Use a linear, go to jail

[NQ6U]

Okay, not really go to jail but pay a big ($15K) fine.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-1000A1.pdf

[KG4CGC]

Was 75 watts a typo on section 4? Guess he thought nobody would notice 75 vs 750. Then again, he probably pissed someone off.

[n2ize]

What did this idiot not comprehend about not operating over the legal limit. They warned him at least twice to discontinue using the amplifier. They didn;t even threaten to confiscate or fine him the first couple of times. So he continues doing it and now he gets fined. Did he think they were just going to keep warning him forever ?

[w3bny]

And with the right filing of paperworks and a white suited suthun ah-tour-neh.... It will be dropped to "cant afford it".

[W3WN]

And with the right filing of paperworks and a white suited suthun ah-tour-neh.... It will be dropped to "cant afford it".Maybe. But first, I think we should tune the amp to full output power. Demonstrating to him in the process where a PL-259 can make an approximate friction fit.

After all, doesn't the term "dummy load" imply "load the dummy"? :evil:

[koØm]

The interesting thing about this is where (which frequency) this fellow was operating on, he was not a Super Bowl operator where, 750 watts is just an exciter for the final power stage. This fellow was probably just a local nuisance causing some type of interference to some local service like 911 land line or the Wendy's Drive-Thru.

Within a 1 mile radius of my "QTH", there are three "Kilowatt-PLUS" stations CB operators and one so-called "Tek-nisan" who is running a homebrew 4CX20,000 tube (screen and control grid grounded) which is driven by an 3CX1500 (8877).

The B+ X-former for the 20,000 tube is in the basement of the three story building connected to a 60 amp breaker; the RAW AC output of this transformer is run out of the basement window and up the side of a building where it is then rectified and filtered to provide 8,000 volt unloaded but, which drops to 5,000 under load of the 4CX20,0000 tube. He runs a 5 element "Long John" beam.

Over 5000 volts AC from basement to third floor carried in unshielded 10-2 with ground house wiring. Where is the FCC or, building inspector when you need them?

He can run a 12,000 watt carrier for 15 seconds and then, the breaker in the basement shuts everything down; it is pathetically humorous how, he will be out the screaming for "DX-Land"; make a hook-up and then, drop clean out because the breakers in the basement trip, five minutes later, he's at it again until the breaker blows.

I am the only licensed Amateur Radio operator in my zip code!

.

[W2NAP]

channel 6,11,20 and 26 sometimes 28 are the big power channels

[NQ6U]

Jeeze, that's scary! One of those guys who knows just enough to be dangerous.

BTW, if Google maps shows your QTH correctly, I've been within a hundred yards of it on I-75 numerous times back in my former life as an OTR truck driver.

[N5RLR]

...The B+ X-former for the 20,000 tube is in the basement of the three story building connected to a 60 amp breaker; the RAW AC output of this transformer is run out of the basement window and up the side of a building where it is then rectified and filtered to provide 8,000 volt unloaded but, which drops to 5,000 under load of the 4CX20,0000 tube. He runs a 5 element "Long John" beam.

Over 5000 volts AC from basement to third floor carried in unshielded 10-2 with ground house wiring. Where is the FCC or, building inspector when you need them?
Given time, Mr. Darwin will be along.

[W3MPS]

Holy Jose Quervo, Batman! I'm surprised that he hasn't grenaded the utility meter on the side of his house. AND running thousands of volts through wire rated for 600 volts max, wow, words escape me.

I concur with N5RLR, natural selection will be stopping by to say hello sometime.

I need a drink after wrapping my brain around that engineering charlie foxtrot.

[koØm]

Jeeze, that's scary! One of those guys who knows just enough to be dangerous.

BTW, if Google maps shows your QTH correctly, I've been within a hundred yards of it on I-75 numerous times back in my former life as an OTR truck driver.

If you think reading about it is scary, try being in the same room with it; a plastic storage bin holding fourty 400 volt computer grade capacitors and a full wave bridge constructed from 24 K2AW Silicon Block rectifers. I was there just once to atest to the fact that he could dead key that many watts.

