Saturday, July 24, 2010

AMPB REPORT #97

Dear Readers,

Things in the world pirate radio get interesting whenever the FCC goes on one of their enforcement binges. Free Radio Santa Cruz, Berkeley Liberation Radio, FCCFree Radio and many other stations have recently received letters from the authorities. The meek will comply, the stubborn will forge on. They do their job and we do ours. In these times, the need for micro-power radio is very important to us all. Perhaps some day we will get our freedom of speech restored and the media conglomerates will fade into obscurity. Until that day, we will still be “pirates”.

-Paul Griffin (for the AMPB)


Santa Cruz Pirate Radio Walks Plank ... Again

By CURTIS CARTIER

In a secret broadcasting studio somewhere in Santa Cruz, a ponytailed 62-year-old DJ is speaking crisply into a large, spongy microphone. “That was ‘Heart Full of Soul’ by the Yardbirds,1965, and before that ‘Indifference’ by Moby Grape,” he says. “I’m Uncle Dennis right here at Free Radio Santa Cruz, 101.1 FM and triple-w dot freak radio dot org.” Around him, the walls are covered in faded layers of posters and scribbled graffiti featuring images of the Brown Berets and Mumia Abu-Jamal and phrases like “Is this freedom?” and “Who laughs last?” Above an old Dell computer is a printed, single-sided piece of white paper with a banner reading, “FRSC Transmitter Evicted!” It’s not the first time the anonymous DJs and staff of Free Radio Santa Cruz have been told they’ll need to find a new home for the station’s transmission antenna. As an unlicensed (and therefore illegal) “pirate radio” station, FRSC all but expects that every few years, pressure from the FCC will spook either the tenants or the landlord of whatever property the big four-pronged transmitter is resident at for the moment, and the station will have to find a new set of hosts willing to defy the federal government. “Basically, we got a call saying the landlord had received a notice from the FCC saying a illegal transmitter was found and that he would be fined if he didn’t get rid of it,” explains Uncle Dennis, a veteran FRSC DJ and the current host of “From the Cream to the Dregs.” “This is a typical tactic they use to deal with unlicensed broadcasters.” It’s not a particularly successful tactic from the FCC’s perspective. In the 15 years since FRSC broadcast its first show from the bedroom of local activist Kim Argula, the transmitter, studio equipment or both have been forced to move seven times, according to station co-founder Skidmark Bob. Except for a month-long hiatus following a 2004 raid in which U.S. Department of Justice agents confiscated all the equipment in the studio, the station has managed to keep broadcasting nearly uninterrupted. The staff has also learned to keep its studio gear in one location and its transmitter in another, so if DOJ agents show up again at the signal source, they’ll find only an antenna, not a costly soundboard and microphone system. At the FCC, pirate radio stations are dealt with regularly, although full-scale raids like the 2004 incident are rare. One man who knows the routine of fighting the FCC better than perhaps any is Stephen Dunifer. The founder of Free Radio Berkeley and the man sometimes described as the “Godfather of Pirate Radio,” Dunifer was part of two landmark court cases in 1995 and 1997 in which U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken found that fines levied by the FCC against him for broadcasting without a license were unconstitutional. Besides vehemently denouncing the FCC’s action against FRSC he offers some advice to the unlicensed broadcasters in Santa Cruz and anyone who might be willing to mount an illegal transmitter in the backyard. “You need to understand that the FCC is full of shit,” he says. “They will target the landlords with letters, but a landlord is not criminally or civilly responsible for their tenants. They just need to find a landlord who is willing to tell the FCC to kiss their Bill of Rights.”


San Francisco’s Newest Radio Pirate: Radio Valencia

by Jennifer Waits

Of course I’m biased, but San Francisco seems to have always been ground zero for radio innovators, back from the early days of pioneering technologists, to the freeform FM era, to punk and new wave stalwarts in college and commercial radio in the 1980s, to pirate radio champions like Free Radio Berkeley in the 1990s, to the web radio entrepreneurs of the 2000s and beyond. Although the lure of Internet-only radio is turning the focus away from terrestrial radio for many; there are compelling reasons why radio enthusiasts continue to launch licensed and unlicensed AM and FM stations in 2010. In San Francisco, a brand new unlicensed community radio station, Radio Valencia, is about to get off the ground, with a hoped-for launch date of early July. Housed in artist/musician/activist/former San Francisco mayoral candidate Chicken John’s warehouse “Chez Poulet” in the Mission District, it’s being envisioned as not only an underground radio station, but also as part of a larger non-profit community resource. When I visited the station last Thursday, I got to see the beginning stages of the studio that had been built by Chicken John in a week’s time. One of the founding members of the station, John Hell, talked to me about the collective vision for Radio Valencia and how it will be different from his numerous other radio endeavors. Ironically, it was just about a year ago that John Hell chatted with me about his then-new radio project, FCCFree Radio. Although enthusiastic about the possibilities of that particular station at the time, John Hell recently parted ways with FCCFree Radio after having philosophical differences with the station owner. Because of his strong passion for and commitment to radio, it was clear that it wouldn’t be long before he landed at another radio start-up. John Hell is no stranger to radio, having worked at college stations KCSM and KFJC, pirate stations San Francisco Liberation Radio, Pirate Cat Radio, and FCCFree Radio, as well as on the crew that founded the LPFM station Radio Free Burning Man that operated out in the Nevada desert during the annual arts festival from 1994 to 2008. When John Hell was approached by his long-time friend Chicken John, the initial idea was to start up an Internet radio station. As they discussed things further, the concept for Radio Valencia developed even more and the hope is that eventually it will be a community center with an open-door policy and a full schedule of events. Chicken John, John Hell, and other early participants presented the idea of this new station to other like-minded folks in their social networks and reached out to former college and pirate radio DJs and friends with deep connections in various arts and culture scenes in San Francisco. John Hell said that he’s been amazed by the response and told me that he already has 30 DJs committed to hosting a total of 24 different shows at Radio Valencia. When I asked him how this station will be different from others in the area, he said that it will be much more community-based, community-oriented, and community-run with “no central leadership.” He pointed out that they will not have mandatory meetings and will shy away from having too many rules at the station. Although Radio Valencia will officially be Internet-only, they are “expecting” to also broadcast at 89.9FM in San Francisco, although they won’t be hosting that signal themselves. With so many people listening to radio online, I asked John Hell why it was important for Radio Valencia to be on FM as well. He said, “radio is only really radio when it’s terrestrial radio.” He pointed out that a lot of people can’t afford high speed Internet connections, so for them terrestrial radio is crucial, saying, “Radio is vital for a community.” John Hell said that unfortunately the “LPFM Act made it very hard for urban locations to get a license,” adding that big broadcast groups have lobbied hard to “push out low power stations” in their areas. Although he’s not personally up for the paperwork, he said, “I would be fine if we filed for a LPFM.” He added that in the absence of that, “I believe that the air does belong to the people and the people who really deserve the opportunity to do radio” aren’t able to get access. Although he wasn’t sure how many people might wander in off the street into Radio Valencia, John Hell was excited about the possibilities.


