If you are a beginner in amateur radio, do you sometimes have the sudden idea of using the radio to play music?
That’s a serious, responsible thing to tell you, this behavior is illegal, even if you didn’t mean it. If you can prove to the relevant authorities that you had no ill intentions, you may get a stern warning to let you be more careful in the future. Subsequent incidents of a similar nature will be considered intentional behavior and you will be punished accordingly. If you are a ham and all radio equipment is confiscated, the penalties range from a small fine to the revocation of your license. If you are a non-ham, you will be fined and any equipment you own will be confiscated. You may also go to jail.
In our country’s amateur radio management regulations, we can also find that amateur radio personnel are not allowed to do the following when operating amateur radio stations:
- Use unassigned radio identification call signs.
- Engage in illegal communications or transmit illegal information.
- Involve in public telecommunications services or engage in any profit-making communications.
- Transmit false signals or information.
- Engage in broadcasting or news gathering activities.
- Forward information from non-amateur radio stations or serve as a relay station for such stations.
- Use secret codes or ciphers that have not been approved by the Ministry of Transportation.
- Interfere with other radio signals.
- Play music, sing, whistle, use vulgar, obscene voices, image signals or quarrel signals.
- Rent the radio station to others for use.
- Engage in third-party communications. However, those that have signed a reciprocal agreement with our country are excluded.
- Post non-radio related messages on the amateur radio electronic bulletin board. 13. Forcibly occupying specific amateur radio frequencies without the approval of the Ministry of Transportation.
- Other matters prohibited by the Ministry of Transportation.
Also, here’s a little-known fact: in the US, the only exception allowed is that amateur stations are authorized to transmit music only when incidental to manned spacecraft communications. This means that if the ISS is flying over your house when the crew is awake, you can use the ISS uplink frequency, which can be found in Contacting the ISS, and play, for example, “Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf to wake the crew… it’s allowed.
So, if you play music on an amateur frequency, someone will report you very quickly, and you will be triangulated very quickly. The relevant departments operate a series of automatic direction finding stations that can roughly locate the transmitter in a few seconds (preferably within a few hundred meters). Then they will send a direction finding car nearby, it will get your exact position, and then you will be confiscated and lose your license.
