Is there a way to locally block the reception of specific radio frequencies?
For example, I can’t STAND the local country station and there’s one pig-ignorant mf’er in our shop who plays the station loud all day. The station plays the same 7 songs in rotation, and I think I might have a hemorrhage if I go through it much longer. I’m not a country hater - but for God’s sake please get some variety!!!
Is there such a device that I could emit a competing signal that would drown out the radio station? I know the old school car cd players would have your walkman emit a radio frequency of some amount, for people whose car had no in-dash cd player, but it was useless outside of the 4 foot radius of your car, and you had to choose a station that was mostly empty anyway.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say there’s a good chance intentionally jamming a radio signal might be illegal. Don’t know for sure, but I don’t think the FCC would be happy with such activities.
Jamming a radio signal is very easy to do, and very much illegal. And we’re not talking about a little slap on the wrist type of illegal here either. It’s not unheard of for the FCC to slap a five digit fine on someone for interfering with a licensed radio station.
I’m geniunely curious - how would they find out? Is there wide-area scanning technology available? Or would it have to be reported, and then investigated?
I’m not looking for a way to avoid it, I’m probably just gonna hit the radio with a hammer. I am factually interested in this though.
Typically, it is reported. A listener who is getting interference calls up the radio station and they may do a simple investigation. They can call the FCC if they think there is intentional interference.
I have at least two “FM transmitters”, meant to get portable CD signals to car radios before in-dash CD’s were common. One was meant to plug into the earphone plug, the other was an iPod cable and cigarette-lighter powered that could be tuned to ANY FM frequency. I suspect they are not impossible to find even today? I found one at Best Buy and one at Radio Shack.
Record 10 minutes of random up-and-down static mixed with electrical humming, put the song on your iPod on repeat, play all day. There are even plug-in-the-wall units that power 12V for appliances that would plug into car cigarette lighters. “4 feet” may be an exaggeration. I have had our signal drowned out by a passing trucker. I bet from 20 feet away without any obstructing walls you would happily mix in noticeably with the commercial signal.
There’s only one way to find out.
And unlike the suggestions above, these are technically legal. I’d be more worried about your local country fan feeding your appliance into a fan if he catches on.
It’s the bass carrying through the walls, and into my office that’s irritating. The mid and treble sometimes make it through, but the bassline is always there.
One of the other guys in the office would constantly listen to a classic pop rock station with a terribad annoying morning DJ. It was an old style rectangular box style radio, with detachable speakers, in a common area. The volume was invariably TOO LOUD! The speakers had the little clip-in cables to the base unit. I opened the clips, but didn’t remove the wires. No more sound, and because he couldn’t be arsed to do a more thorough investigation, he opted instead to use a more localized, non-interfering-with-other-people style of listening to music (his Ipod). Win-Win.
This makes me look awful doesn’t it? … Oh well. Guess I’m awful.
