down, or get a National Guard-style raid (it has happened and recently).
To add to what cmradio said, just because you don't live near a field office doesn't mean there aren't people who may even live in your town who are certified to monitor for the FCC. The only field office near me is too far away to monitor AM/FM from my town so I am safe from that, however there is a guy who lives in my town who is a certified FCC official. He even has the FCC logo (with the little c inside the big C) stickered to the side of his truck. Luckly he doesn't care too much and sticks mostly to other FCC tasks rather than monitoring much.
Like everyone else said, it only takes one asshole to call you in and that could end the fun if the field ops take the time to track you down. One of the golden rules of pirate broadcasting is if you're freaked out about getting caught, you probably shouldn't be doing pirate radio
Just play nice over the air and make sure your signal is clean and only powerful enough to reach your audience. Any more power than that is a waste and more likely to get the wrong people listening.
Post by nocksincane on May 23, 2009 20:22:47 GMT -6
I know that the FCC can enter your house without a warrent to inspect and not seize, refusal is a 7,000$ fine. The best thing you can do if they come to your door is ask for ID, then ask if they can wait so you can call there base to confirm they are who they say they are and then go back inside and destroy or hide what ever is incriminating and come back out and let them in. This is assuming they havn't got enough to raid you already and are looking for more details.
I know that the FCC can enter your house without a warrent to inspect and not seize, refusal is a 7,000$ fine. The best thing you can do if they come to your door is ask for ID, then ask if they can wait so you can call there base to confirm they are who they say they are and then go back inside and destroy or hide what ever is incriminating and come back out and let them in. This is assuming they havn't got enough to raid you already and are looking for more details.
Got to love how they blatantly break the fourth amendment but yet we pirates are the ones who get in trouble. I swear if one of these guys comes into my house and does this I will see them in court with my bill of rights disputing on my 1st and 4th rights as a human being in the US.
" I'm broadcasting with a 40 watt FM HLLY transmitter and a homemade 6 watt tube AM transmitter broadcasting on 102.7 FM and 1610 AM." I would not worry about the AM to much; the HLLY, would stress me out, knowing how dirty their RF can be. I had one on a scope, where the harmonic was almost as strong as the fundamental; the spurs about as bad as you can get. Double check yours for spurs and harmonics; while you can't eliminate the spurs easily, a good 9 element filter should tame the harmonics.
Being in Arizona, during a sizzling hot summer; might detour an agent from trolling around for hours collecting evidence in a boiling hot car.
>If you're a "micropower", covering a community block, they may >never bother you. > I just want to make this point: a micropower covering a community block is most likely a legal part-15, and therefore by definition not a pirate. A full service radio station may not be what they intended when they allowed for part-15 transmitters, but none the less it is legal.
If I mount the transmitter and antenna in my car and broadcast in my daily commute. will it be harder to track?
power wont be an issue for me as it wont bother me to bolt some solar panels in the roof of my car. (i got the electronics figured out) Also, i have my broadcast format already made on my laptop. Days in arizona are sunny for hours on end, so powering the solar panels wont be that big of an issue.
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