blue5011
Member
I renewed my ham license a year or so ago and seem to have lost/ misplaced the paperwork. Since I renewed directly w/ the FCC site, is there an option there to get a copy? Anybody know?
I am an OTR driver and sometimes bring my scanner along to listen to the MNDoT snowplow drivers. It is legal to listen to them in Minnesota, provided one has a ham license, or permission from said agency.
Are you absolutely sure about this or is it just something you heard from someone else? Granted, I do not know the laws in Minnesota, but generally speaking, having an amateur radio license does not grant you any special privileges beyond those granted in Part 97.
432.570 Restrictions on possession or use of radio capable of sending or
receiving police messages -- Penalty -- Enforcement.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person except a member of a police department or police force or an official with written authorization from the head of a department which regularly maintains a police radio system authorized or licensed by the Federal Communications Commission, to have in his or her possession, or in an automobile or other vehicle, or to equip or install in or on any automobile or other vehicle, any mobile radio set or apparatus capable of either receiving or transmitting radio or other messages or signals within the wave length or channel now or which may hereafter be allocated by the Federal Communications Commission, or its successor, for the purpose of police radios, or which may in any way intercept or interfere with the transmission of radio messages by any police or other peace officers.
...
(4) Nothing contained in this section shall prohibit the possession of a radio by:
(a) An individual who is a retailer or wholesaler and in the ordinary course of his business offers such radios for sale or resale;
(b) A commercial or educational radio or television station, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission, at its place of business; or
(c) An individual who possesses such a radio, provided it is capable of receiving radio transmissions only and is not capable of sending or transmitting radio messages, at his place of residence; licensed
commercial auto towing trucks; newspaper reporters and photographers; emergency management agency personnel authorized in writing by the director of the division of emergency management (for state personnel) or chief executive of the city or county (for their respective personnel); a person holding a valid license issued by the Federal Communications Commission in the amateur radio service; peace officers authorized in writing by the head of their law enforcement agency, Commonwealth's attorneys and their assistants, county attorneys and their assistants, except that it shall be unlawful to use such radio to facilitate any criminal activity or to avoid apprehension by law enforcement officers. Violation of
this section shall, in addition to any other penalty prescribed by law, result in a forfeiture to the local law enforcement agency of such radio.
Yes, I am quite certain. W/ out the exemption it would be illegal to have a mobile (ham) radio that receives out-of-band frequencies in a vehicle. In fact the second VHF mobile I owned (in 1992) would receive in the high 800mhz band, a Alinco DR-110.Are you absolutely sure about this or is it just something you heard from someone else? Granted, I do not know the laws in Minnesota, but generally speaking, having an amateur radio license does not grant you any special privileges beyond those granted in Part 97.
FOR A LICENSE COPY, YOU CAN PRINT IT OUT YOURSELF THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH TO CARRY WITH YOU. AE7Q's Amateur Radio Tools
THIS WILL PRINT IN COLOR, REALLY LOOK NICE, LARGE COPY AND SMALL WALLET SIZE.
Do a search on "Scanner Laws" and look at the specifics on them. In many (if not most) cases, they specifically state that a licensed amateur radio operator is exempt from the provisions of the law.
I should have been able to figure that out for myself... but thanks Tom, for the "starting point" references! I used to be pretty computer/ web savvy, but lately I am feeling by-passed and out-of-date.
I did down-load a "reference" copy (it has the word reference printed across it diagonally), but in the fine print it says you still need the real copy to be legal.
I am an OTR driver and sometimes bring my scanner along to listen to the MNDoT snowplow drivers. It is legal to listen to them in Minnesota, provided one has a ham license, or permission from said agency. Nothing like getting traffic and road condition reports from the folks already out there.
The fine print actually states that the "reference copy" cannot be used in place of an official FCC license.I did down-load a "reference" copy (it has the word reference printed across it diagonally), but in the fine print it says you still need the real copy to be legal.
FOR A LICENSE COPY, YOU CAN PRINT IT OUT YOURSELF THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH TO CARRY WITH YOU. AE7Q's Amateur Radio Tools
THIS WILL PRINT IN COLOR, REALLY LOOK NICE, LARGE COPY AND SMALL WALLET SIZE.
2. Certificate Format
License as a printable certificate with watermark "OFFICIAL COPY".
As of 2017 (I know not how much earlier), the FCC.gov/ULS licensing page has an option in the top-left of your home page (after login) menu. It allows you to print out your OFFICIAL LICENSE with the watermark "OFFICIAL COPY" as opposed to earlier print options that used to say "REFERENCE COPY". Better still, it is a PDF - the de facto document standard - it's only shame being an Adobe product.