Posted on 01/17/2021 3:46:04 PM PST by gwjack
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.
Media inquiries should be directed to 202-418-0500 or MediaRelations@fcc.gov.
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at docs.fcc.gov ...
Number station documentary - Tracking The Lincolnshire Poacher
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One if by land
two if by sea
>You don’t think the FCC has gear at least as good as that now?
I don’t think they have the staffing to deal with anything other than very troublesome pirates and 14.313 lids. At least that’s what the fines they issue seem to say.
The Fat Man has Landed. Repeat: The Fat Man has Landed.
re: “I would be shocked of its not an available feature of software used to run repeaters..”
NOT a common feature AT ALL. (I don’t recall ever seeing anything of the sort even. You must be thinking Public Safety, like poh-leece and fire.)
re: “The only legal way to use a Baofeng is on amateur (you know, ham) frequencies, and you must be a licensed ham.”
They will work on the various ‘dot’ freqs too, and those are unlicensed.
re: “Turn off the repeaters & jam .52 direct.”
ANY freq may be used in simplex mode WITH the repeater offset set to ZERO ...
In my listening experience, ‘pirates’ are really hounded by the licensed hams.
Darn. We were gonna use our license-free Family Radio Service 49 MHz walkie-talkies to coordinate our insurrection against the United States on January 20th, but the FCC just said we aren't allowed to do that. Never mind, insurrection is off, boys.
I think you have to be certified to transmit on that. Otherwise it’s not legal.
re: “There is no legal radio you can use without a license to go that distance..”
Stay out of everyone’s way and use a digial mode like JS8CALL or MS-DMT or Olivia (found in FLDigi app), and moreso if you use 13.560 MHz (+-7 kHz or so) which is an ISM band in the HF spectrum and nobody will complain either ...
"Red Rover Red Rover....let Art go on over!"
“Pirate Radio”
Argh,
re: “Remember the sound trucks roaming the streets in the occupied countries of Europe?”
REMEMBER the sound truck/poh-leece in Minneapolis telling everyone to stay in their homes - get off their front porches?
re: “Or your Yaesu, Kenwood, or Icon.”
That would be your Yayhoo, Chemwood, or Icon.
re: “Referes to “licensees” all others can do as the please”
Notice: No mention of cellphones, or two-way paging devices, sat-phones or smoke signals either ...
Wouldn’t it be funny to broadcast that at noon on January 20. “Climb Mount Suribachi”.
Baofeng UV5R will work on all kinds of frequencies, including the police freqs. That doesn’t mean it is legal. And they are NOT type accepted and cannot be legally used on the “dot” channels. What I said stands.
They weren’t even legal to sell, but Amazon has probably sold tens of thousands, as have many other outlets.
Thousands of these things are in use, and the vast majority of them are used illegally. I don’t hear of any FCC round ups of people for using them, and I never heard of Amazon getting busted for selling them. For what it’s worth.
I know. I have a license.
A few non-hams here may have heard of .52 direct & understand the reference.
re: “Cell phones can be jammed in areas of interest.”
NEWSFLASH: The cell system operators can out-of-serice an entire cellsite OR SYSTEM (for that matter) at will with just a few keyboard commands entered at the “switch” that resides in the MTSO ...
YOU KNOW also that they do this in 3rd world countries like Pakistan, too, when dignataries move around, land at an airport etc?
Nellie Ohr was a licensed Technician class amateur. That is what I was told.
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