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Yo Hooligans,

After reading RADIO IS MY BOMB I thought I'd drop you a note to�
say that I appreciate what you're doing, and the fact that there�
are some other technically-minded \circleA types around. Stab 'em�
with their own knives I say.

I just re-read THE FREE, I bought it at Bound Together Bookstore�
here in San Francisco; they carry RADIO IS MY BOMB, but because�
RADIO\dots is really for the English environment, I never bought�
one, besides, radio is not on my (overly-long) do-list at the�
moment\dots but someone in our hovel here brought a copy home�
from somewhere, so I checked it out.

In the section entitled ``The Rest Of the World'', you pretty�
correctly summed it up here as it pertains to U.S. radio. I�
thought I'd provide you with some updates and further facts on�
U.S. radio.

Some friends and I pursued actually getting a legal low-power�
radio license; amongst us, we had more than enough technical�
expertise, one of us was a Class 1 license holder (and chief�
engineer for a local commercial FM station), plus other talent�
and resources were around. We ultimately gave up the project, but�
we learned a lot, so I thought I'd write and tell you what we�
found. Mainly this is about FM broadcast, 88 - 108MHz, I think�
it's the same frequencies and technology\dots though we briefly�
thought over AM broadcast, ie. ``medium wave'' to you, 550 - 1060�
KHz.

ANYWAYS -- here's the basic environment here at the moment. The�
FM band consists of two halves -- 88MHz through 91.9MHz is ``non�
commercial'' and 92MHz up is deemed ``commercial''. (I am not�
certain of the boundary but it's within 1 MHz of that.) Broadcast�
licenses are in two basic categories: Class A and Class D; A is�
full power, unlimited hours etc, and restricted to the commercial�
segment; D is ``low power'' (to oversimplify: 1KW and under),�
generally college and community radio. Only ``non-commercial''�
can have Class D transmitters, and are restricted to the bottom�
half of the band.

If I am not mistaken, this scheme was laid out in the late 50's�
early 60's to encourage the use of the ``new'' radio band, which�
I think laid fallow for some time, to encourage relatively low�
cost experimentation. (I do remember getting a brand-new cheap FM�
radio for my birthday when I was a kid, and the band was pretty�
clear. 1968 or so?) Radio history 1960 - 1980 goes here -- I�
don't have it.

The situation ended up as this: in urban areas, there are no more�
``clear'' (ie. unoccupied, available) frequencies; there are many�
in the many rural areas of the country. (Alas, it seems us types�
are totally urban\dots but that's another story.) The large�
commercial chains own the top end of the dial, period; stations�
sell for millions and up. The bottom end of the dial is mainly�
``college radio'', attached to various universities, since it�
costs real money to run even a ``low power'' station. They are�
generally considered training grounds for radio jockeys and the�
like who want to go on to ``real'' radio for careers and all that�
crap. They tend to be better than commercial radio, but that's�
not saying much. Some are OK though.

Many are truly independent and serve their communities pretty�
well. The Pacifica stations (KPFA, KPFB, and all its affiliates)�
are pretty OK, though they tend towards ``liberal/leftyness'' but�
they do actually fight the infrastructure on basic radio rights,�
etc. 

For example: in San Francisco there's a station KPOO, started by�
the guy who formed or helped form the Pacifica group, amongst�
many others; damn I can't remember his name, and that is a crime�
as he did wonderful stuff for radio in the U.S. A definite saint.�
Anyways it is a community radio not beholden to any university�
etc. It is local black community run and refuses to get coopted�
by the white liberal/lefty types that always ask for coverage of�
their events, etc.

In the last ten years (or so) though the FCC (Federal�
Communications Commission) changed things. Now, though the FCC is�
the usual gov't bureaucracy, the FCC rules \& regs were laid out�
pretty fairly, a long time ago; they actually did treat different�
parties fairly (in that context). The problem is, big business�
types have full time legal and political lobbying staffs to do�
nothing but petition and harass the FCC for rules changes, pay�
off politicians, get puppets appointed, etc and generally make a�
mess. 

You may have heard of the trouble a Pacifica station in Los�
Angeles got into for reading something not very scary (I don't�
remember) on the air; well-funded right-wing christian�
fundamentalists brought the FCC on their collective asses for in�
and they came close to losing their license; the x-tians�
constantly harass them by listening for every trivial breach�
(swear word, etc) and getting their mindless minions to flood the�
FCC with letters of complaint. It is effective. This process is�
not uncommon.

And this is what the big biz types have succeeded in doing: no�
more Class D licenses will be issued, ever. (Means: you must�
afford a 10KW transmitter!) Existing Class D are ``encouraged''�
to upgrade (right). The non-commercial distinction no longer�
exists; commercial, full power stations can exist in the low end�
of the band, if such a frequency becomes available (either by�
buying out an existing station or after loss of license (see�
above)). If a new Class A station interferes with the clear�
signal of an adjacent Class D station, the Class D station must�
tolerate it or upgrade to Class A. (NOTE: the normal process�
regarding interference is, to make a long story short, done at�
site (trans \& antenna) design/installation time; the new station�
must not generate interference.)

