Up Next On NPR: Gangsta Rap, Heavy Metal and Howard Stern
from the not-so-low-power dept
While switching to satellite radio cost Howard Stern a lot of listeners, he is apparently gaining some inadvertently, too. Some FM stations are complaining that FM transmitters people use to relay satellite radio to their car stereos are too strong, and are interfering with their broadcasts in other people's cars. Coincidentally, this AP story comes out a day after XM disclosed it was under investigation by the FCC, which alleges the FM modulator in one of its radios transmits at too high power -- which could cause these types of problems. Of course, for some people, broadcasting to other cars is just the point. Remember the iPod radio phenomenon? This story also illustrates that even a closed, licensed spectrum doesn't guarantee there won't be problems with interference.
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Satellite Radio
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Re:
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Sat Radio
I got Siruis for Stearn, but love the rest of it too. You can not comprehend the magic of commercial free music until you have it. The selection is also great. I now can listen to classical music, something I was missing in my area. It is well worth the small monthly fee (which I paid yearly)
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Re: Sat Radio
and found it easy to modify. Remove three screws in
the battery compartment, disconnect right hand wire
from the circuit board and solder a 39 inch wire to the
circuit board in its place. Use the soldering iron to make
a small hole for the 39 inch wire to exit. Voila 400+
foot range instead of 50ft. Of course YMMV but this is
a nifty community boradcasting tool. The commercial
stations greed had ruined AM and FM for the most part.
AM is a shambles with the change from protected
clear channel stations (not to be confused with clear
channel network) The FCC proved to be either owned
or technically incompenatnt with that set of rule
changes. FM is consolidated to the point where turning
the dial yields one station after the other playing the
same damn thing. The bitch about satellite radio is
just another death gasp of a media killed by lack of
imagination and greed,
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Are you Sirius?
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Re: Are you Sirius?
The XM radio modulator was mearly an example of an FM Transmitter that is TOO powerful.
FM Transmitters which can be used also by sirius radio users, may also interfere with fm radio signals in other cars. While I doubt this is powerful enough to compete with a real RM station, imagine for a second that I am driving near you on a highway, listening to my Sirius radio through an FM Modulated signal on a radio station that doesnt really exist. Now, imagine that you click the scan button on your radio, BOOM, there you are listening to my FM signal because my transmitter is too powerful, and you hear sirius.
Then you decide sirius is great, and go buy one.
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Transpod
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I guess they finally figured it out..
About 18 years ago I was half-heartedly chatting with a friend about how I'd love to build a pirate radio station but I was afraid of getting caught. He already had his Masters in electrical engineering(I was then working on my bachelors) and told me very quietly that the way not to get caught was to keep the signal levels down and to have a LOT of them. I didn't understand this at first so he said one word that made it click: Repeaters.
The deal is to have one low power transmitter among a million repeaters that way triangulation doesn't work; signals come from everywhere and while they could kill individual repeaters, they would have an incredibly hard time finding the original signal. He said to spread the repeaters just far enough apart that each one can hear at least 2 others that are on different frequencies(so at some later time you could switch frequencies if you needed to). If you do this right you will be broadcasting on 3-5 frequencies or so.
I never thought much of doing anything with it until I saw the nice little transmitters they have for ipods, etc. and they're CHEAP. The only mods you have to do really is put a larger antenna on them(if you've ever taken one apart you know the antenna runs back through the headphone connector wire but doesn't actually connect to the headphone jack itself), a mini FM radio to pickup the signal, and a small solar cell to keep a charge. You can add other stuff like a small amplifier so you can get about a 1/4 mile out of each transmitter, and, if you're good, switches that turn all of the transmitters off/on when you transmit a set frequency which will do wonders for power consumption and stealth.
I've NOT used these in this capacity but it's not to say I haven't done my share of design and engineering to make it so that in case of something idiotic like martial law, I'd be ready to transmit my message.
Pump Up the Volume!!
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I have this problem constantly...
Unless I'm on the road.
Going down the highway, I'm fine if I'm alone, but approximately one out of every dozen cars is splattering signal all over my favorite station. As far as they knew, it was an "off station" when they set the transmitter, but that's only because their receiver sucks. Or because they set it at home and they've now driven 50 miles to an area where that frequency is in use.
It's a mess, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some of their little "micropower" modulators are in fact spewing way more power than they're allowed. It makes sense for them: Fewer installation glitches, fewer complaints, happier customers. The FCC is supposed to prevent this tragedy of the commons, so let's hope some more thorough review of modulator power levels is conducted.
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I bought Sirius Radio and have not listened to free radio a day since. There is just no comparison. Once you go satellite, you will NEVER, EVER, EVER go back to free radio.
Fuck free radio and the corporate greed that has ruined it.
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FU Corps???
a:) XM/Sirius ARE corporations that are filled with JUST as much "corporate greed" as AM/FM conglomerates.
b:) XM has gotten into bed w/ClearChannel and will be offering their evil commercial filled programs on YOUR satellite radio.
So maybe YOU should STFU already!
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FU Corps???
a:) XM/Sirius ARE corporations that are filled with JUST as much "corporate greed" as AM/FM conglomerates.
b:) XM has gotten into bed w/ClearChannel and will be offering their evil commercial filled programs on YOUR satellite radio.
So maybe YOU should STFU already!
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RE: FU Corps???
I have XM. But I know it'll have commercials in due time.
I just hope they don't let the Lables force content on them like local stations.l
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88.1 interference
Hey, who turns down something for free!
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Haters
I opted not to 'hard wire' my radio into my car. I like the freedom of being able to install/reinstall to what ever car I need. Instead, I have fed the car-kit antennae through the crevaces of my car and play it throught the FM radio (in las vegas i use 88.9 FM).
Sometimes when I am driving around, i will pick up someone elses broadcast, what i assume is another satellite radio feed. It seems that my feed ALWAYS gets cancelled out if another broadcast(that i know of?) is near. It's only happened a handful of times, but it makes me laugh to think that if other radios can cancel out my feed, than i am also blissfully unaware of this occurance happening to someonelse on my part! Can you imagine a little old lady driving around and all of a sudden she catches my feed, which happeneds to be the Howard Stern show, where he has a pornstar/celebrity on the Sibian? Classic!
Long live the Howard Stern Show! Down with the haters! And to all who like to rant on and on and on about how he is horrible, gross, and unintelligent; If his show is so repulsive and demeaning, why spend so much time telling people so? It only puts him on peoples minds and just builds the buzz. He is great and has succeded because he does not 'pull in the reigns'. People flock to this; kind of a like a guilty pleasure. Why do you think that tabloids succeed? it's the dirt! Why do you see only the 'bad/tragic' stories as cliff-hangers held until the end of a broadcast on the news? It's because people will stick around 'til the end to see it.
The Howard Stern Show is a 5-6 hour show that hits on many interesting topics, but only the scandalous ones are focused upon by those who are nit-picking and obviously have no ability to take things lightly or in stride, and have no sense of maturity or humor to understand what they are hearing is just pure entertainment and the opinions of the Howard Stern Show staff. Honestly, can anyone REALLY talk about Sex and Defication for 5-6 hours? no; thats not what the show is all about.
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