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How To Save Analog - Pirate TV by splnlss on July 15, 2009

Table of Contents

How To Save - Pirate TV ...... 1

Intro: How To Save Analog Television - Pirate TV ...... 2

Step 1: Find A Free Channel...... 3

Step 2: Find a TV Transmitter...... 3

Step 3: Step 2, Method 1: Multiple short-range transmitters ...... 4

Step 4: Step 2, Method 2: A Commissioned Free Berkeley Transmitter ...... 5

Step 5: Step 2, Method 3: Building Your Own Transmitter ...... 5

Step 6: Install Transmitter ...... 6

Step 7: Step 3: Content! ...... 7

Step 8: Now stare into your tv screen...... 8

Related Instructables ...... 9

Comments ...... 9

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Intro: How To Save Analog Television - Pirate TV Tired of the blocky, JPEG-like resolution of ? Do you long for the days of RF and regulated-yet-unregulated content? Do you simply have the desire to toss your converter box out the window and make use of those rabbit ear antennae that are just lying around? If so, then you might be interested in becoming a savior of analog television! This Instructable will show you how to create your own fully-fledged low-power analog , with any source(including your computer) as a source of content. We created one that went live the minute analog tv went dead. We're still the only analog station in NYC, but please join us in making more!! Long live analog tv. http://OMGimon.TV

Image Notes 1. good old rabbit ears!!

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Step 1: Find A Free Channel. The first step is to find a TV channel that isn't being used in your general vicinity. Although after the 2009 DTV transition in June a lot of "whitespace"(i.e. unused television ) became available, most of this whitespace is still legally dubious and many of these channels are still tied to the original owners via legal identity and copyright. However, because of this legal ambiguity a lot of free space is still up for the taking.

The best option for finding free space is the FCC's own search engine for these things: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/sta_sear.htm

Simply type in the channel (try a range of 14 to 35) and your state, along with the type of broadcasts available. Try to avoid channels that correspond to channels in your area (i.e. CBS 2 in New York). While they might be free because of the DTV transition and in a higher channel range, they are still virtually broadcasting through that channel and might also have dibs on it for visual identity's sake.

Image Notes 1. search for stations in your area

Step 2: Find a TV Transmitter. The next step is to find a good transmitter. There are a myriad of ways to go about this, but these are the three best ways we've come across:

1. buying multiple short-range consumer transmitters 2. commissioning a transmitter from Free Radio Berkeley Http://freeradio.org 3. building your own

The first is relatively cheap-yet-clumsy, the second relatively expensive-yet-simple and the third a bit less expensive but a (rewarding) challenge, but all three result in a rather robust analog broadcast.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Step 3: Step 2, Method 1: Multiple short-range transmitters This method is essentially an ad-hoc broadcaster made up of lots of tiny, low-power UHF audio/video transmitters. These can be bought fairly cheaply on eBay, and have a range of about 500 feet: http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=Wireless+UHF+Audio+Video+Transmitter

Most of these transmitters require an RCA composite or Coaxial input, so any video source would work. To get from a computer one simply needs to buy some kind of VGA/DVI to Composite converter or a PC TV converter, which usually range from 35 to 200 dollars, depending on the quality.

The channels that these transmitters broadcast on are also adjustable; see the transmitter's instruction manual for details on that.

Networking the transmitters can be achieved by daisy-chaining the antennae with the Coaxial In/Out ports on each transmitter using long, 500-foot cables.

Image Notes 1. channel adjustment between 14-34.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Image Notes 1. computer/DVI out to coax or composite output connect to transmitter video input 2. 1/8" speaker output connected to audio input in transmitter

Step 4: Step 2, Method 2: A Commissioned Free Radio Berkeley Transmitter The second method involves purchasing an used transmitter on ebay ( everyone is dumping them now that the digital transition has happened) or getting a custom-built transmitter from Free Radio Berkeley ( www.freeradio.org). Their site has instructions for purchasing a pre-built NTSC or PAL TV transmitter, and . While more expensive than the first method, the final transmitter is more powerful and dependable than the makeshift transmitter network.

Like with the previous ad-hoc broadcast method, any analog video source will work. However, if you plan on using composite video you will probably need some RCA-to- coaxial converters for the video and audio, which are really just a few bucks at radio shack.

Stephan Dunifer, the founder of Free Radio Berkeley, has been building these transmitters for the past thirty years and is very helpful if you have any questions.