The map on Google is spot on, except for the constant dust that is kicked up, I don't even notice the noise from I-75. 42 years ago, our family was displaced when they constructed I-75 and we moved to another neighborhood. In fact, one of the exit ramps is build where my old house used to stand. I moved back to this area 15 years ago.

I have no bleed over problems from I-75, just my neighbors who hetrodyne the airwave to hell and back; I could be on 75 meters and I hear him like thunder crashes from 20 megacycles away.

.

[N8YX]

No excuses.

"...don't be blamin' me for your own inadequacies..."

[VE7DCW]

The interesting thing about this is where (which frequency) this fellow was operating on, he was not a Super Bowl operator where, 750 watts is just an exciter for the final power stage. This fellow was probably just a local nuisance causing some type of interference to some local service like 911 land line or the Wendy's Drive-Thru.

Within a 1 mile radius of my "QTH", there are three "Kilowatt-PLUS" stations CB operators and one so-called "Tek-nisan" who is running a homebrew 4CX20,000 tube (screen and control grid grounded) which is driven by an 3CX1500 (8877).

The B+ X-former for the 20,000 tube is in the basement of the three story building connected to a 60 amp breaker; the RAW AC output of this transformer is run out of the basement window and up the side of a building where it is then rectified and filtered to provide 8,000 volt unloaded but, which drops to 5,000 under load of the 4CX20,0000 tube. He runs a 5 element "Long John" beam.

Over 5000 volts AC from basement to third floor carried in unshielded 10-2 with ground house wiring. Where is the FCC or, building inspector when you need them?

He can run a 12,000 watt carrier for 15 seconds and then, the breaker in the basement shuts everything down; it is pathetically humorous how, he will be out the screaming for "DX-Land"; make a hook-up and then, drop clean out because the breakers in the basement trip, five minutes later, he's at it again until the breaker blows.

I am the only licensed Amateur Radio operator in my zip code!

.

Sounds like a graduate of the Jack the Ripper school of electricians ...... the same idiots who do illegal dangerous electrical wiring diversions in stealing power for some of the marijuana grow ops we have around here..... real putty heads! :omg:

[N8YX]

Sounds like a graduate of the Jack the Ripper school of electricians ...... the same idiots who do illegal dangerous electrical wiring diversions in stealing power for some of the marijuana grow ops we have around here..... real putty heads! :omg:
Automotive jumper cables are your friends! :snicker:

[W9JAM]

Wow that guy is an Idiot. I'd love to help the FCC catch some of these guys around here... 2 alts, and 8 batteries to run the 3500w amp some of these people here have hooked to a CB... Wonder when they will get authorized to inspect cb's in trucks at DOT check points.... I'd LOVE to see that happen. When I was driving a truck, I had 4 different times when I'd be woke up by someone's voice coming through the stereo speakers in the semi truck. Most common one I've seen is cb shops at truck stop selling 10m radios and converting them to 11m.

[PA5COR]

Our Agentschap Telecom, or comparitive to your FCC 1st fine 1100 euro's.
Repeat offense 25.000 euro's.
No need to be caught on the spot either, the houseowner of where the antenna is where the illegal transmissions come from just finds his fine in the mail.
Since it is considered an economic crime no possebillety to lower the fine, nor to go to jail to sit it out, if need be they sell every posession you have.
That took the fun out of the free banders here good.
There are still some around, but not using excessive power.

[KG4CGC]

The best CBs I've heard on the air were not 10m conversions. I've heard some HF rigs on 11m that sounded really good but 10 to 11m conversions always sounded like average crap. Never understood that practice. I guess the feeling of having extra channels is like a penis extension. BTW, the HF rigs that I heard on 11m that I said sounded really good, they were all old boat anchors.

[n2ize]

The interesting thing about this is where (which frequency) this fellow was operating on, he was not a Super Bowl operator where, 750 watts is just an exciter for the final power stage. This fellow was probably just a local nuisance causing some type of interference to some local service like 911 land line or the Wendy's Drive-Thru.

