900 MHz license?

[Aaron_B]

I am planning to purchase around 10 DMR capable portable radios all in the 900mhz range probably xpr6580's. I am going to use them for my business and I was wondering if I need a license to operate them in the 900mhz range. I am pretty sure you don't need a license, but have read some places that say you do. So I just wanted to double check. Thank you for your time.


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[nd5y]

Yes, your business would need a license. Only low power Part 15 devices are allowed to operate in the 902-928 MHz ISM/amateur band without a license. I just looked at a spec sheet for the Motoraola XPR6850 and it doesn't list 902-928 MHz. The rest of the 896-940 MHz band requires licensing.

 

[Aaron_B]

Thank you for the fast response. If I were to get a radio that could operate within the 902-928 MHz limit could it be used with out a license?

 

[prcguy]

Only if its FCC type accepted as a part 15 or other license free radio in that band. Motorola makes the DTR series which is a 1w 900MHz license free radio, here is one version: Amazon.com: Motorola OEM DTR650 1W 10 Channels 900MHz Two-Way Radio - AAH73WCF9NA5AN: Car Electronics
prcguy

Thank you for the fast response. If I were to get a radio that could operate within the 902-928 MHz limit could it be used with out a license?

 

[nd5y]

Thank you for the fast response. If I were to get a radio that could operate within the 902-928 MHz limit could it be used with out a license?

I assume you are in the US. You can't legally use regular two way radios like the Motorola you mentioned in that frequency range. You won't be able to get a license for that band. There is so much other ISM and part 15 junk in that band that you might have interference problems anyway.

There used to be a brand called Tri-Square or something similar that were low power (1/2 watt I think) spread spectrum radios that operated in that band but they are no longer made. They were very short range similar to FRS radios.

How far do you need to communicate? What type of business? What leads you to believe you need to have 900 MHz DMR radios?

 

[cmjonesinc]

You could always use wlan based radios if you're set on not getting a license and have a wifi network where you're wanting to operate. I suspect they're not cheap however IP100H License-free IP radio for wireless network (WLAN) - Features - Icom America

 

[cmjonesinc]

Actually after a little looking it appears you can get the controller for right around 1300 bucks and the radios around 400 each. Not a terrible option if you have wifi in place and you're indoors.

 

[Aaron_B]

I assume you are in the US. You can't legally use regular two way radios like the Motorola you mentioned in that frequency range. You won't be able to get a license for that band. There is so much other ISM and part 15 junk in that band that you might have interference problems anyway.



There used to be a brand called Tri-Square or something similar that were low power (1/2 watt I think) spread spectrum radios that operated in that band but they are no longer made. They were very short range similar to FRS radios.



How far do you need to communicate? What type of business? What leads you to believe you need to have 900 MHz DMR radios?

I just wanted to use the 900mhz (xpr6580) units because I thought that it would be less hassle to get the licenses for that frequency. Apparently, I was wrong and I am glad I checked before I purchased. Now that I know the problems with the 900mhz band I was wondering what it would take to get a license for the UHF business band. I am now planning on purchasing 10 xpr6550 units 403-470mhz. I am not to familiar with acquiring licenses from the FCC so even basic help is appreciated. As for my business, it is an ATV rental business and we need coverage for a 2.5 mile radius. Most of the communication will be happening within a dense urban area.

 

[kruser]

You must also remember the ISM users such as hospitals have priority on the band. They use a lot of frequency hopping between 902 - 928 and if you cause interference, you must cease operations. I think the amateur service comes second and they must also cease operations if they cause interference to ISM users.
A lot of large farmers use the ISM band for sending telemetry back to their water controls for irrigation control.
I do not know if an amateur user has any more rights to use the band over those using it as a license free band. I know you can have radios with a max power out of 1 watt but external antennas are allowed and it is not out of the question to get 50 miles of range if you are on flat farm land and using highly directional antennas.

In addition to the licensed users of the ISM band such as hospitals, there are wireless speakers and headphones permitted in the band. Those need a decent bandwidth for good fidelity.
Then you have the telemetry radios. Those can run 1 watt of power and usually are required by rule to use FHSS emissions. Several weather stations make use of the band. They usually hop amongst 61 or so channels with very short bursts of data for each packet transmitted.

If you are going to setup shop in the 900 MHz band, you will certainly need a license if you need decent coverage. It may be cheaper to rent repeater time on someone's repeater that is already setup in your area.

If all your users are going to be close together, the DTR650 may be a good choice. They do offer removable antennas as well as some other neat features.
If you need range though, something else would serve you better.

I don't know where you are located but a lot of radio shops in urban areas have setup public repeaters in the 900 MHz band. You just pay a monthly fee to use the repeater and they usually take care of the license unless you are going to have a control point for your users, then you may need your own license.

I think repeaters are allowed in the ISM band but they would be restricted to 1 Watt and the more you add, the more you risk interfering with patient monitoring equipment at hospitals.
If all your users are going to be located within a building, the DTR650 may be a good choice. They already use FHSS to be compliant with FCC rules.

 

[mmckenna]

I am planning to purchase around 10 DMR capable portable radios all in the 900mhz range probably xpr6580's.

Stop.

Don't.

Back up a second. You need radios for work. The first thing you should be doing is asking yourself what your expectations are of the radio system. Is it short range job site communications? Is it itinerant use at various places around the state/country? Is it wide area, county/city wide?

Answer those questions for yourself first.

Then, you need to figure out what your budget is.

Once you have your realistic expectations and budget you need to talk to a radio shop. Go in knowing what you want and what you are willing to pay. Shop around.

One of the worst things you can do is just buy a bunch of radios without having full understanding of what they are capable of and what the legal requirements of their operation is. You could easily drop a couple of thousand dollars on 10 radios only to find out they won't do what you want.

A good radio shop will work with you, your budget and your needs and come up with a few solutions. You should shop around and compare prices and equipment.
Don't go into this with a technology/frequency/brand already decided. The sales guys can smell that from a mile away and they'll be waiting for you to walk in the door. You'll walk out with exactly what you asked for, rather than what you actually need, and your wallet will be several thousand dollars lighter.

There are a number of us on here that would be happy to assist if you could give us some ideas of what you are looking for, what sort of coverage and how much budget you have. There are a lot of options, including some "license by rule" services that might save you a whole bunch of money. There are some great resource here, so sharing some info would help get you started in the right direction.

 

[radio241]

FCC Licensing

I just wanted to use the 900mhz (xpr6580) units because I thought that it would be less hassle to get the licenses for that frequency. Apparently, I was wrong and I am glad I checked before I purchased. Now that I know the problems with the 900mhz band I was wondering what it would take to get a license for the UHF business band. I am now planning on purchasing 10 xpr6550 units 403-470mhz. I am not to familiar with acquiring licenses from the FCC so even basic help is appreciated. As for my business, it is an ATV rental business and we need coverage for a 2.5 mile radius. Most of the communication will be happening within a dense urban area.

In general this appears to be a reasonable plan. Keep in mind that you will probably not achieve complete coverage even in a 2.5 mile radius with UHF portables, but in general it should work well.

You will need to apply for FCC licensing through a frequency coordinator. Feel free to PM me if you would like some help with that.