If you are new to legal, unlicensed broadcasting you may then be asking yourself "just what is part 15 broadcasting?"
Part 15 broadcasting is a form of very low power radio transmissions the Federal Communcations Commission (FCC) permits all American citizens to engage in. Virtually every household has an appliance or piece of electronic equipment that radiates very low radio frequency levels that can be categorized as part 15 radio emissions.
The FCC does permit regular over the air broadcasting on home made or professionally built part 15 AM transmitters. We encourage you to explore each and every page on this site as well as the associated links in an effort to learn more about how you can own your own legal, unlicensed, limited range AM radio station.
There are a number of misconceptions regarding the operation of an unlicensed station. The biggest being that ALL FORMS of unlicensed broadcasting is illegal. This is simply not the case. We'll clearly illustrate how you CAN legally broadcast with your own unlicensed AM radio station.
The most important thing to remember is to do your very best to follow a few simple rules that pertain to running a part 15 unlicensed station. You don't need a local broadcaster or even some individual that has a grudge against you or your station using a legal technicality in an attempt to put you off the air. Again there will be people out there including many in the broadcast industry that firmly believe your station is illegal. The best way to dispel that myth is to educate the ignorant by asserting your rights as a citizen that it is legal to broadcast. Point out the rules that prove the FCC permits certain forms of unlicensed broadcasting.
The FCC does not regulate program content on part 15 broadcast stations. You may run a commercial, for-profit station, professional non-profit station or a simple hobby station that you fund out of your own pocket.
Different rules apply to different kinds of stations. If you are planning to run a Carrier Current AM station you will find a slight variation on the power levels and field strength limitations. If you are planning what is called an "intentional radiator" which would be a standard 100 milliwatt part 15 AM transmitter then you'll have a different set of rules to follow. Since the vast majority of unlicensed AM broadcasters now choose the "intentional radiator" method of transmission over Carrier Current we'll concentrate on the rules that apply.
Important rules to view include: 15.219 and 15.221. Links to FCC rules pertaining to Part 15 broadcasting can be found in the main Part 15 AM Radio page. Contact an authorized broadcast engineer if you plan to build a college campus carrier current station.
