Wa8pyr

Citizens band radio or more commonly called cb radio offers many type’s of radio experiences for such as small number of legal to use channelized radio frequencies. As an example you man want a c.b. in your car or in your home. Perhaps you might have a business reason, you may be interested in starting a new hobby, whatever it may be.

This article is written for beginners in cb radio or people who may be thinking of getting a radio. I will cover what kind of radios are best to get when starting out and why and if you decide to try out the hobby what happens to most new comers. Don’t worry it only hurts your pocketbook.

Almost all CB radios have a channel selector on its face and some kind of lighted indicator showing a number, generally 1-40 or 1 -23. The radios with 23 channels are older and unless you get one for really cheap or free, I would not purchase one of these units. There are alot of fine older units out there but for reasons Ill explain later, you should get a newer setup. if it doesn’t make sense just read on it will all become very clear to you.

Mobile vs. Base Type Units

CB’s, for the most part, come in two flavors, base or mobile types. The mobile units are smaller but can have all the features of a base radio, equal power output, however, there is one draw back to the reduced size and that is the size of the control knobs on the front. Generally speaking, base radios have bigger knobs and in most cases more of them when compared to the mobile unit. what does this all mean? if you have fat pudgy beer drinking fingers, fiddling with small knobs in heavy traffic may prove to be a complete pain in the butt. that choice will be up to you.

Almost every mobile CB radio has an internal speaker, generally on the bottom of the radio. these speakers are garbage. they are overrated, cheap and sound bad. Consider an external speaker when space is available.

Some base cb radios will have a speaker built in, they sound better than the mobile but again a quality external speaker should be considered as well.

Most base station radios also have an internal power supply. It is something to consider when purchasing a setup. Mobiles are designed to run from a car battery so generally have no 110 volt plug. Base units, on the other hand, have built-in power supplies and it’s easy to to just plug them in. if you decide to use a mobile as a base station just remember that you will have to get a 12 volt power supply or have a spare car battery handy.

Range distances on mobiles are also much less compared to base station due to the size of the antenna.There are glass mount cellular look- alike antennas to 8 foot wave antennas. The minimum length for a mobile setup to begin to perform decently is 40 inches. anything less is a waste so that cellular look-alike might look cool, but it won’t have a very good range, maybe a mile or so.

Basically what it boils down to is the larger and higher up your antenna is physically, the further the range of your radio will be assuming everything is working properly.

C.B. Radios as a Road Trip Companion

A cb radio in your car can be a very valuable tool. you can get tons of real time road information from truckers, you don’t really even have to talk. Just listening will yield a lot of stuff about road conditions ahead, you will hear about accidents or traffic jams way before any broadcast band gets the info. The best part is almost all the time you can hear where any speed traps may be. The draw back to all this wonderful information is what you have to hear in between the reports. It’s not something you want to you kids to hear generally. if you don’t care and its just you and you wife or girlfriend then turn it up and join in. It can make a long drive seem short when your yacking the whole time. you may even be able to make a report if you see something first. The one question I hear the most from truckers is about the status of the roadside scales. you can talk all the mess you want on the radio but do take notice as you pass scales on the other side of the road you are driving on. for example, if you are traveling north on a freeway, look for scales on the southbound side. Check to see if they are open or closed and pass that information on as you drive up the road to the truckers and continue your rhetoric.

C.B. Radios as a Base Station

And still another side to CB radio is the base station. you will find that there is generally a local channel in almost any city. There you will find normal people to tweakers and anything in between and like the truckers you most likely don’t want you kids to hear what comes peoples mouths.

Having a base station usually means a larger antenna, which equates to considerably longer communications in terms of distance. even with a 4 watt radio (the F.C.C. Legal limit) it’s not uncommon to 10 or 20 miles. if you live in or close to a larger city, there will be lots of people at what would seem to be all hours. The CB never closes.

CB Begins to Overtake your Life

So you get your base running and get out there. It becomes instantly addicting. Friday nights will be spend more in the garage drinking beer and talking on the radio. you will hear lots of things about radio and receive advice from many people. one of the first things almost every CB’er wants are modifications to the radio. Generally to be louder and have big signals at the receiving stations are the 2 most common modifications with being louder quite possibly being number one.

Being Louder? what does that Mean?