Rinse FM awarded broadcasting license

Sean Michaels

London's biggest "pirate" radio station is going legit. Rinse FM has been awarded an FM broadcasting licence, giving it further opportunity to bring dubstep, UK funky and other new urban sounds into the mainstream. Founded in 1994, Rinse FM played a pivotal role in introducing London listeners to grime, garage and other homegrown sounds, when mainstream radio was still mostly concerned with Take That and S Club 7. More recently, Rinse FM has showcased dubstep producers such as Kode9 and Plastician. Initially an unlicensed radio broadcaster, Rinse has been available as an online stream since 2006. Rinse FM hasn't always had a satisfactory relationship with Ofcom, the body that oversees radio licensing. In 2005, regulators cracked down on illegal broadcasters, disconnecting one of the station's transmitters and landing DJ Slimzee with an Asbo. The station's fans have included the late BBC DJ John Peel, EMI Publishing's Guy Moot, and Dizzee Rascal, who called Rinse FM "inspirational and influential". Feargal Sharkey, CEO of industry lobbyists UK Music, praised Ofcom's decision. "I am hugely impressed with Rinse FM and their groundbreaking work," he said. "With a community licence in place, we believe the station can take that role forward – engaging with a young, dynamic audience and nurturing the next generation of inner-city talent." Rinse has been petitioning for an FM licence since 2007, organising an international petition. According to Spoonfed, the push for legitimacy may have also affected the station's music programming, moving toward to the "more radio-friendly" genre of UK funky. But Rinse FM has no intention to dilute its music. "The [FM] licence will allow us to continue our mission," said a spokesperson, "broadcasting in the pirate format that we and our listeners know and love."


AMPB LINKS ON THE WEB


Avandia Heart Risks Buried by Drug Company: Report

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diabetes/articles/2010/07/13/avandia-heart-risks-buried-by-drug-company-report.html

RIAA Accounting: Why Even Major Label Musicians Rarely Make Money From Album Sales

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100712/23482610186.shtml

RIAA forks out $64 million to catch music pirates, recovers just $1.3 million in 3 years

http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/07/14/riaa-forks-out-64-million-to-catch-music-pirates-recovers-just-1-million/

What’s Wrong With Music Biz, per Ultimate Insider

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/tom-silverman-proposes-radically-transparent-music-business/

Double whammy: The music tax based on deep packet inspection

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/14/prs_music_levy_dpi/

Biggest Defaulters on Mortgages Are the Rich

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/business/economy/09rich.html

Arlo Guthrie Endorses Ron Paul

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/01/29/group-w-grad-endorses-ron-paul/

FCCFree Radio goes quiet

http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/07/06/fccfree-radio-pirates-no-more/

A copyright ruling no one can like

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20010428-261.html

How our laws in California are really made

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15452125?nclick_check=1

FCC Issues $10,000 Fine to Florida Pirate

http://www.radioworld.com/article/103328

Over 800 thousand security workers?

http://www.topsecretamerica.com


CAPTAIN FRED’S WORLD CRUISE #97

(download from archive.org or radio4all.net)


Glitter Freeze - Gorillaz

Africa - K'naan with Amadou & Mariam

Malagasy Shock - Ozomatli

Brasil Em Brasa - Roge

Contact - Telepath

Aloha Hokeo - Kupaoa

Fiesta en el barrio - Heriberto Gonazalez

Nkosi - Blk Sonshine

Sonata for Violin and Turntables, Part 1 - Daniel Bernard Roumain

Long Hard Road - Sade

On Coming from a Broken Home, Pt. 2 - Gil Scott-Heron

I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama - Robert Randolph & The Family Band

Ladyfingers - Charbel Rouhana

Salamalama Aby - Razia

Panacea for the Poison - Flobots

Galway Girl - The Elders

Pariwo - Tony Allen

Don't Shoot (I'm A Man) - Devo

Don't Pull Me Over - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Sinister Kid - The Black Keys

Cedar Smoke - Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra


AMPB RECORD CHART FOR THE WEEK ENDING: 7/17/10


# TITLE - ARTIST - LABEL

1 SECRET AGENT TONY ALLEN WORLD CIRCUIT

2 PLASTIC BEACH GORILLAZ EMI

3 RISE & SHINE SIERRA LEONE'S REFUGEE ALL STARS CUMBANCHA

4 BROTHERS THE BLACK KEYS NONESUCH

5 THAT'S ALL I NEED ANDRE WILLIAMS BLOODSHOT

6 SCRATCH MY BACK PETER GABRIEL REAL WORLD

7 SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY DEVO WARNER BROS.

8 ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC FOR CHILDREN WORLD MUSIC NET

