Com4 IS technically correct. There is NO law that specifically makes any distinction between a Uniden scanner receiving an edacs system and a Jaguar set up to receive (and only receive) on the same system. In fact, the law ONLY states that it's not legal to TRANSMIT WITHOUT
AUTHORIZATION, with authorization of course being something that is granted by someone
who himself is authorized to make that decision.
It is not illegal to have a radio that's CAPABLE of transmitting, it's only illegal to transmit
without authorization to do so. (And under bona fide life or death emergency situations,
the FCC specifically authorizes anyone to utilize ANY available radio system for the purpose
of summoning help. So having an emergency talkgroup that's "live" in the radio would
by itself be no crime...and might be handy some day.)
IF he bought the software from m/a-com, he can use it to program anything into a radio
that the radio and software will accept. But he knows that it would be unwise to put
in TX data. It may be possible to prove that that's not illegal, but it'd take lawyers and
money to prove it in some circumstances.
Personally, I'd never program anything but test channels for ANYBODY unless they showed
authorization forms. And then, only authorization forms for systems of which I personally
(or my company) are an authorized radio repair/programming facility, per the system
adminstrators.
Elroy
