Feature: Mosquito Fleet Stings NAB
Operational Analysis

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Also listen to the action at Sounds of Seattle

Day 4 - 9/13/02

Friday was the opening day of the Reclaim the Media! counter-conference, and many of the panels, discussions and evening events were broadcast online via Studio X.

Those Mosquito Fleet stations lucky enough to set up at a location with Internet access were able to stream the webcast over the air, allowing media democracy activists to speak directly to the corporate media convention-goers. So long as people with radios stayed inside or close to the Washington State Trade & Convention Center, there would be no way the NAB could escape the scrutiny.

Rallies in a park near the convention site also began in earnest, featuring lots of music all weekend long. An attempt was made to set up a microradio station at the rally, but was thwarted by antenna troubles and the questioning eyes of police, who kept up a visible presence at the park for the duration of the gathering.

That night, the FM dial was alive with at least five signals; some relayed the Reclaim the Media! keynote event while others played and discussed whatever they wanted to. It made for some great radio.

Day 5 - 9/14/02

Saturday was much like Friday: three or four stations were on the air at any given time during the day, with more appearing during the night. Many of those who ran during the day carried the Studio X feed from more Reclaim the Media! sessions.

There had been some outstanding antenna and power supply shortages plaguing station construction and repair throughout the week, but by today those had been worked out and the number of occupied frequencies surged. That night, as we drove back to our crash pad for a final night of rest before beginning the trip back, we listened a newcomer on Seattle's "classic" pirate frequency, 89.1 FM - a 150-watt "boomer" station - for a good 20 miles.

Conclusion

Total frequencies occupied: 11
(87.9, 89.1, 93.7, 94.5, 95.3, 96.9, 99.5, 101.1, 102.1, 104.1, 107.3)

Combined power of stations: 440 watts

Station coverage area ranges: 2-20 miles

Number of interference complaints: 0

Most who worked on the microbroadcast activity were exhausted but very happy with what they were able to accomplish by the end of the week. Some stations signed off on Saturday night and were dismantled, but at least four broadcast through Sunday. By the time the Mosquito Fleet had officially disbanded it was early into the following week, and it left four operational microradio stations behind in Seattle.

While everyone worked well together, the Fleet could have definitely used more engineers, and those who were able to bring a complete, working radio station with them were able to conduct the most programming. If it weren't for the amount of preplanning that took place, there would have been significantly fewer stations on the air.

Having proven that it's possible to conduct a temporary mass occupation of a city's FM dial, several Mosquito Fleet participants plan further experiments with the concept at other protest actions - and at each one, it will hopefully sow the seeds of permanent fleets in its wake.