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We need more punks running pirate radio and less Clearchannel corporate nonsense. Like anybody’s life is better because of corporate radio… I for one welcome t

We need more punks running pirate radio and less Clearchannel corporate nonsense. Like anybody’s life is better because of corporate radio… I for one welcome the interference. What is Radio being used for that’s so critical these days anyways beyond emergency spectrum stuff (that doesn’t get messed with on these spectrums to begin with)? Just remember that the system generally wants to shut down any media it can’t control. And that’s bad in times of social crisis. Pirate radio is one of those uncontrolled media forms, and its ability to disseminate unapproved information to an entire city on receiving devices that can’t be tracked is critical and NOT reliably possible using the Internet especially during crisis periods when the big dogs get involved. Support your local pirate.

CWuestefeld 3y ago
For any one, or even several, pirate stations, I wish we had what you're saying. Unfortunately it doesn't scale generally.
- happytiger 3y ago
  It's resilience to authority precisely because it doesn’t scale. But half a city in a crisis isn’t nothing. And goodness knows there have been some pretty big reach pirate stations. Its haphazard and low tech nature is the uncontrollable resilience most Internet systems lack.
  - Aurornis 3y ago
    If the goal was to disseminate information in the event of an authoritarian dystopian future, setting up a pirate radio station now and broadcasting music is a great way to ensure your plan fails completely when it's needed. Pinpointing the source of these radio transmissions isn't hard with modern equipment. Amateurs do it all the time. It's trivial to map these things out in the era of accessible flying machines and cheap technology.
tapoxi 3y ago
I'm a little biased here, since my family runs a small Boston-area AM radio station, but... no? It's not a huge business, but it is a full-time job for a few people and carries advertisements for local businesses. There are other local stations keeping the spirit alive as well (WJIB, rip Bob Bittner). Sure, you'll anger the bigger stations, but you'll also hurt all the smaller stations that play by the rules and do something interesting, and interfering with that will only hasten their inevitable death to newer (and cheaper) technologies. There are plenty of other, open broadcast mechanisms to use out there.
- everforward 3y ago
  > and carries advertisements for local businesses. Which makes it a business interest; they are beholden to businesses for survival, and businesses are generally backers of the state. Being beholden to those forces and the need to make money limits the range of interesting things a traditional station can engage in. I would agree with OP, though. The utility I get from broadcasters is so low that I would support rolling the commercial wavelengths into the non-commercial one just to see if someone can do something more interesting with it. The current approach to the spectrum seems to have run its course. I will certainly acknowledge that I don't consume any radio which colors that view, though that's not a weird situation these days. I hate radio enough that I'd rather actually pay for cell data to play my own stuff than listen to radio for free. > There are plenty of other, open broadcast mechanisms to use out there. Not with the qualities of radio. It's geographically scoped, every car has a built-in receiver for it, it's free listening is communal/simultaneous, and it's difficult to censor (relative to something centrally managed like YouTube). Various combinations of those properties give interesting possibilities that are much harder to replicate via Twitch or YouTube or IceCast.
zackmorris 3y ago
Ya the crackdown on pirate radio is along the same lines as a TikTok ban. Lawfulness has locked us down to the point where all we do is work to make rent. A little chaotic neutrality in the form of civil disobedience frees up the constraints so we can live again. I'm woefully unfamiliar with Loki philosophy, but I feel it entering our collective psyche again through the return of magic. Which loosely puts free will, awareness and consciousness above science in the material plane. Since the powers that be work through ego, a Global Awakening of the soul threatens them. Hence the million dollar fines directed at.. churches. Which tend to not go over so well, so the status quo is finding itself in a pickle for the first time since maybe the 1960s, along a number of fronts in this Silent Depression.
Aurornis 3y ago
> What is Radio being used for that’s so critical these days anyways beyond emergency spectrum stuff Everything? The only reason we're able to have nice things like GPS and Bluetooth connectivity to our cars and WiFi for our laptops is that we regulate radio frequency emissions. You may imagine non-compliance as a punk rock pirate radio station broadcasting music you like on unoccupied spectrum, but that's an edge case of an edge case. > and its ability to disseminate unapproved information to an entire city on receiving devices that can’t be tracked is critical and NOT reliably possible using the Internet especially during crisis periods when the big dogs get involved. How do we jump from pirate radio station broadcasting some music to a dystopian fantasy about people getting unauthorized information in a way that can't be tracked in a theoretical future authoritarian scenario? If you really want to communicate via radio, please look into modern amateur radio and get your FCC license. It's relatively affordable to get gear these days and as you study for the licensing test you'll start to understand why it's important that we don't just have a free-for-all on the radio spectrum.
- freeone3000 3y ago
  These aren’t on the GPS band, and 2.4GHz is explicitly unlicensed — you can’t interfere with the 2.4GHz band because it’s in a state of free-for-all (why it was chosen for wifi and bluetooth in the first place!) Pirate radio stations broadcast frequency modulated audio centered around 87-127MHz, aka FM radio. This is because they are intended to be picked up on FM radio receivers, which nearly everyone has access to. This is a case of the FCC protecting future income from sale of FM spectrum, not any issue of safety or interference with anyone who isn’t a radio station.
  - SV_BubbleTime 3y ago
    He’s pointing out the ethics of someone thinking “ if illegally broadcasting on this frequency is OK, then, so is this other frequency”. It’s broken window theory.
  - quesera 3y ago
    FWIW, in the US, the FM band is 87.9 - 107.9 MHz, odd decimals only, for 101 possible channels.
adrianmonk 3y ago
88.1 MHz to 91.9 MHz is already reserved for noncommercial operation[1]. "Corporate radio" can only operate from 92.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz. So the two pirate radio stations transmitting at 88.5 MHz and 87.7 MHz would most likely be interfering with noncommercial stations, presumably the kind of radio you say you want to protect. --- [1] See https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/how-to-apply https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/how-to-apply
fuzzfactor 3y ago
Check out the article I posted just now, might as well quote what I had: FCC Low-Power Radio, Time to Apply 1 Week Now! This will be the first Low-Power FM (LPFM) filing window to apply for a legitimate broadcasting license since 2013. This is significant because it allows for a small enough transmitter to broadcast over the regular FM airwaves, that the purchase cost of the transmitter as well as the energy needs are small enough to be affordable to an individual, even though only organizations not individuals can qualify for this type license. Looks like there is also no application fee, very uncommon. This is the hobbyist size of transmitter no bigger than a shortwave Ham radio operator would have, that is otherwise forbidden or rarely licensed for use on your regular local FM radio airwaves. Outstanding rare opportunity for educational nonprofit or Native American organizations. https://www.fcc.gov/document/lpfm-new-station-application-filing-window-procedures-and-requirements https://www.fcc.gov/document/lpfm-new-station-application-fi... Anyone eligible should really jump on this before it's too late. The application appears especially bureaucratic, but Prometheus seems like they are there to help. "LPFM Application Window Rescheduled to December 6-13 November 9, 2023 Today the FCC released a public notice delaying the upcoming LPFM filing window 5 weeks. It is now scheduled to be open from December 6, 2023 to December 13, 2023. The delay is a response to a request by LPFM advocates including Prometheus, Common Frequency, REC Networks, National Federation of Community Broadcasters and others. With the additional time, we have expanded capacity to assist nonprofit organizations applying for LFPM licenses. The best way to reach us is by email to info(at)prometheusradio.org or you can call 215-727-9620." https://www.prometheusradio.org/18-days-until-the-lpfm-window/ https://www.prometheusradio.org/18-days-until-the-lpfm-windo... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38527195 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38527195

