Neat project that used the Raspberry Pi for a tiny FM transmitter for getting the word out in Syria. This is a project that has been sanctioned by the German government, so it is not just an unlicensed "freebander".
Check out the website at http://www.pocket-fm.com/
Radio Rebels: Berlin Group Makes Tiny Transmitters for Syria
Associated Press via voanews.com
December 22, 2015
BERLIN - On the top floor of an old brick building in the heart
of Berlin, a group of journalists and tech enthusiasts are
working to spur the Syrian media revolution.
Their weapon is an unassuming black case the size of a shoebox
that allows opposition radio stations in Syria to transmit inside
hostile territory.
Dubbed PocketFM, the device is basically a low-powered radio
transmitter. Coupled with a satellite dish to receive new
programs, a car battery for power and a one-meter (three-foot)
antenna, it can broadcast FM radio within a 5-kilometer (3-mile)
radius.
That's enough to cover a town or a city district, said Philipp
Hochleichter, who oversees development of the device for the
Berlin-based nonprofit organization Media in Cooperation and
Transition.
The group has been training journalists in conflict zones for
more than a decade and often relies on FM radio to reach
populations in far-flung areas that don't have access to the
Internet or smartphones. But when the group realized that
shifting front lines and the brutal treatment of journalists
meant operating large broadcast antennae could become too
cumbersome or risky, it developed PocketFM.
It's now being used to covertly broadcast in nine locations,
including two that are controlled by the Islamic State group,
said Hochleichter. Connected to a solar panel, a PocketFM
transmitter can theoretically work autonomously for long periods
of time.
The project, which also includes compiling a daily best-of from
nine cooperating radio stations that is beamed down by satellite,
is financed by the German Foreign Ministry. It cooperates only
with moderate opposition groups who have to abide by a code of
conduct.
Not catering to propagandists
"Of course it's necessary for us to make sure they don't fall
into propaganda scheme, which is very tough in Syria at the
moment," said Najat Abdulhaq, a Palestinian journalist who
manages the project.
Listeners might be surprised to find that aside from urgently
needed information - which borders are open, what are the prices
in the market, how are refugees abroad faring - there's a fair
amount of light entertainment.
"People have a day-to-day life despite conflict," said Abdulhaq.
"Despite the sadness and the war, people like to listen to music
and even comedy."
Hochleichter said Monday the group is currently working on its
third version of PocketFM, which it hopes to complete by the
middle of next year. As with previous versions, the technology is
decidedly low key, with a $40 Raspberry Pi computer at the heart
of the device.
"We're not a hardware company that's got $100,000 to develop new
technology," Hochleichter said.
The next version will be slightly more powerful and boast a new
security feature that allows users to remotely switch off the
device by text message to prevent it from being traced.
With the war in Syria running for almost five years, the third
version is almost certain to see use.
"I wish, but I would be very naive if I would believe, that the
conflict would be over next year," said Abdulhaq.
http://www.voanews.com/content/berlin-group-makes-tiny-transmitters-for-syria/3113277.html
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