Why is everyone so afraid of the FCC Boogie Mans? I mean, really..
Why is everyone so afraid of the FCC Boogie Mans? I mean, really..
I believe it would be obvious if I was runnin’ a whole lot more than 100 mW’s if I was. Even at 200 or 300 mW’s it would be very obvious to the boogie mans. I believe that they would know if you’re runnin’ more power than you’re suppost to.. Period! Even under great conditions, 100 mW’s is only gonna make so much field strength. If yer over the allowed level slightly, they’d know that ya snuck an extra ground wire or somethin’ in there somewhere. Perhaps an honest mistake? (But maybe ya knew.. LOL) If yer WAY over the limits, yer fried!
I don’t think that they’ll drag ya off into the fog, screamin’ and kickin’, never to be seen again! I don’t even think that they would bother ya unless there was a complaint! If that’s the case, just shut ‘er down! I imagine that some areas just ain’t Part-15 friendly, legal or not! You just gotta live with it! Ain’t no way yer gonna fight the big boys and win if they don’t want ya on the air! I know it suks but it’s real..
This certification thing is just a game! They pay someone to get a sticker on their product so you can break a law with it? What kinda crap is that? If it was truly “Compliant”, there wouldn’t be any way for anyone to modify things to break a law! So, there is no protection just because it has that fancy sticker on it! It’s obvious that anyone with any skills in the theory can break the law with a certified unit! So, what’s it worth? What does it matter how it was “tested” by the proper people to get the sticker? Who really cares! I just know that the boogie mans can shut me down and cause me a lot of grief if I mess with ‘um, regardless of what I’m runnin’, even with that fancy sticker!
I think that we just need to have fun and not sit around and chew on our nails wonderin’ if we’re gonna get busted or not. I know I ain’t goin’ to! I ain’t sellin’ my car to afford a field strength meter either! I’m gonna use good common sense and understand that there is a possibility that I “could” break the law if I get too fancy on my set-up and try to squeeze every inch of distance from my junk! I’m not tryin’ to cover a town! Let’s be real and understand the real potential of what we have to work with! It’s a hobby! You pump tunes to yer back yard and mebby a neighbor or two will hear the stuff ya put out there! That’s it! That’s all that it was intended for! I fully understand it can be a very indepth hobby with lots of theory involved but why push the limits!
Keep it fun for goodness sakes! If I’m tryin’ to be legal and someone complains, I guess I’ll just shut ‘er down. I’ll understand that from the start..
Prospective
Its a matter of preventing a 10 grand fine. Its a matter of knowing the rules, and knowing the technical parameters to a system that complies with those rules. One does not need a field strength meter to learn the rules.
The problem is however the rules themselves. Part 15, wide open to varying interpretations which is not limited to us out here, but with field agents too.
But without understanding what your getting into first, that alone invites problems for you and your station.
We all learn to crawl, then walk, then run.
License free radio is no different. There is a learning curve. The most important one is learning those rules and understanding the wide range of interpretation they can have.
RFB
There Won’t Be a Fine
No one is fined by surprise.
Fines go to people who persistently refuse to cease operation when ordered to do so by mail.
It is ridiculous to talk about being fined in advance of being ordered to stop broadcasting, and then only if the broadcasting continues defiantly.
Fear for fear’s sake wastes mental energy.
Having Fun
Part 15 AM is fun and that is why I do it. It is fun to design, build, test, and operate the equipment. That’s me and others have their fun with the programming and I suppose there are those who have fun with both.
The fun is spoiled if one obsesses about the FCC. I began using part 15 AM in 1959 and have had transmitters on the air on and off since then. I am aware of the rules and FCC actions but this doesn’t keep me from enjoying what I do. The reason is that I have always tried to be in compliance. I don’t run high power, don’t string 50 foot antennas, don’t install the transmitter on top of a water tower, and don’t do things which will offend people and attract negative attention.
If the FCC pays a visit then I will deal with it when it happens but if I were constantly in fear I would shut it down.
There is no reason that someone who is interested in the hobby shouldn’t go on the air. Just do your best to follow the rules and chances are very good that you won’t be bothered.
Neil
It’s Fun. Live With It
Radio8Z speaks the truth and I join him on that side of the trench in declaring that PART 15 BROADCASTING IS FUN, drad dang it, and I plan to keep having fun.
Right now the orchestra is playing a wonderful piece of music that a guy wrote ten minutes before he died, and it’s making me cry at 10-minute intervals. If it weren’t for part 15 radio I wouldn’t be hearing this right now at 1550 kHz AM.
I had religion when I was a child, but now I have part 15 radio which I worship and adore. It’s very grown up.
Following the rules is not an ordeal for me because I am not trying to reach beyond what I can see. I don’t want to serve strangers that may never listen and who probably wouldn’t like my taste.
If I get a shut-down letter, my only question will be, “Which one?”
They’d have to send me a whole mail tray’s worth of shut-down letters for each of these transmitters.
If some guy shows up un-announced I have a note in my pocket that says, “Remember to be polite”. It would seem somewhat police-state, but the FCC does have jurisdiction over the airways.
Sometimes I see it from the FCC side of the coin. In simplified terms, they are responsible for keeping the radio spectrum functioning so that safety radio and broadcasts to the public can proceed on course.
We are allowed a little sandbox area where we can put our radio toes in the ocean.
This is fun, listening to dead composer music. Don’t not have fun with it.
FS meter is meaningless for Part 15.219
I agree with all of the above except for one of the posts.
A calibrated field strength meter is a nice thing to have to get a feel for your signal, but FS is not a factor in part 15.219 certification.
Look at the lab report for the Procaster. Go to:
https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=708900&fcc_id='VCJ-AMTX100‘
Then click on TEST REPORT.
Paragraph 5.8.4.1. shows the Field Strength level of Un-modulated Carrier was measured as 75.0 dBμV/m @ 10m, BUT the Limit column shows N/A. Why N/A? Because it was certified under part 15.219 where there is no field strength limit.
FS Meter Is Meaning More for Part 15.219
An FS meter, calibrated or not, has meaning for me.
I can tell at a glance when something is wrong with my system.
I don’t need numbers on the meter, just a reference point.
An accurate SWR meter would be really nice but finding one that works at these power levels is tough.
Neils “Current Meter” looks like a great alternative.
FS Meter Round Up
It would be useful to have a FS Meter Roundup, that is, an index of the FS meters buildable in project form, and commercially available FS meters with comments about their respective usefulness at part 15 signal levels.
Right now, I think, this information is scattered to the six winds and hard to keep track of.
“FS” Meters
TWIMC: Earlier posts here and elsewhere have identified DSP-based receivers displaying a relative indication of the received r-f voltage at a sample point within the receiver, shown as XX “dBµ” on the front panel LCD display on such receivers.
While this indication is not an accurate measure of the field intensity arriving at the antennas of such receivers, still it can be useful in the process of maximizing the fields radiated by a “Part 15 AM” transmitting system.
The r-f bandwidth of such receivers can be set narrow enough (by the user) so that adjacent-channel signals have no significant bearing on their display of signal strength.
One example of such a receiver is the Tecsun PL-310, which has been available via links through E-Bay (and others) from direct exporters in Hong Kong for about $50, US.
These units are rather good receivers for LF, MF, HF, and analog VHF-FM (mono/stereo) transmissions.
They have good sensitivity on the MW band. Optimizing the loading coil turns/inductance used in a Part 15 AM transmit antenna system might require locating such a receiver several hundred feet away from the transmit antenna, and/or to physically orient the receiver so that either short side of its front panel is directed toward the transmit antenna.