The FCC has been out running around with their field strength meters again:
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2003/DOC-294572A1.html
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2003/DOC-294572A1.html
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- Thread starter audioguy
- Start date
Now c'mon...if he is selling ad airtime, he is taking money out of the pockets of a licensed broadcaster.
Or, maybe he is broadcasting the virtues of some religion that the feds don't like (remember David Koresh?).
God bless America!
Or, maybe he is broadcasting the virtues of some religion that the feds don't like (remember David Koresh?).
God bless America!
W
wkbam1690
Guest
Nice wedding gift from Fox Charlie Charlie...
http://www.kencradio.com/press.php
Looks like he was providing a service to his community, airing council meetings, etc.
http://www.kencradio.com/press.php
Looks like he was providing a service to his community, airing council meetings, etc.
Thanks, guys for finding his web site. Very interesting operation!
It's really too bad that the FCC has to pick on people like this who are actually doing something worthwhile for their listeners. Either someone turned him in out of spite, or the FCC heard about it because he was successful and decided to go looking for whatever they could find.
It looks like he has great support from his community, and I am sure he will come up with a work-around that will resolve the problem in such a way that he will be able to continue operating and still have a usable signal. He appears to have the ideal situation: a small town with a lot of local involvement.
I'll bet he can find an elevated location that will put out even a stronger signal than that "unshielded tower", that will make those inspectors wish they hadn't wasted their time.
If I lived out that way I would definitely give this gentleman a helping hand.
It's really too bad that the FCC has to pick on people like this who are actually doing something worthwhile for their listeners. Either someone turned him in out of spite, or the FCC heard about it because he was successful and decided to go looking for whatever they could find.
It looks like he has great support from his community, and I am sure he will come up with a work-around that will resolve the problem in such a way that he will be able to continue operating and still have a usable signal. He appears to have the ideal situation: a small town with a lot of local involvement.
I'll bet he can find an elevated location that will put out even a stronger signal than that "unshielded tower", that will make those inspectors wish they hadn't wasted their time.
If I lived out that way I would definitely give this gentleman a helping hand.
audioguy said:
But note that other things equal, elevated installations provide increased coverage area compared to earth-mounted systems only due to the effects of the conductor or conductors leading from the transmitter chassis to a true r-f ground (something buried in the earth, typically).
So if the next location of this operation has better coverage than the one this NOUO was written for, then it could be subject to the same FCC action.
RF
This guy is the biggest criminal ever!
Public enemy #1!
He should be thrown into one of our already overpopulated prisons immediately!
Having a broadcasting area of more than 200 feet is such a heinous crime!!!
God Bless America!
Oh, and screw the fcc....I'm glad to see they have their priorities straight...THEY SUCK ASS!
Public enemy #1!
He should be thrown into one of our already overpopulated prisons immediately!
Having a broadcasting area of more than 200 feet is such a heinous crime!!!
God Bless America!
Oh, and screw the fcc....I'm glad to see they have their priorities straight...THEY SUCK ASS!
Apart from the politics of this situation...
Numerical Electromagnetics Code (NEC) can be used to directly calculate the transmitter power output needed to produce the 4 mV/m groundwave field intensity measured by the FCC about 450 feet away from this elevated Part 15 AM system, as described in the NOUO.
Assumptions:
15" OD tower, 40 ft tall
1/4" OD whip, 9.84 ft tall, mounted at top of tower
Metallic continuity from the chassis of the Part 15 transmitter to the tower base
R-F resistance of earth connection attached to the tower base: 15 ohms
R-F resistance of loading coil at base of 3-m whip: 5 ohms
Frequency: 1620 kHz
The unmodulated output power of the transmitter needed for this total scenario is about 25 milliwatts.
RF
Numerical Electromagnetics Code (NEC) can be used to directly calculate the transmitter power output needed to produce the 4 mV/m groundwave field intensity measured by the FCC about 450 feet away from this elevated Part 15 AM system, as described in the NOUO.
