 |
| From the shadows... a well-known pirate radio operator on a Friday night |
Although pirate radio chatter remains mostly grassroots and hobby-based, the FCC’s enforcement efforts are far from idle. In its fifth annual report to Congress for fiscal year 2024, the Commission raised the maximum fine for illegal broadcasts to $2,453,218, with per-violation penalties of $122,661.
Despite these stepped-up crackdowns and rising complaints about unlicensed operations, pirate radio continues to thrive. The Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement (PIRATE) Act, enacted in 2024, was designed to discourage activity by targeting both operators and property owners. With direction-finding equipment and undercover surveillance, enforcement has become more aggressive, yet the pirates persist.
With Halloween falling on Friday, October 31, expect an uptick in activity over the holiday weekend. Recent monitoring has noted stations on the air between 2200 and 0400 UTC, with activity logged on 6850, 6855, 6879, 6915, 6925, 6935, 6938, 6945, 6950, and 6955 kHz.
(October 2025, Bits & Bytes/The Spectrum Monitor)
A sampling of recent pirate stations observed:
 |
| Classic QSL card |
Freq/UTC
North American
6850 Liquid Radio 0025
6885 Foxy AM 0010-0025
6905 Brain Brothers Shortwave 0035-0045
6915 WFDR 2200-2228
6920 Sternradio, 2255
6920 (USB) Thunder Chicken 1340-0050
6924 DB Cooper Radio 0040
6924 Radio Free Mars 2040-2105
6925 (USB) Wasteland Radio 0205-0800
6925 (USB) Crazy Turkey Radio 0045-0100
6925 (USB) WDOG 0025-0030
6925 (USB) Wave Radio 2350-0015
6925 (USB) Yeah Man Radio 0120
6925 (USB) Outhouse Radio 2335
6925 Pescadores Radio 1435-1440
6925 B-Side Radio 0215
6930 (USB) Ukrainian Freedom Radio 0130-0045
6930 Solid Rock Radio 2020-2035
6933 Sternradio, 0220
6935 Vintage Radio, 0055
6938 Radio Time Machine 2350-2355
6950 Radio Free Euphonia, 0130
6950 V-Sky, 23120
6960 Ballsmacker Radio, 0045
6985 Band-Aid Radio, 0200
6995 Art Bell Radio, 031
