Andrea Langlois et al - Islands of Resistance - Pirate Radio in Canada

The Voyage of a Gender Pirate and Her Toolbox • 137
in which we had assumed the persona of the Wiener Twins, Lawrence
and Sigourney, the first twins ever to be separated before birth.
A weekend radio workshop consists of two days of work, with the
first day dedicated to building the actual transmitter circuit and the
second to installing it into a case and building the power supply and
antenna. As the participants arrive, I put them to work preparing the
circuit boards — cutting up the circuit points and then gluing them
down in the correct pattern. As the glue dries, I talk to participants
about what we are doing and the legal elements involved when broadcasting
without a licence in Canada. At this point, I assess their skill
levels with soldering and solicit more information about their plans
for the transmitter when it is finished. I outline possible uses for transmitters,
including the strengths and weaknesses in the design of the
one that we are building. One way I illustrate the possibilities of pirate
radio is by showing participants a “radio station” that I built inside a
video tape box. It includes a battery, a radio transmitter, an antenna
that hides away and pulls out of the side of the case, and a mini-jack
where I can plug in my audio recorder. With this setup I can play back
sounds or speak into a microphone live. As I walk around the conference
or workshop space, the transmitter sends the signal to a radio
located elsewhere.
This demonstration brings alive the concept of transmission. After
explaining the circuit diagram and giving a quick soldering demo,
I put participants to work attaching components, starting with the
cheapest and most robust parts of the transmitter and moving to the
more fragile and expensive ones as they learn to solder safely. I explain
the components, giving a simplified explanation of their function. By
their reactions to the technical information, I can gauge how deeply I
should delve. Each step of the way, I examine their solder work, having
them redo bad solders before giving them the next parts. Once all the
components are on, I do a final inspection making sure that they are
assembled in the correct orientation. When they pass this test, I hook
them up to a power meter, a sound source and a power supply. After
the transmitter is working I do a quick tuning and show them that it is
broadcasting across the room. Then I watch the inevitable smiles form
on their tired faces. Depending on their abilities, building a transmitter
can take from two to seven hours, though usually at least five. By
the end of the day, participants are quite exhausted. The second day,