To clarify what I meant when I said it was "stupid" ....
1. Low power FM signals are incredibly easy to track down with minimal to no direction finding equipment using a simple receiver with a signal strength meter and a way to attenuate the signal.
2. The limited reach of low-power FM signals doesn't exactly give one a signal heard outside of what, a few square miles?
3. No way to monetize it (make money) from one's broadcasts.
So that's what I meant by "stupid" irrespective of his not being "caught" for seven years. He wasn't "caught" because no one was listening and looking for him.
1) Nobody chased the signal. It could be sitting in one spot for years and nobody found it. Because: They. Weren’t. Looking. You’re right about that.
2) Depends on how much power. A hundred or two watts will give you citywide coverage, if it’s flat and your antenna is high. From the story, apparently this station could reach citywide.
3) They had a revenue stream. They are selling ads. I posted earlier in the thread a link I found on their webpage where companies could buy tax-free “corporate sponsorships.”
This had all the trappings of a real radio station, probably even a fine studio. They just lacked a license on the wall, worth tens of thousands of dollars. Because they are pirates. But they’ve been getting away with it for the last seven years because they meet somebody’s definition of “special.” Now that’s what’s stupid.