This discussion centers on the legality and feasibility of intercepting a radio station by transmitting radio waves at similar frequencies. It is established that jamming or hijacking radio signals is illegal in most countries, including the United States, where such actions can lead to severe penalties, including imprisonment. The discussion highlights the technical challenges involved, such as the need for powerful transmitters, which are typically not available to the general public. Additionally, it mentions legal alternatives like the iTrip device for small-scale FM broadcasting.
PREREQUISITESThis discussion is beneficial for amateur radio enthusiasts, electronics hobbyists, and individuals interested in radio transmission laws and regulations.
imabug said:Probably not something I would advice anybody trying just for kicks and giggles
For one, most countries probably make this kind of signal hijacking illegal, and you'd likely get into a lot of trouble for doing it. At the very least, it will cost you a bundle in fines.
Commercial radio stations broadcast using transmitters typically in the hundreds of kW range. Unless you're at the periphery of a radio station's range or your listeners are really really close, your radio signal is just going to be noise superimposed on the radio station's signal.
I can't imagine that it's going to be easy to buy sufficiently powerful transmitters to hijack any radio station's signal. It's certainly not something your corner electronics store is probably going to stock. And the companies that do sell the more powerful transmitters probably want some kind of proof that you have a license to broadcast a signal.
There are a lot of 'wireless' devices that broadcast to FM receivers, generally using frequencies that a regular radio can pick up but that are not used commercially in the area. It's the same idea as a VCR or DVD player passing its signal to the TV on either 3 or 4, whichever is not broadcast within your reception range. Any non-licence ones can only go for a few hundred feet. Unless US laws have changed a lot, they're still the same as ours in that you need a radio operator license to use an RC aeroplane or boat, or to be a pilot. (The pilot licensing is separate from the need for a radio operator licence, since all ground-to-air communication exceeds non-licence wattage. I had to get the RO license before my first flight lesson, just so that I could legally communicate with ground control and the tower.)Akihiro said:On a small scale, maybe it should be alright, like hijacking only your own radio or broadcasting signals with a very small range for example. There's even a (legal) gadget called 'iTrip' I think which can broadcast FM signals.
And where are they now?emotionalmachine said:They did it in Atlas Shrugged.