Here is where the line is drawn between what is technically correct and what people want. It is true that a stock radio will be able to be heard at a receiving end, but the real question with regards to the human psyche is how it is heard.

You can equate modifications on a CB radio to having a car and by changing certain parts or modifying the engine, wheels, tires and so on, will enhance it’s performance and make your experience driving the car more pleasurable. It becomes validated even further when a friendly street race is won. This is absolutely no different than the modifications to a CB radio where fellow CB’ers take notice that your voice in their speaker is louder than others. Often refered to as Tree Top Tall or Walkin the Dog and Kickin’ the Cat. you get the idea.

It is here where your first questions will need to be answered. I am of the opinion that having a great microphone is important first. It won’t take long for you to hear of the infamous Astatic D104 base microphone. (be aware that there is a mobile version which is loud but it’s tonality sucks) The base version is an impressive looking piece and has a reputation of being a loud microphone meaning that all you have to do it plug it in and instantly your loudness will change, and it will from the stock microphone for sure.

I think that the D104 is a good microphone and it is loud, however, it’s tonality is not acceptable due to its pre-amp (the electronics contained in the base of the unit). when I use the word tonality I’m referring to how well it’s amplifying in terms of sound quality not necessarily loudness. Of course there are many more variables than just the microphone’s pre-amp but if the microphone doesn’t have the capability to capture and reproduce a natural, tonally pleasing sound or your shot at better than average audio is gone right there. at this point you may as well hammer a screw into a wall with a wrench. It won’t make much difference what mods you make to the radio if the microphone can’t keep up.

Radios that I Think are Great Starter Units

I have to say that there are many great radios out there. I have created this list based on

1. Cost vs. Performance
2. Availability of parts
3. Popularity
4. Ease of finding shops that work on the models
5. Abundant information available and easily accessible
6. Good resale value

Cobra
25/29 Classic, LTD
148 GTL
Cobra 2000 GTL – Base Unit
Cobra 142 GTL – Base Unit

Uniden
PC 66/76
Uniden XL

President Washington – Base Unit (There are two versions) one with one meter or dual meters. The unit with one meter is almost a cobra 148/2000 – There are some slight differences technically but the version with dual meters is nothing like any of the radios listed here despite it’s same name. if you end up with an obscure radio, the time a tech will need to review the schematic and come with some mods either may or may not be possible or just too costly to justify.

Example one: you buy an obscure radio for 40 dollars in a working, stock condition. next you get a D104 and I ll just say it’s 60 dollars. you take the radio to the techs place, he/she has little experience with this model. if the tech doesn’t have the schematic, you will have to provide one or wait and it will cost more money, say 15 dollars. Now wait more till the tech figures out a modification. Or perhaps he/she just gives it a tune up (that is left to be interpreted by anyone as to what it really is) and charges you 40. so after 155 dollars you have a D104 and a radio that really has nothing done to it. when people ask you about your radio setup (and they will) you will find yourself making excuses why you have that radio as in I got it cheap.

Example Two: you buy a Cobra 25 or 29 for 40 dollars + D104 for 60. The tech has done many of these radios, probably has all parts on hand and can do some good mods in just a few hours. It may cost 75 dollars but look at the math. It adds up to 175 total but you have your radio back in a very short time, the modifications will have made a tremendous difference and your loving life. when people ask you about your setup, your proud of it and Instead of making excuses you talking about taking it to the next level, moving up in the CB world. It can make or break your CB radio experience. Trust me on that one.

Public Agenda (Accra)

The longstanding dispute between the National Communication Authority (NCA) and Community Radio stations over the allocation of radio frequencies does not seem to be abating following further entrenched positions assumed by the two sides in recent correspondence between them.

On Thursday, the Ghana Community Radio Network (GCRN), an association of Community Radio stations and initiatives in Ghana, publicly expressed dissatisfaction at the NCAs indifference towards applications for Community Radio station frequencies.

The association?s members argue that Community Radio holds great potential as catalyst for national development, including combating the effects of Climate Change. thus, it is untenable that the NCA continues to drag its feet at issuing licenses for Community Radio while at the same time speedily issuing commercial radio licenses.

It seems that the communities which need this for development projects are unable to access the frequencies while individuals and corporative entities which use them for profit have little difficulty getting these frequencies, stated Prof Alex Quarmyne, a founding member of GCRN and Executive Director of Radio Ada, who was addressing a forum in Accra.