Image Notes Image Notes 1. Exciter and UHF modulator with input from A/V source, and outputs to the 1. heatsink and fan to keep the transmitter/amplified cool. amplifier 2. OUput to antenna. 2. TV Amplifier with output to antenna

Step 5: Step 2, Method 3: Building Your Own Transmitter This method is pretty intense, but doable for the electronics folks .

In 2008 the media collective !Mediangruppe Bitnik created a freely-downloadable pocket zine that contains detailed instructions for creating your own short-range : http://osvideo.constantvzw.org/wp-content/uploads/ptv_zine_constant_081120.pdf

This transmitter also accepts any analog video source you can throw at it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Step 6: Install Transmitter It's important to find a good place to setup your antenna. You want to find a high location that can transmit waves relatively unobstructed. Chimneys work great. Long runs of cable between your antenna and the transmitter will degrade your , so the shorter the distance the better. We decided to put our transmitter up on the roof and run the A/V cable up from our broadcast room. In order to protect our transmitter from weather and rain, we bought a huge tupperware container and retrofitted it with holes for ventilation and cable runs to house and protect the delicate electrical components.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Image Notes 1. protective case against rain and weather.

Step 7: Step 3: Content! Content is key! Once you have your transmitter set, there are infinite possibilities for your new TV channel. You can use anything analog--old home video tapes, video cameras, character generators, etc.

If you're using a computer as a video source, your possibilities are potentially more infinite. However, if you still feel scraped for content there are various webscraping tools at your disposal, including Yahoo Pipes, Google Mashup Editor or Youtube's own API. Enclosed is a flow chart that explains our approach.

We create our own custom web scrapper at http://OMGimon.TV. We're happy to share our if you're interested in building something similar or building a webscraper.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Step 8: Now stare into your tv screen.... Nows the fun part. Sit back and relax and watch your tv station, without flipping through youtube's endless options or 1000's of mediocre cable channels.

Image Notes 1. shit yeah! http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Related Instructables

How to use Good Digital How to get How to Make a modern A/V antenna cheap! FREE HDTV Simple but equiptment with Gray Hoverman Watch online TV by Phil B (and all your effective tv old TV's by TV Antenna on big LCD DTV questions transmitter Weegee097 Final Assembly screen by answered) by (Analog) by For by unclesam soldering iron recneps Better Or Worse

Comments

50 comments Add Comment view all 77 comments

yambobsven says: Mar 8, 2011. 4:55 PM REPLY what? naw I dont think my old tube made as good a pic as my hd

majcherek128 says: Mar 7, 2011. 7:19 AM REPLY You can even do it with a VCR. But you will need a proper amplification, to get anything useful out of it.

lukeford says: Mar 7, 2011. 1:18 AM REPLY there is also this site i havent had a good look but i think it is ok http://www.pcs-electronics.com/tv-transmitters-c-101.html?osCsid=b31b315ef4ffe54c5c68af85002fa5b5

coppeis says: Feb 8, 2011. 6:23 PM REPLY Is this illegal?

civicturbo says: Jan 29, 2011. 3:55 AM REPLY I forgot to mention the quality tv amps we used are what System Intergrators use, Custom Home Theater install companies we're also called. Channel Vision, View Sonic, Regal all make good stuff, Radioshack and anything you get at retail; walmart, home depot, ect... I hate to say is NOT good quality. Cheap components inside, lots of , not flexable. But LOTS of profit margin thats why they are half to 3/4 the price of a good amp when they should be 1/10th the price. NO exageration, open one up some time, Scary!

civicturbo says: Jan 29, 2011. 3:46 AM REPLY Nice instructable! I have a idea for a transmitter. Howabout a adjustable RF modulator. http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&safe=off&q=channel+vision+rf+modulator&aq=0&aqi=g1g-v4&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=cd4bd38bf506aaa7

They come in 1 to 4 channel versions for home use and you can change your channels easy. They usually work on 14-69 off air or the cable range. Now the signal is low so you need to amp it up. You can start small and cheap and use a 20db cable/antenna amp then connect this to an antenna, either a TV antenna or something with better gain made for TV broadcasting. I did somthing like this for a workout room in a central building for a planned master community but for FM. The goal was to send the tv sound out for people exercising and wearing fm like they do in health clubs. We had a rack mount high quality RF mod and a fm antenna (31" of bare wire connected to thecenter conductor of coax from the Mod.) Problem was it had 4 feet of range. So I turned the gain output wide open, then sent this to a common 10db tv amp, then into a 15db tv amp, then a 20db amp. now thats some gain! Now finally the signal was strong all over the lower floor, no static. The suprise was as I drove away in the work van could receive the station up to two blocks away! and the antenna was in the lower level of the building! I believe thre sucesses here was a little luck and the fact that that tv amps were of good enoght quality that the signal didn't cause the next one to clip its input or output. I think you can try the same with the TV RF mod to get some range around your neigborhood.

apple112 says: Apr 10, 2010. 1:59 AM REPLY is it legal to do this in singapore

nqzdepofltr says: Jan 22, 2011. 2:13 AM REPLY Nope. Not legal in almost any country without a license.