Within a 1 mile radius of my "QTH", there are three "Kilowatt-PLUS" stations CB operators and one so-called "Tek-nisan" who is running a homebrew 4CX20,000 tube (screen and control grid grounded) which is driven by an 3CX1500 (8877).

The B+ X-former for the 20,000 tube is in the basement of the three story building connected to a 60 amp breaker; the RAW AC output of this transformer is run out of the basement window and up the side of a building where it is then rectified and filtered to provide 8,000 volt unloaded but, which drops to 5,000 under load of the 4CX20,0000 tube. He runs a 5 element "Long John" beam.

Over 5000 volts AC from basement to third floor carried in unshielded 10-2 with ground house wiring. Where is the FCC or, building inspector when you need them?

He can run a 12,000 watt carrier for 15 seconds and then, the breaker in the basement shuts everything down; it is pathetically humorous how, he will be out the screaming for "DX-Land"; make a hook-up and then, drop clean out because the breakers in the basement trip, five minutes later, he's at it again until the breaker blows.

I am the only licensed Amateur Radio operator in my zip code!

.

Yeah those tubes can get pretty awesome. I remember the 50 Kw Continental xmtr at former WNEW ran a pair of 4CX35000's but of course with proper power supply so it could run continuously.

It will only be a matter of time before this guy electrocutes himself, or some innocent poor soul gets electrocuted, or, until he sets the building afire. He should put in a larger breaker or bypass the breaker altogether to accelerate the Darwinian process. Stupidity operates on borrowed time.

[n2ize]

Our Agentschap Telecom, or comparitive to your FCC 1st fine 1100 euro's.
Repeat offense 25.000 euro's.
No need to be caught on the spot either, the houseowner of where the antenna is where the illegal transmissions come from just finds his fine in the mail.
Since it is considered an economic crime no possebillety to lower the fine, nor to go to jail to sit it out, if need be they sell every posession you have.
That took the fun out of the free banders here good.
There are still some around, but not using excessive power.

For me excessive power on CB was about 150-200 watts carrier (via a tube amplifier) on AM and considerably more on SSB. Round here you needed it just to have a local conversation due to all the QRM'ers and nutcases ("puppets" as we called them). But I never has an egotistical power trip over it like some CB'ers. When I got my license the amplifier was a great 10 meter amp. But with the band open and quieter conditions the higher power was often not nessesary. In those days I used to go on hikes into rural/remote parts of NY state and those were the days before cell phones. So I sold the amp and bought a 2 meter handheld which was more useful for emergencies, etc. Even from some of the most remote areas I could hit the Equinox repeater in Vermont over 75 miles away. My CB days drifted in oblivion. I'm somewhat surprised to hear that people are still active on that band. I thought it was pretty much forgotten territory.

[PA5COR]

We have professional high power illegal FM stations here running 10 to 100 KW power on FM and have portable masts up to 300 feet complete with generators to go with them.
Running the weekend the high power station and take it all down again till next week/month...
11 Meters? anything goes, ham radio's, the most expensive ones with Acom 2000, or homebrew or bought amps running 5 - 10 KW.

Those are very few though, there is some "freebanding" activety, but they know to stay away from 10 meters.
Compared to the hey days it is just a very few left.

[w2amr]

Okay, not really go to jail but pay a big ($15K) fine.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-1000A1.pdf
The guy must be dirt stupid, sounds like he should be running for political office.

[n2ize]

We have professional high power illegal FM stations here running 10 to 100 KW power on FM and have portable masts up to 300 feet complete with generators to go with them.
Running the weekend the high power station and take it all down again till next week/month...
11 Meters? anything goes, ham radio's, the most expensive ones with Acom 2000, or homebrew or bought amps running 5 - 10 KW.

Those are very few though, there is some "freebanding" activety, but they know to stay away from 10 meters.
Compared to the hey days it is just a very few left.