9 PUTUMAYO PRESENTS SOUTH AFRICA PUTUMAYO

10 AL DOBLAR SL ESQUINA TITO GONZALEZ (SELF PRODUCED)

11 MOJO TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS REPRISE

12 PETALS ON THE PATH OTTMAR LIEBERT SPIRAL SUBWAVE

13 POWER UP THE PLANET VARIOUS ARTISTS PLANETWIZE

14 FIRE AWAY OZOMATLI MERCER STREET

15 KARAM KIMI DJABATE CUMBANCHA

16 THE ROUGH GUIDE TO ARABIC LOUNGE WORLD MUSIC NET

17 WOODBOX BEATS & BALLADRY D. B. ROUMAIN THIRSTY EAR

18 BURN AND RISE MAD SIN PEOPLE LIKE YOU

19 VOCABULARIES BOBBY MCFERRIN UNIVERSAL

20 ONE STEP AHEAD WOODLEG ODD WOODLEG ODD

21 WE WALK THE ROAD ROBERT RANDOLPH WARNER BROS.

22 PUTUMAYO PRESENTS LATIN PARTY PUTUMAYO

23 ARVO PART - PORTRAIT ANGELE DUBEAU ANALEKTA

24 SEA OF COWARDS THE DEAD WEATHER THIRD MAN

25 SUITE KEVIN BURKE/CAL SCOTT LOFTUS

26 LERO LERO LUISA MAITA CUMBANCHA

27 SOLDIER OF LOVE SADE SONY

28 ON APPROACH EVEREST VAPOR

29 LIVE SEARSON (SELF PRODUCED)

30 I'M NEW HERE GIL SCOTT-HERON XL

31 LIFE GOES ON THE ADICTS PEOPLE LIKE YOU

32 COMING BACK FOR YOU PRESSURE RYMSHOT

33 30 YEARS OUTSIDE THE BOX YO-YO MA SONY

34 SURVIVAL STORY FLOBOTS UNIVERSAL

35 HANK WILLIAMS DIED... JOE SWANK & THE ZEN PIRATES (INDY)

36 TRIBUTE TO A REGGAE LEGEND VARIOUS ARTISTS PUTUMAYO

37 REVELATION VALERIE MILOT ANALEKTA

38 ZEBU NATION RAZIA CUMBANCHA

39 BONNY PRINCE BARLEY BARLEYJUICE RYF RECORDS

40 PROVENANCE MAYA BEISER INNOVA


AMPB REPORT

a publication by the Association of Micro-Power Broadcasters

phone: (510) 525-2704

snail mail:

PMB 22

2018 Shattuck Ave.

Berkeley, CA 94704

email: ampb@att.net

youtube channel: CAPTAINFRED999

blog: www.ampbreport.blogspot.com

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Thursday, May 20, 2010

AMPB REPORT #96

Dear Readers,

This month brings us one of the biggest crimes against nature ever commited, and the effects of the oil spill in the gulf of mexico will be felt for a very long time. Even the corporate shills in the mainstream media won’t be able to cover this up. Democracy Now! has done some very good reports on this situation. Also, check out the youtube link in this edition for the visual record. It really gives you an idea of the scope of this mess. Thanks to Joe Bryak for the link as well as many others he has sent my way. The micro-radio scene is lively as ever, and it just shows you can’t keep a good pirate down. Check out the articles on Pirate Cat Radio and Free Radio Santa Cruz in this edition. Spain is apparently trying to clean up it’s airwaves, but our pirate dj on the scene, Iris DJ, is not expecting change soon. So, if you want to know “why” this is all still happening here in the 21st century, check out “Confessions of a Radio Pirate”, or even better, check out Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. The Berkeley station is still alive and well. We have a large number of young people joining the crew and the sounds are amazing! Tune in to 104..1 FM when you’re in the area, or you can listen anywhere by directing your web browser to http://www.berkeleyliberationradio.net and click on the link that says “stream”.


- Paul Griffin (for the AMPB)


STATION ALERT

Monkey Time

Ben Fong-Torres

After 13 years as the operator of a pirate radio station out of the Mission, Daniel Roberts, who changed his legal name to "Monkey," has gone legit. Since last spring, the 29-year-old Roberts has been fighting a $10,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commission for allegedly broadcasting his Pirate Cat Radio on the FM band without a valid license. Now he's taken the reins of KPDO, a moribund community station in Pescadero (San Mateo County). The signal has been licensed since 2006, but its founder, Celeste Worden, an educator, has moved out of town, leaving the station on autopilot. Roberts, who'd long wanted to acquire a license for Pirate Cat, heard about the largely deserted signal late last year and presented a program plan to Worden, emphasizing public service, local news and education. "She called me one morning at 6," said Roberts, "and said she'd read her tarot cards, and said, 'I'm gonna give you the station.' " Roberts has built a small studio ("all from recycled materials"), put together a DJ staff (half of them students from Pescadero High School) and was scheduled to hit the air May 8. The station is a 100-watter for now, reaching north only as far as San Gregorio. But it's online as well, at piratecatradio.com.

Monkey now splits his time between Pescadero and San Francisco's Pirate Cat Radio Cafe on 21st Street, where a volunteer staff serves a menu of vegan doughnuts and unique lattes (including a delish maple-bacon concoction that drew the attention of Anthony Bourdain and his TV show, "No Reservations"). They also take turns as DJs, spinning wildly eclectic music, with plenty of indie stuff, and offering news and commentary out of an adjacent control room. Because of the FCC action, Pirate Cat Radio airs only online and via podcasting. But, Roberts claims, the station's Internet site draws more than a million hits a month.