Nirgal38 says: Sep 29, 2009. 7:21 PM REPLY A common recreational activity in ham radio is called "fox hunting." A transmitter is set up in an undisclosed location then amateurs triangulate on it using relatively easy to build equipment (homebrew directional antennas). Generally, the "fox" is found within a couple of hours.

It only takes one interference complaint for the FCC to bring their nice, professionally assembled equipment into an area and nail down the offender in a matter of minutes. http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Hefty fines are no laughing matter. Jail time is no laughing matter.

Getting a Tech license here in the US is easy. You take a 35 question test and you can miss as many as 9. Look on the ARRL website (http://www.arrl.org) to find out if there are classes and/or testing near you.

You can also take practice tests at http://www.aa9pw.com.

If I can do it, how tough can it be? :)

WhiteTigerTails says: Jan 4, 2011. 5:33 PM REPLY Heh, another way is to use a remote transmitter. A little 100 dollar netbook, and some inginuity, and you're set, and safe.

Think outside the box, people.

Not saying that you shouldn't take the test...

SilentScreamer says: Dec 16, 2010. 12:09 PM REPLY I got 20/35 and I know nothing about radio transmissions :P

Nirgal38 says: Dec 17, 2010. 1:52 PM REPLY Keep practicing and find a local group that does testing and you can be a licensed ham radio operator just that easily!

Today's ham radio uses a lot of digital modes for talking, transmitting pictures and so on. It's definitely not your father's ham radio.

SilentScreamer says: Dec 24, 2010. 10:10 AM REPLY I'm in the UK anyway so the american test isn't much use anyway. I do quite a lot with electronics though at the moment I don't have the time to get into ham radio and inadvertently lose even more time to hobbies :P

Nirgal38 says: Jan 9, 2011. 10:28 AM REPLY I chat with UK contacts so there is an organization that handles amateur radio in the UK and other European countries.

The tests aren't that difficult and help to keep the limited bandwidth clear of garbage chatter, interference and other annoyances.

Please, take the time to test. I don't know what the fines are like in the UK but I've seen fines of up to $25,000 levied here in the US and it's not a question of if they'll find you but when. Knowing UK TV licensing fees and the like, the BBC probably won't take kindly to unlicensed interference on their part of the .

Keep it legal, folks.

Nirgal38 says: Sep 12, 2009. 2:22 PM REPLY Here in the US, the FCC has absolutely no sense of humor if they think you're violating their regulations. As a ham radio operator, I read their enforcement actions on a regular basis so if you're keen on paying $25000 fines or jail time, go ahead with this. Be REALLY sure that you're in the right because even if you win your case if the FCC decides to prosecute, you'll be out thousands of dollars in legal fees, etc. They especially frown on unlicensed broadcasters using the airwaves.

emerson.john says: Dec 19, 2010. 10:10 AM REPLY At last. Another adult.

austinburke. says: Sep 27, 2009. 3:10 PM REPLY party pooper.

Nirgal38 says: Sep 29, 2009. 7:11 PM REPLY Hey, I didn't tell people not to do this. I just warned of the potential consequences if they do. If a person really wanted to do this legally, he could go out, get a Technician Class Amateur Radio Operator's license then can transmit using amateur TV and be perfectly legal. They'd still have to follow FCC regulations regarding amateur transmissions. Our local ham club just had a 6 year old pass the test so it's not that tough.

benwade says: Sep 2, 2009. 7:30 PM REPLY Do you need to apply for a license? Do you need to worry about causing interference? How far are you allowed to transmit. What if there's an open channel, but competition on the frequency? Thanks in advance

mattadamsnet says: Nov 22, 2010. 6:54 AM REPLY Trying to be nice here... Are you Serious? Pirate TV how is that not a dead give-a-way? Yes you can Apply for a license, the FCC will deny you, then if you decide to proceed anyway they already have your address on a denied application to where you are and who you are.... The whole thing is, this may or may not be legal where you are, and chances are it's not. (Always check your local laws -- on ANY instructable)

(Assuming your in the US) On interference -- If the FCC did accept your application they would assign you the channel number, no worries thats their job. You would have to jump through plenty of hoops to prove your transmitter is approved and that it does not cause interference on its own. Then theres the transmitter site, antenna height and design. All that has to be approved. If it was approved and you had done everything they asked and signed over your first born, your programming is very limited unless its completely original, you cant be playing anything thats copyrighted without permission. Then theres the constraints of regulation, you cant play nudity or use any curse words. http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ I think you missed the point of this instructable as a WHOLE, that is FREE TV not as in FREE to PAY but Free from regulation, constraint, moderation, administration, free from the government dabbling each and everyone of our lives whether we want them to or realize that they do.