The forum was jointly organized by the GCRN and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) of Sussex, UK to disseminate outcomes of their collaborative pilot project tagged Climate Airwaves to a host of stakeholders. it was on the theme Pursuing the right to Communicate through Community Radio: Community Voice for Participatory Development and Climate Change Adaptation.

Organizers of the forum disappointingly witnessed the conspicuous absence of representatives from the Office of the Vice President, Ministry of Communication, NCA and the National Media Commission (NMC), even though invitation letters had been delivered to these outfits well in advance. they took solace in the fact that the Minister of Information delegated a representative.

It is worthwhile to note that the support by individual opinions has not been in a vacuum. it has been buttressed by various statements from government. The strongest of these statements was by President John Atta Mills who in his very first State of the Nation address promised the establishment of a Community Radio station in each district of this country, Prof Quarmyne, affectionately called Papa Radio, observed.

Why is it then, with all of this support available, that we have so few community radio stations in Ghana he asked.

There is clearly a major disconnect somewhere in the chain, he pointed out, recommending, it will not be beneficial at this stage for us to start pointing fingers and assigning blame. This is a serious situation which calls for urgent concerted action involving the regulator, the government, GCRN and above all the community members. it calls for an open, sincere and transparent dialogue which will be pursued with the highest degree of patriotism to arrive at a very good solution.

Tussling for frequencies

We are saying that we need our frequencies now for three major reasons. one: we are saying that we need radio because of the oil. Two: we are saying that if this nation claims to be a middle-income nation and 90 percent of the populace are uninformed then I beg to differ. and we are saying that, mr President listen, if you have a Better Ghana Agenda give us voice so we can participate, Akua Eshun of the Western Region said at Thursday’s forum to a loud applause from the GCRN fraternity who say access to frequencies for Community Radio initiators has always been frustrating.

?one of the Community Radio stations called Latenu, which is the first two letters that make up La, Teshie, Nungua, has just been granted frequency?they started long ago. they applied six years ago and they have just got theirs, Kofi Larweh of Radio Ada told participants at the forum when he made a presentation on The Journey for Community Radio Frequencies.

?what we want to ask is, are they alone? If they were alone we won?t complain. But Radio Afram Plains tread the same course. in fact, they applied in 1999 and had theirs six years after application, just like Latenu has gone through.

Currently, eleven Community Radio Frequency applicants are still awaiting approval of their applications, some two years after submitting their applications. they include Anyindamanli Community Radio (Ahanta West District), Bongo Community Radio (Bongo District), Edubiaseman Community Radio (Adansi South District), Gbewaa Community Radio (Mamprusi West District), Mansoman Community Radio (Amansie West District), and Menyi Ena Community Radio (Ellembele District).

The rest are Radio Jomoro (Jomoro District), Radio Koyele (Nzema East Municipal), Radio Nabtal (Talensi-Nabdam District), Sefwiman Community Radio (Sefwi-Akontombra District), and Wassaman Community Radio (Prestea-Huni Valley District).

In a joint petition to the Chairman and Members of the Board of Directors of the NCA on August 10, 2011, the eleven Community Radio Frequency Applicants, backed by the GCRN, reiterated their to right to have access to frequencies and requested the NCA to publicly present to them their frequency approval letters on August 25, 2011.

?we have heard nothing officially from NCA. Not even a letter of acknowledgement of our individual applications. Through our association, GCRN, we wrote on 24 June 2011 to inquire about their status. The letter was not replied. Our association wrote again to follow-up on 20 July 2011. This time the letter was copied to you. again, we did not receive even an acknowledgment, the petitioners stated.

The petition continued to enumerate other efforts of the group towards getting responses and expressed its dissatisfaction at the attitude of the authority. we were disappointed because we expect more transparency in a democratic era, particularly knowing that the air waves are a public resource.

?we also note that the lack of clarity in the frequency application and allocation process is contrary to the current legislation governing frequency allocations. we are referring in particular to the National Communications Authority Act, 2008 (Act 769) and the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775). both require NCA to publish Regulations relating to frequency applications on its website. we have checked the NCA website and there are no Regulations.

In reference to Section 5 of Act 769, the petitioners reminded the NCA that the law states that The Authority shall in the performance of its functions have regard to (a) the principles of transparency, accountability, proportionality and consistency; (b) best regulatory practice ….

