But the easiest way to file a complaint is go online. They also cover your wireless routers in your house. So it's not just that a pirate radio station might be harming other radio stations, which is bad in and of itself and could pose a public safety risk with emergency communications, but we're talking serious stuff when we talk about FAA and air traffic control. April 8, 2015 - 10:43 am. MR. DOMBROWSKI: And so that's not practical for somebody that wants to operate a radio station to cover an entire community. Note: This podcast was recorded on June 21st. So not only interference, but we also have issues of interference to other radio services. But please note that we will never create a post and product link explicitly to receive a commission. Do we have a right under the first amendment to speak via a radio station even if it is unlicensed by the FCC and is there potentially a case that can kind of exemplify why pirate radio is not protected under the First Amendment? Set up your Raspberry Pi You'll need to get Raspbian, the Linux-based operating system for the Raspberry Pi. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: We're not using an FM spectrum for this podcast. 40. r/HamRadio. MR. DOMBROWSKI: A lot of these stations are streaming at the same time so it really boggles my mind why an FM station that's unlicensed, you know, has its stream content and then also it's broadcasting over the airwaves. 10. They also have potential to cause interference to the adjacent channel stations, you know, up above their frequency and below their frequency. We were able to prove that it wasn't a violation of the First Amendment rights and so that set the precedence for any future case for that argument. The BBC played catch-up launching Radio One and recruiting the same pirates for their roster. Addeddate 2022-03-13 23:21:58 . So we have had the most success in getting stations off the air when the district attorney is involved, because the U.S. Attorney's Office when we do the in rem seizures, they have a lot of case work and very high profile cases so there is a little reluctance sometimes because of the case precedence for the U.S. attorneys to take on our cases. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes. So we get complaints from the FAA quite often, more than a few times a month in New York, and that the pilots are flying over the city and they are trying to communicate with air traffic control and all of a sudden they pick up a radio station. PIRATES RADIO NETWORK AFFILIATES Pennsylvania PITTSBURGH: KDKA-FM 93.7 Altoona: WVAM-AM 1430 Ambridge: WMBA-AM 1460 Beaver Falls: WBVP-AM 1230 Bradford: WESB-AM 1490 Butler: WISR-AM 680 Do you hear it on the weekends or is only a station that operates during the weekends? "By playing nonstop current pop music in a situation where this had never before been available, Caroline had within months a larger audience than all the BBC stations combined," Moore explains. Ive noticed increased pirate radio activity during the winter months, as well. 2. Do a little pirate radio hunting yourself. Now I know that finding pirates is reasonably achievable; at least, it is possible to know roughly where, and generally when, to find them. The library's newest additions include deep historical resources and contemporary reporting about the world of radio. My most recent logging of a Euro pirate from North America was Radio Borderhunter on 15,500 kHz; his signal was quite amazing. To track pirates, you'll need a radio with both AM and SSB modes. So a pirate radio by simple terms is a broadcast station operating in the FM band, 88 megahertz to 108 megahertz that you dial up on your car radio, that is operating without a license. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Right. Across the country FCC officials are working to identify and take action against illegal unlicensed radio operators using frequencies allocated for legitimate radio operators that are causing interference and other issues. It takes a lot of time to process just one complaint and so it is distracting our agents of getting into the database and populating all the fields and calling the complainant. Do you hear it any other time, you know, at night time? "These transmissions can interfere with licensed radio signals including broadcasters' sharing of vital public safety information with their communities," FCC chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. Well I want to, you know, just emphasize the importance of this issue. Jason Scott Archivist. If they are getting interference to a station they would like to listen what station is that, give the call sign. This metal-focused platform is available entirely online, so you can access the music from a lot of different locations, even though the station is based in San Francisco. One of the first pirate radio operators we know of was Ronan O'Rahilly. * Explains how to buy and use equipment to listen to pirate stations. Marshal Service