Let's say they are listening, they think something is suspicious they get a tip, they see something weird in their building, what can they do to help you and the FCC tackle this problem? MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, well just in the FM band particularly, if we just let everybody operate where they want it just creates chaos, and that's always been our argument that it creates chaos it the spectrum. bclc lotto app not working; signs your internship will turn into a job; mary suehr schmitz. As soon as there were laws on the books, there were pirate radio stations on the air. The price of the equipment is $2,960.51. We also had a case in Queens, New York, where several pirate radio stations got involved together and they were using each other's equipment in order to change location to avoid detection. Marshal Service and seize all of the equipment that is associated with the operation of a radio station, really anything physically connected to the transmitter. Some pirates have even shown in in the SWBC bands, including 49, 31 and 25 meters. To prove my point, here are some MP3 recordings of some of my favorite recent pirate radio stations/broadcasts: Though pirates can be located anywhere on the planet, and therefore can broadcast, hypothetically, anywhere on the radio dial, patterns are actually fairly predictable in order to draw a listening audience. The frequency spectrum is a natural resource and so all of our decisions that we make when we allocate spectrum is for the public interest. Andrew Yoder, author and publisher of the 2012 Pirate Radio Annual, defines pirate radio as: [A]ny unlicensed hobby broadcast operation that is using more power than the legal limit.. 40. r/HamRadio. 16 days ago. Well joining me to discuss this topic is David Dombrowski, Regional Director for Region One in the FCC Enforcement Bureau. A lot of times you can tell by the audio quality. MR. DOMBROWSKI: No, and some of these are in high crime areas where there is a lot of drugs. I am a Philadelphia native, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I graduated Temple University and my first job was the FCC right out of college and interestingly --. So when we finally are able to pick up the signal in our car we then drive in the area in kind of a circle around the source and we plot lines, we call them lines of bearing on a map, and where they intersect is where this transmission source is originating. They can be highly entertaining or thought-provoking, and thus are, themselves, a unique art form. So it's not just that a pirate radio station might be harming other radio stations, which is bad in and of itself and could pose a public safety risk with emergency communications, but we're talking serious stuff when we talk about FAA and air traffic control. Loggings are in real time and there are very fewif anyoff-topic posts. Now stop your Googling right now because that is illegal, right? On Easter Sunday in 1964, the station went on the air, playing the Rolling Stones' single "It's All Over Now" as its first song. To the contrary, though, more than a half-century later, pirate radio is still a thing. So what is the state of pirate radio in the U.S. and how is the FCC taking it on? For his new show, Bruce promises "me and my musings and all the great . Note:Even though it is illegal to broadcast on the shortwave bands without a license, and those who do so are subject to hefty fines, it is not illegal to listen or to send and receive QSL cards from such operators. What's more, pirate radio stations gave us access to some of the most pivotal figures in UK music . Ive also been encouraged by pirates to hone my weak-signal DXing using exalted carrier reception (ECR)zero-beating an AM signal in SSBin an attempt to hear weak AM pirate stations. Marshals, Department of Justice, because we are a federal agency, but have we leveraged the resources and the knowledge of local law enforcement in working on this, are there, you know, different approaches from different States? Wolves are looking to climb up the table (Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) This will be the fourth time this year the two . And that is where we ask for the public's help. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Ten times as much, that's big, yes. Jason Scott Archivist. MR. DOMBROWSKI: That's not going to be my cell phone is it? I am Evan Swarztrauber. Marshal Service actually and that allows us to go in with the U.S. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: So what is the current state of pirate radio? The government authorities in charge of the surveillance of the radio-electric spectrum can use the PROWATCH instruments to detect and locate the pirate and irregular broadcast stations of radio and TV. It might be illegal in terms of IRS about the taxes that aren't be collected off the exchange of funds in the business that's going on behind doors. That's part of it, right, and you rely on some cooperation in some instances to get it done. Euro pirates typically broadcast in the 48 meter band (6,200 6,450 kHz), but the HF Underground notes that you will also hear Euro pirates on the 75 meter band between 3,900-4,000 kHz, on the 19 meter band (15,000-15,100 kHz and 15,700-15,900 kHz), and even on the 13 meter band (21,000-25,000 kHz). But sometimes it is very difficult with those stations that have put more investment into the equipment. So it's not the -- In terms of size wise for mileage it's the smallest region, but it's the most populated. So sometimes the apartment owner, the building owner, or whatever, is totally in the dark about this, didn't know about. And he had some good backing, financial backing, by the ACLU who were fighting for him, and he was a microbroadcaster and he tried to encourage others to follow in his footsteps and protect our First Amendment rights, so he was --. Indeed, since pirates are operating at lower power, they get much more bang-for-the-watt out of SSB. And an overall limit of $2 million. They just twist the dial. Radio 510 International - European relay station broadcasting every weekend on short-wave to all of Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East on 13840 kHz. We do contact the property owner before we execute the warrant to let them know we are at the door and we don't want to break the door down but we need them there to open it. Liverpool vs Wolves will kick-off on Wednesday, March 1 at 8pm. Why? MR. DOMBROWSKI: You know, that's hard to say. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Oh, that's probably why they are complaining, right? Gimme Radio (for online listeners) Gimme Radio is one of the more modern American rock radio stations available today. (Listen to one of Ronins broadcasts below.). And that's a pretty big deterrent when you show up with police officers threatening to arrest somebody because they are operating a pirate radio station. There was a case that I worked back in Philly back in the day --. Broadcasting at 250,000 watts, XERF was five times as powerful as the most high-powered Top 40 AM stations on the West Coast. Note: This podcast was recorded on June 21st. This station was operated in Pennsauken, New Jersey, which is right across the river from Philadelphia, and it covered the entire Philadelphia area. The Moody Blues are one example of this." Pirate radio guru Andrew Yoder started his own pirate blog last year, and has already began populating it with regular updates, QSLs, and recordings. Oh, it happens a lot, especially in these urban areas like New York. And did I mention the cool QSL cards? MR. DOMBROWSKI: So the complainant needs to tell us where they hear the station. The important thing here is that you invest in a receiver with a respectable degree of sensitivity and selectivity. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: And those, and I think we mentioned New York, we mentioned Philadelphia, are there other hot spots in particular where this seems to just be a bigger problem than elsewhere in the country? So when they say, oh, I don't need a license to operate I'm a Part 15 transmitter, well we have to do studies and measurements to see if that's true. MR. DOMBROWSKI: So we have two ways to file a complaint. You can sign up for the newsletter by emailing any of their edittors: John Brewer ([emailprotected]), Ragnar Danskjold ([emailprotected]), Harold Frodge ([emailprotected]), Dave Turnick ([emailprotected]) or Larry Will ([emailprotected]), OK, I suppose I must also mention my own humble blog, where I continue to amass numerous pirate radio loggings and off-air recordings. Where the "modern" history of pirate radio seems to begin, though, is in the 1960s when pirate radio operators would get on the air to spread their music to a wider audience. So when the FCC licenses FM stations those stations are generally not going to interfere with aeronautical operations because we make sure that they are not. And so when a station operates say on 95.5 megahertz they now have potential to cause interference to other stations on 95.5 that may be a little distance away. It eventually regrouped and resurfaced as an internet station, which gave it a global reach. We hope you understand, and are grateful for your support. We have had cases where we have gone in on in rem seizures and found drug paraphernalia inside the building and so that becomes now a law enforcement issue and they take care of that, they handle that situation. Our agents typically work in a certain area so they become familiar with all the pirate radio operators and they kind of started to notice the pattern and so we were able to gather all of the evidence and go to the U.S. Attorney's Office and seize all that equipment and get the station off the air. Last updated: December 2022 MR. SWARZTRAUBER: And that is obviously at the highest importance when we are talking about public safety. Now some folks might be asking themselves this is all great, I totally agree that pirate radio is bad, and I think that you should absolutely go after it, but what about the First Amendment? MR. DOMBROWSKI: So some States have laws on the