Assumptions:
15" OD tower, 40 ft tall
1/4" OD whip, 9.84 ft tall, mounted at top of tower
Metallic continuity from the chassis of the Part 15 transmitter to the tower base
R-F resistance of earth connection attached to the tower base: 15 ohms
R-F resistance of loading coil at base of 3-m whip: 5 ohms
Frequency: 1620 kHz
The unmodulated output power of the transmitter needed for this total scenario is about 25 milliwatts.
RF
Wow! Busted for one fortieth of a watt. That stinks. Anyone who knowingly or willfully violates
Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934 is subject to fine or imprisonment.
Note. It said knowingly or willfully. This guy might be able to say he did not know he was in
violation. He thought it was legal.
Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934 is subject to fine or imprisonment.
Note. It said knowingly or willfully. This guy might be able to say he did not know he was in
violation. He thought it was legal.
Pardon me, but something just does not add up here. First, it seems highly improbable that a Rangemaster could actually be radiating 25 mW, even if it were operating over a perfect ground system. The output stage and matching network are just not that efficient. I suspect that either the field strength reading or the calculations are in error. Second, the Rangemaster, like other FCC-certified low power AM transmitters, is certified under Section 15.219 of the FCC rules, not the general radiation limits in 15.209.
It is time for those who are truly interested in low power community broadcasting to work for change. The existing rules were written many years ago when the AM band was much quieter. They are burdensome, arbitrary, and subject to a great deal of interpretation. They need to be revised.
I know that there are many of you on this board who are interested in this topic. There must be some of you who can help. I have a plan and I am looking for people who have expertise in a number of areas including engineering, FCC policy, media and publicity, and legal matters, and who are willing to work on a pro bono basis for the public good. Together, we can make a difference! There has never been a better time to challenge the status quo, and the situation before us actually provides the perfect opportunity to galvanize support for change. Let's not get drawn into lengthy technical battles. That won't accomplish anything. Neither will name-calling.
If you are interested in working on this project, please contact me by sending me a message and I will take it from there.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programming...
It is time for those who are truly interested in low power community broadcasting to work for change. The existing rules were written many years ago when the AM band was much quieter. They are burdensome, arbitrary, and subject to a great deal of interpretation. They need to be revised.
I know that there are many of you on this board who are interested in this topic. There must be some of you who can help. I have a plan and I am looking for people who have expertise in a number of areas including engineering, FCC policy, media and publicity, and legal matters, and who are willing to work on a pro bono basis for the public good. Together, we can make a difference! There has never been a better time to challenge the status quo, and the situation before us actually provides the perfect opportunity to galvanize support for change. Let's not get drawn into lengthy technical battles. That won't accomplish anything. Neither will name-calling.
If you are interested in working on this project, please contact me by sending me a message and I will take it from there.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programming...
Timewarp said:
He won't be in any real trouble...he received a NOUO, which is a stern warning. If he were to continue his operations, he will most likely receive an NAL or Notice of Apparent Liability...and the $10,000 fine. His reply to Uncle Charlie should include the fact that because he was using a Type Certified transmitter, that he did indeed think it was legal, but he'll be fine as long as 'KENC' ceases operations. Sad but true...he really was an asset to his community. Unfortunately, the FCC refuses to catch up to the times, and continually seeks to find creative ways to suppress First Amendment rights, justify itself to Congress, and raise money for the US government's coffers. Think I'm kidding? What exactly is a 'consent decree' anyway? Why did they take Ch. 52 - 69 from TV broadcasters? Why do they still want the rest of the TV broadcast spectrum back? Why did LPFM turn out the way it did, with religious organizations receiving the lion's share of frequencies? As a matter of fact, most of the new construction perimts for radio stations and translators are going to religious organizations. I think it's because they can be sure of a lack of dissent from these groups. Check out these things for yourself...and I'm sure you'll agree.
audioguy said:
As was stated, the value calculated by NEC is the transmitter output power for the NOUO conditions, with the typical coil/ground losses shown -- not the power radiated by the antenna system.
If the earth ground connection and the coil both had zero r-f loss, then, other things equal, the groundwave field intensity at 450 ft would be about 7 mV/m. This shows that about 2/3 of that 25 mW of transmitter output power is dissipated in the real losses of the ground and coil. With the stated losses in the r-f ground and coil included, the radiated power is about 0.025/3 = 0.0083 watts (8.3 mW).
