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91.9 Pirate, Miami

C

callfm

Guest
http://www.callfm.com/pirates/Pirate_antenna_March_25_2008.jpg

This pirate on NE 79th Street started operating on Friday (3/21) causing co-channel interference to WMKL as far south as the Dadeland area. More locally, it also affected reception of 2nd and 3rd adjacent channel stations WLRN-FM and WCMQ-FM.

WMKL staff located this site with a field strength meter in about an hour. The Miami Police Department dispatched officers in about 30 minutes after being notified. After given a copy of FS 877.27, officers kindly knocked on the door, were given entry to the property, and the owner voluntarily cut the power to the unit containing the transmitting equipment and agreed to have the antenna removed (to be verified by Miami code compliance officers).

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0877/SEC27.HTM&Title=->2007->Ch0877->Section%2027#0877.27

This is a fantastic law for broadcasters. Several years ago local authorities wouldn't even consider involvement, allowing some pirates to operate for months and years. Now these types of problems can be resolved in just a few hours or less in some cases. Besides the Miami PD, North Miami Beach PD and Hollywood PD have also been really helpful in the past.
 
Good lad. If only field strength meters weren't so expensive I'd spend my weekends finding the brutes!
 
I can go fox-huntin' with my portable radio that has a signal strength meter. I just go towards where the signal gets strongest, then turn 90 degrees, go straight, and see if it strengthens. I can tell a station's strength by how it interferes with the adjacent frequencies. Once the station overloads the radio, it's easy to find the station because the transmitter would be in walking distance unless it's over 1000 watts. I tune to 5.35 megahertz lower than the pirate frequency, then walk around trying to get that frequency to get strong. Once I narrow it down to a few buildings, I can look for an antenna on top of one of them, or try to find which building has the strongest signal by walking under it and seeing if the image at pirate frequency-5.35 mhz stays strong. Then it's much easier to send a complaint to the FCC since you did most of their work. All the FCC needs to do then is show up to the address with a NAL :)
 
I do pretty much the same with my Grundig portable with the antenna all the way down or I take my car antenna off and drive around until it comes in clear then start checking for interference on the adjacents. I've found three illegal stations this way, none of which are on the air anymore. Even still, a field strength meter would be cool.

Does anyone know if there is a way to determine ERP using only the uVm provided by the meter?
 
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