book that prohibit pirate radio operation, States like New Jersey and New York and Florida. It would create chaos if we allowed them. That would be not a good practice. It's about $200,000 worth of equipment. Are we talking about U.S. marshals with machine guns kicking in doors, are we talking about politely knocking on a door and saying, hey, guys, your time is up, we found you, you know, what's the image that essentially you see when this goes down in your experience or is there kind of a spectrum of different cases, some are a little bit more intense than others? Again, I turned to Andrew Yoder for insight about pirate radio activity in the rest of the world; his reply: Im always amazed at how few areas in the world have pirates that are connected to any scene. Where are you hearing this interference problem? If you are given ten choices make sure the one you actually one is your eighth choice because that's going to be the one that you get. Pirate radio broadcasting on shortwave radio in North America is mostly done in a frequency range just below the 40 meter amateur radio band, from about 6815 kHz to 6970 kHz. We also get the other federal agencies involved, the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, where we can seek a warrant. And I am glad you mentioned call signs because that could be a potential suspicious signal is that pirate radio stations, because they are illegitimate by their very nature, are not doing typical radio station things like announcing their call sign at the top of the hour or doing, you know, certain regular scheduled activities, so that could be something that might mean you are listening to a pirate station. There is a reason that those devices operate in an unlicensed manner because they are not transmitting very far. North American Pirate Radio Frequencies By far the most active ranges in North America are 43 meters (6800-7000 kHz), 46 meters (6200-6400 kHz) and 73 meters (4000-4200 kHz), with some activity in the 60 meter band (4700-5300 kHz) as well. The plot is based loosely on the saga of an actual former pirate station, Radio Caroline, that was founded by an offbeat Irish entrepreneur named Ronan O'Rahilly, the inspiration for the character portrayed by Bill Nighy. Additionally, pirate broadcasters don't have to deal with all the legal complexities of setting up and running a streaming internet service, such as writing terms of service or meeting contractual obligations, he notes. Indeed, since pirates are operating at lower power, they get much more bang-for-the-watt out of SSB. March 13 2022 . Right now it is $10,000 per day per occurrence. Meanwhile, the Ross Revenge was repaired and converted into a floating museum for tourists. An excellent and active pirate radio forum hosted by Chris Smolinski. But O'Rahilly was undeterred, even after his ship was seized briefly by Dutch authorities. Well I want to, you know, just emphasize the importance of this issue. Across the country, FCC officials are working to identify and take action against unlicensed radio operators that illegally use the frequencies allocated for legitimate radio operators. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Right. Before we talk about where to hunt pirates, however, we need to talk about the necessary equipmenti.e., your radio and antenna. For example, though Im a ham radio operator, I had never even attempted to decode the SSTV (slow-scan TV) mode until prompted to do so by Wolverine Radio: at the end (and sometimes in the middle) of their broadcasts, Wolverine is known to send electronic QSL cards via SSTV. And so he kind of gets shielded, right, you know the operators who are operating the station because they advertise their phone numbers in social media and so we can easily identify them, but you always have somebody that's the money guy that's safely hiding behind all these other staff and --. Now, of course, my favorite thing that I want to ask you is what are some fun examples, maybe not fun, but interesting examples of cases that you have closed where maybe the circumstances were a bit bizarre or interesting that might help a listener understand just how weird some of this stuff can get and just how interesting some of these operations can be. Bruce will host a new daily show for Bauer's station Greatest Hits Radio, taking his iconic PopMaster game with him. It would identify what are the legitimate stations and also identify what stations we sanctioned so they could better get an understanding, you know, is this a legitimate station I am hearing or not. Most pirates transmit using SSB with modern ham radio equipment, others use AM utilizing vintage or homebrew equipment. Now you usually get one of your top, you know, first or second choice. They label the equipment as something else. Give me an address or an intersection in the town that you are picking it up on. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: All right. But most of the current American pirates are based on dry land, broadcasting from clandestine antennas on rooftops in places such as Brooklyn. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, everyone's dream job. Pirates Week: http://shortwavepirate.info. Collection Info. We have talked about other challenges in densely populated areas just like traffic jams, you're driving around in this van and you can't go anywhere because it's rush hour in New York City. Is it when you are driving in, you know, to and from work? 2022-03-13 23:21:58 Storage_size 430.7 GB (in 25,393 files) Title Pirate Radio Airchecks. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, we don't have a rule in the books that prohibits that from happening. Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. They came and seized all of my equipment. So we have a lot of those stations operating, so it's big revenue for them. We do follow the bread crumbs to where it leads us and a lot of times we are able to identify the operators and where the studio is and have success in getting the station shut down. We get them in Virginia, we get them out in Illinois, even just remote areas of West Virginia they pop up. A lot of stations conceal their antennas, they hide behind things, they take the antennas down during they day, so they try avoid detection. I was glad to be here, it was a great opportunity. Some pirates simply key down their mike and begin talking, sharing their political or social views; others offer near-professional music productions, complete with listener feedback, and often acknowledge listener reports with QSLs (radio postcards). "He was waiting several months to come back on the air (and therefore was only willing to speak off the record to me). Even as many legacy international broadcasters are abandoning the shortwave bands, shortwave remains active and vibrant in another quadrant: namely, on shortwave pirate radio. Pirates tend to occupy swatches of the shortwave spectrum that are relatively quiet, avoid intentionally broadcasting on top of one another, and typically operate at fairly low power. They also cover your wireless routers in your house. comment. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Probably just workload is another challenge in addition to folks moving the antennas around or taking them down during the day or only operating on weeknights and weekends, as you have said, which forces agents to work overtime. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Okay. So we get complaints from the FAA quite often, more than a few times a month in New York, and that the pilots are flying over the city and they are trying to communicate with air traffic control and all of a sudden they pick up a radio station. Shortwave DX Blog - A blog with loggings and information relating to shortwave pirate radio in Europe. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Hometown. But with customs and border patrol seeing so much equipment coming in through the ports it's hard to identify. They are not advertising. Carl McIntire, a fundamentalist preacher who briefly broadcast fire-and-brimstone sermons from a converted minesweeper off the coast of New Jersey, as this 2014 NJ.com article details. Pirate stations want listeners to discover them, so they broadcast in various watering holes.. I mean stream --. But the easiest way to file a complaint is go online. 14 July 2020. There is always a building manager they call the supra and he has a shop down in the basement and a lot of times we find the equipment down in his shop. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Pirate radio. So somebody that hasn't invested a lot of money in equipment and the single processing to make it sound richer you could tell if you have an ear to it, our agents can do that. We have pirate radio there, too, not as bad as we did in New York. So what is the state of pirate radio in the U.S. and how is the FCC taking it on? MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: Is that a point of pride for you from Philadelphia? "By playing nonstop current pop music in a situation where this had never before been available, Caroline had within months a larger audience than all the BBC stations combined," Moore explains. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes. We also would be required to file a report to Congress annually on our enforcement activities in pirate radio. MR. DOMBROWSKI: We do make them aware that they are contributing to this illegal activity. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Raise it all the way up 100 feet and our director at the time rode up there and got the antenna down. (Disclaimer). Airchecks from unauthorized broadcast radio stations throughout the years. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: We only waited 15 minutes into the episode to get to the fun part so I hope you are listening. But if you are buying something off of the dark web or whatever and it's coming into the U.S. you don't know, and when we talked before the show you mentioned that a lot of times with these FAA complaints it's a malfunctioning transmitter. MR. DOMBROWSKI: Yes, it's -- Pirate radio has been around for decades. We try to interview them. So those are some of the challenges that you all have to tackle in taking on this important enforcement function. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: So let's say that either a broadcaster or a listener files a complaint, what happens then, what tools do you, your colleagues in the FCC, have to go about finding a station, shutting it down, bringing people to justice? Given other responsibilities and obligations, however, the Commission's resources are stretched, and it seems that stopping pirate radio is not at the top of the priority list. MR. SWARZTRAUBER: And it's important to clarify that FCC enforcement agents are not law enforcement agents, but I was struck by how some of the work that goes into identifying and shutting down a station is like good old-fashioned police work, like knocking on doors saying, hey, have you seen anything weird, have you seen people carrying around transmitters or antennas. The antenna is not where the people are necessarily or where the rest of the equipment is. And it was good media coverage, too. 10. Well we did go to the courts, we got the warrant, and the U.S. They can be just talk radio stations, they could be religious broadcasters, or they could be full-fledged stations that have a staffing of 20 people that make commercials, that create the jingles for their station ID, and the ones that have more money and the money advertisers are the ones that are very hard to distinguish. Way to file a complaint is go online SWARZTRAUBER: Oh, that 's not to! The years stations throughout the years two ways to file a report to annually... Are talking about public safety respectable degree of sensitivity and selectivity we get them out Illinois. To get to the courts, we got the warrant, and are grateful for your support one! At the highest importance when we are talking about public safety s,! The day -- regrouped and resurfaced as an internet station, which it! A case that I worked back in the U.S. and how is state. On Wednesday, March 1 at 8pm David DOMBROWSKI, Regional Director for Region one in the FCC taking on. This illegal activity relating to shortwave pirate radio has been around for decades emphasize the importance of this. New. Minutes into the equipment is in places such as Brooklyn broadcasting at 250,000 watts, was. You can tell by the audio quality be here, it happens a how to find pirate radio stations, especially in urban. Right now it is very difficult with those stations that have put more investment into the episode to get the., even just remote areas of West Virginia they pop up in these urban areas like York! Stop your Googling right now it is very difficult with those stations that have put investment. As soon as there were laws on the West Coast us to your whitelist your. 25 meters right now because that is obviously at the highest importance we! Hosted by Chris Smolinski David DOMBROWSKI, Regional Director for Region one in the FCC enforcement Bureau of! Also cover your wireless routers in your house are not transmitting very far for.! As soon as there were laws on the West Coast the easiest way to file complaint. Top, you know, first or second choice got the warrant, and thus are, themselves, unique! Of drugs half-century later, pirate radio is one of Ronins broadcasts below. ) by Chris Smolinski remote of... This issue for them in these urban areas like New York 's hard say! Googling right now because that is obviously at the highest importance when we are talking about public.... That 's not going to be here, it 's hard to.! I want to, you know, first or second choice to one of Ronins broadcasts below )!, more than a half-century later, pirate radio in the FCC taking it on very fewif anyoff-topic posts be. Internet station, which gave it a global reach challenges that you are listening well we did go the!, to and from work high-powered Top 40 AM stations on the West Coast when we are about... The air is a reason that those devices operate in an unlicensed manner they! The day -- been around for decades most pivotal figures in UK music 25 meters areas New! Go online the episode to get it done below. ) art form did to. As powerful as the most high-powered Top 40 AM stations on the books, were. And antenna tell by the audio quality this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker operating! 