PIRATE TV -- FREE to be FREE

mattadamsnet says: Nov 22, 2010. 7:39 AM REPLY And.. in all fairness this is the url for the maximum unlicensed legal limits, and if you would like to get a license the numbers at the bottom of the pdf to the FCC for more information... but nonetheless unlicened TV transmitting is not legal (in the US)

http://www.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Databases/documents_collection/pn910724.pdf

mattadamsnet says: Nov 22, 2010. 7:01 AM REPLY http://www.scribd.com/doc/8556955/Moving-onto-the-Airwaves

This is what I'm talking about... taking back the spectrum.

nfarrow says: Apr 26, 2010. 4:28 PM REPLY http://OMGimon.TV. is not working...

flydogfly says: Apr 18, 2010. 6:49 PM (removed by author or community request)

mdawg22 says: Apr 12, 2010. 5:38 PM REPLY LOL thats funny the picture.... HAHA

eyerobot says: Mar 2, 2010. 3:53 PM REPLY This is a great instructable! I've been playing with ways to transmit signals for most of my life, But I never thought about setting up small repeater bridges until I read this instructable.

If enough people use the local television bandwidth for personal use, Before they sell it to some company, Then we can stonewall them from taking it for themselves. If they cant transmit on a certain channel, They won't buy it!

And don't think they will stop there. Next it will be your free oxygen that they will charge you for!

Clean the air, Before they start rationing that too.

Dr. dB says: Jan 15, 2010. 5:33 PM REPLY As a broadcast and field-production engineer with slightly more than 30 years' experience, it always saddens me to hear and read politically-correct things like "...reallocated for other services".

Like so many other "weasel phrases" leftover from the "deregulatory madness" of the Reagan-Bush era, it's a "kinder-gentler" euphamism for something really quite VILE and EVIL.

A more correct phrase would be, "...unlawfully auctioning-off the PUBLIC AIRWAVES to the highest bidders in the venal, greedy, politically-connected, graft- and-bribe-paying corporate world for fun and profit.".

eyerobot says: Mar 2, 2010. 3:49 PM REPLY You are so correct! It makes my skin crawl, To see what the United States has become. And I won't even attempt to speculate on the condition of the other countries, I'll leave that to the people that live there.

AddiBoi says: Feb 23, 2010. 10:03 AM REPLY nice instructable, any chance you know how I would find open channels in canada? the fcc search does show a few FM radio stations around my area, but no tv. I know we havent switched to DTV yet, so might be a problem?

kc0nlh says: Sep 2, 2009. 6:35 PM REPLY When in doubt proceed with caution and speak with an expert.

adamdonovan88 says: Feb 19, 2010. 3:24 PM REPLY can you explain what the things on this form mean?

I could handle the electronics part, but I'm not sure what a lot of the terms on that page mean.

thanks

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ drbill says: Feb 20, 2010. 12:23 PM REPLY Got a VCR that works? Got an old antenna amp that works? Got a good TV antenna on the roof?

Fine! Hook the antenna amp so that its input is fed from the output on the VCR. The VCR IS a transmitter. The antenna amp amplifies VCR output and feeds that signal to the antenna on the roof. The antenna on the roof is a tuned yagi beam antenna just as it sits. Hook it all up. Put tape of some movie in the VCR turn it on and play it. Your on the air. Point the antenna in the direction of a lot of other roof top antennas and, bingo, someone is going to receive your signal.

laughin9m4n says: Feb 6, 2010. 7:10 PM REPLY Would it be legal to do this only for your home like say 100 ft or less? I think this would be a good way to play from my htpc on to other tvs without making other standalone boxes that would drain my wifi connection. Also what is the legality of using the FM transmitters that send music from mp3 players to the car's radio? Again that would be a better way of sending music or streaming radio in my home then using a standalone device on a wifi network.

Opcom says: Jan 24, 2010. 1:21 PM REPLY Finally now there is a use for that stack of old VHF commercial single-channel rackmount video modulators lying around here. I think it better to use a than over the air, and avoid the possibility of interference. A cable will also make sure your signal is clean when you watch the TV. The FCC is complaint-driven, but why risk it. I did not see where it was documented the space was avail for unlicensed use.

