Any pirate analog TV stations?

[Eric H]

By this date I can't imagine anyone doing a pirate analog station.
Who's going to receive it when nobody's using an analog set?
Well almost nobody, but seriously, what are the chances someone would be tuned in at any given moment?

[NoPegs]

Originally Posted by Eric H

By this date I can't imagine anyone doing a pirate analog station.
Who's going to receive it when nobody's using an analog set?
Well almost nobody, but seriously, what are the chances someone would be tuned in at any given moment?

I bet if you ran it on ch3 you'd get a few hits a week, since that's the default channel on most sets on powerup.

I also think we're at a point that an ATSC pirate station could be a thing...

[Jeffhs]

Eric, I believe you are absolutely right. With the exception of antique/vintage TV collectors, no one much owns or uses analog televisions anymore, so any pirate NTSC TV stations would have few if any viewers--until the FCC caught up with them and shut them down.

[Username1]

Originally Posted by dtvmcdonald

As far a DXing goes, I've had good luck with digital,
gettng from here in central IL down to central KY and
northern TN and over in SE MO. I used a 16 element Ch 44 Yagi and
a 0.5 dB GaAsFet preamp. That was in my old 3rd
floor apartment, however.

You need a spectrum analyzer to find them, however,
before using a TV. One of those $20 USA DVB-T dongles and SDR#
works fine.

If you don't mind, I have no idea what some of these items are, could you explain more....?

And on the antenna and pre-amp could you post the brand and model....?
I know what the spectrum analyzer is and does...

Did you mount the pre-amp near the antenna? I got mine 30 feet down the wire, do you
think it makes much of a difference....? About 50 feet to the first tv.... Pre-amp, and distribution
amp are 12" apart.... all the proper splitters and end caps on on taps not used.....


Thanks....

.

[init4fun]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

My block has an 3 unlicensed TV transmitters covering part to all of it. I'll give ya one guess who's they are.

The best way to feed the old TVs !

I never liked the idea of running wire to a converter box for our old TVs , and a low power setup that doesn't bother anyone with interference is the way to go . To me nothing looks cleaner than an old TV with nothing but a set of rabbit ears on top feeding it's 300 ohm twin lead right onto the screws on the back of the set .

[Ed in Tx]

FCC likes sending out letters to illegal broadcasters to cease operation or forfeit $10,000+. They like big numbers. Every so often I will read about one they caught. Usually illegal FM broadcasters but I suppose TV signals where they aren't supposed to be would qualify too. Of course they have to catch you first.

We still have one analog station left on the air in DFW, legitimately. Ch 22 KNAV-LP. It carries HOT Tv.

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

FCC likes sending out letters to illegal broadcasters to cease operation or forfeit $10,000+. They like big numbers. Every so often I will read about one they caught. Usually illegal FM broadcasters but I suppose TV signals where they aren't supposed to be would qualify too. Of course they have to catch you first.

I look at these lists once in a while to see how many pirates have been caught... the NOUO (notice of unlicensed operations) *mostly* go out to FM pirates, while NOV (notice of violation) are issued to licensed broadcasters that have violated a FCC regulation. Fines are shown on the second list. I don't recall ever seeing a "TV pirate" busted or fined, but I'm guessing that only a small percentage of pirates are caught.

http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/
http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/rfo/ActAct.html

jr

[Celt]

ARrrrrrrr... A few FM pirates and up until recent times one really strong AM. None on TV.

[dtvmcdonald]

Originally Posted by Username1

If you don't mind, I have no idea what some of these items are, could you explain more....?

And on the antenna and pre-amp could you post the brand and model....?

The antenna is homemade, from a recipe for 420 MHz in the
ARRL antenna handbook, suitably scaled down in size. It
is made entirely of 3/8 inch and 1.8 copper tubing, though rod is better.

The preamp is from Advanced Receiver Research, a custom one
the same as a P432VDG except the 432 is changed to the
frequency of the center TV channel.

I know what the spectrum analyzer is and does...

Did you mount the pre-amp near the antenna?
Yes, but that's a given for my situation since the antenna
is indoors about 3 feet from the receiver setup. I really needed
the 0.5 dB noise figure and very high overload capability. $100.

I got mine 30 feet down the wire, do you
think it makes much of a difference....?

At UHF yes.

About 50 feet to the first tv.... Pre-amp, and distribution
amp are 12" apart.... all the proper splitters and end caps on on taps not used.....


Thanks....

.

See inserts above

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

I look at these lists once in a while to see how many pirates have been caught... the NOUO (notice of unlicensed operations) *mostly* go out to FM pirates,

Looks like a lot of these notices get mailed to landlords. When some tenant set up a pirate station. I can imagine a landlord trying to figure out which tenant is the pirate, and figuring out how to make him stop. The cops are likely too busy with drugs and murders to care.

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by wa2ise

Looks like a lot of these notices get mailed to landlords. When some tenant set up a pirate station. I can imagine a landlord trying to figure out which tenant is the pirate, and figuring out how to make him stop.

True indeed, the FCC usually sends a notice to all persons associated with a given location, including property owners... I suspect that the landlord would be motivated to find out which tenant is broadcasting, and put a stop to it.

I remember one case where a pirate installed his transmitting antenna on a city-owned water tower... the city got a NOUO and the transmissions quickly stopped!

jr

[Username1]

dtvmcdonald; Thank you

.

[tvcollector]

I was much happier with analog.. At least if you didn't get the station 100% you were still able to watch it.. It seems to be much harder to pick up a digital signal.. With just running a wire for an antenna, I'm not able to pick anything up without a constant stutter and pixel blotching of digital signal.. I went over to wallyworld and bought a $40 RCA digital amplified antenna and that seemed to work much better, but still it was picky where I put the antenna, luckily it has a long wire...

[wa2ise]

Wonder who will be the first to set up a digital TV pirate station?

[dr.ido]

I wonder if even less people would see a pirate DTV station than an analog one. Unless you happen be to be scanning for channels while they're transmitting you'd never see it. The odds of catching it may even be less than for an analog pirate on channel 3...

It does lead me to wonder if any licensed amateur TV operators are doing digital now.

Theres an old page from 2005 at http://bellard.org/dvbt/ showing how to generate a VHF DVB-T signal from a PC videocard. Though the examples appear to only deal with still images and I doubt the page will be updated anytime soon. Similar techniques could probably used for ATSC.