Setting up a secret radio station?

Morwen Edhelwen · Feb 21, 2012

So, a female character in my dieselpunk WIP (mentor figure for the protagonist) needs to set up a secret radio station to make broadcasts as a way of forming a resistance movement against the current President. The problem is I have no idea how this would be done. (I've done some searches)
Does anyone here know anything about how someone could set up an underground radio station and make the broadcasts untraceable? (thinking of something like numbers stations, but much less cryptic)

Drachen Jager · Feb 21, 2012

Keep it moving. If it's on a truck you could simply drive while broadcasting. As long as each broadcast was kept relatively short you could get away with it for a while.

Morwen Edhelwen · Feb 21, 2012

That could work. Is there a way it could be done in a building, though? (Your suggestion reminds me of the history unit I did on Bolshevik Russia)

BillPatt · Feb 21, 2012

All radio broadcasts are traceable at some level (I am leaving out things like microburst and frequency-hopping radios). The moving radio in the truck is your best bet for keeping the broadcasters alive. On the other hand, you could have fun if you were able to piggyback on the carrier wave of another legitimate broadcaster. Depending on the technology of your WIP, you could run digital radio on an AM station, or vice-versa. Or you could try to use power lines as your transmitting elements. It all depends on the degree of arm-waving you want to perform.

Generically, though, pirate radio is best done with the purloined letter technique. Mask what you are broadcasting in the middle of legitimate activity. Blend in with CB traffic. Operate a legitimate radio station, but the music played, or the DJ chatter, has preassigned meaning. Think of it as aural steganography. First letter of the second word in each sentence spells out the message sort of thing.

But the Hogan's Heroes idea of running an antenna up the flagpole just isn't going to work.

Morwen Edhelwen · Feb 21, 2012

That could work- thanks, BillPatt!

BillPatt · Feb 22, 2012

Er, which one? I gave you a few, which one are you going with?

Morwen Edhelwen · Feb 22, 2012

BillPatt said:
Er, which one? I gave you a few, which one are you going with?

Your last suggestion.

MeretSeger · Feb 22, 2012

When I worked in the Levant, there was a radio station that had the station ID "The Voice of Peace, from Somewhere in the Mediterranean" Illegal, but a great station...it was on a boat, google it.

Buffysquirrel · Feb 22, 2012

It all depends what kind of resources are being applied to locate the operators. If the enemy try hard enough, they'll find it.

Edward M. Grant · Feb 22, 2012

There's a book called 'SoE Syllabus' released by the British National Archives a few years ago which contains lecture notes used for training the agents who were dropped into Europe in WWII to work with the resistance. It was out of print for a while but seems to be available again now; it contains a few pages on wireless operator security and if you're writing about a resistance movement in that kind of era you'd probably find a lot of other useful information in there.

underthecity · Feb 23, 2012

There are books on pirate radio stations, this one looks helpful. The thing about pirate radio is the FCC eventually does find them. The moving truck mentioned upthread has been one method that's been used in the past.

However, you're talking about an alternate dieselpunk reality where the rules may not apply the same way.

Coded messages are one way to broadcast a secret message, but that requires the cooperation of the broadcaster.

There is the "carrier current" method which is right beneath FCC rules. You can buy a carrier current transmitter from a transmitter company, and it transmits the signal into a building's electrical system legally. In your situation, you could theoretically send that signal into multiple buildings or even the electrical grid of entire city. If the listeners know the frequency, they could tune in and listen. The messages could still be coded in case regular listeners find it.

This is technically possible in a sci-fi-like setting if you can get the tech-talk across in a believable way. I'm sure seasoned broadcast engineers would shake their heads at it, but then my sister, a research scientist shakes her head at Jurrasic Park. But that dinosaur cloning technique looked believable to me.

Then there's short wave, a more traditional method for broadcasting pirate stations and sending coded messages (the numbers stations, for instance). Put the station on a boat in international waters and broadcast day and night.

Morwen Edhelwen · Feb 25, 2012

underthecity said:
There are books on pirate radio stations, this one looks helpful. The thing about pirate radio is the FCC eventually does find them. The moving truck mentioned upthread has been one method that's been used in the past.

However, you're talking about an alternate dieselpunk reality where the rules may not apply the same way.

Coded messages are one way to broadcast a secret message, but that requires the cooperation of the broadcaster.

There is the "carrier current" method which is right beneath FCC rules. You can buy a carrier current transmitter from a transmitter company, and it transmits the signal into a building's electrical system legally. In your situation, you could theoretically send that signal into multiple buildings or even the electrical grid of entire city. If the listeners know the frequency, they could tune in and listen. The messages could still be coded in case regular listeners find it.

This is technically possible in a sci-fi-like setting if you can get the tech-talk across in a believable way. I'm sure seasoned broadcast engineers would shake their heads at it, but then my sister, a research scientist shakes her head at Jurrasic Park. But that dinosaur cloning technique looked believable to me.

Then there's short wave, a more traditional method for broadcasting pirate stations and sending coded messages (the numbers stations, for instance). Put the station on a boat in international waters and broadcast day and night.

Thanks, underthecity!

maxmordon · Feb 25, 2012

Don't forget Border Blasters. The police can't caught your radio station if you're broadcasting from outside the nation's borders, right?

frimble3 · Feb 25, 2012

maxmordon said:
Don't forget Border Blasters. The police can't caught your radio station if you're broadcasting from outside the nation's borders, right?

Clever, particularly if the next-country-over hates your nation's government, and is willing to encourage your broadcasts to cause trouble. And, get nasty if the govenment tries to send troops to shut your radio station down.

Setting up a secret radio station?

Morwen Edhelwen

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy

Morwen Edhelwen

BillPatt

Morwen Edhelwen

BillPatt

Morwen Edhelwen

MeretSeger

The Alydar of Writers

Buffysquirrel

Edward M. Grant

underthecity

Finestkind

Morwen Edhelwen

maxmordon

Penúltimo

frimble3

Heckuva good sport