Synopsis

Why does the AM dial start at 530 kilohertz? What’s between it and the FM band? Why was it such a big deal for analog television to stop broadcasting?

These questions and more will be answered in this talk. We’ll cover the major points of what the spectrum is used for and the history behind, places to find interesting signals, reception equipment, what software defined radio is, and why paying attention to spectrum allocations matter.

We’ll also see how we can do spectrum recon in the FCC ID and the FCC licensee database to find stuff you want to listen to.

Bio
A network engineer who has been tinkering with radio equipment as soon as he was old enough to wield a soldering iron, Stormgren has been looking at slices of the electromagnetic spectrum for quite some time. A licensed amateur radio operator for 20 years, he works in the healthcare field, implementing wireless networks and datalinks, dodging cordless phones and walkie-talkies along the way.