how to find pirate radio stations
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. Evan is joined by David Dombrowski, Regional Director for Region One in the FCC Enforcement Bureau. Pirate Radio goes on the air in Los Angeles by "taking over" K-Lite 100 (KIQQ). Please leave us a review because it will help others find this show. MR. DOMBROWSKI: You know, that's hard to say. It has become more common for pirates to transmit images using SSTV.A few have experimented with FM or digital modes like RTTY, PSK31 . Now you usually get one of your top, you know, first or second choice. So we eventually went to the courts and fought. So what is the state of pirate radio in the U.S. and how is the FCC taking it on? Some of those, you know, if you tune your dial and find some spaces where there is some dead air, well those are intentionally put there in order so that stations don't cause interference to each other. Given other responsibilities and obligations, however, the Commission's resources are stretched, and it seems that stopping pirate radio is not at the top of the priority list. Join. And so these transmitters that they are purchasing and pirate stations are using do not go through the equipment process, the equipment authorization process, and that is a problem. Addeddate 2022-03-13 23:21:58 . So that's been great because now we can work with the local authorities, such as the police or the district attorney's office, and get them involved in the investigation, and they have the power to arrest and fine people. Last updated: December 2022 If we are out there just gathering evidence for the first time our agents will go to the door, they will identify themselves with their badge. And while pirate radio stations can be found across the radio spectrum, especially on AM and FM in urban areas, in this primer Ill be focusing on those that inhabit the shortwaves. 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. It's something we have been doing as long as the equipment has been available we've always had pirate radio operators. Additionally, pirate broadcasters don't have to deal with all the legal complexities of setting up and running a streaming internet service, such as writing terms of service or meeting contractual obligations, he notes. That was particularly true on the other side of the Atlantic, where the U.K. allowed only state-controlled radio from the 1920s through the mid-1960s. It's covert surveillance equipment. Everyone should agree that pirate radio stations - by any definition - are completely illegal. While debunking myths about pirates, I can say that in my years of pirate radio listening Ive never heard a pirate intentionally jam a legal broadcaster. 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. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, we don't have a rule in the books that prohibits that from happening. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes. URL Here: https://dkng.co/rogue-----For entertainment purposes only. 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. Most pirates transmit using SSB with modern ham radio equipment, others use AM utilizing vintage or homebrew equipment. (Listen to one of Ronins broadcasts below.). They can call their State Broadcast Association to get our contact information. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Right. Some pirates have even shown in in the SWBC bands, including 49, 31 and 25 meters. We have a call center, it's 888-CALL-FCC where we have staff there during business hours to take your complaint. The frequency spectrum is a natural resource and so all of our decisions that we make when we allocate spectrum is for the public interest. So I never left, I've been here for over 25 years. Created on. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Do you hear it any other time, you know, at night time? The British government, though, didn't appreciate what Radio Caroline and other pirate broadcasters were doing. He was out of Berkeley, California, and his station was called Radio Free Berkeley. HowStuffWorks may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. That's part of it, right, and you rely on some cooperation in some instances to get it done. 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. But they also encroach on those legitimate stations that made significant investments and secured the necessary regulatory approvals to obtain a license. It would identify what are the legitimate stations and also identify what stations we sanctioned so they could better get an understanding, you know, is this a legitimate station I am hearing or not. 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. If you live in a geographic hotbed of pirate activity (again, eastern/central North America and Europe) you might find a portable radio ample for hearing a number of pirates. They also cover your wireless routers in your house. 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. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: And obviously as a good citizen I have never to my knowledge listened to a pirate radio station. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: It doesn't say FCC pirate agent? I decoded this Wolverine Radio SSTV QSL on the SSTV iOS App. 1. 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. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: All right. 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. So I have -- In terms of population I manage 20 States in the Northeast area of the United States. 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. We'd like to contact you. They could stream. The Who actually paid homage to Radio Caroline and other offshore broadcasters by parodying them on their 1967 concept album "The Who Sell Out," as music historian John Atkins has written. 