I'm sure it's been beat to death in years gone by, but i'm wondering why it's illegal to transmit out of band on modified ham gear, but okay for Part 90 radios such as the Wouxun and Baofeng to transmit on several different bands.
I'm sure it's been beat to death in years gone by, but i'm wondering why it's illegal to transmit out of band on modified ham gear, but okay for Part 90 radios such as the Wouxun and Baofeng to transmit on several different bands.
WB4CS, thanks for the detailed explanation. That broke it down for me a little better than some of the more vague explanations I have come across regarding this. One more thing, though. Aren't MARS frequencies out of the ham bands as well? Isn't ham gear still allowed to be modified to transmit on those frequencies if you are licensed through MARS to do so, and wouldn't those cause the same spurious emissions? Just curious and trying to understand it a little better. Thanks again.
No tin foil hat needed here, but then there are those "special" type accepted talkies and mobiles which were actually DESIGNED by Kenwood, Yaesu,Alinco and others with out of band use in mind in certain government scenarios where disposable radios might be needed. Modding these was intended by the manufacturer to be simple so a large number could be done quickly ... but then you'll rarely see this in print
That scenario doesn't "feel" right. I suspect that the radios that can be modified are designed to be used in commercial environments too. Maybe in the U.S., maybe not. But be sure it's done out of economic considerations, and probably no other reason.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)
IIRC (and I may be mistaken!) the Civil Air Patrol changed the rules years ago, and no longer allow modified Ham gear on their channels. (MARS may have done the same?) And since at least some CAP units have gone P25, how many Ham radios are P25 capable?
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)
IIRC (and I may be mistaken!) the Civil Air Patrol changed the rules years ago, and no longer allow modified Ham gear on their channels. (MARS may have done the same?) And since at least some CAP units have gone P25, how many Ham radios are P25 capable?
It's not a matter of being out of spec. You can't transmit outside of the ham bands, even with equipment designed to operate on those out of band frequencies, using a ham license. You aren't authorized to transmit on those frequencies. You are authorized to transmit on ham and MARS frequencies Assuming a ham license and MARS membership), with ham gear or with part 90 (or any other) gear, as long as the transmissions meet all the other part 97 or MARS regulations. Part 90 requires not only a part 90 license, but type approval of the equipment used.
So is it illegal to transmit out of band with modified ham gear on a public service frequency I am authorized to use during an instance where the agency's comms were to fail?
The prohibition on using non-type accepted transmitters in a radio service where type accepted transmitters are required is absolute. In other words, if you have authorization to transmit in a Part 90 service (most public safety licenses are Part 90 licenses), you must use Part 90 accepted equipment. Period. End of story.
There is a clause in the Part 97 rules for amateur radio operators which permits them to use any means necessary to communicate in an emergency when no other communications services are available. Emergencies in this case are generally accepted to be situations where there is an immediate threat to life or property. This clause is perceived by some to permit out of band transmit using amateur radio gear. My take on it is that the situations are rare when a true emergency will occur and no other communications services are available.