These guys are obviously in it for the long haul\dots it will�
take decades for this to pay off, but it will, as the Class D�
stations wither away. Someone said, a radio license is like a�
license to print money.

LET'S DIGRESS

Pirate Radio doesn't really apply here like it does there.�
Totally different world, and like you say, there are lots of�
stations, and here in the S.F. Bay Area, you can get shows and�
events listed on at least some of them.

I wouldn't want to live in England right now\dots I think you�
know what I mean\dots (Clause 28 is enough for me\dots) though�
one thing that always surprises me -- how non-violent the cops�
are there, in general. Here, something as simple asking a pig a�
question at the wrong time (say: when he tells you ``you can't�
walk there'' you ask why) can get you beat to shit, thrown in�
jail overnight, and no recourse. Fighting the cops in demos is�
simply out of the question -- for routine demonstrations (``U.S.�
Out Of El Salvador'', etc) they use the Tactical Squad -- the�
same pigs that handle hostages, bombings, etc. Lots of undercover�
cops, tear gas, roundups, clubbings, etc. On TV no less, though�
they always show the usual one dude fighting back then say�
something about ``rioters''. It is as bad as it sounds\dots

But one resource is overlooked: cable TV. Any idiot with a video�
tape can get it on a cable channel, or hell, start a new cable�
channel if there's a slot free. People do do this, there's all�
kinds of stuff on, really bad homemade to good quality low cost.�
There are also low power UHF TV channels, zillions of them -- UHF�
TV never went through the boom cycle they expected so there's�
lots of slots available, though it ain't cheap, it's not�
millions, you could probably do it for \$10 - 20K, if you were�
ingenious and filled out the mountains of forms right. (which,�
like you pointed out, must prove financial responsibility and be�
some sort of ``real'' organization -- though that part is easy to�
do also -- there's a thing called an ``unincorporated non-profit�
association'' that is as vague as it sounds. Costs \$20!)

TECHNICAL JUNK:

And now I get to the point (I do seem to have rambled a�
bit\dots): What got me to write was the note you made about the�
``Mini-TX Boom'' in Japan, and your comment on maybe we're doing�
exactly what the mass-market state/commercial broadcasters do.

There are similar low-power laws in the U.S., I'd be surprised if�
there were not some in England too. I'll list them in detail�
below. Probably they simply deem such things as beneath contempt;�
with scum-sucking tiny playlist pabulum stations blaring out 20 -�
30 minutes of advertisements per hour, with a 40-song playlist on�
rotation, with a 1,000,000+ listener base, they don't give a shit�
about some assholes with 100mW and a 10 foot wire out the window.�
And rightly so, from their point of view\dots

The FCC allows the following unlicensed broadcasts in the two�
bands as follows:

510 - 1600KHz: You're allowed very low power operation, measured�
one of two ways: a field strength of (24000 / F(kHz)) microvolts,�
at 30 meters (part 15 paragraph 111) or, more reasonably, with a�
maximum final-stage input power 100 milliwatts, and a 3 meter�
max. antenna length (part 15 paragraph 113). Both with the usual�
out-of-band limits, etc. 

88 - 108 MHz: you're allowed a ``wireless microphone'' with a�
field strength of 50 microvolt/meter at 15 meter distance (part�
15 paragraph 162); antenna is otherwise unlimited. There is no�
input-power clause.

Which brings us to: ``Certification and Identification Required�
for Home Built Devices'', part 15 paragraph 133. This governs all�
homemade RF devices, defined as constructing five or less devices�
for ``his own use'' (women don't do such things they're too busy�
cooking and cleaning),and you are supposed to attach a signed�
statement regarding testing etc onto the device, etc. Right.

AND THAT'S ABOUT IT

No response to this is necessary, I don't generally write long�
tedious letters to total strangers but I thought that stuff like�
what you are doing deserves response, input, info and�
updates\dots

The RADIO AMATEURS HANDBOOK, published by the Amateur Radio Relay�
League (biggest U.S. ham club) is pretty good.

You know, some of us here were thinking of a project: a book,�
published in loose-leaf form, that would be a general technology�
handbook, written in sections, for example: basic electricity;�
tools; house wiring; simple physics; basic electronics; component�
identification; tips and tricks; etc. in no-bullshit style and�
language. Sold and upgraded in sections, standard size paper to�
encourage reproduction, etc. It's definitely on the long-term�
project list, but if you're interested\dots

Well more than enough for now\dots I've included a gay punk zine�
I do, HOMOCORE, plus my ``sales sheet'' for a system I wrote,�
FidoNet is a completely private, completely decentralized�
literally world wide computer network (no, I don't run it),�
though of course there's assholes all over it. This is how I make�
my money. I soak businesses, sell cheap to hobbyists, but I also�
give it away. If you know of anyone that could use it, let me�
know, I'll send them a copy. It sounds like a strange method, but�
it works. 

Well enough for now. Thanks for writing that book. 


\bye
