small power stations and the law

[distortion]

What is the worse that can happen to a really small power station like from 5 watt to 30 watts.

[Mosfet]

If you broadcast without a license and the OTDR takes a dislike to you then they will shut your station down.They have many ways of doing this,here are some of them--------
1- will write and sometimes call to the landowner where the TX is based and offer them a £20,000 fine.
2-will instruct E.S.B and Eircom to disconnect services from TX site
3-will call to your studio\TX site and take everything:mad:
4-will call to you or phone you to ask you to "please" switch off

There are many other ways which would take(with the same results)all day to list!
Also power is not important,its the license you need!
5W from a high site can have more coverage than 150W from a low site

BE CAREFUL:eek: :eek: :eek:

[Rig For Sale]

Do you know of any/many stations were this has happened MOSFET?

[The President]

Sometimes the biggest threat to pirate operators are not the ODTR, but the so called legal stations who continue to operate in an illegal manner.

points to take into consideration.

1) Legal stations have been known to steal equipment.
2) Legal stations have been known to steal property.
3) Legal stations have been known to use stolen property to broadcast illegally from Northern ireland to block the signals of pirate stations because they are unable to compete.
4) Legal stations have been known to fabricate stories to have pirate DJ`s arrested on false counts of criminal damage.

Compare the actions of some legals to the actions of the ODTR and it leaves you wondering who you have to watch.

[Mosfet]

:( Yes I agree I have had some problems with legal stations making life difficult for me,however what comes around goes around!:D
As for stations suffering due to OTDR------------------------------
Energy106/Magic105--------E.S.B disconnected
Power Hits107(Drogheda)Pulse107----------Letter and Visit.
R.L.O(Limrick)-------------------------------------Many visits!!!!!!
Too many stations in Dublin to list giving warnings or shut down to list!:o

[South Derry Guy]

Yeah would have to aggree with The President on this one epescially relating to a few pirates in the Donegal and N,W area last year why don,t the legal stations get the same treatment,,, why are the governments etc letting them away with it... Heard Q102.9fm have a few pirate relays in Co Donegal (Grove area) themselves why is nothing done about this, also heard they cut down the old Riverside101 mast and blamed it on other radio operators who where trying to provide a proper RADIO service to the public... I hope their will be"A NEW " RADIO Station/Stations starting up i this area within Time like in the other border area like Monaghan/Louth Where KYKX103.7, LIQUID101.5fm are due to start broadcasting soon.. With on air Stations like Pulse107.4 and Storm106.2... Long live Pirate Radio in the N,W....

[ex-pirate]

On the subject of legal stations causing problems for pirates, espiecially in the north west?

Obviously the past comments are about FM106 or 106FM?
last summer?

From what I heard from ordinary folk was the legal stations weren't bothered about what appeared on the airwaves as the OTDR were due to visit the county of Donegal that summer to check on frequencies.
The pressure started to build when it was notice that back stabbing was happening, ie going around business people and offering better advertising packages than the licensed operator in the area, and spreading rumours about the management, other djs who worked at the legal stations for a living, and generally talking dirty.
As for Q102 broadcasting illegally in Donegal?
I think the mixup is it is actually in Magilligan were there is a link to Coleraine established.
And has the blessings of authorities on both sides of the border.

As for legals stealing equipment, why would they want to do this?
A few reasons in addition to the ones already mentioned?
Interference to other radio links in the area, and effecting emergency frequencies.

For the stealing of equipment, look more closely to home.

[The President]

I Think that You`ll find that any backstabbing did not originate with the pirate stations, Drive 105 are still experiencing Legal station related problems, and it is a known fact in radio circles in the north-west that a particular commercial station sent letters to advertisers advising them that they were advertising on pirate stations and faced the possibility of legal action.

An Ad Placed in the Derry Journal By Q102 read.


ATTENTION ALL ADVERTISERS

Did you know that it is unlawful to advertise on illegal/unlicensed Radio Stations operating in your area? Under the UK and Republic of Ireland Radio licensing Laws you could be fined up to £20,000 and/or up to two years imprisonment.

Don`t be duped by unscrupulous operators.

Don`t pay for their illegal activity.

Your official legal and licensed independant commercial radio stations in your area are Q102.9FM and Hghland Radio. For more details or clarification please contact.

The Radio Communications Agency
PO Box 2500
Belfast BT8 8SA

The Office of the director of telecommunication regulations
Lower Abbey Street
Dublin 1.

Neither one of the Radio Authorities nor Highland Radio provided any funding for this advertisement which was placed before the afore mentioned pirate took to air, and considering that Riverside 101 operated under and BROKE the same radio laws broadcasting under the command of Frankie McLaughlin. I think he has a cheek trying to come accross all credible and branding pirates unscrupulous as that includes his good self, as for the illegal link at Magilligan being given the blessing of the radio authorities, they don`t appear to know that it exists.

[Mike]

The ad itself is on dodgy ground legally since Downtown and Northwest Radio can be heard in many parts of Donegal and Derry/Londonderry along with Virgin 1215, Today FM, Classic FM etc

"Your official legal and licensed independant commercial radio stations in your area are Q102.9FM and Hghland Radio" implies that these are the ONLY legal commercial stations in the Donegal/L'Derry area

[Mike]

BTW legally Irish and UK law (unlike the US or NZ) make no exceptions for low power. Even if a station's signal is only audible on ones own property irts still illegal.

