Slashdot Mirror


Use an iPod Mini to Broadcast Pirate Radio

StJefferson writes "Ever want to silence the urban assault vehicle beside you at the stop light, pounding out gangster angst at orthodontia-rattling volumes? Now you can, and here's how, courtesy Engadget."

12 of 558 comments (clear)

  1. A better title... by Kenja · · Score: 5, Interesting
    "You can use radio waves to transmit music!"

    After all, this can be done with just about any source. An iPod is not required. In fact you can get parts to make a much stronger FM transmiter at radio shack for far less that can be used with any MP3/tape/record/8track player.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
  2. Re:Jesus, and you thought Spam was bad... by Mick+Ohrberg · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Just like the useless commercials that are displayed on the RDS screens? Here in KC, MO there's a radio station that actually uses RDS to display song title and artist.

    --

    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

  3. Re:From the no-shit-sherlock dept. by Trolling4Dollars · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It would be much cooler if you could just broadcast 100000 dB square waves at 30, 100, 500, 1200, 1600, 1800, 5000, 10000 and 15000 Hz. Keep it in alternating random cycles of .25 seconds each tone. That should do some kind of damage to the oaf's booming stereo. So you like Mudvayne, huh??? TAKE THIS!!! KERPLOW!!!

  4. Heh by Ignignot · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Here's a cool idea: take your laptop, hook it up to an fm transmitter, program the transmitter to cycle through radio stations (start on 85.1 and add .2 until you hit 105.9 or something) and then play a sound byte in sync with each station, once. (example: gov'ner arnold saying "who is your daddy, and what does he do?") If you were sitting in traffic, watch other drivers start laughing or get weirded out.

    --
    I submitted this story last night, and it didn't get posted.
  5. Re:From the no-shit-sherlock dept. by mc6809e · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Hey, I know! Let's find motorists with sociopathic tendencies and piss 'em off! What could possibly go worng?

    You're not kidding.

    I live on a street where these assholes like to drive up and down while bassing. Well, one day, I got really pissed. I'm trying to work in my den on a project and the constant noise just won't stop.

    So finally I follow one of these guys to see where he ended up. I honked my horn rythmically as I drove by.

    Next thing I know the guy is chasing me around trying to run me off the road. I called 911 and get, I not am sh1tting you "we're really busy right now" and I'm asked to call another number where I'm put on hold listening to how my city has this great new newsletter. "Please download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the newsletter".

    Finally someone comes back on and tells me I might as well drive to the police station. Hey, great idea. Lots of police there. Well, that doesn't stop him.

    I sit in the police parking lot for 30 minutes while this guy tells me how I'd better not do that again or I'll be sorry. He is insane.

    Oh, the FIRST time I followed someone, they took me into da'hood where I drove through what looked like a riot and was almost hit by a driver fleeing police. You'd think I would have learned the first time.

    The really depressing thing is realizing that I'm essentially powerless. People can be a55holes and threaten your life and you can't do anything. Why? Because I have to follow the law while they have nothing to lose.

    I later went back to look at the laws in my state governing self-defense. They are totally impractical. The legal system is set up in such a way that you really have to let the animals control the streets.

  6. I call Shenanigans! by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sorry, folks, but if you put your little iPod transmitter up against the giant commercial transmitters, the giant commercial one is going to win.

    Bear with me, I'm not going to go into details when I can't draw pictures.

    If you have two signals at the same frequency arriving at the radio at the same time, they'll overlap, not cancel. Let's say you're broadcasting the "blank" signal at, say, 100 MHz. The radio will receive a constant 100MHz signal.

    The way FM works is by changing the phase of the broadcasting signal in relation to the unmodulated signal. So, you'll get the silent signal (which will be unmodulated) and the real signal (modulated). The radio will process BOTH signals - they use processors to decode the signals. I don't know if you know this, but they're kind of fast now. They can handle multiple singals.

    If you broadcast another audio signal, you'll get the two audio signals overlapping. Keep in mind that you're putting your tiny little iPod wire up against a great big dirty commerical broadcasting antenna. If you win, I'd wager that the Feds are going to want to ask you a few questions.

    They haven't done this in real life. If you say you have, then you're lying. Of course, I'm just an Electronics Engineer - what do I know?

    What's next, accepting articles from weekly world news? This isn't fark.

    --

    ---
    ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
  7. Or if you are into 802.11 mesh systems by LWATCDR · · Score: 2, Interesting

    How hard would it be to add one of those mini fm transmitters to each node of an 802.11b mesh. Instant community radio.

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
  8. Re:great idea, but would never work... by glassjaw+rocks · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not to mention incredibly dangerous. What you're sugesting is nearly equal to driving around with earplugs in. Hearing is a vital sense to be used in driving.

    --
    -gjr
  9. Re:I would prefer... by akvalentine · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You mean like this?

  10. Re:From the no-shit-sherlock dept. by Cromac · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Try to get your city to put speed bumps on your street, if it's residential they may well do it. People won't cruise streets with speed bumps, no one likes them, and they'll go drive up and down someone elses block.

  11. Re:911 abuse, noise ordinances, police reports, et by epistemology · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Federalist government? Like: 1. Spending millions of tax dollars to hire federal employees to strip search granny at the airport. 2. Opposing Oregon's right to die law with federal dollars. 3. Opposing local medical marijuana laws with federal dollars. 4. Having the US Supreme Court overrule the State of Florida's right to choose its own electors in the 2000 election. Federalism, bullshit. About the only time the conseervatives have favored states' rights is when it was an excuse to support slavery.

  12. Re:911 abuse, noise ordinances, police reports, et by DMUTPeregrine · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I keep a hand crossbow and one of the(discontinued) 8 D cell maglites. HERE for the appropriate CA penal code section. Crossbows aren't illegal. Nor are swords. It is perfectly legal to walk around with a sword, naginata, spear, pike, halberd, etc, but a dirk is a no-no. Also, death threats are illegal in the US. If you recieve one, report it as such. The sender can be put in jail.

    --
    Not a sentence!