To have a radio station here helps to establish the station's operator as an important source of information and influence in the community.". 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. So we eventually went to the courts and fought. 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. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Yes. And as a bonus, Radio Caroline still exists though, ironically, it's gone legal. It's covert surveillance equipment. 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. Buy me a coffee: https://www.paypal.me/ringwaymanchester Email: ringwaymanchester@mail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m3hhyofficial Facebook:. MR. DOMBROWSKI: It's not, you know, and we didn't talk about, there are other legal ways to go about it. For consistencys sake, I will use the term pirate radio in this article. I was hired into an engineering training program down in Norfolk, Virginia, where we got classroom orientation on all the different radio services and the bureaus and offices for the FCC. Most pirates transmit using SSB with modern ham radio equipment, others use AM utilizing vintage or homebrew equipment. 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. PROMAX designs several monitoring and spectrum surveillance systems. Answer (1 of 14): Why I am qualified to answer this question. 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. Director Richard Curtis' 2009 comedy-drama stars the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Count, a disc jockey for an unlicensed rock radio station that broadcast from a rusty, decrepit ship off the British coast in the mid-1960s, defying government authorities to spin the rock records that weren't allowed on the BBC at the time. MR. DOMBROWSKI: There is a variety of pirate radio stations out there. Tribute to Pirate Radio, KQLZ 100.3 FM Los Angeles. But most of the current American pirates are based on dry land, broadcasting from clandestine antennas on rooftops in places such as Brooklyn. They spent the fees to get the license. Find this podcast in the iTunes store or Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. That would be inappropriate, particularly given my employer, but is it hard for the average listener, particularly in a dense metro area, you're dialing your car radio or your home radio to even know the difference? MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, to lease some air time off these legitimate stations. Revealing the history of pirate radio from 1925 to today, author Andrew Yoder, pirate radio aficionado and long-time writer on radio, electronics, and audio subjects:. 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. Having that exposure helped boost the careers of scores of British bands whose music eventually made it to America. They just twist the dial. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360 interactive panoramic views of streets (Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and route planning . 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. 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. But what hast made the problem really expand is the equipment is readily available with the internet now. 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. "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. Give us a little of your background. 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. Pirates are always active during holidays, too, most especially on Halloween (31st of October), which seems to be pirates favorite holiday. 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. 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. Now stop your Googling right now because that is illegal, right? So the avenues of working with the district attorneys is a great way to get the injunctions, the court orders, for the pirate station to cease operating permanently. Evan is joined by David Dombrowski, Regional Director for Region One in the FCC Enforcement Bureau. The antenna is not where the people are necessarily or where the rest of the equipment is. 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. 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. I know at least in our region we get them everywhere. So it's not the -- In terms of size wise for mileage it's the smallest region, but it's the most populated. MR. DOMBROWSKI: It's kind of sad to see, but --. They are very low power and the range of them are very small. This radio in a single case is also capable of re-broadcasting any audio source. And you have tools to escalate the situation. And they could also --. And so we need to make sure that we stop the importation of this equipment, we stop the marketing of these illegal transmitters. Some stations think that it's best to flood the FCC with complaints. 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. The history of pirate radio stations is inextricably linked with the development of countless genres, including hip-hop, garage, punk, and grime. MR. DOMBROWSKI: No, not the public face, but he's all the behind the scenes guy. comment. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Oh, that's probably why they are complaining, right? MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, we don't have a rule in the books that prohibits that from happening. We call them Notices of Apparent Liability where we will fine the operator. Be specific. The original converted ferry sank in 1980, but the five DJs on board and the ship's canary, Wilson, named after British Prime Minister Harold Wilson all were rescued, according to O'Rahilly's New York Times obituary. Ex-Beatle George Harrison was sufficiently appreciative of Radio Caroline's mission that he even wrote a sizable check in the early 1970s to help keep the ship in operation, according to Ray Clark's book "Radio Caroline: The True Story of the Ship That Rocked.". I was still a teenager. "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. VIEWS. Give me an address or an intersection in the town that you are picking it up on. March 13 2022 . Now all those things have one thing in common. 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. 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. SWARZTRAUBER: Right. Many of our links now function as affiliate links. I decoded this Wolverine Radio SSTV QSL on the SSTV iOS App. So I never left, I've been here for over 25 years. And it was good media coverage, too. 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. "Private radio was prohibited and only the British Broadcasting Corporation, which was part of the political establishment, sent radio to the British people with the remit to be morally uplifting, informative and educational," Moore says. Enter Ronan O'Rahilly, who learned that the U.K. government's jurisdiction ended 3 miles (5 kilometers) off the coast, and that stations from other countries already were exploiting that loophole by putting transmitters on offshore ships, according to Moore. They are not considered an operator by investing in that. To track pirates, you'll need a radio with both AM and SSB modes. Bruce will host a new daily show for Bauer's station Greatest Hits Radio, taking his iconic PopMaster game with him. And he had some good backing, financial backing, by the ACLU who were fighting for him, and he was a microbroadcaster and he tried to encourage others to follow in his footsteps and protect our First Amendment rights, so he was --. 