200-foot AM radio tower disappears, halting Alabama station broadcast | “There’s wires everywhere, and it’s gone.”::“There’s wires everywhere, and it’s gone.”

  • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    It’s my understanding that this is frequently done by pirate radio operators so they can use the equipment to broadcast their own signals.

    • frezik@midwest.social
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      9 months ago

      Maybe, but pirate radio in the US is somewhat limited. It was popular in the UK because of how tightly controlled the airwaves are controlled there for the BBC, and you move just outside territorial waters and still broadcast to a good chunk of the country.

      An AM radio tower in the US, though? Can’t discount it completely, but doesn’t seem likely. Every broadcast gives away your location–it’s like lighting a match in a dark cave–and AM transmits pretty far even on small amounts of power. There are ham radio operators who track down things like that just for fun.