CWuestefeld 3y ago

For any one, or even several, pirate stations, I wish we had what you're saying. Unfortunately it doesn't scale generally.

happytiger 3y ago
It's resilience to authority precisely because it doesn’t scale. But half a city in a crisis isn’t nothing. And goodness knows there have been some pretty big reach pirate stations. Its haphazard and low tech nature is the uncontrollable resilience most Internet systems lack.
- Aurornis 3y ago
  If the goal was to disseminate information in the event of an authoritarian dystopian future, setting up a pirate radio station now and broadcasting music is a great way to ensure your plan fails completely when it's needed. Pinpointing the source of these radio transmissions isn't hard with modern equipment. Amateurs do it all the time. It's trivial to map these things out in the era of accessible flying machines and cheap technology.

tapoxi 3y ago

I'm a little biased here, since my family runs a small Boston-area AM radio station, but... no? It's not a huge business, but it is a full-time job for a few people and carries advertisements for local businesses. There are other local stations keeping the spirit alive as well (WJIB, rip Bob Bittner). Sure, you'll anger the bigger stations, but you'll also hurt all the smaller stations that play by the rules and do something interesting, and interfering with that will only hasten their inevitable death to newer (and cheaper) technologies. There are plenty of other, open broadcast mechanisms to use out there.

everforward 3y ago
> and carries advertisements for local businesses. Which makes it a business interest; they are beholden to businesses for survival, and businesses are generally backers of the state. Being beholden to those forces and the need to make money limits the range of interesting things a traditional station can engage in. I would agree with OP, though. The utility I get from broadcasters is so low that I would support rolling the commercial wavelengths into the non-commercial one just to see if someone can do something more interesting with it. The current approach to the spectrum seems to have run its course. I will certainly acknowledge that I don't consume any radio which colors that view, though that's not a weird situation these days. I hate radio enough that I'd rather actually pay for cell data to play my own stuff than listen to radio for free. > There are plenty of other, open broadcast mechanisms to use out there. Not with the qualities of radio. It's geographically scoped, every car has a built-in receiver for it, it's free listening is communal/simultaneous, and it's difficult to censor (relative to something centrally managed like YouTube). Various combinations of those properties give interesting possibilities that are much harder to replicate via Twitch or YouTube or IceCast.