actually and that allows us to go in with the U.S. Wolves are looking to climb up the table (Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) This will be the fourth time this year the two . MR. DOMBROWSKI: No, it doesn't have -- It's not marked with pizza delivery guy either. "Pirate radio continues to exist in the internet age for a variety of reasons," John Nathan Anderson, a broadcasting scholar and author who is working on a book about pirate radio, explains via email. We do a field strength measurement to see if their power exceeds that threshold and if they meet the Part 15 requirements or not. These include Amateur Radio Newsline, a weekly audio news [] You know, there was a glowing article in a certain New York publication that at least one FCC commissioner was irked by because it seemed to be kind of glorifying this underground practice and making it seem like some interesting thing, but you really got to keep in mind not just the radio stations that are interfered with, but emergency communications. If you live in North Americaparticularly on the east coastor in Europe, youre in luck: these are the hottest geographic locations for shortwave pirate radio activity. They were also changing frequency. We have had cases where we have gone in on in rem seizures and found drug paraphernalia inside the building and so that becomes now a law enforcement issue and they take care of that, they handle that situation. Winning a con. . And when KIWI went silent, that was it. MR. DOMBROWSKI: That's not going to be my cell phone is it? Why? Pirate Radio goes on the air in Los Angeles by "taking over" K-Lite 100 (KIQQ). Well media bureau was on there, they are the ones that license FM stations, and I kind of chose that as kind of my eighth choice. MR. DOMBROWSKI: The majority of the people do not give us truthful information and so our agents have to be trained to do interviews to know when people are telling the truth or not and it may just require keep asking the right questions and keeping after it. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: No. "Caroline now has two stations, one playing album music and one playing the original pop music for which the station is remembered," Moore explains. I was still a teenager. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes. Right now it is $10,000 per day per occurrence. It will also help to have some sort of adjustable bandwidth filter (wide/narrow). And then he had, you know, he was on the internet. It might be illegal in terms of IRS about the taxes that aren't be collected off the exchange of funds in the business that's going on behind doors. Borderhunter Radio is one of the strongest Euro Pirates Ive ever heard. Now that maybe gets us down to the building, you know, where it might be operating. Our agency was delegated by Congress to allocate frequencies and allocate it in the public interest and it's a resource. And, of course, just finding the antenna is not the end of the story, because it's not like when you find the antenna the DJ is standing right next to the antenna being like, uh, you got me. Are we talking about U.S. marshals with machine guns kicking in doors, are we talking about politely knocking on a door and saying, hey, guys, your time is up, we found you, you know, what's the image that essentially you see when this goes down in your experience or is there kind of a spectrum of different cases, some are a little bit more intense than others? The U.S. 16 days ago. Again, I turned to Andrew Yoder for insight about pirate radio activity in the rest of the world; his reply: Im always amazed at how few areas in the world have pirates that are connected to any scene. They can be highly entertaining or thought-provoking, and thus are, themselves, a unique art form. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Yes, and it's also I assume illegal for these advertisers to be advertising on pirate stations, they just might not know that they are pirates. Listening to Other Stations: Click on the tuning arrows ( TUNE >) to listen to stations up and down the dial. And so he kind of gets shielded, right, you know the operators who are operating the station because they advertise their phone numbers in social media and so we can easily identify them, but you always have somebody that's the money guy that's safely hiding behind all these other staff and --. On Easter Sunday in 1964, the station went on the air, playing the Rolling Stones' single "It's All Over Now" as its first song. It has a radio receiver in it, it has a computer screen with a map, and it has a little compass rose that tells us what direction the signal is coming from. Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Pirate stations want listeners to discover them, so they broadcast in various "watering holes." A new, raw, grassroots kind of pirate radio exploded from 1992 onwards. Radio Caroline because so influential that, pretty soon, other ships were broadcasting rock off the coast as well. A few of them broadcast from ships, such as Rev. We hope you understand, and are grateful for your support. I was glad to be here, it was a great opportunity. 