newsgroup: alt.radio.pirate

Remember the wacky idea that the public airwaves belonged to the public? That was before the FCC sold off massive chunks of the frequency spectrum to every corporate idiot with a billion dollars, locking up most frequencies for vibrating, day-glo cell phones so you can order a pizza from your car. Still, it's not all bad. The idea that the air belongs to the citizens is alive and well and living in alt.radio.pirate. With many members working at the very edge of the law, there's a definite, though occasionally edgy community feel to alt.radio.pirate. If you're interested in the politics of seizing/taking back the airwaves, you'll find it here. Along with a fair amount of noisy chatter about other civil liberties, especially current drug laws. Some of this is a little adolescent and disingenuous, but it's also usually sincere and tolerable given the young-man-with-a-gun atmosphere of the group. If you're a newbie to microbroadcasting (the less colorful term for most of these low wattage transmissions), you can get good basic advice from those who've tinkered with transmitters and receivers for years. If you're experienced, you can find out where to pick up gear cheap, and how to make all your odds and ends work together. You can also get pointers to web sites with links to other pirates in other states and countries, along with request for broadcast tapes. Who knows, maybe your pirate rants in Orange County will make you a star in Holland . . . -R.K.

subject matter: radio

regional affiliation: global

format: newsgroup

language: English

cost: no cost