Spain Planning a Pirate Radio Crackdown

by Paul Riismandel

For Americans it may be hard to believe that Spain only this year passed a law that gives a new Spanish central radio authority the ability to pursue and shut down unlicensed radio broadcasters. Back in January the Spanish radio industry group AERC complained that 3000 pirate stations are operating in the country and need to be shut down. For its part the government recently claimed to have opened 109 cases against pirate operators since 2007. With the recently passed law the secretary of the Media of the Generalitat says the job will become easier. I know relatively little about radio broadcasting in Spain, although I have often heard that the radio dial is more chaotic than in other European countries. Given these kinds of stats I seriously doubt that the Spanish government is likely to make much of a dent in the country’s number of unlicensed stations. The FCC has been around for seventy-six years and I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t at least 3000 pirate stations operating in the US right now. At best the Commission does a pretty good job of keeping unlicensed operators more underground and less organized by playing a good game of cat and mouse. I reckon Spain has quite a way to go before it can even hope to have that level of success.


Santa Cruz still radio-active

From: skidmarkbob

Hey Captain Fred and AMPB. Skidmark here from sunny Santa Cruz where Free Radio Santa Cruz 101fm www.freakradio.org has just passed it's 15th year of unlicensed broadcast. We were inspired to start the station by the likes of Free Radio Berkeley and brave radio warriors like Mbanna Kantako of Human Rights Radio. I've seen alot of changes over the past 15 years and still it continues to amaze me how long it has existed. FRSC continues to operate as a Dj run

collective where programmers who attend meetings decide the programming, pay dues and debate and discuss into the night issues that come and up some can be very contentious and personal and that's one of the things that amazes me to no end how the station has lasted as long as it has. I guess the biggest change I can think of is the increase of Spanish language programs added to the schedule there are now 2 hours of mostly Pacifica Spanish language programs every weekday 10am-12noon. I recently have returned to the station after a hiatus and now do a weekly 3 hour program featuring new and not yet released music also an Al Jazeera English news block and some local news and issues and a Classic rock drive time set to end the show so tune in every Tuesday 3-5pm I also archive my

programs on my blog where you can stream or download the show http://popdefectradio.blogspot.com/

That's about it for now we're keepin it alive and on the air here in Santa Cruz. Cheers, Skidmark Bob



Confessions of a Radio Pirate

Electronic music, as we've lamented time and time again in these pages, is nowhere on the radio spectrum in Chicago. Outside of a record here and there, it hasn't been for years. And while we're stating the obvious, let's add that it ain't coming back any time soon. In fact, there's just about nothing on the radio for people interested in something more than Auto-Tuned pop, paleolithic rock and rabid political talk. This isn't unique to Chicago. Due to the mega-mergers of the last 15 years, it's true everywhere in the United States. The need for a multi-million dollar license hasn't stopped some broadcasters from taking to the airwaves. From the first citizen operators at the dawn of the 20th century to Wolfman Jack and the "border blasters" just across the Rio Grande, unlicensed broadcasting has played a major role in pushing music to the masses in America. It's been even more crucial in other countries. And some are still out there, with all of the romance and mystique of a Rob Roy or Sir Francis Drake on the high seas. This is an excerpt from a lengthy talk with a pirate radio broadcaster who, for understandable reasons, would prefer to remain anonymous for now. His name is not important; what is important is that he's been broadcasting on the West Coast from a homemade radio rig for more than a year. He's faced the agents of the FCC and spent from his own wallet just to broadcast his favorite independent music to his local community.

But with the risks have come rewards. The payoff isn't monetary. Though some of Europe's pirate stations have gone legit, it will never earn him a dime. But it keeps his community energized, informed, and exposes them to some great music.

First, why pirate radio when you could do it legitimately over the internet?

Audience and context. The audience on terrestrial radio is potentially enormous even with a very low power station. You don't need special equipment to listen to the radio. People just need to know the time and the frequency and need to be within so many miles. They can be doing anything they want and can have a huge system or a tiny car radio to listen. And they know I'm down the block, not at a studio in New York.

The airwaves belong to everyone and it was a political decision four or five generations ago to dice it up and sell it off to the highest bidder. This decision had nothing to do with me nor with the majority of citizens - polls have shown consistent support for community-based, low-power radio.

Aren't you running the risk of serious consequences from the government?

I've been busted three times in less than two years. I've heard of stations that use remote locations with recorded music but nobody seems to be able to connect any names to them, so I believe they're just urban legends (pirate radio has a lot of urban legends, which is one of the things that draw us to it). John Draper ("Cap'n Crunch", the very first hacker) ran a pirate radio station out of a van high in the hills above San Francisco, at an observatory. British broadcasters in the rave scene used microwave beams to broadcast to a remote transmitter. That stuff is way beyond me. The reality is that if you broadcast on anything like a regular schedule, in a place where people can hear it, you are going to get caught.

We've discovered a couple of loopholes which is the main reason I'd prefer to remain anonymous in this interview. I expect the FCC to look for our antenna but I don't want to sound like I'm taunting them. The letter of the law is that once they find you, the FCC must send written notice that you are violating the law and a demand that you cease. There are reports they'll try to confiscate your equipment on the spot but it's never gotten that far with us, anyway. I received the first letter about a month into broadcasting and I crapped my pants. I thought I was going to jail. But I'm not the only one involved in our station and someone suggested we should move it to her place. We did. The new location actually improved reception. A month later, the FCC came calling again, sent a written letter notifying my friend that she was violating the law. We moved again. We're now on our seventh location and it's never gone further than receiving a warning letter. Lucky? I have no idea. I'm not a lawyer and this is illegal, and people better acknowledge that risk before they get into this. However, Dave Conway from Little Radio in Los Angeles has written that they encountered this loophole too when they were broadcasting. For the record, we've been "notified" 3 times in 14 months. I repeat: I'm not a lawyer. Whatever risks I take are my own. There are stories of people receiving permanent injunctions. I still might get one. But we have a large team and we feel comfortable playing cat and mouse for the time being.

What does your rig look like? Did you build it or buy it?

