Amateur Radio is regulated, as is radio in general, because it all uses the same limited resource, shared radio spectrum.
The reason that mobile phones, Bluetooth, WiFi, emergency services, aviation and “the edge” work at all is because it’s so heavily regulated.
Radio licensing isn’t a fencing of commons, it’s essential to make it work at all.
Consider for example a phenomenon called harmonics. A transmitter on one frequency also emits signal at multiples of that frequency. This is true for all transmitters. So what you do on one frequency affects other users on other frequencies.
Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 1 month ago
Thanks for your thought out and reasoned response
I guess it depends on where you are but outside of major cities, aka the vast majority of the us, there’s nothing on most of the FM spectrum other than dead air. As long as harmonics are properly filtered the harm from low power FM transmission would be relatively limited in my view. The Internet makes the dissemination of proper broadcasting practice much easier. Opening up the spectrum for low power transmission would do a lot to get folks interested in radio in my view.
Although thinking about all the nuclear takes I am constantly bombarded with online maybe giving folks another medium for self expression isn’t the best idea lol
PaX@hexbear.net 1 month ago
Tune into Citizen’s Band sometime lol, it’s a mess but is entertaining
vk6flab@lemmy.radio 1 month ago
So, those harmonics I mentioned, for the FM broadcast band between 88 MHz and 109 MHz, they’re between 176 MHz and 218 MHz.
Guess what?
They’re allocated to other services, specifically television and digital audio broadcasting.
I can guarantee if you power up a “low power FM transmission” that the FCC will come and find you and rain hellfire on you.
It would be entertaining for the audience to be sure, but I’m not convinced that it would “get folks interested in radio”. You could do a roaring trade in popcorn.
In case you’re not convinced, the FCC fines are hefty and low power isn’t a thing. My legal amateur radio beacon uses 10 milliwatts and has been heard 13,945 km (8,665 miles) away.
So, regardless of content, that’s not the way to win friends…
PaX@hexbear.net 1 month ago
People are put off of amateur radio because so many hams are extremely cop-brained and expect everyone should have to comply to century old rules and norms about how to operate otherwise it’s assumed that you’re just blowing up the spectrum
I am a licensed amateur and the only thing that changed from when I was unlicensed is that the boomers on the FM voice repeaters around me won’t yell at me for interrupting their conversation about their ex-wives or whatever now
Good RF circuitry has never been easier to make/acquire now that we live in the era of semiconductors
Yeah and my WiFi router blasting 10 times that barely makes it through a couple of walls
Completely dependent on conditions and equipment
Also, lmao, there have been some high-profile cases and they have the PIRATE act now but there’s still lots of pirate FM stations out there lol
Pirate radio is cool and good
667@lemmy.radio 1 month ago
Pirate radio ≠ amateur radio.
In the US at least, the barriers to entry to get one’s license has fallen so dramatically that there is no excuse to get the license and operate in harmony with all others.
Part of being a good amateur is operating within the very generous band plan we enjoy, so generous that everything one would do under pirate radio can be done while licensed: 135khz all the way above 275Ghz.
That the rules are a century old, with periodic revisions, is testament to their flexibility and continued pertinence; they’ve so far stood the test of time.
Are there dunces on the amateur spectrum? Certainly. There’s dunces at the supermarket, too. That’s inescapable. That “cop-brained” mentality you’ve mentioned is not a symptom of the amateur rules nor your so-called cop-brained mentality, but the natural desire to protect a privilege we enjoy.
The treatment you earned on the repeaters while operating unlicensed is on you.
vk6flab@lemmy.radio 1 month ago
We’re going to need more popcorn…