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. So what is the state of pirate radio in the U.S. and how is the FCC taking it on? Join. Use promo code ROGUE to get a shot at MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in total prizes! But with customs and border patrol seeing so much equipment coming in through the ports it's hard to identify. He has taken, you know, money from under the table to allow the station to operate from the rooftop without the property owner's knowledge. 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 important thing here is that you invest in a receiver with a respectable degree of sensitivity and selectivity. So we have a team here in the Enforcement Bureau that does that, our Spectrum Enforcement Division. Searching for an FM radio station on your car radio is quite easy. Our agents are pretty smart on the tricks. So, the F. "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: Well there was a version of the bill that passed the House first and now there is a similar bill being considered by Senate. Note: This podcast was recorded on June 21st. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Well they had their antenna up really high. We get them in Virginia, we get them out in Illinois, even just remote areas of West Virginia they pop up. It's something we have been doing as long as the equipment has been available we've always had pirate radio operators. A lot of times you can tell by the audio quality. Each issue also contains a CD of sound clips from various pirates, several articles about the state of pirate radio, and other relevant info. 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. It's eminently cheaper to purchase or build an unlicensed radio station than it is to set up a robust streaming channel online, especially if you're looking to cover a local area. 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. Has that happened? 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. Now when we talk about enforcement actions, you know, I'd like to kind of paint a picture for our listeners. In the United States, the term pirate radio implies the unlicensed broadcasting use of any part of the radio spectrum that is reserved for use by governmental, public or commercial licensees by the Federal Communications Commission. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, everyone's dream job. 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. 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. 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. While the magic of shortwave radio can transport a small signal vast distances, to hear pirates regularly and clearly, some precision is required. It was a three bay antenna for any of the those tech-y's out there, so it was a high efficient antenna and a very high powered transmitter. Liverpool vs Wolves will kick-off on Wednesday, March 1 at 8pm. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: So everyone can now breathe a deep a sigh of relief, you are not going to have to go out and get a license for your security camera and you garage door opener. Even as many legacy international broadcasters are abandoning the shortwave bands, shortwave remains active and vibrant in another quadrant: namely, on shortwave pirate radio. MR. DOMBROWSKI: And so that's not practical for somebody that wants to operate a radio station to cover an entire community. 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 when KIWI went silent, that was it. 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. "Pirate Radio" is a period piece, set in a time when the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together" and the Who's "My Generation" were still scandalous and controversial rather than nostalgic anthems for today's aging baby boomers. They can call their State Broadcast Association to get our contact information. 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. I mean if you are familiar with telecom you know it's an illegal radio station, but what do we mean by pirate radio. MR. DOMBROWSKI: So we have fines that we could issue. Tribute to Pirate Radio, KQLZ 100.3 FM Los Angeles. This means that by clicking on these links, a small percentage of the purchase price for goods you purchase from these sellers will help support our sites running costs. The FRW is an email-only newsletter devoted to the hobby of pirate radio listening, and is distributed free to those who contribute. Its much better, of course, if you have a table-top receiver, software-defined radio, or ham radio transceiver with a general coverage receiver hooked up to a resonant outdoor antennaespecially if you live outside Europe and North America. 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. Marshals actually seize it. Even then, though, Radio Caroline wouldn't go away. David, thanks so much for joining. Ive also been encouraged by pirates to hone my weak-signal DXing using exalted carrier reception (ECR)zero-beating an AM signal in SSBin an attempt to hear weak AM pirate stations. Powerful, uncertified transmitters manufactured in foreign countries easily slip through customs at U.S. ports. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes. They could stream. The U.S. has had its share of pirate broadcasters over the years as well. 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. What can the average person do? He anchored the ship in international waters in the North Sea, just off Frinton, Essex, and hired a crew of DJs to play music around the clock at the time, a revolutionary concept. Though pirates can be located anywhere on the planet, and therefore can broadcast, hypothetically, anywhere on the radio dial, patterns are actually fairly predictable in order to draw a listening audience. So I have -- In terms of population I manage 20 States in the Northeast area of the United States. 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. Do you hear it on the weekends or is only a station that operates during the weekends? MR. SWARZTRAUBER: So there are no doubt some good samaritans listening to this show that want nothing more than to help with the scourge of pirate radio. We also get the other federal agencies involved, the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, where we can seek a warrant. You know, when they do that they get a ticket number when they file the ticket online so the broadcasters can call us and find out, let us know that they filed the complaint and follow up with us. If you just use an internet browser and search FCC complaint you will come to the link for filing a complaint. Is it when you are driving in, you know, to and from work? Winning a con. 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 --. The Pirates flagship radio station, SportsRadio 93.7 THE FAN, will air extended local pre-game and post-game coverage before and after every broadcast. 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. There is a lot of misconception about what a low power transmitter is. 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