Pirate radio: the pros and the cons

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ryan_paul
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Pirate radio: the pros and the cons

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michael4444
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Pirate radio: the pros and the cons

Post by michael4444 »

ofcom say this:

It said that illegal broadcasts can cause havoc with emergency service

how the hell does this happend? Now is,nt the emergency service no where near fm radio station.

Is,nt this all down to having the money and a license?

One thing is true ,they do interfering with legitimate radio stations.



But it must be cool running a pirate radio and having your music on for a change.
kc
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Re: Pirate radio: the pros and the cons

Post by kc »

michael4444 wrote: It said that illegal broadcasts can cause havoc with emergency service
That is what they say. "could", "can" , etc etc. No one can defend themselves against that. Any transmission COULD cause interference. Any transmitter CAN cause problems.
And transmitters not only cause interference due to the fundamental frequency in use, but also via harmonics, as well as IF's & mixtures of the IF's in use.
But a Broadcast transmitter, like any transmitter can be run into a band pass filter & thus eliminate any interference out of band.
Also the term is not "Pirate" but "Free" radio. By accepting & using the term pirate people are contributing the mis held belief that these stations are broadcasting using something that the government legitimately owns...The very air that we breath.
They are not.
So I passed this test that allows me to twiddle with knobs, push buttons & call my self an Advanced !!!!!!!
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Post by kc »

No government can legitimately own air, no matter what they choose to think.
Yes we need some form of control, but the governments bully boy tactics to protect it's & the ILR's grossly obscene profits is making any form of control harder.
So I passed this test that allows me to twiddle with knobs, push buttons & call my self an Advanced !!!!!!!
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Robin1
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Post by Robin1 »

Apart of me likes the sound of setting up your radio station!!

:twisted: :-#
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sikpuppy
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Post by sikpuppy »

there used to be a couple of pirate stn,s in edinburgh years ago.i remember listening to them
108 TM 666
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Post by 5thElement »

I remember years ago desperately wanting to setup a pirate station for the local area, never came to anything in the end though lol these days i didn't even think that there's a thriving audience for it, purely because of the widespread usage of the internet and online music sites etc but i suppose there are still plenty active pirate stations!
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Post by theEarwigger »

OFCOM are mostly down on the copyright aspects. The interference angle is largely a smokescreen.

The Chinese will gladly sell you a 100W pirate radio transmitter through eBay.

tE
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Post by kc »

If anyone wants a circuit diagram let me know as those chinese TX's available via ebay are a total rip off.
Also don't forget there is a very healthy HF & MW broadcast scene, Broadcast free radio is a lot more than just VHF. Infact by using VHF you are making yourself more of a target as the money grabbing dipsticks from the local ILR station will report you. (After all no one truly listens to their 30 minutes of advertising per hour, plus sponsor announcements for news, weather, local road reports etc etc from choice.)
So I passed this test that allows me to twiddle with knobs, push buttons & call my self an Advanced !!!!!!!
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5thElement
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Post by 5thElement »

On what grounds are they a rip off KC? just wondered as they always seemed fairly cheap for PLL transmitters, every other UK site seems to charge hundreds for pll ones. I've been tempted to buy the 15w chinese one in the past, probably never will though!
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Post by kc »

You can build a build a 15 watt stereo TX for a fraction of what they are charging. I have also heard that the build quality, which at VHF is important, is not good.
Also don't forget......NEVER use anything you don't want to loose. So keep the value of what you leave laying around low.
So I passed this test that allows me to twiddle with knobs, push buttons & call my self an Advanced !!!!!!!
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Panteneman
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Post by Panteneman »

They would be a cool idea to distro music around the house, those transmitters. Probably a bit too efficient with that sort of TX power. :lol:

I use my Phillips Streamium for that, through my wireless LAN connection. Love it :D
Speaking to people in foreign lands, with various configurations of copper wire in various strange shapes - my friends think I'm committing acts of witchcraft...
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Post by 5thElement »

kc wrote:You can build a build a 15 watt stereo TX for a fraction of what they are charging. I have also heard that the build quality, which at VHF is important, is not good.
Also don't forget......NEVER use anything you don't want to loose. So keep the value of what you leave laying around low.
Could you build a PLL one yourself for those prices though? including etching the pcb, buying all the components/casing etc i really can't imagine them being that bad quality but i could be completely wrong!

How complex is a circuit for a basic 10-20w transmitter?
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Post by kc »

This is a 250Mw TX you then add a stero encoder..If you want. Plus a amlifier.
So I passed this test that allows me to twiddle with knobs, push buttons & call my self an Advanced !!!!!!!
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Post by 5thElement »

Thanks for that KC, more complex than i'd imagined and i still dont think i could make that, a stereo encoder and an rf amp for less than the cost of those chinese ones (quality issues aside) plus all the effort to make the pcb's/constructing it etc and potential problems/troubleshooting i would no doubt have lol and to lose that would hurt me alot more than losing a chinese special! lol

Eitherway, doubt it's something i'll ever undertake now!

Thanks again
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