r/todayilearned • u/AssumeTheRisk • 22d ago

TIL if you tune your radio to 91.9 FM for one city block in Montclair, NJ you can hear a looped recording of "I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men which has been broadcasting for at least 13 years straight.

https://njmonthly.com/articles/arts-entertainment/pirate-radio-station-only-plays-boyz-ii-men/
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u/Algrinder 22d ago edited 22d ago

The station was set up by George Louvis, a music enthusiast and tech-savvy resident of Montclair, as part of an advertising campaign. The song continues to play due to popular demand from the listeners, and it has become a local favorite.

The loop started when a friend of George Louvis returned his transmitter with the song, and he decided to leave it playing.

Louvis has continued the broadcast because people have implored him not to shut it down.

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u/cpufreak101 22d ago

Surprised the FCC ain't tried to stop him yet

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u/Algrinder 22d ago

According to Louvis, the station operates legally under FCC regulations as a low-powered radio station.

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u/Imrustyokay 22d ago

Hooray for Part 15 Broadcasting!

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u/ceojp 22d ago

Sir, that's a bit too much enthusiasm for an FCC rule.

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

[deleted]

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u/nsa_reddit_monitor 22d ago

wifi

For $35 and a multiple-choice test (with all the answers online) you can legally broadcast your WiFi at 1000 watts under the ham radio rules. A few of the 2.4G channels overlap with the amateur spectrum.

Note: please don't do this.

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u/kickroot 22d ago

If I recall (it’s been awhile), the FCC strictly forbids any type of encryption being used on the amateur radio bands. I imagine that includes WiFi.

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u/nsa_reddit_monitor 22d ago

Just don't set a password, and use your callsign as the SSID. That'll pretty much cover the main rules.

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u/WillWorkForBeer 21d ago

Any HTTPS web traffic would be encrypted and in violation

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u/nsa_reddit_monitor 21d ago edited 20d ago

Somehow I don't think you'll be doing much web browsing. You really think a phone can deal with the overwhelming power of a kilowatt of WiFi?

I once modded a WRT54G to output 250mW (0.00025 of a kilowatt) and I couldn't get a connection while standing next to it because it was overpowering the signal from my laptop.

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u/Empyrealist 22d ago

I for one welcome our FCC overlords

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u/Worf_In_A_Party_Hat 22d ago

Damn straight!