Having said that (provided theres no interference problems) the ODTR would generally go after bigger stations first

[ex-pirate]

The reason for the ad in the Derry Jornal as you say was not funded by authorities or Highland Radio.
Didn't the Irish gov do the same thing in 1988?
Surley that was funded by the Irish state, and not by RTE!!!

A pirate station coming on does upset the competition.
Say another oldies station came on in direct competition to Drive for example.
A war of words would break out.
Look what happened when Norh Atlantic Radio came on in direct competition to Radio North?
It wasn't pleasant.
But that's in the past and thing are under the bridge now.
But as you make reference to Q (a guess?), the camel's back was broken when bitching was noticed, including car stickers, wicked sales tatics (a few pounds for an ad), and so something had to be done, after all, there's only a certain amount of revenue available in the north west.

[The President]

Still unaware of any bitching or wicked sales tactics employed by 106fm, no more so than any of the other pirate station.
Underhand and aggressive tactics have been a benchmark of particular radio operators for some years now. I refer to stand-offs with members of the old Radio Authority in Eire over the seizure of transmission equipment in which a REPUTABLE station owner made at Gardai with a pick axe handle.. Newspaper documentation and coverage in the early 90`s highlighted this. Ex-pirate has referred to the loss of equipment and records in the past, Not sure which station this was on, but underhand and Bullyboy tactics should not be tolerated by anyone. There is still ample spectrum available in Most areas of Ireland. Theft, vandalism and the likes are not tactics that should be employed by any pirate, let alone legal operation. I respect and enjoy your viewpoint on most related issues, but near justification of the afore mentioned acts I cannot agree with. On other threads you have said that it`s time to move on, I agree totally, but how can that happen when the laws governing radio are in the opinion of most, outdated and undemocratic.

[Mike]

REPUTABLE (?!?!?!) station owner made at Gardai with a pick axe handle.

Tell us more. Did they kick seven colours of $h1t€ out of him ? How long did he get ?

[The President]

The report made reference to an incident which happened after radio authority representitives accompanied by gardai cut down an aeriel and removed a transmitter from a border site close to Sherriffs Mountain, it also made reference to an angry gang who confronted the afore mentioned authorities. I gather that due to the fact that the snatch team was small in numbers it was outnumbered and fled with the siezed equipment. Point being most legals have their shady pasts and while they may choose to ignore this, People who live in glass houses shouldn`t throw stones. A huge volume of our respected local and National radio figures and operators have had pirate pasts, I genuinely respect those who are not afraid to accept their past , in my eyes nothing to be ashamed of, however the ones with the shadier pasts choose to ignore.

[ex-pirate]

I'm sure the press release wasn't as bad as that as they can blow things well out of pro-portion.
In all respect to the president, once a pirate, always a pirate.
It's in the blood, and if you were to work on legal you'll walk in and think pirate but it's not as there is quite a number of differences with all the rules etc.
As for the comment the ones who choose to ignore their past, they can't.
Too many people know this, and it still will get talked about.
For the de-regulation of the airwaves, forget it.
This won't happen, whether you are applying for a license on or off the air as a pirate.
It's the people in suits who control the business, and of course money helps aswell !!

[Nick]

Surely complete de-regulation of the airwaves would cause a free-for-all and everyone would have their own radio station, rules would not exist and nothing would be listenable.

It would take all the fun out of it.

The problem, surely is not that the airwaves are regulated, but the way in which licensing is handled. In america, broadcasting is taken on purely for financial gain, by companies who only want to make money, but here in the UK and Ireland, and many parts of Europe, broadcasters are expected to provide a service first and foremost, but I think some of these values are being swept by the way-side as time goes by, and the authorities are taking the american approach and giving licenses to those who can afford them, and those who will provide a better service are being ignored.

While we have regulation, there is some kind of listenable radio, although some would say a very-much diluted form of entertainment, but deregulation would be sheer radio hell!!

[EX Pirate Jock]

maybe to some people but not to others

[Nick]

I completely agree EX Pirate Jock.

It is those who believe that radio is JUST about money, that make radio in this country so bad.

I know that Tall Tower believes radio is just about money - it shows from his programming! :-(

If you don't have something different or original to broadcast, then you really shouldn't be on the air at all.

Magic 105 certainly isn't BIG budget, or BIG profit for that matter, but it has HUGE listening fiqures because its DIFFERENT, and people want to hear that.

Certain "Profitable" stations please the advertisers first, then if anybody listens its a bonus.

This makes for CRAP radio, and is the whole reason pirate radio came about - to give people what they REALLY want to listen to.

[Summerhill Trim]

How do stations, especially pirates, know when they have an auddience?

They don't use JNLR or RAJAR???

[ex-pirate]

Word of mouth, or going into shops and businesses by people employed by pirate operators and also phone response to a competition.
I remember one pirate who was off air and came on, they didn't say sorry for being off the air but simply said, "By the way you've just missed the competition to win a car!!".
Needless to say the phones went red hot, 80% enquiring, "What car?"
I good tatic to play with the listener, any other competition they ran no matter what the prize was the response was incredible, showing listeners believed the car prize was true and word of mouth spread.