A few posts recently about radios and use have me a bit concerned. While you can buy these really cheap and easy to use radios from ebay/amazon/? Just because you can buy them doesn't make them legal. Federal law prohibits the sale or use of "front panel" programmable radios with very few exceptions. FCC enforcement actions are happening, and import restrictions are being increased.
Why? Well most frequencies are licensed to specific users in each geographical area. The idea is that someone with the equipment/software/knowledge to program radios would also have the knowledge to obtain the appropriate licenses to use frequencies.
Reality is: If you have a license for a specific frequency and program it into your radio, most likely no one would ever say anything. The issue comes in when people don't have a license and use the frequency anyway. Several of the preprogrammed frequencies in the most common Bao* radio are public safety frequencies. Police, fire etc. Program them with GMRS/ FRS and no one will ever care. But please don't use licensed frequencies unless you hold that license.
Perhaps some group would like to take the lead and obtain nationwide itinerant licenses for us to share as "snocatradio".
CT
Why? Well most frequencies are licensed to specific users in each geographical area. The idea is that someone with the equipment/software/knowledge to program radios would also have the knowledge to obtain the appropriate licenses to use frequencies.
Reality is: If you have a license for a specific frequency and program it into your radio, most likely no one would ever say anything. The issue comes in when people don't have a license and use the frequency anyway. Several of the preprogrammed frequencies in the most common Bao* radio are public safety frequencies. Police, fire etc. Program them with GMRS/ FRS and no one will ever care. But please don't use licensed frequencies unless you hold that license.
Perhaps some group would like to take the lead and obtain nationwide itinerant licenses for us to share as "snocatradio".
CT