On 01 Aug 2003 04:06:20 +0100 (BST), Thomas Womack
<twomack@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

Logically, you should then broadcast constantly to all even remotely
promising stars nearby, just in case one even starts listening for a
moment.

I'm slightly surprised that people aren't doing that already; or is
it not reasonable to detect at a couple of parsecs out a signal beamed
with a three-kilowatt signal from an antenna costing $5000 (figures picked
to make it just about realistic as a hobby for a merely reasonably
wealthy radio amateur - 3kW is about $3000 a year at the price I pay for
electricity, and I thought radio transmitters were pretty efficient).

I can't figure out on the Net what kind of directional antenna you get
for $5000.

Or will the FCC shut you down if you try?

Couple things, your signal would be hard to detect at the reaches of
the solar system much less beyond it, second it's not always a wise
move to ring the dinner bell in the middle of a forest.