I guess some people will go to great lengths to be heard. :)

[KC2UGV]

We have professional high power illegal FM stations here running 10 to 100 KW power on FM and have portable masts up to 300 feet complete with generators to go with them.
Running the weekend the high power station and take it all down again till next week/month...
11 Meters? anything goes, ham radio's, the most expensive ones with Acom 2000, or homebrew or bought amps running 5 - 10 KW.

Those are very few though, there is some "freebanding" activety, but they know to stay away from 10 meters.
Compared to the hey days it is just a very few left.

The best I got are a couple of FM transmitters at about 200W. One is pretty stable, and doesn't move anywhere. They just shut down when they are out of content, and wait for their queuing job to fill up some time slots (They have a rather professional studio setup, actually, complete with trafficking).

The other one, ran out of an attic, but usually keyed down to about 50W out.

And, another running 500W out of a van, with a mobile mast, always on the move.

They've not once interfered with another station, and the community loves them. However, the FCC says they can't get a license, because there are too many christian radio echo stations (We have about 16 of them here, all running the same content).

[PA5COR]

No religious content here on the pirate radio stations, mostly Dutch folk or Dutch language music, some just plain of the road English music.

The large stations have a lot of fans paying the fines and the beer fest brings in some nice dough too, enough to pay 25K Euro fines .......
Mostly running professional equipment older Rohde & Schwartz stuff.
Complete with the weekend transmitting they run the beerfests, which pays alone for the fines, if not, the fans will pay the rest...
1684 active pirates were identified over the Netherlands by our version of the FCC.
New rules, first fine 2500 Euro, every further breach of the law another 2500 Euro up to 33.750 Euro max.
After that they gett carted off to jail

[kb2vxa]

Funny how the subject matter changes...

A long time ago in a galaxy far away I and a group of friends manned a modular pirate AM station that got packed up and moved when the parrot on my shoulder told me the FCC field engineer was getting close. We got away with it for 6 years until a technical fault caused spatter on a nearby legal station's air monitor, the engineer's complaint caused the FCC to get serious and the axe fell. The "or else" part of the cease and desist order was equally serious so we complied. That was the tail end of the pirate's heyday and now they're all gone with the exception of a bit of guerrilla warfare at the bottom of the 40M band, crappy SSB audio and muddy AM not worth listening to. BTW, just before the end came I was in the process of building a 1KW plate modulated final for the AM transmitter to become an exciter and a 50W FM exciter and 1KW amp for what would become the sister station but the best laid plans of mice and pirates sometimes get pregnant... oh well. Oh, credit where credit is due, the Radio Amateur's Handbook of the day was loaded with easily adapted circuits and construction plans, heh heh heh.

"New rules, first fine 2500 Euro, every further breach of the law another 2500 Euro up to 33.750 Euro max.
After that they gett carted off to jail"

No big deal, on this side of the pond drug pushers have that little problem all sewn up. Kids with clean records do the dirty work, when one gets busted there is a changing of the guard. When every offense is a first offense the system goes easy on them and nobody on the street cares about the revolving door. Where "radio" is concerned the solution to the problem is the internet, would be pirates broadcast streaming audio legally with far better quality than is possible on air. FYI, that's where one of the biggest and best Europirates can be found, now I have no problem hearing the inimitable Radio Caroline over the fiber optic "wire" .

[PA5COR]

http://www.qrz.com/db/PE1BIW
Friend of me building his own Am transmitters, we have nice Am chats almost every day.
And SSB on 160.

Our FCC just fines the owner of the premisses where the signals originate and use voice detection equipmentt to fiine the DJ's.
As said, they don't escape the fines, they just pay them, the pirating is the ""kick" they get, using the internet legaly doest't provide that kick....

[n2ize]

http://www.qrz.com/db/PE1BIW
Friend of me building his own Am transmitters, we have nice Am chats almost every day.
And SSB on 160.

Our FCC just fines the owner of the premisses where the signals originate and use voice detection equipmentt to fiine the DJ's.
As said, they don't escape the fines, they just pay them, the pirating is the ""kick" they get, using the internet legaly doest't provide that kick....

it's obsolete. Nobody pirates on the airwaves these days. Everything's online.