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My brother just bought me and himself a set of bf-f8hp radios for setting up two way communication while we are on long motorcycle trips. Now, this radio seems like overkill and I don't want to meet with anything illegal. How can I set this up?

Secondary question, what other cool stuff can I do with it?

Completely oblivious when it comes to this stuff, but I'm eager to learn.

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    $\begingroup$ This seems far too broad. How can you set it up? Well I suppose it would depend on what you intend to do with it, but as you are asking about that as well, the scope of the question is rather ill-defined. $\endgroup$
    – Phil Frost - W8II
    Commented Feb 19, 2018 at 13:55
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    $\begingroup$ @PhilFrost-W8II Yes, it's broad, and maybe OT, but let's leave it open (at least for now) to address his admirable question about the legality. And getting a ham license is "other cool stuff". :-) $\endgroup$
    – Mike Waters
    Commented Feb 19, 2018 at 17:34
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    $\begingroup$ @MikeWaters Well, the question doesn't specify a jurisdiction, and we have a close reason for that, too. $\endgroup$
    – Phil Frost - W8II
    Commented Feb 21, 2018 at 15:55
  • $\begingroup$ Mike, @PhilFrost-W8II has a good point. People from many countries are active here. What country do you live in? $\endgroup$
    – Mike Waters
    Commented Feb 21, 2018 at 20:51
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    $\begingroup$ @MikeWaters I live in the US. I'm looking to use it for two way communication on motorcycle rides primarily. Now that I'm researching I might be interested in making it more of a hobby. I saw something called MURS which might be what I need? $\endgroup$
    – Mike Mandel
    Commented Feb 22, 2018 at 15:27

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From what I can tell, the BF-F8HP is very similar to the UV-5R. These links may help answer your question.

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You didn't specify in which country you will be using the radios, and that affects the answer greatly. The world is a big place, and the Internet gets to most of it!

In most countries, however, the only way to use such a radio legally will be to get a commercial VHF or UHF license, or an amateur radio (ham radio) license. A ham radio license that lets you use such radios is pretty easy to get in quite a lot of countries, and often inexpensive. (In Canada, for example, it's possible to get a callsign for free or low cost, not counting whatever study materials you choose to get.)

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These are great little radios. I really do like them. However, in the U.S., there seems to be no way to legally transmit with these radios without a license. Not even on the unlicensed bands since these radios are not certified for FRS.

My suggestion is to get a Ham Radio license. You only need a technician license for VHF and UHF and wouldn't require more than a day or two to study and pass the test. Good luck.

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    $\begingroup$ I was considering this for my needs. www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2008/09/murs_unlicensed_vhf.aspx $\endgroup$
    – Mike Mandel
    Commented Feb 23, 2018 at 19:54

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