PIRATE RADIO SURVIVAL GUIDE

Note: this chapter is from the book "Pirate Radio Survival Guide" written by; Radio Doomsday, and Captain Eddy of The Radio Airplane. If you like this book a like to support their efforts, you may send a donation of your choice to either Capt. Eddy at PO Box 452, Wellsville NY 14895.

Please note that some chapters refer to illistrations or drawings, these could this BBS version of the book. If you would like the illistrations or have other may inquire at the above adddress.

BUILDING A PRODUCTION STUDIO


Unless you plan to broadcast some sort of pre - produced programming, or pl other pirate radio stations, chances are you will need to put together your own broadcast. In this section we will discuss some of the ways you can build a pro that will serve your particular needs.

A production studio does not need to be something you might see at a commerci station, it can be a simple as you allow it to be or as complicated as you want assume for now that you will be preparing pre recorded material for broadcastin time. Much of this material will also apply to a live setup, but will become mo as the subject of RF feedback surfaces.

To prepare a taped program, all you need is a way to record on the tape, this pocket tape recorder. You can simply record your message and use the pause cont perform minor edits. After you have completed the messages the recorder can be the transmitter and the show played back over the air. Most pirates desire more freedom than this, some pirate stations have studios that rival commercial setu with the pirate radio hobby it is likely that your studio will also grow. It is good idea to start small and improve your setup as you need to, don't get too a spend hundreds of dollars buying equipment that you find later you didn't need.

A good way to begin is with your own stereo system, most are equipped with a turntable, and possibly a CD player. Using an inexpensive microphone, you can t like this into a decent low cost recording studio. Using the pause control on t will be able to record your voice, pause the tape, record music from another so tape, then record your voice again, etc. This results in sometimes abrupt edits the section on Producing a show, you can pick up a few tips that will help you you don't have a stereo system you can usually find good used components at loc and garage sales, shop around and you will likely get it at a reasonable price.

One of the first additions that is made to a pirate studio is a mixer. A mixe allows you to connect the outputs of various components (such as turn tables, C decks, microphones, etc) to its input. The mixer's output is then connected to tape recorder. The mixer combines these signals and allows you to vary the volu signal. This facilitates talking over music, fading from one source to another, infinite control over all of your audio levels. A mixer can add a professional studio. Prices of mixers vary from a thirty dollar Radio Shack mixer to as mu to pay.

The price will depend greatly on how many sources you want to mix as well as h control over the signal you want to have; some mixers have built in special eff equalizers.

Special effects sometimes find their way into a pirate studio; though they ar fun, they are rarely necessary. However if this is something you want to try, t number of sources for these effects. Effects boxes for electric guitars are oft used market and are usually adaptable to a studio setup. There are a wide varie from; everything from echo to phase shifting can be found. By far the most comm that is used is the echo chamber, or reverb. Radio Shack makes a low cost micro unit for around 30 dollars. Be sure to read the section on Producing a show and special effects.

Some pirates have created their own special effects, such as modifying a tap play back at a slower or faster speed to change their voice, Kits can be purcha voice disguisers. Your imagination is your only limit.

Another helpful addition to your studio might be a graphic equalizer. Placed before the tape recorder, the equalizer can help improve the overall quality of Shortwave usually makes music sound terrible; if you can improve the sound befo the transmitter, you may be able to improve your on air sound as well.

A compressor- limiter will also help your on air sound, this device will help more stable overall audio level and sometimes makes your signal appear stronger

One often overlooked studio component is the video cassette recorder. A vcr c connected to your mixer to allow you to use audio from movies, TV, etc. this ca creative source.

Now that you have built your studio and made your first program, it is time t for the world to hear. One obstacle still remains: how do you get the audio fro to the input of the transmitter. Much of this will depend upon the type of tran chosen. In most cases the audio source from the tape deck will replace the micr transmitter. This is one reason it is a good idea to have to manual for your ra

It will likely be necessary to wire the output from your tape recorder to a pl radio. This may include a switch to enable and disable the push to talk functio Since this varies widely from radio to radio I can only refer to this in the mo If you are not electronically inclined, you should find a friend to help you wi difficult task on most radios (see "FEEDING " the TRANSMITTER).







--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 (Linux/32)
* Origin: HAMRADIO telnet lu9dce.dynu.com (21:5/101)