Alice Averlong🏳️‍⚧️Dec 20, 2024

remember: if the government shuts down until next month, that includes the FCC.

Power up your pirate TV stations, no one will be enforcing the radio spectrum! I'll be blasting analog NTSC TV with as many watts as I can throw at it. Check out Channel 21 in the SF area, for all the bad sci-fi laserdiscs you can eat.

Show threadStephen Wuebker

@foone !! That’s a great idea! I need to build a transmitter…

I have lots of space in my electrical panel and could devote an entire 20A breaker to it… how far away could someone push a signal with 2400 watts?

Hypothetically, of course 🥸

Dec 20, 2024 at 1:27amWeb
Show threadKyleDec 20, 2024

@stephen @foone that's a good question but very variable. It depends on if your criteria is a clear signal or just recognizable, what kind of antenna is receiving, geography, and what frequency range. Lower frequency goes further.

Winter Hill in the UK had an approx 40 mile radius, 500kW (half million watts) per TV station, the highest frequency was 827(+8)mhz. The expected receiving antenna being a rooftop yagi with no or minimal obstruction

Show threadStephen WuebkerDec 20, 2024
@kyle_pegasus @foone my local AM radio station broadcasts at 50kW and can reach a decent chunk of the eastern US. At one time they used to broadcast at 500kW and could reach most of the US and points around the world because of signal reflection from the ionosphere. It’s sadly become a right wing talk radio station, but the tech and history behind the nonsense is impressive.
Show threadKyleDec 20, 2024
@stephen @foone kinda jealous that your local is WLW. they sometimes give tours of the old transmission hall
Show threadKevin Karhan Dec 20, 2024

@stephen @foone if you choose the spectrum wisely you can moonbounce... ^

  • Tho that usually requires something like #Codec2 @ 450 bit/s on #SSB...