Therefore,All Community Radio initiatives like us who continue to be steadfast in our desire for genuine Community Radio and who have submitted our frequency applications to NCA – are gathering at a forum on 25 August 2011 at the Aviation Social Centre under the banner of our UNDEF-supported project on ‘The right to Communicate through Community Radio’. The date of the coming forum is well beyond the 60 days that we invoke as best practice.

?in view of all the above, we ask that at this forum, the Chairperson of the NCA Board or his designated representative present us with a letter that it has approved our frequency application,? the group requested.

It added, ?it will be our joy to read out the letter publicly at the forum in the presence of the media and to report back to our communities and to our partners in Ghana and worldwide that NCA has enabled us to exercise our right to Communicate through Community Radio.?

The request appeared untenable to the Chairman of the Board of NCA, who retorted in a letter dated 18 August, 2011 that ?With respect to frequency authorizations, it has not been the practice at the National Communications Authority (NCA) to consider applications on a group or collective basis. each application is considered on its own merit and the process with respect to community radio networks is on-going. it has also not been the practice of NCA to present frequency approval letters at a public forum.?

In a quick rebuttal, the GCRN wrote in a letter dated 22 August 2011 to the Chairman of the NCA Board stating: ?please allow us to point out that the frequency applications of the 11 Community Radio initiatives were signed and submitted individually. The petition, while representing a collective endeavour and submitted as one document for your ease of reference, was also signed individually by the executive/steering committee of each initiative, in addition to other opinion leaders and community members.

More News on allAfrica.com AllAfrica – All the Time

A recent news report out of Maine may have gone unnoticed, but viewed along with similar developments in California it may be a signal of something more significant. Specifically, the Maine PUC ordered Central Maine Power, the largest utility in the state, to let customers decline the use of advanced meter—if they pay a price to opt-out. Apparently what happened is that the Maine PUC was deluged with complaints from customers expressing concerns about the alleged safety and health effects of radio frequencies from advanced meters and the wireless communication network that are central to CMP’s smart grid project. what is noteworthy about what is happening in Maine is its similarity to the pending PG&E case in California. the details may differ between the two states but the end result may be similar. are we seeing the start of a new regulatory trend that will appear in other states?

The rationale for making customers pay to opt-out of smart meter installation is essentially that the costs of maintaining separate systems to serve those customers would be significant, and would also erode the financial benefits of full deployment as have been calculated under businesses cases prepared by utilities. CMP, for example, estimated that if 1-2 percent of its customers opted out, without being required to pay the cost of doing so, it would cost the utility as much as $70 million over the life of its $191 million program.

In California, Michael Peevey, president of the CPUC, directed PG&E to prepare a proposal that would allow some form of opt-out for customers who object to these devices—at reasonable cost, to be paid by the customers who choose to opt-out. the PG&E plan is still pending review by the CPUC.

There are some potential ramifications of this evolving regulatory policy that should be considered, whether it’s in Maine, California or some other state. a mix of smart and traditional meters would create a hodge-podge system that may require a new set of tools and processes for management and maintenance. This would likely require a customized meter reading practice—one that would need to know who has a meter that must be manually read today and who in the route would have one in the next cycle. This environment ultimately could result in disparities among meter data management, data analysis, and the billing process, which likely could defeat significant meter reading values behind the smart metering system in the first place and impact plans for using this information for more effective Smart Grid operations in the future.

Since the business case and economics of AMI are based on a saturation model that includes uniformity of coverage, rate designs, and time of use programs, such offerings have their foundation in uniform services. Customers’ option to opt-out from this large-scale project will make the business case analysis of the project even more difficult for the utility.Despite these concerns, will Maine and California set new precedents for other states? I will continue to track this issue in future blogs.

Radio is one of the oldest means of communication and it is used by the people even now. there are many people around the world who use the radio now. in a radio certain frequencies has to be set so that you can listen to the station. but there are some people who hack the frequencies with the help of the radio scanner frequencies. this hacking is mainly done by the deceitful people. the radio frequencies are also used for providing the people with many types of information and news and many more. there are many radio users in the world even now so this business has been gaining grounds in the recent past. the radio is very common nowadays as many stations provide many services to their listeners.

