Low-power FM Transmitters Banned in UK

Acey writes "The BBC News is reporting that the Griffin iTrip falls foul of the UK Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 (PDF). In short, the iTrip is an unlicensed FM transmitter and that's not allowed. The UK distributor, A M Micro, have pulled the iTrip. More ominously they warn that "Use of the iTrip in the UK therefore constitutes an offence and can lead to prosecution of the User". Guess that makes me an outlaw, because you'll have to pry my iTrip from my cold, dead hands."

Sooo..

[Locky]

Any rewards for turning people in?

Re:Sooo..

[muffen]

Any rewards for turning people in?
I'm sure you meant to say: Any rewards for tuning people in? :)

Fun?

[chefbb]

Seems excessive, but if you lived in an apartment complex, you could have some serious fun with one of these things broadcasting to the station your neighbor happens to be listening to. :)

Er - ah - hm

[Dark Paladin]

On the one side, I can understand the Governments position:

Thou Shalt Not have Unlicensed Radio Transmitters.

This is important, because if just anybody set up shop, soon the radio waves would be a mess of people just putting stuff out, and nobody could hear the station they wanted too - just the one with the biggest pen- ah, broadcast antennae.

On the other hand, I think the range of this thing is - what - 10 to 30 feet? Watch out, Britian! Those pirate radios will be able to be heard from the other room! Anarchy and chaos as Julie tries to dance to Nsync while Dad's got his iPod broadcasting the Spice Girls in the other room! Mum - you'd best be keeping that "Black Mages" heavy metal to yourself!

This seems more like an issue of someone in beurocracy[SIC] getting a bug up their ass and not using common sense more than anything else.

nutty limeys

[nanojath]

So, like, is a Mr. Microphone illegal in the U.K.? And did I just date myself by mentioning Mr. Microphone?

Will they try and confiscate my ...

[burgburgburg]

Mr. Microphone?!?

How will I pick up the chicks? How will I karoake? How will I LIVE?!?!?!

Re:But how do they open garage doors in the UK?

[Anonymous Coward]

Only rich ponces have automatic door openers. Anyway, haven't you been to Britain? You'll find virtually every road in residential areas are half blocked by cars parked in every which way possible. No need for automatic garage doors.

Re:Fun?

[The Jonas]

In the 1980's Radio Shack [radioshack.com] used to sell an FM transmitter that you could wire into your car radio. The range was good enough to transmit from vehicle-to-vehicle. We were in high school at the time and the number of radio stations in town were limited. Therefore, if we were lucky enough to be on the road within a couple of car lengths from someone we knew we could broadcast an obnoxious message through their radio if we guessed what station they were listening to. The girls did not seem to appreciate our unauthorized transmissions. ;)

Re:Government-controlled media

[nick_davison]

A conversation a friend of mine who lived in W1 (Very central London) recounted having:

"Sir, do you have a TV license?"
"Nope."
"Do you have a TV?"
"Nope."
"We detected a TV from our van, inside your property."
"No you didn't. Must be a mistake."
"Sir, I can hear the EastEnder's theme coming from inside your appartment."
"You must be imagining it."
"Sir, if we need to, we can get a warrant to enter the premises and be back within the hour."
"No you can't."
"Yes we can Sir, the courts look very favorably upon our requests."
"They look even less favorably upon giving search warrants to enter property belonging to the Queen."
"Oh. Well... You really should get a license."

The joys of the royal family owning half the best properties in the city.

Re:I wonder if the RIAA....

[Chibi Merrow]

Hmm yes the Recording Industry Association of AMERICA traveled BACK IN TIME to post-WW2 Great Britain and wrote legislation to ban devices that make use of the FM spectrum so that 54 years later they could force a distributor of an iPod accessory in the UK via a mole they planted in the company to read the law and after speaking w/ the Radio Agency conclude that the device is illegal there.

Next they'll use their nifty time travel technology to go back and assure that Victrola loses to Eddison so that his proprietary cylindrical records become the standard instead of the easy to use flat Victrolas...

COME ON MAN, GET A GRIP

Re:I wonder if the RIAA....

[gowen]

I wonder if the RIAA could have anything to do with this

Yes, the RIAA are behind it. Everyone knows the Recording Industry Association of America were a mighty powerful lobby group.

In Britain.

In 19-frickin-49.

Re:regulation of the airwaves

[pommiekiwifruit]

Pirate radio stations broadcast towards England from ships off shore

And from tower blocks on no-go housing estates! But that tends to be (c)rap / hip-hop.

Re:Government-controlled media

[Anonymous Coward]

The CBC in Canada is owned by the government, and although there are still commercial stations, the CBC often times has much higher quality news and entertainment programming because they don't have to worry as much about making shitty television to just get ratings and advertising, so they can take more risks.