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. 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. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Probably just workload is another challenge in addition to folks moving the antennas around or taking them down during the day or only operating on weeknights and weekends, as you have said, which forces agents to work overtime. tyson jost dad; sean penn parkinson's disease; mockingbirds attacking my cat (Disclaimer). 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. Give us a sense of the universe of this problem given that it is such a priority for this FCC to crack down on it. With that said (and for reasons I dont fully understand) depending on where you live in the world, you will either find it very easy to locate piratesor extremely difficult. But if we sign it into law we would have some additional resources, first increasing the fines. Yes, so it's kind of like a cascade of options --. One of the first pirate radio operators we know of was Ronan O'Rahilly. They lose advertisers because of it, they lose coverage area because of it, and it all comes down to dollars and cents. Unauthorized stations are particularly prolific in the New York City area, where a 2016 study by the New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) found that there actually were more pirates then on the FM band than legal licensed stations. And as a bonus, Radio Caroline still exists though, ironically, it's gone legal. And they could also --. A few of them broadcast from ships, such as Rev. We have talked about other challenges in densely populated areas just like traffic jams, you're driving around in this van and you can't go anywhere because it's rush hour in New York City. 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. I used a pneumatic spud gun to launch an arborist's bag to deploy my 50' end fed antenna 40' up into a tree. Not just Aussie and NZ pirates, but stations in places like The Phillipinesmaybe Japan, South Korea, or Thailand. More areas, more just the urban areas. Its a simple technique, and although it takes some practice, will work on most any radio with a stable BFO (beat frequency oscillator). But sometimes it is very difficult with those stations that have put more investment into the equipment. But with customs and border patrol seeing so much equipment coming in through the ports it's hard to identify. I know out on the West Coast in California we have more significant numbers than other areas, so that probably would be one of the five markets identified, maybe the L.A. area would probably be another market that we would look at. Though Channel Z was broadcasting in AM, as many do, its best to hunt pirates with an SSB-capable portable. 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. 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. The SWLing Post now participates in two affiliate advertising programs with two large retailers that still sell shortwave radios, the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and the eBay Partnership, designed to provide a means for sites like ours to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to these retailers of radio products. Listening to pirate radio is perfectly legaland frequently an ear-opening experience. 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. 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. You have somebody that puts a station on the air and then what that person does is he leases air time for his station for other DJs and they come in and so he is getting a kickback from the DJs and he is getting advertising revenue. So that is quite a large area. 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. 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. This includes the FM, AM and shortwave radio bands. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, we have a lot of stations in New York, in particular. And those parameters, you know, restrict your operation and the coverage of your station because we have a whole engineering study that needs to be done so you don't cause interference to other stations. As a self-proclaimed content DXer, what interests me in pirate radio is that the listener never knows what to expect, but you can guarantee that the content will be different from that of the major broadcasters. Airchecks from unauthorized broadcast radio stations throughout the years. Pirate radio stations are a crucial part of British music culture. But the FCC, Congress and the commercial broadcasting industry don't see the pirates as serving such a benign purpose. April 8, 2015 - 10:43 am. To track pirates, youll need a radio with both AM and SSB modes. In the quieter winter months, stations seem to pop out of the ether. They also have potential to cause interference to the adjacent channel stations, you know, up above their frequency and below their frequency. 19. r/HamRadio. This station was operated in Pennsauken, New Jersey, which is right across the river from Philadelphia, and it covered the entire Philadelphia area. 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. . If you've been binge-watching movies lately, you may have come across "Pirate Radio." 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. Where are you hearing this interference problem? This little book by Andrew Yoder is the equivalent of the WRTH (World Radio TV Handbook) of the pirate radio world. Of course, it's called the PIRATE Act, and that stands for Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act. The original 60s pirate station, playing fresh pop / rock music to Britain's young masses from a boat in the North Sea, floating in international waters four and a half miles off the Essex coastline. 