> The only time the FCC cares is if you're fucking shit up for others.
A friend who broadcast on an FM frequency that's unused locally (broadcasting family-friendly Christmas music, I might add) got shut down by the FCC, who sent out people out in the evening to have a chat with him. They care, even when you're not fucking shit up for others. I have no idea what experience you might be basing your statement on, but traditionally the local HAM guys will take offense at any little thing that comes to their attention and the FCC will be happy to follow up on it. (I know at least one local HAM who has lightened up a bit about this stuff over the years but I don't think the feds have)
When it comes to oddball noise, they'll act pretty quickly if there's someone like a busybody HAM to spell out to them exactly where the interference is coming from. Of course, plenty of times it's a HAM who is causing the interference...
That guy in Idaho running a repeater on 146.520, national simplex calling frequency for VHF. Lol. Real genius there, I'll bet it took less than a week before a complaint was filed.
Until your crummy transmitter interferes with some emergency Service. eg Police, Aircraft, etc.
Then they will be on your doorstep within hours. Complete with a search warrant and fines of thousands of dollars, along with a permanent criminal record.
A friend who broadcast on an FM frequency that's unused locally (broadcasting family-friendly Christmas music, I might add) got shut down by the FCC, who sent out people out in the evening to have a chat with him. They care, even when you're not fucking shit up for others. I have no idea what experience you might be basing your statement on, but traditionally the local HAM guys will take offense at any little thing that comes to their attention and the FCC will be happy to follow up on it. (I know at least one local HAM who has lightened up a bit about this stuff over the years but I don't think the feds have)
When it comes to oddball noise, they'll act pretty quickly if there's someone like a busybody HAM to spell out to them exactly where the interference is coming from. Of course, plenty of times it's a HAM who is causing the interference...