The radio scanner frequencies are nowadays used for fun. the people across the world listen to the songs and moreover there are people who listen to the news in the radio. there are many places in the world where other medium of communication are not present and so the radio is the most common mode of communication. these radio scanner frequencies are also used for the high frequency communication for very private communications. the scanners are most common in the radio stations and so they send signals in the form of frequencies. the radio stations have been using very high level technologies for the improvement of the scanner frequencies so that their users can be provided with a very clear sound.

Smart meters are a source of contention in some areas of the USA, slowing down Smart Grid progress. What is it about a communicating meter – one that uses radio frequencies to transmit consumption information – that is causing opposition? Reasons fall in three categories. The first category is meter accuracy – smart meters are believed to be inaccurate devices that create bills that do not reflect actual use.   A second category focuses on environmental health concerns about radio frequencies (RF). A final area of opposition focuses on control – who decides what technology should be in communities and how energy consumption data is used. For the full benefits of the Smart Grid to be realized, all of these concerns need to be addressed with clear and consistent benefits messages and education from utilities, state regulators and federal agencies, meter vendors, environmental groups and community leaders.

Why? Smart meters allow consumers to actively participate in their consumption of electricity. Participation means knowledge to make informed decisions about how and when to use appliances that consume large electricity loads. Participation also means opportunities to enroll in programs where consumers can voluntarily reduce their electricity consumption in exchange for better electricity rates or avoid electricity use at its most expensive times. These forms of participation mean that utilities can avoid investment in expensive generation facilities to handle peak loads – often answered with natural gas turbines. Although natural gas is cleaner than coal, it is by no means a clean form of energy because it still emits CO2. And any utility investments in peak power ultimately are paid by consumers. Therefore, smart meters deliver benefits to individuals and communities in addition to utilities.

The first category of concern is easiest to address. Utilities have demonstrated through side by side comparisons that smart meters are more accurate than the electromechanical meters they replaced. once people have the facts about the accuracy of smart meters, and utilities have streamlined and consumer-friendly processes in place to address billing questions and/or set up comparison tests, these concerns are abated.

Environmental health concerns deserve serious attention. And to give it due consideration requires a mini-tutorial about electromagnetic (EM) energy and spectrum, including RF spectrum for wireless communications. The EM energy spectrum essentially consists of frequencies and wavelengths, and any EM frequency multiplied by its wavelength equals the speed of light. The EM spectrum is a continuum of frequencies for electricity, AM and FM radio, TV broadcast signals, microwave communications and cooking, infrared, the light waves human eyes detect, those bad UV rays that cause sunburn, and x-ray and gamma rays. The EM spectrum is both visible and invisible to us. And invisibility is a major topic in this discussion.

Wireless communications play largely invisible roles in our daily lives. Wireless communications are commonly used in grocery stores and hospitals; remotely lock/unlock cars; track inventory through RFID tags on items in retail businesses; deliver traffic light signal controls; attract people to coffee shops in search of free WiFi access; open our garage doors; give us workout feedback through wireless heart monitors; rescue us with avalanche beacons; and give us convenient communications capabilities via mobile phones and wireless networks in homes and businesses. Wireless in-vehicle communications, called telematics, are expected to be in place in almost 50% of new cars by 2017. We may not be the antenna a signal is seeking, but we marinate in frequencies.

People express concern about sensitivities to various EM frequencies. People like me who sunburn easily – well, we get the sensitivity argument, and take steps to mitigate risks by limiting exposure to the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. The World Health Organization (WHO) has research and reports about EM and health, and the American Cancer Society issued a statement about it.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have also issued statements regarding RF impacts.  Without credible, scientifically-reviewed studies that can identify a direct cause and effect to human health for frequencies that range from 50-60 Hz (electricity transmission frequency) to mobile devices, the common consensus is that anyone concerned about risks of EM in general and RF in particular should take steps to reduce exposure.  that is difficult in the modern world.  For example, I can detect 15 wireless LANs in my suburban home office in Silicon Valley.

Aside from humans, other environmental health concerns focus on effects of RF frequencies on species such as bees.  I like bees and am very concerned about the stresses that bees face in doing their irreplaceable job in pollinating food crops.  There’s no scientific consensus about RF impacts to bees, and some studies point to other factors like viruses or loss of habitat as more likely to contribute to their declining numbers.  Personally, I’d like to find a frequency that kills mosquitoes. 