We've needed to tailor our rig to local conditions at each broadcasting location. Building the broadcasting rig was my biggest stumbling block - I wanted to do this years before I did. Actually, it's VERY easy. It's NOT expensive, or at least not unreasonably so. You WILL have to do some shopping as few people have a broadcast transmitter or amp lying around, but the equipment is easy to find on the market. The most important thing about a station is reception. The higher you are, the better. There's a reason why radio transmitters are on skyscrapers in major cities. If there are any obstacles, they'll block your reception. So first, before you buy anything, you need a really good location (and as the FCC starts hunting you, more than one). At the heart of my rig is a simple MacBook Pro laptop. I play MP3s with iTunes. A mixer enables us to switch to a Technics 1200 MK2 for vinyl and the microphone. It depends on your style of music, if it's mostly on MP3 or if you want to take the time to rip CDs. To take the mystique out of it, I can break down our rig into three sections:

The Media Players: This is your laptop, CD player, turntables, microphone. This is the fun stuff that everyone that loves music has. You don't need special connections.

The Enablers: You need a mixer even if you're broadcasting from a laptop. As with everything: the cheaper and lighter, the better. The mixer plugs into a compressor limiter. This is great for making a professional broadcast. Without it, you'll sound like a pair of kids talking on walkie talkies.

The Broadcasters: Your compressor feeds into the transmitter, which feeds into the antenna. The power of your signal depends a lot on the location of your antenna. If you score a nice 30 watt micro-transmitter, you're probably all set. If you have a lower watt transmitter, then you can use a 5/7 watt amp to boost the signal. You can begin with something as tiny as a 1 watt transmitter and use the amp to boost it. I started with the cheapest equipment possible and upgraded as I learned. The transmitter is fed by a length of co-ax cable to the antenna. We use a 5/8-wave vertical antenna. They're a couple of hundred bucks new. The longer your antenna, the better your signal. The higher your antenna, the better the signal. The higher your elevation, the better the signal. Long cables will sometimes diffuse the signal, so I try to keep the transmitter as close as possible to the antenna and run less cable. For your frequency, you want something that will minimize the spillover of your signal bleeding into licensed stations but also their signal spilling over into yours. Most free radio stations that I know about broadcast in the high 80s. 88 to 92 MHz FM is the space reserved for "non-commercial radio" which is NPR and churches. They'll drop a dime on you as quickly as anyone, but that's where most free radio stations I've heard of rest.

I asked this in the beginning, but... why take the risk?

The music that I like isn't broadcast on the radio. I've read a lot about the history of radio since I started this. In the "old days" there were so many choices. Even if they were mostly bad, they weren't all bad. Today it's all bad. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a disaster for radio as it allowed a handful of companies to gobble up every station out there and concentrated the entire broadcasting dial between five or six very powerful entities. They ate so many stations and now they're all going bankrupt because nobody likes it. Who loves a radio station anymore? It's background noise. If you are in a community that isn't being served by what's on radio - if you live anywhere in the US and like anything other than right-wing rage and commercial music, then this applies to you - you can do this. You don't have to pay for XM/Sirius to hear your favorite local artist. I think people can take this into their own hands and make a movement. Though not affiliated, the subject of this article recommends anyone interested in more details about free radio to visit the website of what is probably the longest running free radio station in the United States, Free Radio Berkeley, at freeradio.org.


AMPB LINKS ON THE WEB

Favorite download sites

(courtesy of Skidmark Bob)

http://music.is-amazing.com/

http://bolachas.org/

http://www.alternative2punk.net/

http://reloda.tk/

http://ipb.quicksilverscreen.com/

index.php?showforum=96

http://thebox.bz/browse.php

http://www.katzforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=79


India's copyright bill gets it right

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/22/indias-copyright-bil.html


video of spill/gusher

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG8JHSAVYT0&feature=player_embedded


A Cheap, Portable Wound-Healing Device

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24837/page1/


FCC Adviser Advocates State-run Propaganda to Counter Alternative Media

http://www.infowars.com/fcc-adviser-advocates-state-run-propaganda-megaphone-to-counter-alternative-media/


“We Were Told to Just Shoot People, and the Officers Would Take Care of Us”

http://www.truthout.org/iraq-war-vet-we-were-told-just-shoot-people-and-officers-would-take-care-us58378


How to Create a Diabetes Plague

http://www.yourownhealthandfitness.org/blogs/2010/05/04/how-to-create-a-diabetes-plague/


Is the FCC's National Broadband Plan a Threat to Homeland Security?

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/is-the-fccs-national-broadband-plan-a-threat-to-homeland-securi/19427101/


Sex, Lies and Oil Spills

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/sex-lies-and-oil-spills_b_564163.html


Whose Revolution is this?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/30/AR2010033003252.html


A THOUGHT FOR MOTHER'S DAY

http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/state-of-the-worlds-mothers-report/


Slick Operator: The BP I've known too well

http://www.truthout.org/slick-operator-the-bp-ive-known-too-well59178


Take the time to watch this video: http://www.miauk.com/


Plastic from Algae: The First Step Toward a Fish-Friendly Gyre?

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/biofuel/algae-to-plastic?src=rss


Google admits Street View cars collected Wi-Fi data

http://www.macworld.com/article/151297/2010/05/google_privacy.html


CAPTAIN FRED’S WORLD CRUISE #96

(download from radio4all.net or archive.org)

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/42793

http://www.archive.org/details/CaptainFredsWorldCruise96Part1

http://www.archive.org/details/CaptainFredsWorldCruise96Part2


Internacional - Brazilian Girls

Born Free - M.I.A.