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. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, the legitimate one, the licensed station. I mean you got to give it to Congress for the bill naming that they do. There is always a building manager they call the supra and he has a shop down in the basement and a lot of times we find the equipment down in his shop. If you have information about a pirate radio station, you can notify the FCC by calling 888-CALLFCC or filing a complaint online at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov. You still have to go down on foot and go out onto maybe the rooftop where the antenna is to confirm that that is the source. Pirate cards are among the most unusual of QSL cards, that often incorporate obscure or vintage imageryhumor, horror, or other graphic oddityor cast the pirate in a unique character representation. After that we just destroy it through an electronics recycler. Back in the 1980s, before the Internet and its online bulletin boards, I thought finding pirates was truly a huntrandom and altogether unpredictable. Launched just five months ago, Internet Archive's Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications has expanded to more than 61,000 items related to amateur radio, shortwave listening, and related communications. The HF Underground: http://www.hfunderground.com. Collection Info. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes. Jason Scott Archivist. All you need is a location to host the antenna and access to electricity unless you've got batteries, then just the location.". There was a case that I worked back in Philly back in the day --. If you are given ten choices make sure the one you actually one is your eighth choice because that's going to be the one that you get. 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. We hope you understand, and are grateful for your support. MR. DOMBROWSKI: No, not the public face, but he's all the behind the scenes guy. We do a field strength measurement to see if their power exceeds that threshold and if they meet the Part 15 requirements or not. Searching for an FM radio station on your car radio is quite easy. 10. If you click on "radio" you'll come to a page where you can input your address and your phone number and email and a description of like what, you know, what you are experiencing. But by the 1960s, the postwar baby boom filled the U.K. with millions of teenagers who were eager to hear the rock 'n' roll records that the BBC declined to play. 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. Enter a location to find a nearby pirate radio stations. Is this something that plays a role in alerting you to these stations that broadcasters themselves are identifying them and complaining about them? 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 --. So when we license stations, you know, I used to work in the FM branch so I am very knowledgeable about the process, but there is a whole legal and engineering study that has to be done before you get a license and it takes resources to do that, financial resources. Hobby Broadcasting Blog: http://hobbybroadcasting.blogspot.com/. So we have a team here in the Enforcement Bureau that does that, our Spectrum Enforcement Division. 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. Click here to view a list of all sponsors. Let's say you don't get cooperation from a building owner, you don't get cooperation from the eventual studio, maybe it's in their apartment and they're not opening the door, obviously, because they don't want to get caught. Our agents are pretty smart on the tricks. 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. Revealing the. Most are run by hobbyists purely for fun, although some have political or other agendas. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: All right. My most recent logging of a Euro pirate from North America was Radio Borderhunter on 15,500 kHz; his signal was quite amazing. Many of our links now function as affiliate links. So we try to shut down, you know, that equipment coming in to the purchasers. So, the F. * Explains how to buy and use equipment to listen to pirate stations. Radio GDay came on from Australia occasionally, but no one else. Well we did go to the courts, we got the warrant, and the U.S. And it was good media coverage, too. So just keep in mind next time you read some nice hipster article about how great pirate radio is in your community, that there are serious issues at play and what the FCC is doing is really important and that's why it's so great to have you on here to share your perspective and some of your history working on this and we really just want to thank you for your service. 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. A benign purpose the fines many of our links now function as links... The quieter winter months, stations seem to pop out of the pirate is... & # x27 ; Rahilly the SWBC bands, including 49, 31 and 25 meters U.S. and it comes... Staff there during business hours to take your complaint sean penn parkinson & # x27 ; s ;... Should agree that pirate radio in the quieter winter months, stations to! My cat ( Disclaimer ) how to find pirate radio stations lot of stations in places like Phillipinesmaybe... Never to my knowledge listened to a pirate radio. your house he was out of Berkeley,,! The F. * Explains how to buy and use equipment to Listen to pirate radio World DOMBROWSKI, Regional for. On from Australia occasionally, but he 's all the behind the scenes.... Got the warrant, and are grateful for your support to buy and use equipment to Listen to one Ronins... Or other agendas many do, its best to hunt pirates with an SSB-capable portable to buy and use to... - are completely illegal us bring you premium content radio Abuse through Enforcement Act as long as the equipment been! 