FCC ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY

WARNING: AMATEUR AND PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES LICENSEES AND OPERATORS MAY NOT USE RADIO EQUIPMENT TO COMMIT OR FACILITATE CRIMINAL ACTS

The Enforcement Bureau (Bureau) of the Federal Communications Commission issues this Enforcement Advisory to remind licensees in the Amateur Radio Service, as well as licensees and operators in the Personal Radio Services, that the Commission prohibits the use of radios in those services to commit or facilitate criminal acts.

The Bureau has become aware of discussions on social media platforms suggesting that certain radio services regulated by the Commission may be an alternative to social media platforms for groups to communicate and coordinate future activities. The Bureau recognizes that these services can be used for a wide range of permitted purposes, including speech that is protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Amateur and Personal Radio Services, however, may not be used to commit or facilitate crimes.

Specifically, the Bureau reminds amateur licensees that they are prohibited from transmitting “communications intended to facilitate a criminal act” or “messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning.”1 Likewise, individuals operating radios in the Personal Radio Services, a category that includes Citizens Band radios, Family Radio Service walkie-talkies, and General Mobile Radio Service, are prohibited from using those radios “in connection with any activity which is against Federal, State or local law.”2 Individuals using radios in the Amateur or Personal Radio Services in this manner may be subject to severe penalties, including significant fines, seizure of the offending equipment, and, in some cases, criminal prosecution.

To file a complaint with the FCC, visit https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov or call 1-888-CALL- FCC. To report a crime, contact your local law enforcement office or the FBI.

I believe this is one of the dumbest documents I have ever read.

Here is the source:

Rosemary Harold

Rosemary C. Harold is Chief of the Enforcement Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission, where she leads the Commission's largest organizational unit, including its field offices around the country. Ms. Harold rejoins the agency from Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP, where she was a partner. Prior to joining the firm in 2011, Ms. Harold was a legal advisor to then-FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell for media and broadband issues and deputy chief of the FCC’s Media Bureau. She began her career as a journalist, working as a reporter and bureau chief for the Miami Herald and an editor at C-SPAN. She earned her law degree magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, her master's degree from the University of Missouri, and her bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary.

https://www.fcc.gov/eb-harold-bio

I've been a Ham Radio operator since 1976, Hold an Amateur Extra and a GROL Commercial License. I don't know a single Ham Operator who is a criminal. For a long time many were X Military. They always supported the nation and the Constitution. I ran a Navy/Marine MARS Station out of my home and auto for 19 years.

We are in very different times today. Lawlessness seems to be on every street corner. Almost all of it is cause by those who seek to destroy the nation, by unconstitutional means. And destroy our sovereignty as a nation. My Ham Operator friends are NOT part of that crowd.

Technically, NONE. I’ll try to explain. Most Baofeng analog VHF/UHF transceivers span a range that will permit usage of 2 meter HAM (144-148MHz) and 70cm (420-450MHz). In addition, it’s also possible to set up channel configurations for FRS/GMRS (UHF) as well as MURS (VHF). HOWEVER... according to the FCC, you can ONLY use a “type certified” radio for the applicable band. IOW, the radio has to be approved BY the FCC for use within a particular band. So for example, in order to transmit on MURS freqs (according to the FCC), you MUST have an FCC “approved” MURS radio... which adheres to the “rules” for MURS... which is something like... handheld transmitter power output capped at 2 watts, external replaceable antenna is permitted, narrow band keying (12KHz) is required... and there are FIVE freqs for MURS right around the 150MHz range for use. Data IS permitted. So by the FCC rules, IF you use a Baofeng radio intended for use with amateur bands, you’ll break the law by using it to communicate on MURS, FRS, or GMRS freqs. But can you do it?! You BETCHA. Should you? That’s something I can’t answer. I CAN tell you that if you don’t draw attention, that nobody is going to care. Moreover this, too many off-roaders than can be counted use this same strategy. They buy cheap Chinese radios (including Baofengs)... program them up for MURS... push a couple of watts (no MORE than 5), and nobody is any worse for wear. Technically, there’s absolutely no way to discern that a non-type-certified Baofeng is transmitting on MURS. Even at 5 watts, you have to be pretty close to determine that the power output is above the legally mandated maximum. So what you “can” do and what you “should” do are to completely separate things. But again, to answer your question simply, there are NO frequencies for just anybody to “use” on a Baofeng amateur FCC type-certified radio. Technically speaking, IF you transmit on a Baofeng HT.. on VHF or UHF frequencies without an FCC amateur radio operator’s license, you will be breaking the law.