Superfast Jellyfish - Gorillaz

El Relampago - The Chieftains

Mifohaza - Razia Said

Peligro - Manu Chao

Singapore - Tom Waits

Cumbia Del Caribe - Fruko & Orquesta

Tamagbondorsu - Refugee All-Stars

Spaceships Over Haiti - Daniel Bernard Roumain

Weekend Irish - Barleyjuice

Say Ladeo - Bobby McFerrin

It's Only Paper - Ozomatli

Measure By Measure - DJ Spooky

Running - Gil Scott-Heron

The Moon and the Sky - Sade

Droub Al Lil - Azzddine

Good Soldier - Flobots

21 Guns - American Idiot Cast

Walk Of Shame - Woodleg Odd


RECORD CHART FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 15, 2010

# TITLE - ARTIST - LABEL

1 PLASTIC BEACH GORILLAZ EMI

2 ZEBU NATION RAZIA CUMBANCHA

3 POWER UP THE PLANET VARIOUS ARTISTS PLANETWIZE

4 THE ROUGH GUIDE TO ARABIC LOUNGE WORLD MUSIC NET

5 GOD'S FAVORITE BAND ASYLUM STREET SPANKERS YELLOW DOG

6 SURVIVAL STORY FLOBOTS UNIVERSAL

7 PUTUMAYO PRESENTS LATIN PARTY PUTUMAYO

8 I'M NEW HERE GIL SCOTT-HERON XL

9 VOCABULARIES BOBBY MCFERRIN UNIVERSAL

10 FIRE AWAY OZOMATLI MERCER STREET

11 30 YEARS OUTSIDE THE BOX YO-YO MA SONY

12 IMAGINARY TELEVISION GRAHAM PARKER BLOODSHOT

13 GLITTER AND DOOM LIVE TOM WAITS ANTI

14 WOODBOX BEATS & BALLADRY D. B. ROUMAIN THIRSTY EAR

15 CHANGES DON CARLOS DON CARLOS MUSIC

16 RISE & SHINE SIERRA LEONE'S REFUGEE ALL STARS CUMBANCHA

17 LIVE AT MAUCH CHUNK WAILIN’ JENNYS RED HOUSE

18 THE ROUGH GUIDE TO AFRICAN STREET PARTY WORLD MUSIC NET

19 THE RUMBA FOUNDATION JESSE COOK E1

20 ONE STEP AHEAD WOODLEG ODD WOODLEG ODD

21 SAN PATRICIO THE CHIEFTAINS BLACKROCK

22 BAIONARENA MANU CHAO NACIONAL

23 SOLDIER OF LOVE SADE SONY

24 HANK WILLIAMS DIED... JOE SWANK & THE ZEN PIRATES (INDY)

25 COMING BACK FOR YOU PRESSURE RYMSHOT

26 LIVE SEARSON (SELF PRODUCED)

27 KARAM KIMI DJABATE CUMBANCHA

28 THAT'S ALL I NEED ANDRE WILLIAMS BLOODSHOT

29 ...NORTHERN LIGHTS WHITE STRIPES THIRD MAN

30 ELECT THE DEAD SYMPHONY SERJ TANKIAN REPRISE

31 BONNY PRINCE BARLEY BARLEYJUICE RYF RECORDS

32 BUSHROCK 10 FT. GANJA PLANT ROIR

33 COMMON PROSPERITY PREZIDENT BROWN TOMORROW'S CHILDREN

34 PUTUMAYO PRESENTS SOUTH AFRICA PUTUMAYO

35 MIDNIGHT AT THE MOVIES JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE BLOODSHOT

36 ARVO PART - PORTRAIT ANGELE DUBEAU ANALEKTA

37 IGNORE THE IGNORANT THE CRIBS WARNER BROS.

38 DREAMIN' MAN LIVE NEIL YOUNG REPRISE

39 THE SECRET SONG DJ SPOOKY THIRSTY EAR

40 BORN FREE (SINGLE) M.I.A. XL


NEW ADDS (THANKS TO ALL OF THE RADIO PROMO FOLKS WHO SEND US STUFF):


THE RUNAWAY BUNNY VARIOUS ARTISTS SONY

SEA OF COWARDS THE DEAD WEATHER THIRD MAN

ON APPROACH EVEREST VAPOR

BROTHERS THE BLACK KEYS NONESUCH



The AMPB Report is a publication by the Association of Micro-Power Broadcasters

AMPB PMB 22

2018 SHATTUCK AVE.

BERKELEY, CA 94704

(510) 525-2704

ampb@att.net


Monday, March 15, 2010

AMPB REPORT #95

Dear Readers,

Micro-radio continues to perform a great service to many people and in some areas the only station with local content will the the so-called “pirate” station. Operations like Clear Channel have done such a bad job of serving the public they deserve to get their licenses pulled. Every now and then these mega-stations have to renew their licenses and that’s when you will hear these boring announcements about soliciting comments from the listeners. That is your time to act. Write to these stations and tell them what a lousy job they are doing. It may not force them off the air, but it does go on their “permanent record”. Meanwhile, more and more people have started up a micro-station in their area and they deserve your support. We need a free press to keep the politicians on their toes. Here in Berkeley, our local free weekly, the Berkeley Daily Planet, was forced to stop publishing due to strained finances. It didn’t help that their payroll company made off with a wad of their money and the local zionist fanatics organized an intimidation campaign toward their advertisers. The result is that Berkeley, the home of the so-called free speech movement has lost a voice of reason and debate. Still we continue to speak our minds at Berkeley Liberation Radio and we hope you will support us always.

-Paul Griffin (for the AMPB)


STATION ALERT

Pirate radio still playing in Erie

By DAVID BRUCE

One of Erie's radio pirates is broadcasting again, even though the federal government has ordered him to shut down his illegal station. Marshall Jones, 524 W. 17th St., was cited Feb. 2 by the Federal Communications Commission for having an unlicensed radio station. Shawn McKines, 908 Parade St., was also cited that day by the FCC.McKines has stopped broadcasting at 89.5 FM, but Jones continues to intermittently play soul, reggae and gospel music at 90.1 FM. "I'm only broadcasting at the legal limits for a low-power station," said Jones, 40. "As long as I'm legal, I'm fine."

