I was just purusing the FCC Enforcement Bureau’s list of “Field Issued Citations, Notices of Apparent Liability and Notices of Violations,” because that’s one place to see if there’s been any pirate radio activity noticed by the FCC. I came across a Notice of Apparent Liability from June for a hip-hop station operating out of Sacramento. The Notice mentions a sign on the door of the station with a website, which I decided to check out.
The site, apparently for a local entertainment magazine associated with the station, doesn’t give much info. But a google search turned up an interesting website, Pirate Nation Radio (PNR), that features a sort of timeline of the station’s operation.
PNR, authored by DJ Pirate Joe, also has plans for an Altoids tin transmitter, and a host of other plans for homebrew antennas and amplifiers.
What I enjoyed most on the site is an interview with Hiphop Captain Pirate Bly, who apparently operates an unmanned station utilizing an MP3 CD player:
# PNR: Where do you broadcast from ?
# CB: We’re on the streets, keeping it real and trying new things. San Jo, Fremont, Rich town, ya’ get the idea. Man, we don’t stay with the equipment none, we’re like that Ronco man “just set it and forget it” then we be gone.
# PNR: How is that possible ?
# CB: You need to meet the Hiphop Pirate Cube bro, a portable battery operated fm station.
# PNR: It looks like a bomb ?
# CB: NO BOMB but its tha bomb! Blowing up the airwaves with the hiphop that doesn’t stop.
Although it’s a little less spontaneous than having a live broadcast, having a small self-contained transmitter packed with 13 hours of programming is certainly a simple and inexpensive method to broadcast with less risk of getting caught red-handed. If you’re only going to do hit-and-run broadcasts–rather than 24/7–this is one way to go.
I’m just glad to see a new pirate radio site that offers some fresh thoughts and technical plans, in it’s own unique way.