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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2013 15:22:07 GMT
Trying to add the first post to the "Transmitters" thread, but may not understand how to get it working.
But, wherever this post ends up, this is it...
I am running 7 part 15 transmitters, all under the call letter "KDX1". The numeral "1" was added to distinguish the call sign from seeming like a licensed ID.
But in the licensed domain every transmitter has its own distinct call sign, even if it is commonly owned or merely repeating the programming of another station.
Literally, the only part 15 limit for identifying a signal is that it should not appear to be a licensed call sign. Beyong that, it isn't even necessary to have a call sign at all for part 15.
But in the part 15 world some practices are borrowed from the licensed world, such as language decency standards, for example.
I am wondering whether I should name each transmitter with its own call sign.
Oh, and my online streams are also called KDX1, except the Demand Radio streams, which are KDX2 and KDX3.
I do have an additional experimental transmitter under the call sign KHZ, being used for the Indoor Antenna Project.
Sometimes I have called the shortwave station at 13.560mHz by the name KDX-SW or KDX1-SW, and the 3 FMs are KDX-FM, KDX1-FM or KDX_FM1.
What would you do?
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Post by Admin on Feb 14, 2013 2:24:19 GMT
Congratulations! Your post landed in the right place.
I've read the section under part 73 for licensed broadcasters which also addresses identification of a Part 15 broadcaster. And, not unlike other FCC rules their definition is somewhat ambiguous:
(l) Users of non-licensed, low-power devices operating under part 15 of this chapter may use whatever identification is currently desired, so long as propriety is observed and no confusion results with a station for which the FCC issues a license.
That being said, our City TIS AM station license is WQGD298. Other licensed services also include numbers in the call sign. Would that preclude using letters and numbers as that could be confused with another station? Or, are they referring only to stations in the same market as the Part 15 station.
Or, do they mean the Part 15 station call simply can't sound like a licensed call sign?
I would think "propriety is observed" refers to not using a station call heard in the same area.
I choose "MRAM" because there are no other similar call signs. That call sign was derived from my studio name Miles Robert Audio.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2013 21:06:31 GMT
I agree with your calling the FCC Rule ambiguous, and I even think KDX is acceptable for two reasons.....
1) There is not and has never been a radio station with the call sign KDX;
2) The FCC is no longer assigning 3-letter call signs, it only allows legacy 3-letter calls from the past.
It would not be possible to confuse KDX with a licensed station because there is no such station to be confused with.
Now turning to silliness, it would be funny to have a giant call sign with many, many letters, a few numbers and possibly punctuation marks:
"This is station KDXGQWERTYUIOPLKJH!?"68496DD, coming from down the block."
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Post by Admin on Feb 16, 2013 20:24:19 GMT
I don't recall hearing of any situations where the FCC came down on a Part 15 station for their call sign.
As for the propriety issue, yes, if you are masquerading as a station in your market by using there call and copying their format that would cause confusion.
I see no reason to not use whatever call sign you desire (per their statement) so long as you are not pretending to be a station heard in your market.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2013 16:43:16 GMT
I wondered about this rule when I selected KSOL as the callsign for ALL SOLAR RADIO. It is an actual call for a commercial radio station in San Francisco California, over 1500 miles away. I figured there would be no confusion, as I doubt either of us (or our audiences) would hear each other...I was lucky, however, when I added 880 KUSA, as strangely there was no KUSA found in the commercial database, AM nor FM...weird?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2013 17:00:13 GMT
Interesting subject raised by KSOL, that of using a far away call letter, probably NOT on the same frequency, since being on the same frequency might cause listeners to think they are getting a rare DX from the far away KSOL.
"KUSA" was once the call letter for 550 AM in St. Louis, which is now "KTRS", and curiously, there is also a KTRS in Casper Wyoming on FM.
Here's a twist on this idea.... back when I started tinkering with Part 15 AM radio I was also getting to know streaming licensed stations, and had one from somewhere in Texas that did a crazy sell-it show on 1060kHz.
I put my transmitter on 1060kHz and rebroadcast their stream. That easily created the impression that the Texas station was making it all the way to Missouri. How would the "ID Rule" be applied in this case?
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Post by Admin on Feb 19, 2013 22:26:42 GMT
I suppose there is something in the rules about rebroadcasting without permission for starters.
Perhaps you could contact that station and ask permission.
Although it has been said "It is easier to beg forgiveness than receive permission."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2013 4:06:42 GMT
When I am broadcasting to myself in a limited area which is generally the case with part 15 radio I do not consider there to be any need for permission.
For the part15 station that imagines it is reaching an audience there probably should be permission sought to air someone else's programming, as a bolster to that sense of reaching an imaginary audience.
Crazy, to think that if you invited someone into your home to listen to or watch anything, you wouldn't need permission from anyone.
But if you extend the opportunity of sharing by a few feet via part 15 the copyright rules kick in.
It's not convincing.
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