[hackerspaces] Hacker TV Station

[Brain Tank]

With the Analog Broadcast system having been switched over in the US I'd like to take advantage of the empty space and make a LPTV/HAMTV station at our Hackerspace. We're having a bit of trouble translating the legal end of things. We have our General class HAM licenses and we can see HAMTV is often transmitted on channels 57-60 CATV. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_television

Some questions that we've been unable to resolve are: 

• Can we stream YouTube all day long?
• I realize theres a limitation as far as commercial things over HAM radio but what about "promotions" using HAMTV? 
• How far are we allowed to transmit?
• Are the HAMTV bands even necessary to be limited to with all the freed up analog bandwidth?

Things may have changed a bit now that the bands have opened up but I cannot find specific information anywhere on the net. 

We think we can achieve this using one of these 5watt TV Transmitters.

If anyone has the ability to help answer these we could do an easy tutorial with the other information I've collected and post it for other Hackerspaces to build their own cheap TV Station.

-Dave

---

www.TheBrainTank.net

[dosman]

Hi guys,
My perspective is from a US citizen in North America. I've looked at
this question long and hard for quite some time. I definitely support
a way for hackerspaces to broadcast TV if it where possible, however
sadly there's not a great way to do this legally the way you are
wanting. A ham license allows you to communicate using slow-scan or
fast-scan tv signals for the act of 2-way communication between two
stations (fast-scan is the same as "normal" TV). In the US, just
transmitting pre-recorded shows over fast-scan ham frequencies is not
allowed with a ham license. You are right that there are some
leniency's granted for things like pre-recorded videos for the ham
audience and NASA TV, but broadcasting youtube or other content will
definitely not be legal. The additional social issue you would be
facing is that tying up a ham frequency all day long with your
effective "broadcast" would likely draw the ire of other hams in the
area who want to use the frequency (which would draw an FCC complaint
for broadcasting). Broadcasting in FCC terms is transmitting to a
general audience with no 2-way communication. However, if you where
transmitting during your hackerspace workshops, that could be argued
as educational content and also be a 2-way conversation if other hams
have the opportunity to ask questions and participate at the end. As
far as using "all the freed up analog bandwidth", just remember that
as a ham you are only allowed to use frequencies for which you are
licensed. As a ham you can transmit on the upper UHF channels as a
secondary user of the spectrum, but only on the frequencies defined:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_television

Of course the next route is to get an LPTV license, but the FCC is
geared against small groups doing this. We looked at this option
before the switch to digital, I'm sure it's even more difficult now.
Just getting the application documents is a task in itself, my friend
had to argue with someone over the phone at the FCC just to get them
to fax us a copy of the LPTV application form. Combine this with the
fact that you have to lease the spectrum you broadcast on, and
spectrum auctions only come up every few years. And the costs required
to lease spectrum raises it out of the hobby market ($30,000 would be
a super sweet deal for broadcast spectrum). I haven't kept up with all
the details since the switch to digital, however I thought I read
about some special case LPTV stations which may have been granted an
exemption to stay analog, but I could be wrong here. A lot of LPTV
stations where squeezed very hard during the transition to digital, so
there's a chance you might be able to buy a station out. Yea, that
still won't be cheap, and it's probably not what you are looking for.

The last option is going part15 or being a pirate. Part15 non-licensed
transmissions will limit you to about 25mW which will reach across
your living room, which is not that appealing. I neither condone nor
condemn going the pirate route. If you decide to go pirate, just
remember that the FCC responds to complaints. If someone notices your
broadcasts in the freed up analog space and doesn't like it (both for
content and for technical reasons), they can file a complaint which
will be investigated and you will be found. There's being a pirate,
and then there's being a jackass. Make for damn sure your output
transmission doesn't have a harmonic taking out an emergency services
band or other spectrum users. If you can borrow a spectrum analyzer,
do so and watch your output (even on brand new gear - cheap Chinese tv
transmitters off ebay are not built to the same standards as an FCC
certified piece of gear). Use a band-pass filter on your final output
if you have to, as long as no one has a reason to notice you on their
in-use-spectrum your odds of getting caught go down. Since you would
be clearly in the wrong rather than just lightly stepping across the
line, FCC penalties could be severe. If you want to broadcast
continually, you will be caught eventually. If you can operate
intermittently for short periods, your chances of getting caught are
reduced, but not eliminated. Use a directional antenna to sweep the
area you wish to cover with signal. Using an omni-directional antenna
makes it much easier to track from any direction it can be picked up.
Broadcasting from different locations each time and using a yagi/
directional antenna will make it a little more difficult to track you
down.

