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   Matt Blaze (mattblaze@federate.social)'s status on Saturday, 31-May-2025 13:22:48 JST Matt Blaze

   Radio nerditry: at least two HF pirates on the air right now audible in DC: 6930 kHz and 6950 kHz, both USB, both playing classic rock.

   • Embed this notice
     Matt Blaze (mattblaze@federate.social)'s status on Saturday, 31-May-2025 13:22:43 JST Matt Blaze

     in reply to

     • Live, Laugh, Punch Nazis

     @20002ist Brooklyn is probably the US epicenter for local FM pirates. The northeastern and mid-Atlantic states are where most of the HF pirates seem to be.

     You can find internet-connected HF receivers to listen with at http://kiwisdr.com/public .

   • Embed this notice
     Matt Blaze (mattblaze@federate.social)'s status on Saturday, 31-May-2025 13:22:44 JST Matt Blaze

     in reply to

     • Live, Laugh, Punch Nazis

     @20002ist There’s FCC mostly leaves the HF pirates alone. Most of the enforcement is against the FM pirates, which are competition to the licensed commercial stations (and who complain).

     Steve's Place repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Matt Blaze (mattblaze@federate.social)'s status on Saturday, 31-May-2025 13:22:45 JST Matt Blaze

     in reply to

     • Live, Laugh, Punch Nazis

     @20002ist There’s a cultural difference. The HF pirates are audible over a regional area but only to people with somewhat specialized gear, and are mostly operated by niche hobbyists. The FM pirates are audible over a more local area but are actually serving local communities.

   • Embed this notice
     Live, Laugh, Punch Nazis (20002ist@thepit.social)'s status on Saturday, 31-May-2025 13:22:47 JST Live, Laugh, Punch Nazis

     in reply to

     @mattblaze Dumb Q: if you’re gonna go pirate, why use HF instead of a lower frequency with better(?) propagation and reduced power demands?

     Disclaimer: I understand very little about radio except that putting your head in the waveguide is generally inadvisable.