3 ms·

They should allocate a portion of FM for the public to use as a wild west. May the strongest transmitter win.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
RF_Enthusiast 4y ago
They (governments) can't do this without some kind of control over the transmitter used. "Wild" transmitters would have spurious emissions that could land in critical frequency bands-- for example, they could interfere with air traffic frequencies, or frequencies for first responders.
- user3939382 4y ago
  I met wild in terms of interference within the theoretical band range, not bleeding outside it. Poor transmitter quality can always be an issue.
  - RF_Enthusiast 4y ago
    I think technology exists that could make that part of the concept work, but it would require certified transmitters that automatically check in with a database daily or hourly. There's also the issue of radiation danger. A human can not be close to a high (or medium) power FM antenna for any length of time without adverse health effects. And a human can't really be around a low power FM antenna (i.e., 10-100 watts) for extended periods. The health issue would be a problem with the "wild" idea. New Zealand has a popular service like you mentioned, but the limit is 1 watt. But in many cases, that can cover a town.
unethical_ban 4y ago
Isn't that what shortwave is for? Somewhere in the 5 MHz if I recall. It isn't installed in cars but you can buy receivers on Amazon. I think the licensing is minimal.
- RF_Enthusiast 4y ago
  The licensing for USA shortwave broadcasting is very difficult. For AM or single-sideband, you have to run a minimum transmitter output of 50,000 watts with a directional antenna. For digital/DRM, the minimum is 10,000 watts with a directional antenna. I point out "directional" because it's very expensive at those power levels. You also need to pay for each transmitter-hour per quarter, for international coordination. In addition, you need to demonstrate that your signal will reach at least one other country than the USA. Often these antenna arrays take up many, many acres of land.
  - unethical_ban 4y ago
    I stand corrected. That's pretty nuts... especially that the people using it are often some pretty radical stations. I rememeber tuning in on a web-sdr site and hearing some of the really post-apocalyptic stuff coming out of the Appalachians. Felt like Fallout.
    - RF_Enthusiast 4y ago
      I think I know the station you're talking about. It's up in Maine-- one of their frequencies run the Overcomer Ministry and another one has dome theory flat earth programming called Worlds Last Chance. That's WBCQ. Check out the mind blowing antenna arrays at: <https://swling.com/blog/tag/wbcq-the-planet/ https://swling.com/blog/tag/wbcq-the-planet/>

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

They (governments) can't do this without some kind of control over the transmitter used. "Wild" transmitters would have spurious emissions that could land in critical frequency bands-- for example, they could interfere with air traffic frequencies, or frequencies for first responders.

user3939382 4y ago
I met wild in terms of interference within the theoretical band range, not bleeding outside it. Poor transmitter quality can always be an issue.
- RF_Enthusiast 4y ago
  I think technology exists that could make that part of the concept work, but it would require certified transmitters that automatically check in with a database daily or hourly. There's also the issue of radiation danger. A human can not be close to a high (or medium) power FM antenna for any length of time without adverse health effects. And a human can't really be around a low power FM antenna (i.e., 10-100 watts) for extended periods. The health issue would be a problem with the "wild" idea. New Zealand has a popular service like you mentioned, but the limit is 1 watt. But in many cases, that can cover a town.

unethical_ban 4y ago

Isn't that what shortwave is for? Somewhere in the 5 MHz if I recall. It isn't installed in cars but you can buy receivers on Amazon. I think the licensing is minimal.

RF_Enthusiast 4y ago
The licensing for USA shortwave broadcasting is very difficult. For AM or single-sideband, you have to run a minimum transmitter output of 50,000 watts with a directional antenna. For digital/DRM, the minimum is 10,000 watts with a directional antenna. I point out "directional" because it's very expensive at those power levels. You also need to pay for each transmitter-hour per quarter, for international coordination. In addition, you need to demonstrate that your signal will reach at least one other country than the USA. Often these antenna arrays take up many, many acres of land.
- unethical_ban 4y ago
  I stand corrected. That's pretty nuts... especially that the people using it are often some pretty radical stations. I rememeber tuning in on a web-sdr site and hearing some of the really post-apocalyptic stuff coming out of the Appalachians. Felt like Fallout.
  - RF_Enthusiast 4y ago
    I think I know the station you're talking about. It's up in Maine-- one of their frequencies run the Overcomer Ministry and another one has dome theory flat earth programming called Worlds Last Chance. That's WBCQ. Check out the mind blowing antenna arrays at: <https://swling.com/blog/tag/wbcq-the-planet/ https://swling.com/blog/tag/wbcq-the-planet/>