That's not true, FCC spokesman Peter Doyle said. Operating a low-power station requires prior approval from the FCC. Jones said he has not sought approval because the FCC hasn't accepted applications for low-power radio licenses since 2001. He might not be permitted to ever have a low-power license, Doyle said. "Congress has passed legislation stating that anyone who has received a notice of unlicensed operation is banned for life from owning a low-power radio station," Doyle said. "Though they can own a full-power station." Besides not being allowed to ever own a low-power radio station, Jones and McKines each face fines, imprisonment and confiscation of their broadcasting equipment. A club disc jockey and former announcer at Gannon University's WERG-FM, Jones said that he started broadcasting in October because there wasn't enough urban music being played in Erie. "Blacks, whites, Hispanics all had a major concern about the type of music played in Erie 24/7," Jones said. "It was my mission to get this station up and running." Jones said that he started broadcasting at the low-frequency limits, then increased power. "The response from people was so strong that I just turned it up," Jones said. "Then someone ratted me out to the FCC." One problem was that Jones' signal was intruding on the signals of other, licensed, radio stations, said A.J. Miceli. An FCC resident agent from Buffalo visited Erie on Jan. 27 and determined that Jones' radio signal far exceeded the limits for nonlicensed devices. The station's music could be heard in various parts of Erie. "I gave the people what they wanted," Jones said. "The response was overwhelming."Doyle referred questions about FCC enforcement to another agency department. Calls to that department were not returned Wednesday.


How To Turn an FM Transmitter into a Micro Pirate Radio

— Mathew Honan

Corporate radio is preprogrammed junk. But don’t curse the DJ; seize the airwaves! With a soldering iron and a cheapo FM transmitter — the kind used to play an iPod through a car radio — you can transform your humble Honda into a Radio Free Civic that can broadcast your tunes up to 100 feet.

1. Pry open the transmitter’s case with a putty knife and remove the internal antenna (often labeled ant).

2. In its place, solder a telescoping antenna or a piece of copper wire — no more than 35 inches long for broadcasting within the standard FM transmission spectrum.

3. The transmitter may have a resistor, typically marked with an r, to limit the power of the signal. Replace it with copper wire to boost the transmission.

4. Slap a bumper sticker on your ride advertising your station’s frequency. You’ll soon build a grateful audience of fellow commuters suffering through that traffic jam.



STATION ALERT

Pirate radio pair going legit with new station

For years, Bakersfield residents Jake Chavez and Greg Looney have kept one step ahead of broadcast regulators with their "pirate radio" stations -- low-wattage broadcasts operating without a license. Now the pair are making it legal with a fully licensed station they hope will be on the air within the year.

Chavez and Looney met some 20 years ago, when both worked at KBCC, the cable-access radio station that used to operate at Bakersfield College.

"When KBCC got canceled, all of us were left hanging, wanting to do something," Looney said.

Looney said that "something" included operating a number of pirate stations and an Internet radio operation, all of which were shut down by the FCC. The two have also had day jobs -- Chavez has worked at American Fabrication for the last 15 years, and operated Downtown Records for seven years until selling it 15 months ago. Looney works as a bartender in Bakersfield.

Chavez said the inspiration for starting the station came from a representative of the Common Frequency Project, a non-profit group out of Davis that promotes community radio stations, community activism and a non-commercial, eclectic mix of music. Chavez said the representative came into his record store looking for someone who might be interested in applying for a station. "He found the right guy," Chavez said.

Chavez said he and Looney applied three years ago, after the FCC opened up a small number of new stations under the NCE and low-power FM categories. "There wasn't much space on the dial in Bakersfield," Chavez said.

On Nov. 5, the Federal Communications Commission awarded the pair a construction permit to build KSVG, a 180-watt FM station, in Mettler. Chavez and Looney have three years from that date to be broadcast-ready with a format usually described as "freeform" radio.

"We're going to be a cool college radio station," Chavez said. The station is to broadcast on 89.9 FM, part of the non-commercial education band (NCE) that typically includes public radio stations such as KVPR. According to Chavez, a community station can broadcast music, but has some other requirements. "We have to supply some educational programming, get students involved," Chavez said. Chavez said Common Frequency set him up with Bay Area FCC attorney Michael Couzens and Portland, Ore., engineer Michael Brown to assist with the initial application. Chavez and Looney also teamed up with The Empty Space theater group, which has a 501c3 designation, a requirement for the application."They've been really good to us," Chavez said, adding that control of the project will soon be transferred to the station's own 501c3, Kern Community Radio, Inc. Chavez estimates he needs around $100,000 to build the station, half of which he hopes will come from a grant from the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program. His business plan anticipates ongoing support from corporate sponsorships. Starting a radio station from scratch -- even a low-wattage station -- seems like a big risk in an economic climate that isn't friendly to any type of business, let alone a business that faces game-altering competition. Jake Chavez and Greg Looney need to raise about $100,000 to get their tower built and broadcast equipment installed and operational. Chavez said he got the figure from a quotation given him by Harris Broadcast Services, which estimates $91,203.64 for the transmitter, antenna, broadcast equipment, transmission lines and other equipment. Chavez said he plans to raise the money through grants, corporate sponsorships, even such grass-roots fundraisers as car washes.


