I feel isolated as the only part 15 station in my neighborhood, and maybe the only one in my city. Wouldn't it be great if a dozen part 15 operators moved into a several block area and worked together to assign frequencies so they wouldn't interfere with each other. We could call each other on the phone to arrange transmitter tests. At times we might set up a network and transmit a single local production over all stations at once. We could inter-marry and expand into other neighborhoods and eventually have more presence on the dial than the boring licensed stations.
Sounds good Carl and yes with AM there's lots of space so a few in a given area could operate and each have a spot but a dozen?, there's not that much space at the upper part of the band between 1400 and 1700 where we would go. Unlike FM, part 15 AM only utilizes the top part of the band.
Part 15 operators are far and few between. You are right that you could be the only one in your city. In the greater Toronto area(not just Toronto proper) there are close to 4 million people and I'll bet you I am the only one doing this....wait, one other I just thought of so that makes 2. But we are not close to each other. In all of Canada I think that me and maybe 10 other people give or take do this. Even Gerry at procaster says virtually all of his sales are in the USA. So does Decade say that too.
In the USA maybe 9-10 times the Canadian numbers do this as the population is 9 times Canada's. The pirates not included.
But here I'm on FM and the FM band is not near as empty as the AM band and space is at a premium here. I am glad I am alone here doing this as if there were more here there would be no space. So I am glad that no one else is in my area doing this. But in a different area OK but not in a 1/2 mile radius of me. Or a bit more to have a buffer zone.
@mark I'm the only one doing it in my city...Thought about putting up another transmitter in another area of town. It would just be a repeater of the one I'm running now. I could probably cover a good chunk of town if I did. I would have to sync the audio somehow.
I would like to set up repeaters at friend locations but unfortunately all the people involved have no grasp of the reason for running a part 15 station. In one case the people have said they think I imagine having a radio station and at the other household it's all about movies. Well, a third one is fundamentalist Christian and they would unfriend me if they knew I was an atheist. America's freedom of religion only applies to Christians.
Unfortunately, the FM band is also home to those 'car' FM transmitters, that often are uncertified and overpowered. I run into these things a lot when driving around my neighborhood, as there are few open frequencies on the FM band. Most of a Part 15's listening area is fringe, and it's quite easy to blast through what little signal we have with these things. I've known people to leave them plugged in even with no audio, effectively wiping out a good chunk of my coverage area.
I had one of these take up residence on Bowen Island. Whoever owned it left it on all the time, and it was way overpowered, reducing my signal range substantially and covering a good portion of the island. I was tempted to report it, but first I reached out through the local newspaper and managed to shame them into turning it off.
The 'Part 15 Neighborhood' of my vision happens to be AM, because of course in the U.S. we know that the legal signal levels are impractical except for very close by.
With the better range of AM the signal gets somewhere, and every mile or so frequencies can be re-used by other stations, so there's not likely to be over crowding.
@artisan-radio Fortunately those things are not that popular anymore as all cars in the last 5 -6 years come with a screen and sound system with Bluetooth set up to pair with a phone and no one is using MP3 players through the FM radio anymore.
I know what you're saying, and maybe I'm just unlucky, but I run into these things all the time.
What is most annoying is that they're usually broadcasting just a dead carrier, with no audio. There oughta be a rule!
Me Too.
There was a neighbor up the street who had a transmitter at 90.1 FM, and I could drive by and hear what she was listening to. But when she wasn't listening she left the carrier on. Luckily it didn't matter because I didn't use that frequency.
I didn't think that some could have these in their houses with an older hi fi system that has no bluetooth so they can get these little transmitters to get their music from a phone to the hi fi set to sound good but if just those ones for cars they wouldn't make it outside very far.
But if they get a CZH 05B and that would be a problem for us!
If that happened where I am I would track it down with a portable spectrum analyzer, get the house, and call ISED or email where there is a place for complaints and tell them where and what frequency, and hope they are illegal and can be told to stop.
But of course if they had a certified transmitter like a wholehouse or even a Decade(not likely) and were operating it legally not much that you can do. I would just be pissed off that they are interfering with me which wouldn't be a problem if in an area with lots of space on the band.
This gets back to the subject of neighbourhood part 15 stations. What if someone in my area decides to do this? There's no protected area for BETS or part 15 stations or where they can be set up. Fortunately in my area and in most areas this is not too popular. And most don't listen to their music on an FM radio or hi fi receiver at home. They are watching TV.
But these are not on AM so if it ever became a big problem there's that to fall back on.
This is why I am glad no one else is doing this in my area and not many doing this anywhere in the country.
@ Mark Mark makes a convincing case that a part 15 neighborhood would not work for FM.
Therefore I only propose the idea for part 15 AM.
@carl-blare True! A lot less chance of being interfered with on AM. And lots more space on the dial even just between 1400 and 1700.
So even if someone sets up an AM transmitter just down the street from you you can work it out with I'll go here, you go there, and good. But with FM unless you are away from major cities the band is almost full and stations come from outside your city also so space is at a premium. Then the simulcast translators but if you live in a rural area away from major population and cities there lots of space on FM too.
But "knock on wood" here where I am I have been good with the 1 or 2 spots on the FM dial I can go here. But also Carl remember the increased coverage we have here with FM so that's why FM works here.
I sold my Procaster but am thinking of getting another for back up because anything can happen. A new station could crop up on 89.9. There's only one other place I could go, unless I move which I have been trying to do to an area up in cottage country. So to stay on FM here in Toronto I have been lucky all this time and none of these operators of other transmitters in the area has been a problem.
When a music store chain here was selling CZE O5B transmitters as RSS-210/part 15 compliant I was very nervous as anyone could have bought these in my area.
Fortunately none have.
Wouldn't it be great if a dozen part 15 operators moved into a several block area and worked together to assign frequencies so they wouldn't interfere with each other. We could call each other on the phone to arrange transmitter tests.
I was working on this very idea as a lone ranger but with friendly real estate and power to work from. I could have had a signal 1/3 across the City of St Louis, but there were road blocks I won't specify to protect the semi-innocent. It was one of many things that made me go mobile, and then out of the city all together.