FM broadcast stations

phil · Post by **phil** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 3:28 pm

Make Magazine is sponsoring its Maker Faire on April 22 & 23 in San Mateo, CA. Among the workshops is Antenna 101, which will teach how to make and tune antennas for transmitters, including WiFi, FM radio, and TV. Participants in the workshop will make and tune an FM broadcasts antenna.

The workshop is taught by Stephen Dunifer, founder of Radio Free Berkeley. RFB, by the way, is having "Radio Camps" this summer. These 4-day workshops will teach participants how to build an FM transmitter and set up a low-power community radio station.

RFB is at http://www.freeradio.org/.

The antenna workshop is at http://makezine.com/pub/ev/131.

The FCC's page on Low Power FM radio is at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/lpfm/.

I have no clue whether these would be legal at Burning Man, nor how to get a license to operate a low power station on the playa.

MrMullen · Post by **MrMullen** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 5:34 pm

Very interesting, but here is the key part:

LPFM stations are available to noncommercial educational entities and public safety and transportation organizations, but are not available to individuals or for commercial operations.

I still think the keeps most stations off the air, but I think it is safe to say that the FCC is not going after people at Burningman.

This has me thinking, my Siruis Satellite radio player will rebroadcast the incoming signal for about 100 feet on a FM station that I pick. It seems funny that this would seem to be against the above rule.

regionalchaos · Post by **regionalchaos** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 7:22 pm

MrMullen wrote:This has me thinking, my Siruis Satellite radio player will rebroadcast the incoming signal for about 100 feet on a FM station that I pick. It seems funny that this would seem to be against the above rule.

The iTrip, and similar devices will transmit like that as well. I'm sure there is an range or exception that are classified under.

spectabillis · Post by **spectabillis** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:39 pm

thanks for this info phil.

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 7:37 pm

These kits and assembled radios are covered by another part of part 15, so they appear to be legal FM and AM broadcast transmitters:

http://www.sstran.com/
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/hk/def ... ?page=amfm
http://www.kenneke.com/AMFMSWTransmitters.html

Ramsey has a page on FCC rules:
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/resour ... p?page=fcc
which appears to be an interesting summary, encouraging buyers to live within the rules.

The range of transmitters in this part of the FCC rules is probably a few thousand feet under normal circumstances. I'm wondering if being on the playa would extend the range to cover much of our fellow burners, since we have no obstacles in the path of even a short antenna mast.

mister jason · Post by **mister jason** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 1:29 pm

While Part 15 of the FCC rules allows for some unlicensed broadcasting, it is extremely restrictive in order to prevent its legal use by pirates.

A transmission that'd cover any reasonable amount of area in BRC *could* almost certainly be considered illegal by the FCC if they so desired. Those broadcasting are generally operating within reasonable parameters and do their best to avoid interfering with other broadcast stations in the area to minimize the potential for attracting undesired attention from the powers that be.

Since BM is temporary and relatively short-lived each year, probably the worst they'd bother to do is shut you down and/or gank equipment. I don't know of this ever actually happening, but one should always be prepared for this possibility.

Post by **mdmf007** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:02 pm

I couldnt agree with you more -

In a former life though I was an FCC investigator. There is no way the FCC is going to take regulatory action beyond a few nastygrams on the Playa. As long as you are not swearing up a storm, or defaming anyone, you can broadcast all you want.

100% of regulatory action at the FCC is complaint driven. If no one coomplains no one cares. - even the mighty FCC. (if you kept your transmitter at 30-50 watts youd cover the entire burn area, with little slopover past Gerlach)

seeyou on the playa.

mister jason · Post by **mister jason** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:31 pm

awesome. thanks for the input.

mdmf007 wrote:I couldnt agree with you more -
(if you kept your transmitter at 30-50 watts youd cover the entire burn area, with little slopover past Gerlach)

Last year we...er, I heard that someone could have reached quite a bit beyond that mark with just over 15 watts ERP.

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:53 am

mister jason wrote:awesome. thanks for the input.

mdmf007 wrote:I couldnt agree with you more -
(if you kept your transmitter at 30-50 watts youd cover the entire burn area, with little slopover past Gerlach)

Last year we...er, I heard that someone could have reached quite a bit beyond that mark with just over 15 watts ERP. :wink:

Um... depending on the antenna system. location within BRC, height, and other such variables, it's rumored you can cover all the way to Bruno's on 1/10th of that. Rumored, I said. Not that anyone would do that. Nope. Wouldn't happen. >grins<

bb

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:08 pm

Found this link by accident.
I was originally looking for the more recent posting a few weeks ago about the usb fm transmitter.
If anyone finds that one again it would be nice if a link to that thread were posted on here and vise versa.

Yep, I'm working on something.

Thanks.

phil · Post by **phil** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:29 pm

Is this it:

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=17119

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:17 pm

The intent of restrictions is to prevent sloppy operation and interference with other equipment.
I don't think the fcc follows their mandate in any respect any longer.
We had a cb moron driving everyone crazy using a massive directional antenna and huge power.
No action by the fcc.
I finally jammed him myself.
I aimed a signal right down the throat of his antenna.

We had a 'pirate' radio station that was the best programmed thing in town.
They ran a clean signal, low power.
They were run by volunteers at a co-op, non-profit.
The fcc shut them down.
I have not listened to a local station since then.
They were much more interesting than the one volunteer station left.

Any stations broadcasting on the playa will be taken off the air by the end of september.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:33 pm

phil wrote:Is this it:

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=17119

Yepper!

Thanks Phil.