WendyMcElroy.com
I Was a Teenage Radio PirateWhen my brother and I were in high school, we had an unlicensed radio station. (I was chief engineer; he was program director.) Note that I say unlicensed and not illegal. I built the station with a 100 milliwatt AM transmitter -- from Lafayette Electronics, if I recall correctly -- and it was, and still is, legal to operate that station without a license.
Except, now, in New York state, where the legislature has just banned any unlicensed operation in the AM and FM bands. The relevant text reads:
Leaving aside the confused language -- it seems to imply that you must obtain a license from the FCC in violation of federal law -- I note that there is no exemption here for "micropower" transmitters, i.e., those permitted by FCC Part 15.219 and Part 15.239 to transmit without a license. It appears that any AM or FM transmission without a license is prohibited.
Which means a communications activity which was once legal in the entire U.S., has now been banned in New York. (And reportedly also in New Jersey and Florida, though I haven't read their legislation to see if micropower broadcasting is still permitted.)
Sorry to ruin your July 4th, New Yorkers, but you've just lost another freedom.
P.S. In one of life's little twists, one of the U.S.' remaining manufacturers of micropower AM and FM transmitters, Ramsey Electronics, is located in New York state. I guess this means they'll be doing an export-only business now.
Except, now, in New York state, where the legislature has just banned any unlicensed operation in the AM and FM bands. The relevant text reads:
S 190.72 UNAUTHORIZED RADIO TRANSMISSION.
A person is guilty of an unauthorized radio transmission when such person knowingly makes or causes to be made a radio transmission in this state, on a radio frequency assigned and licensed by the Federal Communications Commission for use by Amplitude Modulation (AM) radio stations between the frequencies of five hundred thirty kilohertz (kHz) to seven teen hundred kilohertz (kHz), or Frequency Modulation (FM) radio stations between the frequencies of eighty-eight megahertz (MHz) to one hundred eight megahertz (MHz), without authorization or having first obtained a license from the Federal Communications Commission or duly authorized federal agency, in violation of federal law.
A person is guilty of an unauthorized radio transmission when such person knowingly makes or causes to be made a radio transmission in this state, on a radio frequency assigned and licensed by the Federal Communications Commission for use by Amplitude Modulation (AM) radio stations between the frequencies of five hundred thirty kilohertz (kHz) to seven teen hundred kilohertz (kHz), or Frequency Modulation (FM) radio stations between the frequencies of eighty-eight megahertz (MHz) to one hundred eight megahertz (MHz), without authorization or having first obtained a license from the Federal Communications Commission or duly authorized federal agency, in violation of federal law.
Leaving aside the confused language -- it seems to imply that you must obtain a license from the FCC in violation of federal law -- I note that there is no exemption here for "micropower" transmitters, i.e., those permitted by FCC Part 15.219 and Part 15.239 to transmit without a license. It appears that any AM or FM transmission without a license is prohibited.
Which means a communications activity which was once legal in the entire U.S., has now been banned in New York. (And reportedly also in New Jersey and Florida, though I haven't read their legislation to see if micropower broadcasting is still permitted.)
Sorry to ruin your July 4th, New Yorkers, but you've just lost another freedom.
P.S. In one of life's little twists, one of the U.S.' remaining manufacturers of micropower AM and FM transmitters, Ramsey Electronics, is located in New York state. I guess this means they'll be doing an export-only business now.
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