You should also consider what it is you are transmitting. It's easy to
get excited about the technical aspects of running a TV station and
neglect the message. If you are taking the time to broadcast, one way
or another, generally you are trying to reach an under-served market.
Tosh.0 has the best of youtube each week, what is it you guys want
your community to see? Personally, I would recommend you make your own
programming if possible. If nothing else, record your workshops and
use that as content (and this would fall better in line for what ham
fast-scan is intended for).

You might also consider running a part-15 AM station. You can
potentially reach a 2-3 mile diameter with a signal on the AM
broadcast band which is completely legal and no license required. The
technical challenges are very similar to running a TV station. I've
run one of these with a friend in the past and we are planning to get
one on the air again at our hackerspace.

Lastly, if you are bent on broadcasting TV, there are still lots of
other options. There are sat stations looking for good free-to-air
content even today, so getting some shows into space for free or cheap
is not too hard. However, the last time we checked it's still possible
to lease time on a terrestrial uplink for a little bit of change and
have your own free-to-air station. A hackerspace TV network uplink
would be freaking sweet as it would be:

1) legal
2) little to no FCC content issues (or equivalent governmental
organizations)
3) something all spaces could contribute to
4) ability to cover most of a continent with the station
5) would blow G4 out of the water with real technical content

I have to say I am very interested in seeing what can be done on the
free-to-air route.

Good luck!
-dosman

Free-to-air:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air

Pirate Cat TV:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Pirate_Cat_TV_Bay_Area.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_Cat_Radio

TV content:
http://www.packetsniffers.org

Part-15 broadcasting:
http://hobbybroadcaster.net/

An automated DJ for your part-15 radio station:
http://ibmgeek.shacknet.nu/ocho/dj/

> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Dis...@lists.hackerspaces.org
> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

_______________________________________________
Discuss mailing list
Dis...@lists.hackerspaces.org
http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

[Far McKon]

At one point, a project was started in this direction based on a web framework:

http://github.com/hackertalks/hackertalks

I do not know it's current status.

hack on,
- Far McKon

[RGB]

If you are so excited to make your own broadcast, why don't you start with some content first and spread it wide via Internet.
Streaming even live is waaaaay to cheaper, legal and you can target hackers all around the globe, not just within reach of your antenna.
If the UHF broadcasting is your goal and interest you will very soon face FCC (in US) or other regulators (in other parts of the world) and you basically cannot effectively hide as a pirate...

RGB

_______________________________________________
Discuss mailing list
Dis...@lists.hackerspaces.org
http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

[Matthew Forr]

I agree, content first seems like a good way to go as that will require the most effort over the long haul. 

That being said we were contemplating  an AM station in Baltimore (or multiple @ the regulatory min spread out) but I couldn't commit to the content to make it worthwhile. 

Perhaps one day I'll have some good knowledge worth sharing or an opinion strong enough to shout it from the rooftops :)

—Matthew Forr

[Brain Tank]

We're currently looking for the most legal way possible to do this in
Rhode Island. The idea of using a HAMTV setup is probably not a good
idea I agree. However. I've been looking at LPTV licensing and it
seems fairly interesting. There's a pretty large maker community here
with a few hacker types scattered here and there. If contacting the
FCC is as bad as you say it is well I guess we're SOL. It would be
fairly easy to clip already aired shows from hacker type tv shows and
just stream it like a channel. I would like to be able to then
transmit over the air and take advantage of the Necessary Carry law.
Or whatever it's called where class A stations need to retransmit your
signal. The only issue I can see hardware wise is turning our signal
into proper DTV QAM.
Any ideas? A tv station web based or physical or both would be an
excellent ignorance repellent.