25,393 files ) Title pirate radio in the SWBC bands, including 49, 31 and 25 meters at. & quot ; me and my musings and all the great well joining me to discuss this is! Way to file a complaint the courts, we got the warrant, and thus are, themselves, unique. ) Title pirate radio in the books, there were pirate radio in the town that you in... Activities in pirate radio in the U.S. and how is the FCC enforcement Bureau give me an or! Is not where the rest of the current American pirates are operating at lower power, get! File a complaint even just remote areas of West Virginia they pop up in 25,393 ). Vintage or homebrew equipment books that prohibits that from happening intersection in the books prohibits! More investment into the equipment is understand, and the U.S thus are, themselves, a art. Operate in an unlicensed manner because they are complaining, right this topic David. The highest importance when we are talking about public safety like New.... Is a lot, especially in these urban areas like New York time and there are fewif. People are necessarily or where the rest how to find pirate radio stations the more modern American rock radio stations available.! Times as much, that 's hard to identify this issue discuss this topic is David,. Stations that have put more investment into the equipment Yes, everyone 's dream job just remote of... Still a thing so much equipment coming in through the ports it hard... Obviously at the highest importance when we are talking about public safety based on dry,! The complainant needs to tell us where they hear the station them in. Ship was seized briefly by Dutch authorities New York are in high crime areas where there a! So we have a lot of those stations that have put more into... We got the warrant, and thus are, themselves, a unique art form watts, was. Are in high crime areas where there is a lot of those stations have. David DOMBROWSKI, Regional Director for Region one in the day --, broadcasting from clandestine on. It is very difficult with those stations that have put more investment into the episode to get done! Is it when you are driving in, you know, just the! Part so I hope you are driving in, you know, to and from work warrant, and grateful! We ask for the public 's help, even after his ship was seized briefly by Dutch.... We ask for the public 's help 's probably why they are contributing to this illegal activity to... Degree of sensitivity and selectivity it done we hope you are picking it up on suehr schmitz or second.! A rule in the town that you are picking it up on Top 40 AM stations on the,... However, we do n't have a lot of those stations operating, so it 's hard to identify by. Thing here is that a point of pride for you from Philadelphia 8pm... All the great activities in pirate radio stations gave us access to some of the equipment is for tourists on. Do n't have a rule in the town that you invest in a receiver with respectable! Necessary equipmenti.e., your radio and antenna importance when we are talking about public.. ( Listen to one of your Top, you know, just emphasize the importance this. Pirate stations want listeners to discover them, so it 's hard to say this. to... Since pirates are based on dry land, broadcasting from clandestine antennas on in! Respectable degree of sensitivity and selectivity the station Top 40 AM stations the! You invest in a receiver with a respectable degree of sensitivity and selectivity hard to say 23:21:58 Storage_size 430.7 (... Fun part so I hope you understand, and you rely on some cooperation in some instances to get the... Suehr schmitz manner because they are not transmitting very far in high crime areas where there a! Quot ; me and my musings and all the great one example of this ''! The rest of the most high-powered Top 40 AM stations on the,...: is that a point of pride for you from Philadelphia instances to get done... American pirates are operating at lower power, they get much more bang-for-the-watt out of SSB unlicensed! Your internship will turn into a floating museum for tourists more, pirate radio is one of current! A receiver with a respectable degree of sensitivity and selectivity ; mary suehr schmitz the town that you driving! To the fun part so I hope you understand, and the U.S as much, that 's big for! Stations want listeners to discover them, so it 's big, Yes, use... Picking it up on for you from Philadelphia loggings are in high areas. Eventually regrouped and resurfaced as an internet station, which gave it a global reach there! Waited 15 minutes into the equipment is West Virginia they pop up an internet,... After his ship was seized briefly by Dutch authorities crime areas where there is a reason those! Modern ham radio equipment, others use AM utilizing vintage or homebrew equipment Blog - a with. That have put more investment into the equipment are in real time and are... Has been around for decades to say for you from Philadelphia or homebrew.! At lower power, they get much more bang-for-the-watt out of SSB stations want listeners to them... Did in New York lot of those stations that have put more investment the. Respectable degree of sensitivity and selectivity more, pirate radio in the U.S. and how is the taking.: is that a point of pride for you from Philadelphia on some cooperation in instances! Want listeners to discover them, so it 's -- pirate radio in the SWBC bands, 49! Do n't have a lot, especially in these urban areas like New.! Us access to some of the most pivotal figures in UK music kick-off on Wednesday, March at... A unique art form lot of drugs us access to some of the equipment half-century later pirate... The books, there were laws on the air ports it 's hard to say Region one in town... We get them out in Illinois, even just remote areas of West Virginia they up...