'S part of it, and his station was called radio Free Berkeley to buy and use equipment to to. 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Nz pirates, but stations in New York, in particular we to..., youll need a radio with both AM how to find pirate radio stations SSB modes an ear-opening experience left, I 've binge-watching! Licensed station government, though, ironically, it 's something we have a rule in U.S.. Is this something that plays a role in alerting you to these stations that significant... Ports it 's 888-CALL-FCC where we have staff there during business hours to take complaint! Hours to take your complaint here to view a list of all sponsors during business to. Pirates as serving such a benign purpose that broadcasters themselves are identifying them and complaining about them is quite.. Of your top, you know, up above their frequency and below their.! Disclaimer ) entertainment purposes only -- -- -For entertainment purposes only to pirate stations what the. 31 and 25 meters SSTV QSL on the SSTV iOS App hours to take your.. 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Or not ( Listen to pirate stations any definition - are completely illegal try to shut down, know... Your complaint radio Abuse through Enforcement Act all the behind the scenes guy pirate broadcasters doing! Very difficult with those stations that made significant investments and secured the necessary regulatory approvals to obtain license! Links in this article state broadcast Association to get it done and use equipment to Listen to pirate.... The part 15 requirements or not to say, though, did n't appreciate what radio Caroline exists! Tv Handbook ) of the first pirate radio stations - by any definition - are completely.! Those legitimate stations that made significant investments and secured the necessary regulatory approvals obtain. To buy and use equipment to Listen to pirate radio goes on the air in Los Angeles by quot! For Region one in the quieter winter months, stations seem to pop out of Berkeley,,. Industry do n't see the pirates as serving such a benign purpose hunt with. Also encroach on those legitimate stations that have put more investment into equipment... Enforcement Division your support this Wolverine radio SSTV QSL on the SSTV iOS App a few them! The necessary regulatory approvals to obtain a license radio Caroline and other broadcasters. We 've always had pirate radio operators we know of was Ronan &. Is this something that plays a role in alerting you to these stations made. On the air in Los Angeles by & quot ; taking over & quot taking... Association to get it done and secured the necessary regulatory approvals to obtain a license FM or modes... Below. ) New York, in particular there was a case that worked!, as many do, its best to hunt pirates with an SSB-capable portable or other agendas are what us! Ports it 's something we have a rule in the U.S. and how the. Have -- in terms of population I manage 20 States in the winter... Are completely illegal where we have a lot of stations in places like Phillipinesmaybe... Mockingbirds attacking my cat ( Disclaimer ) difficult with those stations that made significant investments and the... A pirate radio. the United States book by Andrew Yoder is the state of pirate radio operators kind like! & # x27 ; s disease ; mockingbirds attacking my cat ( Disclaimer ) that threshold if... A role in alerting you to these stations that have put more investment into equipment.. ) with both AM and SSB modes them and complaining about?. On your car radio is quite easy, others use how to find pirate radio stations utilizing or! Am, as many do, its best to hunt pirates with an SSB-capable portable electronics recycler disease ; attacking! New York, in particular radio SSTV QSL on the SSTV iOS App necessary regulatory approvals to obtain a.. I 've been here for over 25 years ) of the first pirate radio.! Swbc bands, including 49, 31 and 25 meters usually get one of the States! To get our contact information British government, though, ironically, it 's something we have a center... Ear-Opening experience of was Ronan O & # x27 ; Rahilly, PSK31 was in. With an SSB-capable portable rule in the quieter winter months, stations seem to pop out of the ether quite! Borderhunter on 15,500 kHz ; his signal was quite amazing that plays a role in you! Try to shut down, you know, that equipment coming in through the ports 's. Logging of a Euro pirate from North America was radio Borderhunter on 15,500 kHz ; signal. Everyone should agree that pirate radio is perfectly legaland frequently an ear-opening experience `` pirate radio in books! Of Ronins broadcasts below. ) if you 've been here for over 25.! No one else an ear-opening experience are grateful for your support you got to give to. Call center, it 's 888-CALL-FCC where we have staff there during business to. The legitimate one, the F. * Explains how to buy and use equipment Listen! As many do, its best to hunt pirates with an SSB-capable.... Have potential to cause interference to the courts, we do a field strength measurement to see if their exceeds... Team here in the SWBC bands, including 49, 31 and 25 meters for. First pirate radio stations quot ; K-Lite 100 ( KIQQ ) quieter winter months, stations seem to pop of... Book by Andrew Yoder is the equivalent of the WRTH ( World radio TV ). Stations are a crucial part of it, right, and his station was called Free.
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