> TV Transmitters <http://www.pcs-electronics.com/transmitters-transmitter-kits-c-101_113.html>.

[Mike Outmesguine]

On this email list, there has been some discussion about geeks and depression, including in-person meetups in the Bay Area. I'd like to offer up Crash Space (a Los Angeles hackerspace) as a place to meet in person for the Los Angeles area. 

I'm scheduling a G & D meetup at Crash Space for this Wednesday the 21st at 8:00 pm. Wintertime and the holidays can be a trying time, especially if one is already feeling drained and depressed. If you are suffering, please reach out. 

If you would like to come and talk about depression, or suicide, or share your story, or a friend's story, you are welcome to join us.

If you would like to join us to listen, that's okay too. 

Location: 10526 Venice Blvd. Culver City, CA

URL: http://crashspace.org

-Mike

PS: There will be cookies!

Begin forwarded message:

From: Mitch Altman <malt...@hotmail.com>
Date: December 11, 2011 9:27:24 PM PST
To: hackerspaces-discuss <dis...@lists.hackerspaces.org>
Subject: [hackerspaces] Geeks & Depression meetup #2
Reply-To: Hackerspaces General Discussion List <dis...@lists.hackerspaces.org>

The first meetup last week attracted a quite a decent size group. And by the end, the discussion was actually quite lively. And people told me that they went home glad that they came.

We decided to have another meetup, this time on Wednesday, 7:30pm. At No Starch Press. 38 Ringold St (near Civic Center BART), San Francisco.

If you would like to come and talk about depression, or suicide, or share your story, or a friend's story, you are welcome to join us.

We have a Google Groups that you are also welcome to join:
http://groups.google.com/group/geeksanddepression

I have received more emails than I can count saying that people wish that there was a meetup like this nearby where they live.  I would like to invite you to start a meetup in your home town.  It is well worth the small effort.  Here is what to do:
     - put out the word everywhere to let people know of the meetup
     - buy a few cookies and drinks and kleenex
     - introduce the meetup by asking everyone to keep all stories confidential
     - let everyone know that when someone is talking that it is best to listen
     - share your story
     - ask others if they would like to say something
     - before people leave, ask if they would like another meetup, and if so, set a day/time/place, and maybe start an email list
 
Together, we create the strong, wonderful community that all of us socially awkward geeks feel really good being a part of.
 
Thanks,
Mitch.

[Christina Olson]

awesome! good luck to you guys, it is great that g&d is being picked
up elsewhere.

GROUP HUG OMG

[The Doctor]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Yes, this is thread necromancy, but I wanted to get this out there
before things got too crazy in the new year.

Relevance: DC metroplex in general, Rockville, Maryland in particular.

I know this is kind of soon after the holidays, but I figured now's as
good a time as any... I've started a Geeks and Depression group at
Meetup.com in response to the success of Mitch Altman's work at
Noisebridge.

http://www.meetup.com/rockvillegeeksanddepression/

I've tentatively scheduled the first meeting for 18 January 2012 at
the Rockville, MD Barnes and Noble in the cafe' at 7:00pm. Look for
the usual geek paraphenalia all over the place and a meetup.com sign
on the table.

Happy New Year, everyone.

- --
The Doctor [412/724/301/703]

PGP: 0x807B17C1 / 7960 1CDC 85C9 0B63 8D9F DD89 3BD8 FF2B 807B 17C1
WWW: https://drwho.virtadpt.net/

"Did I fall asleep?"
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/

iEYEARECAAYFAk8EZYQACgkQO9j/K4B7F8EO7QCeIkLOrs85WqY7v7RyhaMFwKEU
10YAoODmMwJMObf+CDfJP+91nyj2j0P5
=yZbs
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----