The challenge of creating your own FM radio
With the internet and the jump to digital, anything analog that was used daily before was losing its appeal. However, it is never too late to regain some of them. Either for the personal satisfaction that it entails, for the love of retro or simply to know in more detail how something worked that due to age you could not use frequently because you were already born with a device with the internet under your arm.
Among all these things that some would call old people is the issue of FM radio. Ok, there are still many people in love with the medium, but more and more are listening to it through a mobile connection that connects to a server that reproduces the radio signal.
However, suppose you want to be the rebel, the one who does just the opposite. You may be thinking why and the answer might just be why not. Because what you emit through said FM station they would have a limited range and they were even able to build a somewhat more powerful antenna signal, you would have to inform yourself well not to violate any legislation. Something that, for example, on amateur radio websites can clarify for your country or place of residence.
Whatever it is, creating your own FM radio is an interesting and fun challenge. Although later you continue broadcasting your content on online platforms, but imagine a neighbor who puts on his radio, tunes him in and suddenly you come out talking.
Radio Pi-rate, create your own station
Well, if the idea of create your own FM station attracts you, you should know that achieving it is very simple thanks to the device that we like the most for all these DIY themes: the Raspberry Pi. You will only need one, the software in charge of creating everything you need to broadcast and some extra for the antenna to space the signal.
About the Raspberry Pi and how to install Raspbian or another operating system we will not tell you anything that you do not know or can consult, because even we already tell you how to do it. For the FM radio software you will have to resort to PiFM, a very complete solution of which there is also a modified and simplified version called PirateRadio.
Once you have it, the next step is to add an antenna through the GPIO connection of the Raspberry Pi. Depending on the antenna you decide to use, you will have a greater or lesser range. What is important is that you are clear that you do not violate any legal regulations regarding the use of the radio signal.
Ready, from here you can use this pirate radio station as you prefer. You could be able to play your podcasts or whatever and go to a park, the mountains, the beach,…. I’m sure some radio lover is there with his transistor going through the frequency bands in search of something to listen to. You could be the one who entertains their leisure time or whatever comes to mind.
