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Miami/Fort Lauderdale LPFM caught with 1000 watt ERP!

Cold Coffee said:
The CP just has the ERP. The LPFM license has the TPO and ERP.
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SomeRadioGuy said:
There are some old Class D's that were only licensed for TPO, not ERP.. they used that to their advantage.
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I just went and looked at it myself. TPO 126w, ERP 48w. That's close enough to @Cold Coffee's example to be useful for discussion purposes.

Either way -- TPO or ERP -- I do believe they are in an indefensible position.
 
Cold Coffee said:
These were 10 watts TPO with as much antenna gain as you could get. I've received some of these Class D's FM's up to150 miles away.
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I know an engineer who handles several of them and i dont think all said TPO, though my memory is fuzzy... but i seem to recall that being the case because we found TPO for sure on one and seemed slightly overjoyed at that... one of the stations no longer exists.
 
Cold Coffee said:
OK, but you still need to be able to read the meters and control the transmitter. And, I'm sure this transmitter was not type certified for LPFM.
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Unless there is someone physically on the site during all hours of operation, most likely there is a "remote control unit" that texts or calls someone if something go wonky.* Unless there is an FCC rule I am not aware of: I don't think you have to have a glass door so anyone can look at the meters on the transmitter when the door is shut and the lights are off.

There are a few "eBay specials" out there. I do wish the FCC would ban the sales of "non FCC" certified devices from US websites.

*It's been my personal experience you get a call usually: about 2 or 3 AM, when you are taking a shower or just sat down to eat.
 
kevtronics said:
Wouldn't that be up to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) to enforce, not the FCC?
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Most electronics are supposed to have the "FCC" logo that it doesn't emit bad RF. Things are getting "reorganize" by Trump's DOGE but as of 10:15 AM EDT Today April 24th 2025, I believe it would be US Customs and Border Agency part of Homeland Security that should check for proper documentation.
 
K.M. Richards said:
I just went and looked at it myself. TPO 126w, ERP 48w. That's close enough to @Cold Coffee's example to be useful for discussion purposes.

Either way -- TPO or ERP -- I do believe they are in an indefensible position.
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To determine the efficiency of the coax used by this LPFM. 48 x 2 =96 divide by 126 = 76%

So now we can calculate their ERP. 1,022 watts divide by 2 = 511 watts x 76% = 388 watts ERP.
 
Only LPFM's are required to have type certified transmitters. Translators, Full power FM's, and Class D's only need type verified. There are no type certified transmitters for LPFM that have a TPO of 1,000 watts.

The FCC can request documentation to show that they ever purchased a type certified LPFM transmitter.
 
Cold Coffee said:
Only LPFM's are required to have type certified transmitters. Translators, Full power FM's, and Class D's only need type verified. There are no type certified transmitters for LPFM that have a TPO of 1,000 watts.

The FCC can request documentation to show that they ever purchased a type certified LPFM transmitter.
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The requirement for non-LPFM is the Supplier's Declaration of Conformity, which I could consider as modern-speak for "type verified".

Nautel does have FM transmitters at power levels above 1 kW that have certification and FCC IDs. Other manufacturers do also.
 
What happened in south Florida is just another chapter of the cancer that plagues many LPFMs in the state. These stations are obtained with the full intention to go commercial and operate at higher powers. There is a lot of pirate culture that has seeped into LPFM down there. There is a lot of other shadiness that takes place down there that no one has reported. All it takes is a complaint. Many are too afraid to file them because they could lead to additional inspections taking place at uninvolved stations because the FCC "is in the neighborhood".

These noncomplaint LPFM stations do not have my sympathy. Just because they have an -LP suffix on their call sign does not mean they get a "get out of jail free" card from REC. It just makes my job harder as I negotiate with the FCC and the NAB to help get the good LPFM stations good things.

At this year's NAB, I spoke in front of an audience, which included several presidents of state broadcasters associations to give my views on noncomplaint LPFM stations. I made it clear. The only way we can reel this problem in is to continue to file complaints. Many of these stations are getting away with this because they may perceive that the FCC is not taking enforcement actions. I told the crowd, if they have an issue with an LPFM station, contact me and provide me with the same information you would put into a complaint. I will try to contact the station to resolve the issue. Many times, the issues are a simple misunderstanding of what can and can't be done in underwriting acknowledgements. If I am unable to reach the station or if I do reach the station and the problem persists, I suggest the broadcast station file a complaint. These types of compliance issues, especially the technical issues are not isolated to LPFM. I have seen my share of similar violations involving FM translators. In the case of translators, the biggest cancer is in the Houston area. Its a small number of players that are doing a big part of the damage in both services.
 
Do you take the same attitude with small town commercial or non comms who may just have a simple mis understanding of a rule or do you turn them in right away?
 
The NAB opposed Class A stations getting an upgrade from 3 KW to 6 KW. Then they opposed me when I filed a petition to create an LPFM service.

I think the NAB would be most happy if the FCC abolished the LPFM service and revoked all the licenses.

They may be the friend of big corporations. They are not the friend of the little guy.
 
Anton P said:
The guy is an attorney. I guess he knows exactly how far he can push the law.
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Im guessing Ben, the application certifier is the the brother of the lawyer, Sam

Sam owns WPBR 1340 in West Palm Beach and WNDO 1520 Orlando
 


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