Given the sheer abundance of wireless devices communicating around us in the environment, why are smart meters singled out as the culprit of RF environmental sensitivities?  People are more likely to blame something that is visible – like a smart meter on an exterior wall – than the invisibility of other wireless devices and applications.  We fear what we don’t understand, and history is filled with scapegoats.  Additionally, if we don’t understand how we benefit from smart meters, then the risks, however, small, don’t seem worth it.  do people really debate the risks of RF exposure before buying a Wii system?  Probably not, because they believe the benefits of entertainment outweigh risks.     

Utilities can do a better job providing basic information about EM spectrum, RF applications, and smart meter frequencies, especially the total amount of daily time that meters are actually transmitting or receiving data.  When consumers understand that smart meters communicate for less than 5 combined minutes in a 24 hour period and compare that to the amount of daily time spent playing Wii games, shopping in a grocery store, or chatting on a mobile phone, it could change perspectives.  This information needs to be organized into user-friendly information, not a collection of website links that force consumers to hunt for answers.  it also needs to be delivered in training to frontline resources that interact with consumers such as customer services representatives and workers in the field.  Utilities also need to communicate the benefits of smart meters at individual and community levels and share their visions of how smart meters will enhance consumer experiences.    

The control concerns about smart meters will be addressed in my next blog. 

Photo by healthfreedoms.org

I wrote about this before, garnering several negative comments, both from the cost and effectiveness perspectives. Prompted by the New York State Broadcasters Association, the Senate and Assembly passed the legislation on Wednesday. It was refined somewhat, with frequencies specified in the AM broadcast and FM broadcast band.  The revised writing softens the criminality somewhat, making the first offense a class A misdemeanor and subsequent offenses class D felonies.

It also broadens the enforcement actions to allow seizure and destruction of radio transmission equipment, antennas, computers, and studio equipment used during the act. The law provides no provision for part 15 broadcasting, which is defined as license free operation under FCC rules.

The law amends the NY State Penal code, by adding section 190:

