Pirate radio stations using net

Shock horror! Apparently pirate radio stations have ditched the micro-wave links and are connecting their studios to their remote transmitters via the Internet. In the piece in New Scientist Net gives pirate radio the last laugh Ofcom states the blindingly obviously to those who have any idea about what is technically possible these days, but it does make you think. For example by using some relatively cheap Internet linked mobile phones and some fairly simple low power transmitters a network could be set up across high points in any city which could be switched in sequence making DFing them almost impossible. In the past pirate stations have been caught running their transmitters from vans circling their target area but a similar effect could be set up using multiple low power devices from parked cars, by switching one device off and another one on every few minutes very little effect would be noticed to the listener but finding the transmitters would be near impossible. Theoretically someone with access to a fleet of vehicles could install such devices hidden behind the dashboard and use the normal radio aerial for transmitting. The drivers of the vehicles would not have any idea they were acting as a conduit for an illegal radio station. Hot pizza wid funky tunes delivered to ya door mon.

The article also makes brief mention of illegal cellphone jamming devices, that is one place I have sympathy with the users. It annoys the hell out of me when you are in a theatre or restaurant and some idiot gets a call or more likely numerous calls and either yabbers away with everyone listening or pushes past to take the call outside only push past again on the way back again. Hospitals are another problem area. Signs everywhere telling you not to use mobile phones and everyone including the Doctors are chunnering away in to them. What could be more wonderful than sitting next to someone while they describe in detail the septic tumour they just had removed and how they where able to watch the whole thing on a monitor because they did it under a local anaesthetic. Alexander Graham Bell it is all your fault.