Motorola XTS?

[KevinC]

Yeah I agree. "Also certified". It specifically talks about having capabilities outside the GMRS service and mentions that it needs to be certified under those parts. I think saying this allows Part 90 accepted radios is stretching it. If that was the intent of this section, I could theoretically use whatever radio I wanted as long as it was type accepted under any other rules part. So, could I use a TV broadcast transmitter on GMRS if the transmitter had Part 73 certification?

95.355 touches on this. If you look at the 95.735 mentioned in that same section, they specifically mention using non-certified transmitters for the remote control radio service -if- it meets the technical requirement.
For GMRS (presumably) they specifically mention 95.1735 (which falls in the range of the GMRS specific rules), however that section does not/no longer exists.

I've found, after reading lots of lots of FCC rules, that the FCC is -usually- exceedingly capable of being very precise and exact in their rules. They generally do not leave anything to guessing. I think the failure of the FCC to actually have a working link to the correct GMRS 95.1735 (or whatever they meant) is an exception and should not be used as a free pass.

Would be fairly easy for someone to send a well worded e-mail to a knowledgeable individual and the FCC and get an accurate response.

But in an emergency....

 

[mmckenna]

But in an emergency....

Right, when all else fails and all you have is a 1MW broadcast transmitter….

There's probably a ton of people using Part 90 radios on GMRS, yet the world keeps turning and the silent black helicopters of the FCC enforcement swat team have not arrived yet.

 

[vagrant]

There's probably a ton of people using Part 90 radios on GMRS, yet the world keeps turning and the silent black helicopters of the FCC enforcement swat team have not arrived yet.

 

[nokones]

Yeah I agree. "Also certified". It specifically talks about having capabilities outside the GMRS service and mentions that it needs to be certified under those parts. I think saying this allows Part 90 accepted radios is stretching it. If that was the intent of this section, I could theoretically use whatever radio I wanted as long as it was type accepted under any other rules part. So, could I use a TV broadcast transmitter on GMRS if the transmitter had Part 73 certification?

95.355 touches on this. If you look at the 95.735 mentioned in that same section, they specifically mention using non-certified transmitters for the remote control radio service -if- it meets the technical requirement.
For GMRS (presumably) they specifically mention 95.1735 (which falls in the range of the GMRS specific rules), however that section does not/no longer exists.

I've found, after reading lots of lots of FCC rules, that the FCC is -usually- exceedingly capable of being very precise and exact in their rules. They generally do not leave anything to guessing. I think the failure of the FCC to actually have a working link to the correct GMRS 95.1735 (or whatever they meant) is an exception and should not be used as a free pass.

Would be fairly easy for someone to send a well worded e-mail to a knowledgeable individual and the FCC and get an accurate response.

Hmm, I know that the UHF T-Band freqs (470-512 MHz), which were originally allocated/assigned for the UHF TV Channels 14-20 and are well within the operating band of most Motorola Part 90 radios with the high UHF split. Also, I remember when the LA Sheriff and Police Departments were very instrumental in having those frequencies reallocated for Part 90 use in the large metropolitan regions such as Los Angeles and New York.

I am not well versed on Part 73 rules or system/equipment but, I am going to take a s.w.a.g. here say that I doubt that the FCC would certify Part 73 transmitters to operate below 470 MHz. Also, if the Part 73 Transmitter is type-accepted to operate below 470 MHz, than the Part 73 type-accepted transmitter would have to meet the technical parameters for operating on Part 95 Subpart E GMRS freqs such as emissions, accuracy, bandwidth, modulation, etc.

 

[mmckenna]

It was my poor attempt at a joke.

If Part 90 radios were legal to use on Part 95 frequencies, there would be no need to have UHF radios with both Part 90 and Part 95 certification, as many of the older Icom and Motorola radios had.

But like I said, no one is going to know.

If you'd like, try contacting the WTB at the FCC and ask them. Don't waste your time on the 800 number.