https://www.retevis.com/ip67-waterproof-anti-dust-walkie-talkie-rt6-dual-band-radio/
$39.99 1/3/5 watts

https://baofengtech.com/product/uv-82c/
$54.99 1/5 watts

https://baofengtech.com/product/uv-82hp/
$62.99 1/5/7-8 watts

All three cover 136-174mhz (VHF) 400-520mhz (UHF)

Which covers all the below

Ham 2 meter, 144 MHz to 148 MHz

GMRS/FRS 462.5625 MH to 467.7250 MHz

70cm 420 to 450 MHz

(70cm+gmrs/frs = 420 MHz to 467.7250 MHz with 2m being in that 136-174 range)

Retevis is cheaper and advertised as waterproof. All three also look very similar like one company copied the other. In fact even their websites look much the same.

For mobile 50 watt radios, Baofeng is actually $100 cheaper(now that I look at them again). So if I got two Retevis handhelds for $40 each and Baofeng mobile for $200, that would be $280. If I got all Baofeng, it would be $310 - $326. I suppose for $30-46 difference, I might go with all the same brand. Up until writing this, I was thinking Retevis was cheaper on the mobile too but I might have been looking at 25 watt radios. One benefit of having all Baofeng is that all Baofengs are CHIRP compatible.

The immediate use is that my wife works second shift at a nursing home 20 miles away. 20 miles of hills. We rarely get a cell signal at home and between here and town, only get a signal at the top of 2-3 hills. Each of those spots even has a graveled place to pull off to the side. There's a Ham repeater about 5 miles from here, between here and town and I'm hoping that a radio here, through repeater to vehicle will at least make it so that a signal could be had at the top of every hill instead of the 2-3 cell spots. I'm also looking at a 10/25/50 watt mobile radio for the house. We already have a 12 vdc power supply here and in a month or three, it will be hooked back up to solar panels and battery bank. Our batteries finally crapped out after 8 years. We lived off grid for 5 years and for two of those years, had a land line here with a cordless phone running of the battery bank via inverter. So if the electric was out, I'd still have power for a mobile radio and then carry a handheld in the truck so if she or I broke down in a valley, we could walk to the top of the hill and call for help. That repeater is a little higher than our place and I think, higher or as high as any hill between it and town. Gonna have to stop by and talk to the guy. I did drive by and see the tower. There as an SUV the driveway that had antennas on it so I'm sure he'd know what's what as far as repeater range. I'll stop by next Saturday.

I guess ideally, it would be a mobile at the house, mobile in the truck and also handheld in the truck in case we break down in a valley and need to walk to the top of a hill. We get a lot of wintery mix and then the temp drops as it gets dark and then sometimes changes to snow so you get a condition of a thin layer of ice underneath snow. We also get ice storms here occasionally. Being rural, the state/county can't always keep up with salting the roads, especially the 4 mile paves road closest to us. The trip to town is 4 miles gravel, 4 miles paved county road and 12 miles State Hwy.

My other use of course if shtf scenario and it just so happens that from what I've heard, there's supposed to be a survivalist/prepper community right around where the repeater is. Pretty sure I talked to one guy on the phone who sells solar panels and related components. The conversation subject ended up on prepping. When I told him we were off grid, he really wanted to come see our setup but things were a mess here so I put him off. Never know who's who so I also had to wonder if he wasn't trying to scope things out for a resource come shtf as there are some people who plan on surviving by robbing others. Being new to the area, I didn't have a feel for how people are here. I now know that aside from meth heads, just a bunch of nice people. Then I saw him once at the lumber store. He had his solar business and his name on his pickup which Is how I knew who he was. I didn't strike up a conversation with him. He was already talking to someone. Seemed like a nice normal guy though. If tshtf big time, with just the four of us, life would be tough. A community would fair better than a family. If nothing else, barter and help each other and the repeater guy would likely have info coming through the airwaves. Even if I had the same setup, he's got a better spot. We're 200 foot down from a good high spot. When we don't get a cell signal here, we drive a mile up the gravel road if we need to. If we don't get a signal there, we go another mile up by a big radio tower. Hill country's a biotch.

With the dems being allowed to cheat now, in 2022 or 2024, they'll have the WH and a big majority in the Senate and House at which point they'll be able to do whatever they want. I can see them ratifying a treaty with the UN at which point, we're under the control of globalists. The left's goal is to collapse the US and other Western countries and build their global utopia aka global communism. The collapse and transition will be bad times and probably all times there after. Think I read something about seven years. ;~)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.