3307: Spectrum Allocation

Spectrum Allocation

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Title text: Rumor has it that they're finally auctioning off the zeppelin navigation bands, but everyone is worried that the scary boat captains will express interest.

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Explanation

This is one of 53 incomplete explanations: This page was created by A BOT THAT LISTENS TO LOFI AND DEATH RAYS. Don't remove this notice too soon. You can help by editing the explanation!

Radio waves have a spectrum of frequencies that can be used. Various of these frequencies have been isolated into "Bands" with a given use to help prevent interference. In general, the farther down the chart, the more data a channel can carry, but the easier it is to block. This comic contains a chart with humorous names for some of them, and some that are made up. Others appear to be misplaced. A more serious chart can be found at https://www.ntia.gov/files/ntia/publications/2003-allochrt.pdf

• Radio (Shouting): AM Radio Band. This band is mainly used for spoken radio rather than music because AM handles music... poorly

• TV Test Patterns: Unknown

• 1G Cellular: First gen cellular channel. Voice only, no SMS, no Data.

• Radio (Music): FM Radio Band.

• Radio Static: UNKNOWN (Unused FM Band?)

• Reserved for Zeppelin Navigation: UNKNOWN (presumably a radio beacon system zeppelins used?)

• TV Channels 2, 5, 7-13, 16, 17, and 28: UNKNOWN (Obviously broadcast TV, but why those specific channels?)

• 2G Cellular: Second gen cellular channel. Better Voice, SMS, rudimentary Data (like, speed in kbps)

• Interference: Since it is difficult to transmit exact radio frequencies, many bands have an interference gap between them to allow for some incidental bleed outside of the frequency band without impacting the next.

• WKRP in Cincinnati: UNKNOWN, (references show of same name https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WKRP_in_Cincinnati , presumably they claim to use a frequency in this range?)

• Space Ship Beeps: UNKNOWN, (presumably the frequency Sputnik transmuted on)

• All other TV: All other broadcast TV channels

• Car Dealership Ads: UNKNOWN

• Numbers Stations: Shortwave radio stations which broadcast coded messages in the form of strings of numbers

• Weather Balloons: UNKNOWN (Presumably the frequency weather balloons use)

• Amateur Radio: A band of radio frequencies set aside for people who just want to play with radio

• "Weather Balloons": UNKNOWN (Presumably a reference to the 2023 Chinese balloon incident)

• HAM Radio: A band of radio frequencies set aside for people who just want to ~~play~~ work with radio

• Choosing Texas 24/7: "Choosin' Texas" is a popular country song by Ella Langley. When this comic was published, it was in its record-breaking 24th week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, a chart that often reflects the music played repeatedly on American radio stations.

• Boat Captains Say They Need This for Something and we don't ask what because They're Scary: UNKNOWN (Possibly ship to ship transponders, or radio lighthouses?)

• The secret radio waves that make planes stay up: UNKNOWN (Possibly RADAR or the radio bands used for airplane transponders and navigation). Humorous name suggests that rather than aid in navigation, planes use these frequencies to actually fly instead of [REDACTED EFFECT: Controversial].

• Defunct Satellite phone company: UNKNOWN (Presumably a company that tried to offer satellite phone and went bankrupt, e.g. Iridium)

• Radioastronomy: UNKNOWN (Presumably the bands Radio telescopes use, or bands reserved for their use)

• Radioastrology: Fake Block presumably the counterpart of Radioastronomy for astrologers.

• All Modern Wireless infrastructure: Due to the per-existing large blocks, when technology like WiFi and Bluetooth was developed, it was crammed in to very small blocks that were left over despite some MASSIVE but mostly wasted blocks. See 2.4 GHz radio use

• DEATH RAYS: Fake Block (Unless its referencing Microwave waves?)

• lofi hip hop beats to relax/study to: This is the title of a popular, long-running YouTube livestream of lofi hip-hop music run by the YouTube channel Lofi Girl.

• Security Guard Walkie Talkies: Band used for hand-held radio units frequently used by security guards.

• Amateur Military Satellites: Fake Block? While there are Military Satellites, and Amateur Satellites, most governments dont like the idea of Amateur Militaries....

• Left Open INcase Aliens try to Call: Fake block. Its unclear how aliens would know to use that block, and why they wouldnt just use the Radioastrology block.

• One Brand of Garage Door openers with a lot of Political Pull: Hopefully fake block allocated to just garage door openers of a specific brand who bribed the FCC

Title Text: The title text claims the zeppelin block will be auctioned because.... no one uses zeppelins. But people are worried that the scary boat captains will buy it and make their block bigger.

Transcript

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Discussion

Second 2600:4040:74E4:8D00:B5D3:9A8B:F4D4:5B5C 22:57, 5 October 2026 (UTC)

First? Velocifyer (talk) 23:08, 5 October 2026 (UTC)

th1rd p0st. in all seriousness though, NEW COMIC! 73.132.167.116 23:20, 5 October 2026 (UTC)

Ha, there's so much fun to be Explained here. And I'm going to see how you dealt with this when I get back here tomorrow. ;) 92.23.3.72 23:32, 5 October 2026 (UTC)
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