S 190.72 UNAUTHORIZED RADIO TRANSMISSION IN THE SECOND DEGREE. A PERSON IS GUILTY OF AN UNAUTHORIZED RADIO TRANSMISSION IN THE SECOND DEGREE WHEN SUCH PERSON: 1. KNOWINGLY MAKES OR CAUSES TO BE MADE A RADIO TRANSMISSION IN THIS STATE, ON RADIO FREQUENCIES ASSIGNED AND LICENSED BY THE FEDERAL COMMU NICATIONS COMMISSION FOR USE BY AM RADIO STATIONS BETWEEN THE FREQUEN CIES OF 530 KHZ TO 1700 KHZ, OR FM RADIO STATIONS BETWEEN THE FREQUEN CIES OF 88 MHZ TO 108 MHZ, WITHOUT FIRST HAVING OBTAINED A LICENSE OR OTHER AUTHORIZATION FROM THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, OR DULY AUTHORIZED FEDERAL AGENCY; OR 2. KNOWINGLY CAUSES, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, INTERFERENCE TO ANY AM RADIO STATIONS BETWEEN THE FREQUENCIES OF 530 KHZ TO 1700 KHZ, OR FM RADIO STATIONS BETWEEN THE FREQUENCIES OF 88 MHZ TO 108 MHZ WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION BY THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION OR DULY AUTHOR IZED FEDERAL AGENCY. ANY EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE TRANSMITTING ANTENNA, TRANSMITTER, MASTER CONTROL, SERVERS AND COMPUTERS, USED TO PROVIDE SUCH ILLEGAL RADIO TRANSMISSIONS SHALL BE SUBJECT TO SEIZURE AND, UPON CONVICTION, SUBJECT TO DESTRUCTION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTEEN OF THIS CHAPTER. UNAUTHORIZED RADIO TRANSMISSION IN THE SECOND DEGREE IS A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR. S 2. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 190.73 to read as follows: S 190.73 UNAUTHORIZED RADIO TRANSMISSION IN THE FIRST DEGREE. A PERSON IS GUILTY OF UNAUTHORIZED RADIO TRANSMISSION IN THE FIRST DEGREE WHEN HE OR SHE COMMITS THE CRIME OF UNAUTHORIZED RADIO TRANS MISSION IN THE SECOND DEGREE PURSUANT TO SECTION 190.72 OF THIS ARTICLE AND HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN CONVICTED WITHIN THE PRECEDING TEN YEARS OF UNAUTHORIZED RADIO TRANSMISSION IN THE SECOND DEGREE. ANY EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE TRANSMITTING ANTENNA, TRANSMITTER, MASTER CONTROL, SERVERS AND COMPUTERS, USED TO PROVIDE SUCH ILLEGAL RADIO TRANSMISSIONS SHALL BE SUBJECT TO SEIZURE AND, UPON CONVICTION, SUBJECT TO DESTRUCTION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTEEN OF THIS CHAPTER. UNAUTHORIZED RADIO TRANSMISSION IN THE FIRST DEGREE IS A CLASS D FELONY. S 3. The penal law is amended by adding a new article 417 to read as follows: ARTICLE 417 SEIZURE AND DESTRUCTION OF TRANSMITTING ANTENNA, TRANSMITTER, MASTER CONTROL, SERVERS AND COMPUTERS, USED TO PROVIDE ILLEGAL RADIO TRANSMISSIONS SECTION 417.00 SEIZURE AND DESTRUCTION OF TRANSMITTING ANTENNA, TRANS MITTER, MASTER CONTROL, SERVERS AND COMPUTERS, USED TO PROVIDE ILLEGAL RADIO TRANSMISSIONS. S 417.00 SEIZURE AND DESTRUCTION OF TRANSMITTING ANTENNA, TRANSMITTER, MASTER CONTROL, SERVERS AND COMPUTERS, USED TO PROVIDE ILLEGAL RADIO TRANSMISSIONS. ANY EQUIPMENT UTILIZED IN VIOLATION OF SECTION 190.72 OR 190.73 OF THIS CHAPTER MAY BE SEIZED BY ANY POLICE OFFICER UPON THE ARREST OF ANY INDIVIDUAL IN POSSESSION OF THE SAME. UPON FINAL DETERMINATION OF THE CHARGES, THE COURT SHALL, UPON NOTICE FROM THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, ENTER AN ORDER PRESERVING ANY TRANSMITTING ANTENNA, TRANSMITTER, MASTER CONTROL, SERVERS AND COMPUTERS, USED TO PROVIDE ILLEGAL RADIO TRANS MISSIONS FOR USE IN OTHER CASES, INCLUDING A CIVIL ACTION. THIS NOTICE MUST BE RECEIVED WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF FINAL DETERMINATION OF THE CHARG ES. THE COST OF STORAGE, SECURITY AND DESTRUCTION OF ITEMS SO ORDERED FOR PRESERVATION AND USE AS EVIDENCE IN A CIVIL ACTION, OTHER THAN A CIVIL ACTION UNDER ARTICLE THIRTEEN-A OF THE CIVIL PRACTICE LAW AND RULES INITIATED BY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SHALL BE PAID BY THE PARTY SEEKING PRESERVATION OF THE EVIDENCE FOR A CIVIL ACTION. IF NO SUCH ORDER IS ENTERED WITHIN THE THIRTY DAY PERIOD, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY OR CUSTODIAN OF THE SEIZED PROPERTY MUST CAUSE SUCH ITEMS TO BE DESTROYED. DESTRUCTION SHALL NOT INCLUDE AUCTION, SALE, OR DISTRIBUTION OF THE ITEMS IN THEIR ORIGINAL FORM.

Law takes effect on November 1, 2011.

In order to gain a conviction, some amount of evidence would be needed.  Signal strength measurements and or spectrum analysis would be a minimum requirement, in addition to any equipment seized.

Share and Enjoy:

It’s so easy to get an amateur radio license!  You’re going to be really surprised.  It used to be that in order to get a license you had to know Morse code and pass a Morse code test, but they totally dropped the requirement in 2007.  Lucky us!

Which License?

All right, so basically there are three levels of amateur radio licenses.  The entry-level license is “Technician Class,” the intermediate license is “General Class,” and the advanced license is “Amateur Extra Class.”  The big difference between the different licenses is that higher-level licenses are able to use more radio frequencies.  Amateur Extra Class licenses can use all of the radio bands.  if you find that you really love HAM radio, you’ll probably want to move up later, but for now you’ll start with the Technician Class license.

