Comments on: Pirate Radio

by: Luke

Fri, 23 Sep 2005 18:08:40 +0000

Great post, glad to see that the MCAD event was discussed… I myself attended it, along with several fellow pirates I gathered up from across the Midwest, and we all thought it was a great time. :D

I just wanted to briefly make the point, for anyone else who might stumble across the post a few months late, like I did… that neither the FCC nor anyone else “set aside” 97.7 for the purposes of this event. The legal status of the broadcasts comes not from any special dispensation, but from their extremely low power, which is allowed under Part 15 regulations. This is approximately 50 milliwatts, which under the right circumstances can provide a weak but car-listenable signal for 700-800 feet. I wish that Part 15 allowed higher powers… but unfortunately, that’s just not the case.

by: Mike

Wed, 20 Oct 2004 22:05:06 +0000

Garret, you know it’s completely against the rules to change tones mid-point. You lose.

by: Big, Bald, & Beautiful

Wed, 20 Oct 2004 22:01:39 +0000

The middle of the night huh? Do tell.

by: Garret Anderson

Mon, 11 Oct 2004 22:56:39 +0000

First, fuck the 1996 Telecommunications act. Second, if the power is boosted on the transmitters local radio stations have crews to immediately locate the source and shut it down before it interferes with their signal. Third, even in Eagan, certain individuals hijack radio towers in the middle of the night and broadcast pirate transmissions - so illegal and so beautiful. Does it seem like my third “point” is non-congruent tonally with my first two “points?”