Most of that 8.3 mW is radiated by the long conducting path from the transmitter chassis to earth ground, rather than from the 3-m whip generally considered to be "the antenna." An r-f ground does not exist at the top of a grounded tower or "massive wire" -- it is supplied by something buried in the earth, such as radial wires, ground rods etc.
The bottom line is that the 25 mW transmitter output power and the 4 mV/m field at 450 ft are consistent with each other, for the given conditions.
RF
It just takes one geek, a DXer more prickly than a porcupine to ruin Part 15 hobby broadcasting
for you. This is because unlicensed broadcasters have no rights and some jerk can chase you up and
down the radio dial. "Hey I am trying to receive KFI here in PA. Get off 640!" Guess what? You have
to go. This is even if you are legal.
The field strength of this violation seems high on paper. But really, its like 1,000 watts at several
miles from the transmitter. I have trouble receiving a noise free signal from 1,000 watts at just a
few miles from a transmitter. RF noise today in homes and offices is very high. You might have
poor reception of this guy at 450 feet even with his illegal field strength.
Asking the FCC to remove antenna restrictions on Part 15 AM would be helpful. But establishing
a low power AM Radio Service is the real answer.
for you. This is because unlicensed broadcasters have no rights and some jerk can chase you up and
down the radio dial. "Hey I am trying to receive KFI here in PA. Get off 640!" Guess what? You have
to go. This is even if you are legal.
The field strength of this violation seems high on paper. But really, its like 1,000 watts at several
miles from the transmitter. I have trouble receiving a noise free signal from 1,000 watts at just a
few miles from a transmitter. RF noise today in homes and offices is very high. You might have
poor reception of this guy at 450 feet even with his illegal field strength.
Asking the FCC to remove antenna restrictions on Part 15 AM would be helpful. But establishing
a low power AM Radio Service is the real answer.
Flying-Dutchman said:
I totally agree, and LPAM was presented to the FCC back in August 2005 in the form of a docket.
The FCC has yet to act on it. Apparently they're too busy chasing around folks with field strength meters.
Even for licensed broadcasters, the FCC rules are burdensome and way outdated. This is pointed out in an article in a recent article in Radio World, where such requirements as the main studio, public file and others are mentioned as basically useless in today's radio business world. These rules meant something back in 1941, but to me just seem to be another way to generate revenue for the government now - nothing more.
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
Stimulus creating jobs, I reckon...
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
Flying-Dutchman said:
There may in fact be a moment of opportunity on the horizon, as the economy is forcing more and more
marginal AM station operators to go dark. Discussions should be underway now about how to utilize
frequencies for community service once the commercial broadcaster on that freq. can no longer make it.
For example, say a local station at 1kW on 1490 goes belly-up, that freq. can be re-allocated to a handful
of community broadcasters around the region to each run a couple of watts.
The subject of this thread is KENC 1620 in Stayton Oregon. The FCC visited the station on October
20. On October 18, Ken Cartwright was married on the air. http://www.kencradio.com/
29 years ago, on Veterans Day, the FCC busted me for running Jolly Roger Radio on AM, FM, and
Short Wave.
8 years ago, my wife and I were married on the air on WKLU in Indianapolis. The FCC gave me
a license for 6,000 watts.
I hope Ken can also return with blessings from the FCC.
20. On October 18, Ken Cartwright was married on the air. http://www.kencradio.com/
29 years ago, on Veterans Day, the FCC busted me for running Jolly Roger Radio on AM, FM, and
Short Wave.
8 years ago, my wife and I were married on the air on WKLU in Indianapolis. The FCC gave me
a license for 6,000 watts.
I hope Ken can also return with blessings from the FCC.
Flying-Dutchman said:
Interesting...I believe the current rules for LPFM state that if you have operated an unlicensed broadcast station, you are automatically disqualified from holding a license or having a postion on the board of directors for an LPFM station. I think the same goes for full-power licenses, too. The FCC feels that someone who would operate an unlicensed station lacks the character qualifications to be a licensee.
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