 

[ElroyJetson]

What really differentiates a Part 90 radio from a Part 95 radio is that GMRS radios are not supposed to have any frequencies in them other than GMRS. They are not supposed to be field tunable or field programmable. They are intended for usage by (licensed) general public users, and not meant to be used in commercial service. In terms of technical specifications, RF performance and specs, they're virtually identical, but commercial radios will usually have better performance specs.

If you use a Part 90 radio in a Part 95 system and keep your mouth shut about it, nobody is going to be the wiser.

Essentially the ability of a Part 90 radio to be programmed to use frequencies outside the GMRS allocations is all that keeps it from Part 95 acceptance.

 

[W2JEL]

Well, that depends:

What band is it? These are single band radios. You cannot change what band it is on.
What features does it have? It'll have analog, but it might have P25 digital. Might have trunking. Might have some other cool features. Or, it might not.

So, here's what you can do with that:
If it's a band that you can use.
If you have Astro25 Portable programming software
If you have a programming cable
-or-
You have someone who can program it for you,
You can set it up to listen.

Good for conventional systems.
Using it to monitor trunking is a whole huge ball o'wax that comes with a bunch of challenges. Don't expect to use this to monitor a trunked system. If it has the right features, you can make it do it, but there's a lot of risks. Get a scanner. Get a scanner. Get a scanner.


If you have a valid FCC license:
And you have a radio that will work on the band/service you are licensed for
You can program it to transmit.
If it's VHF, you can use it on the 2 meter amateur radio band.
If it's UHF, and it's the correct band split, you can use it on the 70cm band.
If it's a 700/800MHz model, there is no where you can legally transmit with it, and no, you as an individual cannot get a license on 700 or 800MHz, there are no itinerant channels, no ham channels, no "free/don't need a license" channels, no matter what anyone tells you.

If it is UHF, it is NOT legal for GMRS, but some may ignore that and use it anyway.
If it is UHF, It is NOT legal for FRS in any way, shape or form, but some may ignore that and use it anyway.
If it is VHF, It is NOT legal for MURS in any way shape for form, but….


What it is:
Probably a 20+ year old radio that would be in need of alignment.
Probably in need of a new battery.
Probably in need of a new antenna.
If it was used by EMS, probably in need of sterilization.

Or, use it as a handy door stop.

Tacticool is a whole 'nuther tributary of the Mighty Whacker River rolling on to the sea of insanity.

If it was used by EMS, probably in need of sterilization

Well, that depends:

What band is it? These are single band radios. You cannot change what band it is on.
What features does it have? It'll have analog, but it might have P25 digital. Might have trunking. Might have some other cool features. Or, it might not.

So, here's what you can do with that:
If it's a band that you can use.
If you have Astro25 Portable programming software
If you have a programming cable
-or-
You have someone who can program it for you,
You can set it up to listen.

Good for conventional systems.
Using it to monitor trunking is a whole huge ball o'wax that comes with a bunch of challenges. Don't expect to use this to monitor a trunked system. If it has the right features, you can make it do it, but there's a lot of risks. Get a scanner. Get a scanner. Get a scanner.


If you have a valid FCC license:
And you have a radio that will work on the band/service you are licensed for
You can program it to transmit.
If it's VHF, you can use it on the 2 meter amateur radio band.
If it's UHF, and it's the correct band split, you can use it on the 70cm band.
If it's a 700/800MHz model, there is no where you can legally transmit with it, and no, you as an individual cannot get a license on 700 or 800MHz, there are no itinerant channels, no ham channels, no "free/don't need a license" channels, no matter what anyone tells you.

If it is UHF, it is NOT legal for GMRS, but some may ignore that and use it anyway.
If it is UHF, It is NOT legal for FRS in any way, shape or form, but some may ignore that and use it anyway.
If it is VHF, It is NOT legal for MURS in any way shape for form, but….


What it is:
Probably a 20+ year old radio that would be in need of alignment.
Probably in need of a new battery.
Probably in need of a new antenna.
If it was used by EMS, probably in need of sterilization.

Or, use it as a handy door stop.

If it was used by EMS, probably in need of sterilization. Now that's the best advice given.