this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2024
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So, those harmonics I mentioned, for the FM broadcast band between 88 MHz and 109 MHz, they're between 176 MHz and 218 MHz.
Guess what?
They're allocated to other services, specifically television and digital audio broadcasting.
I can guarantee if you power up a "low power FM transmission" that the FCC will come and find you and rain hellfire on you.
It would be entertaining for the audience to be sure, but I'm not convinced that it would "get folks interested in radio". You could do a roaring trade in popcorn.
In case you're not convinced, the FCC fines are hefty and low power isn't a thing. My legal amateur radio beacon uses 10 milliwatts and has been heard 13,945 km (8,665 miles) away.
So, regardless of content, that's not the way to win friends..
People are put off of amateur radio because so many hams are extremely cop-brained and expect everyone should have to comply to century old rules and norms about how to operate otherwise it's assumed that you're just blowing up the spectrum
I am a licensed amateur and the only thing that changed from when I was unlicensed is that the boomers on the FM voice repeaters around me won't yell at me for interrupting their conversation about their ex-wives or whatever now
Good RF circuitry has never been easier to make/acquire now that we live in the era of semiconductors
Yeah and my WiFi router blasting 10 times that barely makes it through a couple of walls
Completely dependent on conditions and equipment
Also, lmao, there have been some high-profile cases and they have the PIRATE act now but there's still lots of pirate FM stations out there lol
Pirate radio is cool and good
Pirate radio ≠ amateur radio.
In the US at least, the barriers to entry to get one’s license has fallen so dramatically that there is no excuse to get the license and operate in harmony with all others.
Part of being a good amateur is operating within the very generous band plan we enjoy, so generous that everything one would do under pirate radio can be done while licensed: 135khz all the way above 275Ghz.
That the rules are a century old, with periodic revisions, is testament to their flexibility and continued pertinence; they’ve so far stood the test of time.
Are there dunces on the amateur spectrum? Certainly. There’s dunces at the supermarket, too. That’s inescapable. That “cop-brained” mentality you’ve mentioned is not a symptom of the amateur rules nor your so-called cop-brained mentality, but the natural desire to protect a privilege we enjoy.
The treatment you earned on the repeaters while operating unlicensed is on you.
We're going to need more popcorn...