AMPB LINKS ON THE WEB


Former Veep Goes Girly-Man, Has Hissy Fit in Pages of New York Times

http://bigjournalism.com/kashiver/2010/02/28/former-veep

-goes-girly-man-has-hissy-fit-in-pages-of-new-york-times/


School used student laptop webcams to spy on them at school and home

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/17/school-used-student.html


Research Ties Diabetes Drug to Heart Woes

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/health/policy/20avandia.html


The Snitch in Your Pocket

http://www.newsweek.com/id/233916


We Are Anonymous. We Are Legion. We Plead Guilty In Court.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/23/we-are-anonymous-we-are-legion-we-plead-guilty-in-court/


Top aide to Sarah Palin resigns

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33429.html


Iraq's New Death Squad

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090622/bauer


Tawkon Measures The Radiation Spewing From Your iPhone

http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/04/tawkon-iphone-radiation/


6 Elements Every Conspiracy Theory Needs

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/02/pl_print_conspiracy/


A Detention Bill You Ought to Read More Carefully

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/03/a-detention-

bill-you-ought-to-read-more-carefully/37116


Defectors Say Church of Scientology Hides Abuse

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/us/07scientology.html


All the news the big outlets would rather you didn’t get... in a handy RSS feed

feed://conspiringtimes.com/news/?feed=rss


THE MILITARY IS KILLING HAWAII

http://www.newpacificvoice.com/du/


Check out my youtube videos

http://www.youtube.com (search for CAPTAINFRED999)


AMPB REPORT

record chart for the week ending march 13, 2010


# TITLE - ARTIST - LABEL

1 GLITTER AND DOOM LIVE-TOM WAITS-ANTI

2 I'M NEW HERE-GIL SCOTT-HERON-XL

3 ESTE MUNDO-RUPA & THE APRIL FISHES-CUMBANCHA

4 30 YEARS OUTSIDE THE BOX-YO-YO MA-SONY

5 BAIONARENA-MANU CHAO-NACIONAL

6 NEW WORLD FLAMENCO-TIERRA NEGRA-CGD MUSIC

7 HANK WILLIAMS DIED...-JOE SWANK & THE ZEN PIRATES-(INDY)

8 SOLDIER OF LOVE-SADE-SONY

9 BORDERS Y BAILES-LOS TEXMANIACS-SMITHSONIAN

10 IMAGINARY TELEVISION-GRAHAM PARKER-BLOODSHOT

11 PUTUMAYO PRESENTS ESPANA-VARIOUS ARTISTS-PUTUMAYO

12 (SELF TITLED)-PROJECT TRIO-(SELF-PRODUCED)

13 THE SECRET SONG-DJ SPOOKY-THIRSTY EAR

14 THE MELODY OF RHYTHM-BELA FLECK & FRIENDS-E1

15 THE LIVE ANTHOLOGY-TOM PETTY-REPRISE

16 KARAM-KIMI DJABATE-CUMBANCHA

17 FOR ROSA, MAEVE AND NOREEN-SAMUEL JAMES-NORTHERN BLUES

18 COMMON PROSPERITY-PREZIDENT BROWN-TOMORROW'S CHILDREN

19 TIME FOR THREE-FERVENT TRAVELERS-E1

20 VAMPIRE-GREENSKEEPERS-OM

21 THE RESISTANCE-MUSE-WARNER BROS.

22 GOD'S FAVORITE BAND-ASYLUM STREET SPANKERS-YELLOW DOG

23 PUTUMAYO PRESENTS JAZZ AROUND THE WORLD-PUTUMAYO

24 COMING BACK FOR YOU-PRESSURE-RYMSHOT

25 DREAMIN' MAN LIVE-NEIL YOUNG-REPRISE

26 WAKKA CHIKKA WAKKA CHIKKA-VARIOUS ARTISTS-(INDY)

27 YA FOY!-SARAZINO-CUMBANCHA

28 BUSHROCK-10 FT. GANJA PLANT-ROIR

29 (SELF TITLED)-STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL CLUB-S.S.S.C.

30 PIANO SONATAS...-SUSAN KAGAN-NAXOS

31 IGNORE THE IGNORANT-THE CRIBS-WARNER BROS.

32 THE CRICKET'S ORCHESTRA-MEAGHAN SMITH-SIRE

33 THE ROUGH GUIDE TO AFRICAN STREET PARTY-WORLD MUSIC NET

34 CALLING ALL DAWNS-CHRISTOPHER TIN-(INDY)

35 THE NIGHTINGALE IN LOVE-ROBERT STALLMAN-BOGNER'S CAFE

36 ZEBU NATION-RAZIA-CUMBANCHA

37 SAN PATRICIO-THE CHIEFTAINS-BLACKROCK

38 LIVE AT MAUCH CHUNK-WAILIN’ JENNYS-RED HOUSE

39 PLASTIC BEACH-GORILLAZ-EMI

40 MIDNIGHT AT THE MOVIES-JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE-BLOODSHOT



CAPTAIN FRED’S WORLD CRUISE #95

this show can be downloaded from:

radio4all.net or archive.org


Taxman-Stevie Ray Vaughan

Yoyoyo-Razia

White Flag-Gorillaz

Soldier of Love-Sade

La Iguana-The Chieftains

One Big World-Sarazino

Lucky Day-Tom Waits

Ntolilo-Massukos

Pasapeanas-BIella Nuei

Multiphonic-DJ Spooky

Me and the Devil-Gil Scott-Heron

More Questions Than Answers-Graham Parker

Love Conquers All-Pressure

Allegretto Scherzando-Susan Kagan

Volkswagen Thing-Asylum Street Spankers

Este Mundo-Rupa & The April Fishes

El Troquero-Los Texmaniacs

Djombé-Kimi Djabaté

Volver, Volver-Manu Chao

Motherless Child-Wailin' Jennys

Kia Hora Te Marino-Christopher Tin


AMPB REPORT#95

A PUBLICATION BY THE ASSOCIATION

OF MICRO-POWER BROADCASTERS


AMPB

PMB 22

2018 SHATTUCK AVE.

BERKELEY, CA 94704


ampb@att.net


Special note for my readers:

I’m still unemployed and looking for work. I have experience as a warehouse manager, retail store assistant, radio dj, editor, painter, audio technician and recently learned how to do electrical work. If you know someone in the San Francisco Bay area, who might need my services, please won’t you put them in contact with me? Thanks!


If you feel you have received this email by mistake, simply reply with the word “REMOVE” in the subject area and we’ll take you off the list. We don’t mean to be a bother. Thanks for reading!