Besides that, Talking to Americans just plain kicks ass.

"Congratulations Canada for getting FM Radio" - Random American

US TV

[Anonymous Coward]

Sheesh, they have programs on US television? Whenever I've been in a hotel I channel-surfed for ages but could only find advertisements.

Dating yourself

[FearUncertaintyDoubt]

And did I just date myself

Dating yourself is a tradition among slashdot readers, and...oh, you meant...I thought that you were talking about...never mind

Re:Fun?

[tmark]

The girls did not seem to appreciate our unauthorized transmissions. ;)

Or, they did not appreciate the attention from a people who probably look like people who shop at Radio Shack and have enough time to wire up such a contraption.

We get out of the car and use our *hands*...

[threeturn]

...not something that will ever catch on in the US.

Re:Government-controlled media

[Spunk]

stop ... makingfunof ... William. Shatner.

Heisan ... inspiration. to ... us ... all.

Obligatory "Men in Black" Quote

[mykepredko]

In response to "you'll have to pry my iTrip from my cold, dead hands."

Your Proposal is Acceptable.

Now, where's a giant space cockroach when you need it.

myke

Re:How will they enforce?

[dontod]

You would love it if you lived near me. Top quality music and speech radio commercial free and located away from any existing stations.

Still as I said you'd have to be within 100m of me, and if you were, I'd move.

Don

------
Homer: Chop chop, dig dig, chop chop, dig dig
Marge: You know Homie, there's so much more two wives can do for you...
Homer: I hear digging, but I don't hear chopping.

Re:regulation of the airwaves

[IpalindromeI]

Do you mean that actual pirates could be broadcasting on these pirate radio stations?

Ahoy, mate! Hand me that thar transmi'ah. I'll play a tune on me belly for all o' London t' hear!

Re:Government-controlled media

[misterpies]

They sent an inspector to me too, but of course I was at work. So I wrote back saying they were welcome to inspect our place, but would they mind visiting after 6pm or on weekends since... surprise surprise, they never called back. I guess they're not _that_ keen...

At the time though I felt a twinge of sympathy for Saddam Hussein. The British government kept telling me that it knew I had banned equipment (an unlicensed TV set). When I denied this they told me they knew I was lying and were going to send in inspectors. And when I offered to cooperate with the inspectors (though on my terms - I'll be damned if I'll be subject to unannounced inspections of my home at any time of the day or night - though Saddam even agreed to that), they pulled them out.

Luckily for me the analogy stops there. Otherwise my flat would be occupied by government agents triumphantly brandishing my laptop as proof that I had a mobile TV-development laboratory that could be turned into a fully functioning device within 45 minutes by the addition of a simple TV tuner card, which they had documentary evidence that I was trying to purchase from Niger...

Re:How will they enforce?

[AKnightCowboy]

Maybe not very likely, but if the Radio Licensing Authority gets one good complaint about an illegal transmitter (doesnt matter if its short range) and they nail the owner, they might decide to make an example out of whoever sold it to them.

Geez, these UK guys really take this whole spectrum thing seriously. What's next, forcing people to buy a license to listen to the radio or watch television!? What kind of crazy socialist world is this turning into?

Translation to American English

[I.A.N.A.T.]

In America, it would sound like this:

Officer: Do you have a TV license?
Person: Nope.
Officer: Good, because we don't have those here like in some unfortunate countries.
Person: Damn right. You think they need licenses to read books too?
Officer: Probably. You know how much it sucks over there.
Person: Over where?
Officer: Who cares?
Person + Officer: Ha hahahah hahahahahhaha!!!
Person: Hey, wanna beer?
Officer: Whoa there! I'm on duty...so no more than two or three.

Re:Eclectic Micro Stations

[BitGeek]

Except, of course, the government has banned it.

Government is a disease, masquarading as its own cure.

Re:Translation to American English

[Anonymous Coward]

Person: Hey, wanna beer?
Officer: No thanks, it tastes like piss over here.

Re:How will they enforce?

[Autonomous Canard]

He's a half-bee. (He had an accident.)

Re:Eclectic Micro Stations

[Xerithane]

Government is a disease, masquarading as its own cure.

Yeah, but so is life.

A 100% fatal, incurable, sexually transmitted disease.

Government is the same, except they fuck you instead.

Re:How will they enforce?

[isorox]

Murder and stuff on the high seas is piracy, and thats how I always read it. If a news article mentions piracay and doesnt mention the sea, I'll ignore it as innacurate rubbish

Re:This is good spectrum management

[ryanwright]

A product like this should be transmitting in an ISM band using spread-spectrum, like Bluetooth or WiFi.

Right, so you can use it to listen to your iPod on your car's FM radio without disturbing others...

Oh, wait.