I won't bother with the plastic junk sold on auction sites when there are plenty of the better quality U.S. made transmitters around. They are not as common but sometimes the sites have them.

(eww flash application for leaving comments. Complete with privacy-killing flash cookies no doubt)

acdc1226 says: Jan 24, 2010. 8:08 AM REPLY Is this legal?

Lance Mt. says: Dec 29, 2009. 2:14 AM REPLY Oh, ewww. A mac. Anyways nice ible. I likey but im in aus.

-LONG LIVE THE PIRATES, Chris

tristantech says: Dec 15, 2009. 4:42 PM REPLY The FCC Announced that the new whitespace made by the DTV transition is now for unlicesned use. Does this mean that you can now start your own TV station in the empty ?? Just wondering

Foaly7 says: Nov 17, 2009. 2:17 PM REPLY Hey, what part of NYC are Y'all in?

Robert L says: Nov 17, 2009. 12:29 PM REPLY I will have to try this , i will let you know how it turns out.

tylerwatt12 says: Nov 12, 2009. 5:44 PM REPLY my pc doesnt have a composite out so im getting a standalone TV and a video sender(from ebay) and all together it cost me 40 dollars for a 500 foot transmitter, thanks for the info(it just confirmed what i already known)

Istarian says: Nov 12, 2009. 12:49 PM REPLY If you have an RF modulator, is there a way to use that to transmit? I ask, because I have one that's clearly intended to connect to a tv.

Lithium Rain says: Nov 10, 2009. 11:29 PM REPLY I must admit to being slightly incensed at seeing this featured at first, thinking it was one of those spammy "pirate warez ftw!!11" ibles (no, I do not wish to debate the morality or legality of torrenting copyrighted material, and will studiously ignore any comments attempting to do so). So you can imagine my oh- so-very-pleasant surprise when I found this instead! Awesome. And very nice writeup of how to do this! I was wondering about the specifics. :)

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/ Yerboogieman says: Nov 11, 2009. 3:15 PM REPLY Adrian.. Be nice.

tomwsmf says: Nov 11, 2009. 12:58 PM REPLY I truly envy you folks in nations without the FCC and their hall monitoring lackeys. You can still innovate and expieriment where as here in the US we either follow the rules and color inside the predetermined lines or we get slapped down by the regulators or the army of approved marshals.

Now having said that , over the air transmission is just one way to get content out to other devices/people. If you do live in the draconian states of the hall monitors you might want to look outside the box. For instance, ever think about a neighborhood sized cable network? Rights of way on contiguous pieces of land get around the jackbooted regulators . How do you jump the city owned streets? ...there are ways.

Just a thought.

static says: Nov 8, 2009. 7:08 PM REPLY Any would be TV broadcasters should note that a full year has passed since the ruling in FCC 08-260 was released. The ruling that omgimon. tv is basing it's argument on. Check to insure that this spectrum hasn't been allocated to other services. After your satisfied it hasn't read FCC 08-260 carefully, as contains no hint that unlicensed TV broadcasting is one of the unlicensed use of the spectrum the FCC had in mind. BTW omgimon.tv/drupal/white-spaces is pure spin, I'm unsure what omgimom has to gain by misleading others. That that I'm a fan of the NAB or the unholy marriages between Federal agencies and corporate interests. Anarchy of the airwaves will serve no one, but the fat cats.

lukethedog says: Sep 6, 2009. 9:00 PM (removed by author or community request)

hackerlife says: Sep 7, 2009. 6:35 PM REPLY (trying to stick to the "be nice" policy here...) Dude, I think you've totally missed the point of this instructable, if not the point of the entire website. The point of the 'ible is not to give you better television service, its to create your own. And the point of the website is to "Do It Yourself," not pay verizon to do it for you. In fact, I consider this one of the least "dopey" instructables here!

uncre8d1 says: Sep 9, 2009. 9:56 AM REPLY agreed. great 'ible.

Doom2099 says: Sep 4, 2009. 8:12 AM REPLY great idea but you need to get a frequency list. be careful not to interfere on certain federal, military, airport or emergency(law enforcement, firefighter and EMS) frequencies. they mean business.

orangesrhyme says: Sep 7, 2009. 8:51 PM REPLY Yeah, I think the local broadcast security feed at the police station might not be too happy when the bank heist gets replaced with li'l Danny playing baseball. view all 77 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Save-Analog-TV/