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this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2024
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No Stupid Questions
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Some breaks are mandated by the FCC for station identification. These “Hard Breaks” are at the same time on all stations.
I don't know the specifics of commercial broadcast radio, but I know with ham radio hams are required to identify every 10 minutes while they're transmitting including automated repeaters that will usually do it in Morse code
If you listen to some ham radio communications (sometimes it's interesting, but usually it's just old guys talking about antennas) every 10 minutes the repeater will beep out a bunch of Morse code and everyone rattles off their call signs
For commercial radio I think it's every hour so at least that often they'll have to cut to "you're listening to WXYZ 99.9 FM blah blah blah" which also provides a good segue to a commercial break.
I'm sure most of them probably just schedule that at the top of the hour to make it easy for themselves
I feel like the old guys in my area just talk about their health problems 😂
Something to look forward to, I suppose
How do I get into HAM radio cheaply and legally?
Laws and regulations will vary a bit depending on what country you live in, but assuming you're in the US the process is pretty simple but involves some studying
Pass the test, buy a radio, start talking.
There's 3 classes of license- technician, general, and extra that give you permission to use different bands and modes, extra of course gives you the most options, technician the fewest. If you pass your technician exam you can usually go ahead and take your general exam right then and there, and if you pass that you can go ahead and get extra all in the same sitting.
Finding somewhere to take the test is the tricky part, but if you look up amateur radio clubs in your area they probably have it published somewhere and I think the ARRL website has a list of places/clubs that do it and when. I think some of them have started offering an online test since covid but I don't really know how that works.
There's a license/test fee, don't remember what that is off the top of my head, I want to say around $40 but don't quote me.
As far as studying, there's a lot of resources out there, apps, reference books, the FCC publishes the question pool they use for the test, etc.
As far as radios, you can get a baofeng handheld for like $20 on Amazon, a lot of hams give them shit but they probably also have one or two kicking around because they're so cheap. They don't have a lot of bells and whistles but they're probably the cheapest way to just start talking to other hams.
Radios get expensive quick, that's one of the reasons I haven't gotten too into it, I have better things to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on, but you can find some good deals on used equipment, ebay, flea markets, etc.
Start with a baofeng, talk to other hams, maybe go to club meetings or events, figure out what else you want to do and go from there.
Also ham is not an acronym, no need to capitalize, I believe the consensus is that it originated because amateur radio operators were more ham-fisted in their radio usage than professional radio operators so they started calling them hams.
Can I buy a radio and use it to receive without a license?
Yeah, listening is totally allowed, just don't transmit without a license. Depending on the radio there's often a way to lock out the PTT button so you don't accidentally key up.
Programming the radio can sometimes be a bit of a pain in the ass, CHIRP is a free program that's often recommended for baofengs, you'll also need to figure out what repeaters are in your area so you know what frequencies to listen to
Some baofangs even are sold with the ability to transmit locked out for ham frequencies now. They can still transmit in the frequencies that normal walkie talkies operate on though. I think they started using btech as the brand for the ham radio ones are now.
Was annoyed when I accidentally bought a few of those. But they're only like $17.
I got a UV-5R, is that one of the locked down ones?
I can't say. I think I have uv-5r that can and some that can't.
You'll have to check the listing you got it from. Maybe even go to an unused ham frequency and see what happens when you press the PTT button.
Theoretically, that's all you need. It's possible to use certain internet linked amateur transmitters for no cost as long as you have a valid callsign. However, I promise it's a lot more fun with a real transceiver. You can buy a bare minimum, highly hackable handheld VHF/UHF transceiver for as little as $20.
Or you can slowly give your soul to the moneypit of HF equipment...
frequency (the time between them) of station id are mandated, i don't think the exact times of them are.
the real reason they all seem to go on 'break' at the same time is there's only a few companies that own most the radio stations. they aren't dummies. they know if they all go on breaks at about the same time, then people switching stations still land on ads.. and it might still be theirs.
Agreed. For an example of station id happening at slightly off times, listen to a live sports broadcast (like baseball). Due to the shorter time between pitches, station id will instead happen between batters, which won't line up with any given time.
Same thing with hockey, where radio station id will happen when the clock stops.
My brother was a DJ in the 90s and this was the case for them. They had a pretty rigid schedule that required certain things at certain times and I don't think even the station owner could do much to deviate from it. If memory serves, it was the FCC, some of their music and content providers, and state/local regs all requiring various things be done daily, hourly, weekly, etc.
Obviously things could be very different now, and I would guess there are some slight regional differences.