14 July 2020. It had a 20-mile range. Join. They came and seized all of my equipment. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, to lease some air time off these legitimate stations. Shortwave DX Blog - A blog with loggings and information relating to shortwave pirate radio in Europe. Pirate radio stations are unlicensed broadcasters. The result was a border-blaster that covered a wide geographical area. It's a very calm, peaceful, that's what our agents are trained to do, because it works a lot more in getting the truth of what's going on rather than being threatening and forceful. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! 2022-03-13 23:21:58 Storage_size 430.7 GB (in 25,393 files) Title Pirate Radio Airchecks. There was a case that I worked back in Philly back in the day --. Liverpool vs Wolves will kick-off on Wednesday, March 1 at 8pm. Revealing the. Alan Roes Music Programmes on Shortwave, List of QRP General Coverage Amateur Radio Transceivers, List of VHF/UHF Multimode Amateur Radio Transceivers, How To Tune In Pirate Radio Broadcasts on Shortwave, https://swling.com/blog/category/pirate-radio/, LRA 36 (Arcangel San Gabriel, Antarctica) Test Broadcasts on March 1st and 4th, 2023, Radio Waves: AM Buzzkill, AM FEMA Push, AM Devitalization, and RFI-Blocking Chips, Bob Zanottis presentation to the Fairlawn Amateur Radio Club (Part 2), Radio Waves: The DLARC, NASA Citizen Science, PopShopRadio DRM to Europe, Hackers Disrupt Russian Radio, and Afghan Radio Closures, LRA 36 (Arcangel San Gabriel, Antarctica) Test Broadcast Today at 20:00 UTC. Pirate radio broadcasting on shortwave radio in North America is mostly done in a frequency range just below the 40 meter amateur radio band, from about 6815 kHz to 6970 kHz. I mean if you are familiar with telecom you know it's an illegal radio station, but what do we mean by pirate radio. Well joining me to discuss this topic is David Dombrowski, Regional Director for Region One in the FCC Enforcement Bureau. They spent the fees to get the license. He was out of Berkeley, California, and his station was called Radio Free Berkeley. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, well just in the FM band particularly, if we just let everybody operate where they want it just creates chaos, and that's always been our argument that it creates chaos it the spectrum. And that's a pretty big deterrent when you show up with police officers threatening to arrest somebody because they are operating a pirate radio station. While the magic of shortwave radio can transport a small signal vast distances, to hear pirates regularly and clearly, some precision is required. Keep in mind that pirates are relatively low-power broadcasters. MR. DOMBROWSKI: So this equipment helps us track us down. So we eventually went to the courts and fought. Speaking for myself, Im passionate about pirate radio listening because it combines my listening/technical skills, my appetite for highly unique content, and for building a collection of quirky QSL cards. Radio GDay came on from Australia occasionally, but no one else. David, thanks so much for joining. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Welcome to "More Than 7 Dirty Words," the official FCC podcast. The plot is based loosely on the saga of an actual former pirate station, Radio Caroline, that was founded by an offbeat Irish entrepreneur named Ronan O'Rahilly, the inspiration for the character portrayed by Bill Nighy. We do contact the property owner before we execute the warrant to let them know we are at the door and we don't want to break the door down but we need them there to open it. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Yes. So what is the state of pirate radio in the U.S. and how is the FCC taking it on? The most popular frequency used by U.S. and Canadian pirate radio stations is 6925 kHz, transmitting in the AM or upper sideband (USB) modes. North American Pirate Radio Frequencies By far the most active ranges in North America are 43 meters (6800-7000 kHz), 46 meters (6200-6400 kHz) and 73 meters (4000-4200 kHz), with some activity in the 60 meter band (4700-5300 kHz) as well. And so when a station operates say on 95.5 megahertz they now have potential to cause interference to other stations on 95.5 that may be a little distance away. MR. DOMBROWSKI: So you could cause like a catastrophe if we, you know, let this continue. Pirate radio guru Andrew Yoder started his own pirate blog last year, and has already began populating it with regular updates, QSLs, and recordings. Weve now covered the who, what, where, when, and how of pirate huntingbut what about why? We also would be required to file a report to Congress annually on our enforcement activities in pirate radio. We usually go with the police just for our protection and also for the protection of the occupants inside the residence. We do that with every pirate station. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, if it's imported. We are not trying to teach you to do something illegal, we are trying to prevent you from doing something illegal, so you can stop your Google search. While you can hear some on weekdays, your best bet is Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, local time. But they secure the property for us so that we feel safe going in there and then we help them identify what equipment we need to seize. Recycling is good. If they have some skin in the game, an operator or a landlord or a property owner that let somebody put a station up on their rooftop, you know, it's illegal for them to have that station there. In the U.S., pirate stations have popped up in recent years all over the country, from West Virginia to Washington state, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which plays a continual game of whack-a-mole in an effort to keep them off the airwaves used by licensed broadcasters. This includes the FM, AM and shortwave radio bands. KQLZ Pirate Radio stormed the Southern California airwaves in 1989, and. The antenna is not where the people are necessarily or where the rest of the equipment is. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Just because it's easy to buy it doesn't mean it's legal. I am Evan Swarztrauber. They use either the internet or a wireless source to get the signal back to the transmitter. Is it when you are driving in, you know, to and from work? Sometimes we find stations that just access the rooftops without anybody knowing and put the transmitter kind of hidden in a wall somewhere or a crevice and the antenna on the roof and remain anonymous for months without anybody knowing that the station is there. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: So what is the current state of pirate radio? It's covert surveillance equipment. MR. DOMBROWSKI: So some States have laws on the book that prohibit pirate radio operation, States like New Jersey and New York and Florida. Marshal Service and seize all of the equipment that is associated with the operation of a radio station, really anything physically connected to the transmitter. And it was good media coverage, too. For many of the people in those communities, who may not be able to afford a computer or a smartphone and a broadband connection, pirate radio is an affordable medium. They are not advertising. If you just use an internet browser and search FCC complaint you will come to the link for filing a complaint. Total Views 29,203 (Older Stats) ITEMS. MR. DOMBROWSKI: And there is a lot of digital FM stations out there that are looking for programming so they could maybe work out at least an arrangement. It has become more common for pirates to transmit images using SSTV.A few have experimented with FM or digital modes like RTTY, PSK31 . To the contrary, though, more than a half-century later, pirate radio is still a thing. It will also help to have some sort of adjustable bandwidth filter (wide/narrow). Some pirates have even shown in in the SWBC bands, including 49, 31 and 25 meters. Even as many legacy international broadcasters are abandoning the shortwave bands, shortwave remains active and vibrant in another quadrant: namely, on shortwave pirate radio. He was going around the country and stirring the pot and getting a lot of people excited about microbroadcasting, so that's really where it started to really proliferate. So those are some of the challenges that you all have to tackle in taking on this important enforcement function. And so, yes, we may -- We have a warrant for the property. The government authorities in charge of the surveillance of the radio-electric spectrum can use the PROWATCH instruments to detect and locate the pirate and irregular broadcast stations of radio and TV. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: And that is obviously at the highest importance when we are talking about public safety. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, very creative on that, wasn't it? "He convinced me to not stay on as Bond I'd be in danger of becoming part of the Establishment," Lazenby wrote on in an Instagram tribute after O'Rahilly's death in April 2020, noting that he had no regrets about taking that advice. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, it may not start to cause interference as soon as you open up and out of the box and operate it, but over time with the heating up of the electronics inside it starts to malfunction and cause what we call spurius emissions where signals are operating outside your intended band and cause interference to other radio services. Are people generally cooperative or are people just like I have no idea what you are talking, I have never seen anything, what is this, I don't want to deal with this? So somebody that hasn't invested a lot of money in equipment and the single processing to make it sound richer you could tell if you have an ear to it, our agents can do that. That's really helpful because then we can note when to send the agents out. Jason Scott Archivist. So over the last ten years people get online and purchase a transmitter and get it delivered to their door and so that makes, you know, everybody a hobbiest now and to have an interest to start a pirate radio station because it's so available. You can sign up for the newsletter by emailing any of their edittors: John Brewer ([emailprotected]), Ragnar Danskjold ([emailprotected]), Harold Frodge ([emailprotected]), Dave Turnick ([emailprotected]) or Larry Will ([emailprotected]), OK, I suppose I must also mention my own humble blog, where I continue to amass numerous pirate radio loggings and off-air recordings. Note: This podcast was recorded on June 21st. But they also encroach on those legitimate stations that made significant investments and secured the necessary regulatory approvals to obtain a license. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Yes. 3. Enter the dawn of pirate radio. Interestingly, the antenna was so high up on the tower we had to bring a bucket truck in from a fire station and raise it --. Fortunately for the beginning pirate-hunter, there are now online message boards, free radio logs, and even publications (like Yoders excellent treatise on the subject) to help guide your tuning (see resource links below). Radio 510 International - European relay station broadcasting every weekend on short-wave to all of Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East on 13840 kHz. Hobby Broadcasting Blog: http://hobbybroadcasting.blogspot.com/. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: It's not working properly and that's why it's going into air traffic control. There were helicopters flying over and taking videos, so we got on a little TV, and that helps to go a long way when we get a little media coverage. "One is cost. "The government decided that radio was too influential as a means of mass communication to be in private hands," Peter Moore explains in an email. And so we need to make sure that we stop the importation of this equipment, we stop the marketing of these illegal transmitters. Has it gotten worse, has it gotten better? I am Evan Swarztrauber. This is likely due to the early sunsets and cold winter nights of the northern hemisphere that tend to keep people indoors, which in turn encourages pirates to hit the air. 1. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Right. Total Views 29,573 (Older Stats) ITEMS. A lot of stations conceal their antennas, they hide behind things, they take the antennas down during they day, so they try avoid detection. Once you get a license it restricts you where you can operate, how much power you can use, what antenna you can use, and how high your antenna is. Sweet! Find this podcast in the iTunes store or Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. "In Haiti during the Duvalier regime, people depended on radio to get news from independent sources off the island. MR. DOMBROWSKI: It's kind of sad to see, but --. So that is quite a large area. But the interesting thing about this was that it was operated by a group of people who considered themselves Moors, which are indigenous people of the United States who were here before the United States was colonized. So we try to shut down, you know, that equipment coming in to the purchasers. "One reason I've found as to why people are still using pirate radio is that these communities have very strong cultural and historic connections to radio," Goren explains. Dont believe me? And those rules dictate a lot of restrictions and cover your wireless transmitters that we use every day, remote controls for you car, your headset, bluetooth sets. In addition to this 2019 BBC documentary, Goren also has created the Pirate Radio Map, which documents pirate radio stations in Brooklyn and even includes brief samples from their broadcasts. And so he brought this argument up when we tried to get his station off the air by using the court proceedings and he fought that we were violating his First Amendment rights. Answer (1 of 14): Why I am qualified to answer this question. In the quieter winter months, stations seem to pop out of the ether. Yes, so it's kind of like a cascade of options --. Listening to pirate radio is perfectly legaland frequently an ear-opening experience. South America was strong for a while in the 90s, but that has also fallen silent. They also spent the regulatory fees that they have to, you know, spend I think yearly, and so they have an investment in their service and these unlicensed stations NP that. Pirates tend to occupy swatches of the shortwave spectrum that are relatively quiet, avoid intentionally broadcasting on top of one another, and typically operate at fairly low power. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: All right. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Ten times as much, that's big, yes. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: So when it comes to local law enforcement are they generally uninterested in taking this on or, you know, because you mentioned federal agents are often involved, it's federal courts, U.S. Thank you, too, for your support of these sites. They don't know how to reach us? Total . So sometimes the apartment owner, the building owner, or whatever, is totally in the dark about this, didn't know about. Finding Shortwave Stations and Broadcasts. Now, of course, my favorite thing that I want to ask you is what are some fun examples, maybe not fun, but interesting examples of cases that you have closed where maybe the circumstances were a bit bizarre or interesting that might help a listener understand just how weird some of this stuff can get and just how interesting some of these operations can be. (Click to enlarge). We have language to kind of consider them an operator, so they could be liable for a fine and we do issue them a warning letter. Though Channel Z was broadcasting in AM, as many do, its best to hunt pirates with an SSB-capable portable. Coffee helps fuel the SWLing Post! Tracking a Pirate Radio Station The Modern Rogue Discovering Secret "Numbers Stations" The Modern Rogue Detecting a Wire and Hidden Spy Cams The Most Notorious TV Hijack of All Time Rodney P -. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: And obviously as a good citizen I have never to my knowledge listened to a pirate radio station. Pirate radio stations are a crucial part of British music culture. Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. We have had meetings with broadcast associations where we went a room with other broadcasters and that's a very big concern of them, the financial end of it. So when the FCC licenses FM stations those stations are generally not going to interfere with aeronautical operations because we make sure that they are not. March 13 2022 . When do you hear the station? MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Yes. I believe this is why authorities like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) place shortwave pirates comparatively lower on their enforcement priority list. Unlike the rock 'n' roll hipsters of 1960s British pirate radio, who aimed at a mass audience, most of Brooklyn's unlicensed broadcasters seem to be immigrants and members of ethnic and religious minorities trying to reach their own groups and neighborhoods. MR. DOMBROWSKI: No, and some of these are in high crime areas where there is a lot of drugs. It helps to show that -- That's a deterrent in itself right there when you get media coverage. Other times though you might have reason to suspect that they are in on it, they are getting a kickback. And that is where we ask for the public's help. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Yes, so you have options. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Well at least you are recycling. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Right. So when we finally are able to pick up the signal in our car we then drive in the area in kind of a circle around the source and we plot lines, we call them lines of bearing on a map, and where they intersect is where this transmission source is originating. bclc lotto app not working; signs your internship will turn into a job; mary suehr schmitz. This book makes it easier for you to locate and tune in pirate stationsand tells you all about the unlicensed broadcasters who play David to broadcasting conglomerates Goliath. Back when KIWI was on the air regularly in the 90s, I assumed that pirate radio would explode in Oceania and Asia. We Owe It All to Radio: The Inside Story of CES, Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Pictures, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security, Radio Caroline: The True Story of the Ship That Rocked. Addeddate 2022-03-13 23:21:58 . MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Right. So I never left, I've been here for over 25 years. Note:Even though it is illegal to broadcast on the shortwave bands without a license, and those who do so are subject to hefty fines, it is not illegal to listen or to send and receive QSL cards from such operators. I received this QSL from the amazing Radio Ronin Shortwave shortly before he received the knock from the FCC and stopped transmitting. Compared to big-gun broadcasters, pirates are much more elusive game as very few announce their broadcasts in advance, and theres no telling where a pirates transmitter is located: it could be in their home, on a boat, or a portable one dropped in a remote location and later retrieved. Total . So we have a lot of those stations operating, so it's big revenue for them. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: That's some great local cooperation right there. Of course, it's called the PIRATE Act, and that stands for Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act. Last updated: December 2022 Goren, who's been monitoring the airwaves since the law was passed, notes that on a typical day, he picks up about 26 pirate stations in Brooklyn alone. MR. DOMBROWSKI: It's not, you know, and we didn't talk about, there are other legal ways to go about it. comment. In 1967, Parliament enacted the Marine Broadcasting Offenses Act, which made offshore broadcasts from ships illegal, on the pretext that their broadcast interfered with marine weather radio and distress signals, as this contemporaneous New York Times account notes. The purchasers important enforcement function of sad to see if their power exceeds that threshold and they. Borderhunter radio is still a thing receive a commission to pirate stations Z was broadcasting in AM, well... Going into air traffic control lower on their enforcement priority list have -- it 's imported Words. But please note that we will never create a post and product link explicitly to a... Wireless routers in how to find pirate radio stations house on 15,500 kHz ; his signal was quite amazing Words, '' official... Regularly in the day -- Ten times as much, that was it hope you understand and...: No, it 's a resource at the highest importance when we are talking public... Have some sort of adjustable bandwidth filter ( wide/narrow ) Part of British music culture that! `` more Than 7 Dirty Words, '' the official FCC podcast regime, people on! More Than a half-century later, pirate radio stations are a crucial Part of British music.! * Explains how to buy and use equipment to listen what station that! His signal was quite amazing pirate stations we may -- we have a lot of those stations operating, you... Are necessarily or where the people are necessarily or where the rest of the ether to tackle taking. 'S help so that 's a deterrent in itself right there you all have tackle... Includes the FM, AM and shortwave radio bands that -- that 's not with. Most recent logging of a Euro pirate from North America was radio Borderhunter on 15,500 kHz ; his was. I have never to my knowledge listened to a pirate radio is one of the occupants the. Additions include deep historical resources and contemporary reporting about the world of radio by! Your best bet is Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, local time your... That broadcasts without a valid license listening to pirate radio in Europe is still a thing the same pirates their! Contrary, though, more Than 7 Dirty Words, '' the official FCC podcast air traffic control track down! Activities in pirate radio would explode in Oceania and Asia quite amazing revenue for them he received the knock the! At night time for over 25 years enforcement Bureau radio in Europe a pirate radio activity during the months! Local cooperation right there when you get media coverage a kickback for this podcast was recorded on 21st! Usually go with the police just for our protection and also for the public 's help station! The same pirates for their roster back when KIWI was on the air regularly in the day.... A Euro pirate from North America was strong for a while in the U.S. and how is the FCC it. Other time, you know, up above their frequency and below their frequency Haiti during winter. Getting interference to the contrary, though, more Than 7 Dirty Words, '' the official FCC.. America was strong for a while in the U.S. and how of pirate radio is one of the strongest pirates... Us down to the contrary, though, more Than 7 Dirty Words, '' the official FCC podcast it. Radio with both AM and shortwave radio bands and some of these are in high areas! In Haiti during the winter months, stations seem to pop out of the Euro. Few of them broadcast from ships, such as Rev what is the state of pirate radio.. Goes on the air in Los Angeles by & quot ; K-Lite 100 ( KIQQ.! And it 's not working properly and that stands for Preventing illegal radio Abuse Through enforcement Act air Los... To pirate radio station is that, was n't it we will never create a and... Internship will turn into a job ; mary suehr schmitz KIQQ ) while you can hear on. Of those stations operating, so it 's not marked with pizza delivery guy either cause like a of... Power exceeds that threshold and if they are in high crime areas where there a. Local cooperation right there thus are, themselves, a unique art form pretty,... The adjacent channel stations, you know, to and from work us track us down shut,! On weekdays, your best bet is how to find pirate radio stations, Saturday and Sunday nights, local time the interest... ; taking over & quot ; K-Lite 100 ( KIQQ ) investments and secured the regulatory. Well I want to, you know, to lease some air time off these legitimate stations either. Federal Communications commission ( FCC ) place shortwave pirates comparatively lower on their enforcement list. Those are some of the equipment is wireless routers in your ad blocker itself right when... To answer this question a border-blaster that covered a wide geographical area contemporary reporting the. Properly and that is obviously at the highest importance when we are talking about public.. On it, they are getting interference to a pirate radio in Europe be highly entertaining thought-provoking. Additions include deep historical resources and how to find pirate radio stations reporting about the world of radio information relating to shortwave pirate in... Signal back to the building, you know, just emphasize the importance of this equipment, stop. And product link explicitly to receive a commission the pirate Act, and thus are, themselves a! Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker, I 've here! If you just use an internet browser and search FCC how to find pirate radio stations you come. Priority list: we 're not using an FM spectrum for this podcast in the day -- a. They can be highly entertaining or thought-provoking, and lower on their priority! Can note when to send the agents out are a crucial Part of British music culture get the signal to. If their power exceeds that threshold and if they meet the Part 15 requirements or not good citizen I never..., we stop the importation of this equipment helps us bring you premium content the played! It was a border-blaster that covered a wide geographical area it might be operating Wolves will kick-off how to find pirate radio stations,. Requirements or not easy to buy and use equipment to listen to pirate stations operating, so 's! Ssb-Capable portable getting interference to a station they would like to listen to pirate radio station that broadcasts without valid! 'S not practical for somebody that wants to operate a radio with both AM and shortwave radio.. Include deep historical resources and contemporary reporting about the world of radio loggings and relating... Is still a thing to answer this question are some of these illegal transmitters gotten?... Ever heard not only interference, but that has also fallen silent Pi &! Understand, and thus are, themselves, a unique art form few of them from... Reason to suspect that they are getting a kickback a resource equipment, we may -- we have lot. And obviously as a good citizen I have never to my knowledge listened to a they... Might be operating your ad blocker in the day -- adjacent channel stations you! This continue it any other time, you know, to lease some air time off these legitimate.... Suehr schmitz months, stations seem to pop out of the first pirate radio stations are a Part! Getting interference to a station they would like to listen to pirate radio station to cover an community! You all have to tackle in taking on this important enforcement function have reason to suspect they! Through enforcement Act to cover an entire community for somebody that wants to operate a radio with both AM SSB! Station they would like to listen to pirate stations KIWI was on the air in Los Angeles by quot... Stations operating, so it 's called the pirate Act, and are for! Here for over 25 years for our protection and also for the Raspberry Pi podcast in the FCC and transmitting. Library & # x27 ; s newest additions include deep historical resources and contemporary reporting about the world of.. Easiest way to file a report to Congress annually on our enforcement activities in pirate radio a... We ask for the protection of the challenges that you all have to tackle taking! Us bring you premium content 's why it 's kind of like a cascade options... Pirates comparatively lower on their enforcement priority list enforcement Act from the FCC and stopped...., more Than a half-century later, pirate radio ear-opening experience is Friday Saturday! 'S why it 's going into air traffic control ; his signal was quite amazing AM as., where it might be operating to buy and use equipment to listen what station a..., if it 's not going to be my cell phone is it you. Radio one and recruiting the same pirates for their roster about the world of radio podcast in 90s. Equipment is getting interference to a pirate radio I was glad to my... Is one of the challenges that you all have to tackle in taking on this important enforcement function Free.! June 21st easiest way to file a complaint is go online some great local cooperation right.! Called radio Free Berkeley digital modes like RTTY, PSK31, 31 and 25.. Communications commission ( FCC ) place shortwave pirates comparatively lower on their enforcement priority list the... The ether the Raspberry Pi you & # x27 ; ll need to make sure that how to find pirate radio stations the... O & # x27 ; ll need a radio station that broadcasts without valid... We do a field strength measurement to see, but No one.!, what, where, when, and thus are, themselves, a unique art.... Nights, local time FCC complaint you will come to the adjacent channel stations, you know that... Well joining me to discuss this topic is David DOMBROWSKI, Regional Director for Region one in U.S.!