Pirate shortwave.

[TimeLady Victorious]

Not AM, shortwave.

Anyone here ever do it? Would someone need something more powerful than a regular ham radio to do it?

Inquiring minds want to know!

[mikehz]

People have used HF (shortwave) to send messages thousands of miles on half a watt. The antenna system is very important!

[KDus]

How many of your friends have a radio that works medium or shortwave bands?
How many of your friends have a TV, or AM, or FM, radio?

[mikehz]

How many of your friends have a radio that works medium or shortwave bands?
How many of your friends have a TV, or AM, or FM, radio?

I have a radio that transmits on HF, or shortwave, bands. However, if you attempt to transmit on the amateur radio bands you will very quickly find that someone will locate you and turn you in to the FCC. Hams are very possessive of their allocations, and police their own frequencies. Typical time to find an illegal broadcaster: maybe twenty minutes. Often, without ever leaving the shack.

"I'm gettin' a 5X5 here, how 'bout you?"

"He's coming in 8X5 here. Must be about a mile away, to the east..."

[FTL_Ian]

Yep, they've been abused and will protect their abuser.

"HEY! You need a license like we have to be here, pal!"

[NHArticleTen]

Yep, they've been abused and will protect their abuser.

"HEY! You need a license like we have to be here, pal!"

same bullshit as the citizen/illegal crap

same bullshit as the licensed/unlicensed crap

same bullshit as the union/non-union crap

same bullshit as...oh...fuck it...

enjoy!

[NuroSlam]

How many of your friends have a radio that works medium or shortwave bands?
How many of your friends have a TV, or AM, or FM, radio?

I have a radio that transmits on HF, or shortwave, bands. However, if you attempt to transmit on the amateur radio bands you will very quickly find that someone will locate you and turn you in to the FCC. Hams are very possessive of their allocations, and police their own frequencies. Typical time to find an illegal broadcaster: maybe twenty minutes. Often, without ever leaving the shack.

"I'm gettin' a 5X5 here, how 'bout you?"

"He's coming in 8X5 here. Must be about a mile away, to the east..."

Yes, I am licensed.
Yes, I am a member of the ARRL

Of the vast majority of hams that I know under the age of 50 are of the libertarian mindset. They also enjoy shortwave listening which includes listening to pirate radio.

I've been looking at the FCC complaints filed and a good 80% are against hams that are stomping on repeaters, one or two non licensed individuals stomping on repeaters and a couple of companies stomping on repeaters.

Now I agree that the FCC should not exist, but until there is legal recourse for stomping on privately owned repeaters that are intended for providing fault tolerant communications in the event of disaster, emergency etc i see nothing wrong with hams policing hams using the FCC.

For those who wish to make two way communications without an FCC license there is CB radio.

[KDus]

Who bothers to check call-signs to see if they are valid or if the operator is within their license?
Mine expired years ago but I key up with it anyway. Nobody else knows the difference. If I want to operate on other bands, I'll just drop the appropriate letter.

Hams using the guns of government to impose their will is no different than calling the cops on your noisy neighbor, or broadcasters calling the FCC on pirates.

The FCC is preventing the free market from establishing a sort of title to those repeater channels, and requiring the use of the FCC to persue trespassers. And, everyone involved is subject to arbitrary ineffective authority.

In L.A., local broadcasters coordinate STL frequencies amongst ourselves before we seek FCC approval.
Hams believe in the fantasy that a piece of paper make something right or wrong, and that some people with badges have authority. They are part of the problem because they support the veil of legitimacy.

[NuroSlam]

Actually i do see it as free market to a degree as those repeaters are private property. What is it Ian says, my property my rules? whats the recourse in a free market when rules for private property are not followed? Is not the FCC somewhat functioning as an arbitrator in the matter of who owns the repeater not the frequency? again, I see no use for the FCC in a perfect world. just stating a point.

Obviously you don't "abuse" the airwaves which is why no one cares.

[KDus]

Ostracism.

There is a Ham store in Burbank that only sells to licenced hams.
When reputation becomes more and more important, people won't want others knowing they key up with obscenities on a private repeater's channel that could interfere with emergency traffic. That would limit a persons options in the community.

Again, the FCC is not a starting point, it is in the way.

[NuroSlam]

Ostracism.

There is a Ham store in Burbank that only sells to licensed hams.
When reputation becomes more and more important, people won't want others knowing they key up with obscenities on a private repeater's channel that could interfere with emergency traffic. That would limit a persons options in the community.

Again, the FCC is not a starting point, it is in the way.

again, not taking the side of the FCC, but you can't ostracize someone who already has the equipment. Again I agree the FCC should not be used, but a licensed ham has volunteered to abide by the "laws" in order to get the license so he should be held accountable for his voluntary violation of said "laws" by the regulations he has volunteered to follow.

like the bible says, those that have the book are judged by the book those who don't are not.

my point is that 90% of the time hams are going after other hams trespassing on repeater systems, not people running pirate radio

[mikehz]

Who bothers to check call-signs to see if they are valid or if the operator is within their license?

Many hams operate with their computer sitting in the shack. If they hear someone they don't know, they will often check them on QRZ, which has a database of all call signs. I know I have been checked many times.

[KDus]

Sounds like a fun evening. Chatting with Hams that want to make sure you are worthy of air time. Those self appointed assistants to the FCC, sure are great folks to associate with.
What are they going to do if my ticket is expired? Will they give me a stern talking to on the 20M? I suppose I should tell them where I am so they can report me. Maybe they'll gather signal reports from several states and figure out that I'm in Southern California. Then again, I might rotate my beam while I transmit and then they'll be searching for me in Santa Barbara in stead of San Diego. I hope I didn't use the wrong number in my call sign. That's a bad habbit, eh?
I don't get on the Ham bands anymore because there's nothing to talk about. It is just a bunch of old guys arguing about the right way to hold a mic when you talk. Maybe you'll get lucky and hear about somebody's RV trip across Mew Mexico!
Let's not forget the "amateur" in amateur radio.

[TimeLady Victorious]

After some research at HF Underground I have concluded that as long as you stay within the typical pirate band, don't try to drown out any stations like WBCQ or WWCR (or, the Gods forbid, the VOA herself), and try to stay out of the ham bands, not many people will care.

I'll probably just set up my own Part 15 SW station eventually anyway, so . . .

[TimeLady Victorious]

Bump to protect against vicious hateful database purges.