Is this radio legal in the US

[CharlesDom]

NEW ICOM IC-R8500 Desktop Unblock Receiver Scanner

I saw this radio for sale on Ebay. It says unblocked, I assume that includes cellular. Isn't cellular digital? Probably won't pick it up anyway. Just wondering.

 

[SLWilson]

Cellular

In isn't "legal" to monitor cellular phones in the US. Send the guy on E-Bay an email and ask him what that (inblocked) means!!!!

You'd probably never get "caught" with an illegal receiver, but, if you hear "something" interesting on the thing, no doubt you'll tell your buddy about it, he'll tell a couple of buddies, and then, someone will eventually look you up!!! Not worth the trouble in the longrun...

Just my 2 cents worth....

Steve/KB8FAR

 

[hoser147]

Yep what Steve said. ..............................Hoser

 

[n2mdk]

Unblocked means it covers the 824-849 / 869-894 MHz cellular bands, not really much to listen to there these day that are analog. http://www.universal-radio.com/CATALOG/widerxvr/1850.html

 

[elk2370bruce]

Don't waste your hard earned money. You're not gonna hear diddly. Besides, monitoring cellular is, as stated above, is illegal.

 

[iMONITOR]

It is not illegal to own an un-blocked receiver capable of receiving the cellular bands, provided it was manufactured, or brought into the U.S. prior to the law being introduced against monitoring cellular.

If someone has something like an ICOM IC-R8500, R7000, R7100 that is un-blocked, and was sold prior to the ban, then you can re-sell it, or buy it, or own it legally.

Purchasing a new one today on eBay, from Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc, would not be wise. However people seem to do it on a weekly basis, and I've never hear of any problems. Possibly the people responsible for enforcing the ban feel it's as ridiculous as the rest of us, but I wouldn't bet on it.

What makes un-blocked Icom's attractive is that the blocked receivers seem to also block out good portions of the 800MHz band that we are allowed to monitor.

 

[n2mdk]

I don't think that radio would be a waste of money if you wanted a truly wide band communications receiver, but to listen to the blocked cell band frequencies then yes it would.
I wouldn't mind having one myself. Here's the eHam review of it. http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/470?page=1