zackmorris 3y ago

Ya the crackdown on pirate radio is along the same lines as a TikTok ban. Lawfulness has locked us down to the point where all we do is work to make rent. A little chaotic neutrality in the form of civil disobedience frees up the constraints so we can live again. I'm woefully unfamiliar with Loki philosophy, but I feel it entering our collective psyche again through the return of magic. Which loosely puts free will, awareness and consciousness above science in the material plane. Since the powers that be work through ego, a Global Awakening of the soul threatens them. Hence the million dollar fines directed at.. churches. Which tend to not go over so well, so the status quo is finding itself in a pickle for the first time since maybe the 1960s, along a number of fronts in this Silent Depression.

Aurornis 3y ago

> What is Radio being used for that’s so critical these days anyways beyond emergency spectrum stuff Everything? The only reason we're able to have nice things like GPS and Bluetooth connectivity to our cars and WiFi for our laptops is that we regulate radio frequency emissions. You may imagine non-compliance as a punk rock pirate radio station broadcasting music you like on unoccupied spectrum, but that's an edge case of an edge case. > and its ability to disseminate unapproved information to an entire city on receiving devices that can’t be tracked is critical and NOT reliably possible using the Internet especially during crisis periods when the big dogs get involved. How do we jump from pirate radio station broadcasting some music to a dystopian fantasy about people getting unauthorized information in a way that can't be tracked in a theoretical future authoritarian scenario? If you really want to communicate via radio, please look into modern amateur radio and get your FCC license. It's relatively affordable to get gear these days and as you study for the licensing test you'll start to understand why it's important that we don't just have a free-for-all on the radio spectrum.

freeone3000 3y ago
These aren’t on the GPS band, and 2.4GHz is explicitly unlicensed — you can’t interfere with the 2.4GHz band because it’s in a state of free-for-all (why it was chosen for wifi and bluetooth in the first place!) Pirate radio stations broadcast frequency modulated audio centered around 87-127MHz, aka FM radio. This is because they are intended to be picked up on FM radio receivers, which nearly everyone has access to. This is a case of the FCC protecting future income from sale of FM spectrum, not any issue of safety or interference with anyone who isn’t a radio station.
- SV_BubbleTime 3y ago
  He’s pointing out the ethics of someone thinking “ if illegally broadcasting on this frequency is OK, then, so is this other frequency”. It’s broken window theory.
- quesera 3y ago
  FWIW, in the US, the FM band is 87.9 - 107.9 MHz, odd decimals only, for 101 possible channels.

adrianmonk 3y ago

88.1 MHz to 91.9 MHz is already reserved for noncommercial operation[1]. "Corporate radio" can only operate from 92.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz. So the two pirate radio stations transmitting at 88.5 MHz and 87.7 MHz would most likely be interfering with noncommercial stations, presumably the kind of radio you say you want to protect. --- [1] See https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/how-to-apply https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/how-to-apply

fuzzfactor 3y ago

Check out the article I posted just now, might as well quote what I had: FCC Low-Power Radio, Time to Apply 1 Week Now! This will be the first Low-Power FM (LPFM) filing window to apply for a legitimate broadcasting license since 2013. This is significant because it allows for a small enough transmitter to broadcast over the regular FM airwaves, that the purchase cost of the transmitter as well as the energy needs are small enough to be affordable to an individual, even though only organizations not individuals can qualify for this type license. Looks like there is also no application fee, very uncommon. This is the hobbyist size of transmitter no bigger than a shortwave Ham radio operator would have, that is otherwise forbidden or rarely licensed for use on your regular local FM radio airwaves. Outstanding rare opportunity for educational nonprofit or Native American organizations. https://www.fcc.gov/document/lpfm-new-station-application-filing-window-procedures-and-requirements https://www.fcc.gov/document/lpfm-new-station-application-fi... Anyone eligible should really jump on this before it's too late. The application appears especially bureaucratic, but Prometheus seems like they are there to help. "LPFM Application Window Rescheduled to December 6-13 November 9, 2023 Today the FCC released a public notice delaying the upcoming LPFM filing window 5 weeks. It is now scheduled to be open from December 6, 2023 to December 13, 2023. The delay is a response to a request by LPFM advocates including Prometheus, Common Frequency, REC Networks, National Federation of Community Broadcasters and others. With the additional time, we have expanded capacity to assist nonprofit organizations applying for LFPM licenses. The best way to reach us is by email to info(at)prometheusradio.org or you can call 215-727-9620." https://www.prometheusradio.org/18-days-until-the-lpfm-window/ https://www.prometheusradio.org/18-days-until-the-lpfm-windo... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38527195 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38527195