Wow, so much anger and so many assumptions and negativity.
It seems like you guys don't understand some things about radios. Here are a few points:
- MANY radios, yes, even Motorola's, have some bad FCC grant info on power levels, and even on the Part designations. Don't ask me why - maybe they are data entry errors, but there are many examples of this, and it doesn't necessarily mean the radios can't use any power above the listed amount, because MANY of them do. If there was some major controversy over this, you would think the FCC would be pulling certs right and left, but they don't, and they haven't pulled the TR-505 like they did to the AnyTone GMRS/MURS, because the TERA grant passed muster. I'm not sure why you're not okay with it, since they are. Do you want to be the radio police?
- Play by the rules like all other radio manufacturers? HAHAHAHA That's a good one. All me, what rules are they breaking? BTW, I'm not TERA, and I never said that they didn't want naysayers. I don't speak for them.
- Re the GMRS and MURS use at the same time... well, MY site does say that! You'll have to ask TERA why their's doesn't, but they only sell the radio configured for GMRS. Why is this getting your panties in a bunch though? Have you seen how the racing enthusiast pages market their radios, and how they just program them willy-nilly and NEVER say that you even need a license? Shouldn't you be saving some of your outrage for the horrors that TERA is befalling on society for the sites that are actually openly violating the rules?
Seriously? You don't know that the same hardware can have multiple grants? There are plenty of radios that have Part 90 and Part 95 grants (including Kenwoods and Motorolas, etc.), and you can program whatever you want into them, but by your interpretation of the FCC rules, they would all be illegal, eh?
It's the ability for the user to front-panel program a radio for multiple bands or say to change power to a level that exceeds the current band's regulations, that would make it not type-accepted, not the ability for the hardware itself to be capable of being programmed such a way. If that was the case, hardly any radios would be legal to use. You just seem to be making a big deal about something that isn't. DO you work for a competitor or something?
cmjonesinc: I'm not sure what point you're trying to make, but when I discovered these radios, and before I understood the dual certification and the details surrounding such, I was confused also, especially as the AnyTone GMRS/MURS was being taken down (although for a different reason).
As well, TERA was indeed planning on retiring the radio, and in the course of looking into designing a new GMRS/MURS radio that could be set to boot up as GMRS or MURS (not both at the same time), apparently the TR-505 was discussed with the FCC, which is how we know that they are okay with the current grant and radio configuration. At about that same time, I started selling the radios and TERA decided to do another run of them (and yet another since then, with new calibration for MURS at my request - the original was only 1W on VHF, now they are 2W).
Again, if it's good with the FCC, I'm not sure why it isn't with you guys. It's great having a radio you can reprogram and use on another band. You know, like the Part 90/95 commercial radios that exist and have been around for many years without any problems. Are you grinding Motorola and Kenwood for this? How about all the ham radios that can be unlocked for use on GMRS/MURS - you know, the ones really ruining the marketplace? Shouldn't those be programmatically limited to not be able to transmit on those bands?
Anyway, cast all the doubts you want - I was just trying to help clear up a few misconceptions and questions. Yes, it's a very unique radio. Yes, so far it's 100% legal after about 3 years on the market, and until the FCC deems it not, shouldn't we be worrying more about the actually crappy import radios that don't bother to get any kind of certification at all, and which have been tested and shown to have potentially dangerous spurious radiation (Baofeng)?
RogueSteward: Since you own a 505, I trust that you haven't ever transmitted with it, right? Have you put it on an RF analyzer to check the harmonics? I'd love to see it.