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1.     Study for the Technician level exam. There are a few great ways to go about this:

• When I got my license, I just borrowed a book from the library.  The American Radio Relay League (or “ARRL”) publishes books to help you study.
• There are also free podcasts or free lessons online to help you study for the exam.
• Sometimes churches or community groups will have a study class that lasts about a couple months long.
• You can find the pool of questions online, and then just study that!

2.     once you’ve studied, find a nearby exam.  Upcoming exams are listed on the ARRL website. When I took mine, my exam was at a nearby university, through an amateur radio club on campus.

3.     Take the exam and pay your money. Volunteers help administer the tests. In order to take the exam, you need to bring photo ID, your Social Security number, and money for the exam (currently $15).  The Technician Class exam consists of 35 questions, and when I took mine it was on a computer.  if you pass one level, you get a certificate, and you can attempt to pass the next level also (for free).

4.     Wait for your callsign to be posted online. You’ll receive your license in the mail.  once you know your callsign you can start operating your own station.  Note: after you get your license, you must keep your address updated with the FCC.

5.     Get yourself a HAM radio! I bought mine on eBay, and I think it cost me about $200.  they really range in price, though.  you can spend as much or as little as you want, really.  if you are technologically inclined, you can build your own radio from metal scraps and pay very little, or if you have a lot of money to invest in your HAM radio, you can buy a fancy radio and install a huge antenna in your backyard and probably talk to anyone on the planet.

6.     Have fun! find a local group that you can participate with!  other hams are eager to help new people, and you’ll likely have questions as you get started.  Hams have many opportunities to volunteer in the community or at local events, if you want to. “QSL” is the main magazine for hams, and you’ll get a subscription if you join ARRL.  Hams can also participate in contests where they make contact with people in as many locations as possible within a certain time period, or sometimes hams send a personalized postcard to people they speak with.

7.     if you want to be extra-prepared, have a small HAM radio for your Emergency Kit, plus a way to power it in an emergency, like batteries or a solar charging system.

See, that’s not too tricky, is it?  just a little 35-question exam.  you can do it, I know you can, and it’ll feel great to have that extra piece of preparation in place.

Air Traffic Services to General Aviation (GA) traffic are provided by the Irish Aviation Authority

The different types of Air Traffic Services available in Ireland are as follows:

• Air Traffic Control Service (ATC)
• Flight Information Service (FIS)
• Alerting Service

ATC at an aerodrome is responsible for the seperation and control of aircraft in the air in the vicinity of the aerodrome and all traffic on the ground. All ground movements of aircraft require prior permission from ATC.

ATC may use different radio frequencies for ground movements, local traffic, IFR traffic and for aircraft further away from the aerodrome to avoid frequency congestion. Examples of the radio callsigns for these frequencies are as follows:

• Cork Approach
• Cork Ground
• Cork Tower
• Cork Radar

If the station you are talking to has a callsign using any of the words “approach”, “ground”, “tower” or “radar”, then you will know that you are talking to an ATC service.

FIS is provided at some aerodromes which do not have ATC to give information relevant to the safe conduct of flights within the control zone.

The FIS is not permitted to give instructions to aircraft in flight but may give taxi instructions to aircraft on the ground. FIS is not a control service. When FIS is provided, the callsign suffix “Information” is used, e.g. “Dublin Information”. This callsign lets you know that it is a Flight Information Service and not Air Traffic Control.

FIS is not currently used in any aerodrome control zones in Ireland but it is used in uncontrolled airspace. the FIS service provides local information on weather, serviceability of radio navigation aids, aerodrome conditions and other reported traffic.

Some aerodromes provide neither ATC nor FIS. They are normally smaller aerodromes or less busy aerodromes. A lot of these aerodromes have an Air/Ground radio station that allows them to communicate with other aircraft.

These radios are normally manned by people without ATC qualifications (if they are manned at all). these stations might only operate at weekends so do not be surprised if you call them and no-one replies. the Air/Ground station cannot give any instructions to aircraft. only basic information is provided, e.g. wind velocity, active runway, traffic in the circuit etc.

The callsign suffix “Radio” is used for these stations, e.g. “Birr Radio”.

Further information about Air Traffic Control (ATC) services, Flight Information Service (FIS) and all Air Traffic Services in Ireland may be found in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) Ireland. ask your instructor to show it to you if you have not already seen it. You can also download the AIP from the Irish Aviation Authority’s website. AIP download.

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.