Questions tagged [united-states]
Questions specific to rules, regulations, and practices in the United States of America.
237
questions
3
votes
2answers
811 views
What are the regulation requirements for running a repeater?
When I try to find information on the requirements to run a repeater, I just see a lot of results related to building one. But I'm wondering about USA regulations.
Does one need a particular license?...
1
vote
3answers
48 views
GMRS Call Sign for Technician
I have a GMRS License and currently studying for my Technician’s License. Once I pass the exam, can I use my GMRS “Call Sign?”
2
votes
3answers
322 views
Do FCC obscenity regulations apply to ham radio transmissions?
In particular when ham-sters are using the VHF or UHF bands and talking to each other through repeaters(as well as local radio nets). But also what about DXing? Do FCC obscenity regulations apply ...
3
votes
2answers
126 views
Maximum legal QRQ CW speed?
Computer generated and decoded Morse Code seems to be a not-uncommon operating practice in the HF bands. Given this, and that there's no reason why Morse/CW signals can't be synthesized and decoded ...
9
votes
3answers
5k views
Is it legal for a non-profit to use ham radios for emergency purposes?
I've been tasked to help update my organization's emergency contingencies and ham radios were brought up. We provide residential services to the mentally handicapped and we are looking at ways to make ...
1
vote
1answer
91 views
General Vs Technician Call Sign?
Is there a distinction between a call sign for a General vs. Technician?
I recently upgraded to general, I am curious about changing call sign to reflect license upgrade?
9
votes
2answers
1k views
Who enacts the FCC's rules and regulations?
I came across an old answer on this site which makes the claim:
It would take an act of Congress to change this [FCC Part 97] rule.
Is that correct? I was under the impression that United States ...
1
vote
3answers
87 views
How safe is 100 watts on 2-40 meters?
So I have the misfortune of being an apartment dweller. I know that 50 watts is pretty safe as it is what first responders use on 2 meters. Am I really going to have to run around with an analyzer ...
2
votes
2answers
69 views
Amateur Radio License classes in Central Iowa
I'm looking for an amateur radio license class in central Iowa, near Des Moines. I've been unable to locate anything through web searches.
0
votes
1answer
118 views
Why does the 60 meter band have special operating characteristics?
Why does this band have special operating characteristics and what do they mean.
3
votes
2answers
52 views
What VHF & UHF frequencies are important during an emergency?
If something bad goes down (state-wide or nationwide), what frequencies should I be tuning into?
I did see this answer, but I have a BaoFeng UV-82HP which cannot do HF at all, so what are my options?
...
3
votes
3answers
321 views
What Frequencies Are Open To People Without A License?
I am in rural Alaska and I am very far from anywhere that gives Ham Exams. I got a Ham Radio and I want to operate it and talk to people. However, I read that frequencies are not allowed to be ...
4
votes
2answers
158 views
If I cancel my amateur license, will my address be removed from the FCC database?
When my university encouraged me to apply for an amateur radio license, they never mentioned the fact that my address would be listed on the public FCC database, for anyone who Googles my name to ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
To obtain operating privileges after the 2 year grace
I have been under medically supervised treatment for the past few years. I have been on heavy meds. I presently am showing signs of improvement from cognitive issues which were troubling me. I ...
1
vote
2answers
186 views
GMRS not transmitting within a half mile
I recently got my GMRS license from the FCC, and I wanted to try out a couple radios for hiking and emergency communication. I have two tenway UV-5R pro radios (these do have an FCC ID) that are set ...
5
votes
1answer
151 views
Does the FCC care about electrical arcs?
There are a lot of videos on YouTube from people who have built high voltage sources and are sending electric arcs from one place to another. Although they have no intention to emit radio waves, they ...
-4
votes
4answers
63 views
what is a good way to study for the tech test
I took the test last week but I failed it I was in a program that went through all the chapters but I just very bad at taking tests is there a way to go around the test
0
votes
3answers
147 views
Why are no 2w FRS walkie talkies on the market?
I have read that the new laws regarding FRS radios state that you may use up to 2 watts power, yet I can't find a single 2 way radio that advertises 2 watts power; only .5 watt, or they don't state ...
1
vote
4answers
114 views
Can a foreign student take a US license exam in the US and use that license in China?
The event I'm currently attending hosts Ham exams, and it's kind of likely that the student would pass on first attempt; would it make sense for him to take the exam? Can he just go home to China and ...
7
votes
4answers
3k views
What fraction of 2x2 USA call signs are vanity calls?
I found out a while back that, as things currently stand with the FCC, if you take and pass all three license class exams in the same sitting, you get a so-called "two by two" or 2x2 call -- two ...
1
vote
3answers
278 views
Frequency for UHF hot spot in the US
Approximately what frequency should my UHF Pi-Star be set on in the US? Is there a standard?
5
votes
2answers
226 views
Can anyone identify this military radio?
Hoping someone can identify the following military radio.
I spotted it at the curb and decided to make it a land-fill diversion project...
2
votes
2answers
510 views
Can I use my US callsign to transmit while in El Salvador?
I am traveling to El Salvador later this fall, and was wonder if there is any reciprocal agreement that would let me use a US callsign while there? If so, what privileges would I have there based on ...
7
votes
4answers
208 views
Required SSB sideband and carrier suppression?
Is there a legal (U.S. FCC) or a commonly accepted standard requirement for SSB opposite sideband and and carrier suppression for either manufactured or kit built transmitters?
Does the 43+ dB down ...
1
vote
0answers
127 views
Mismatched Radios: A Baofeng UV-5R & a Cobra ACXT 645 [closed]
I've got a Baofeng UV-5R and a Cobra ACXT 645, and I'm trying to get them to communicate.
The Cobra transmits and the Baofeng (programmed with CHIRP) receives, but not the other way around.
I've ...
3
votes
0answers
99 views
GnuRadio RF transmission, legal and safety issues
I'm trying to run some transmit/receive RF examples that I found online using GNU Radio with USRP B200. I read and heard about some cautions in terms of transmitted frequencies here in the USA which ...
2
votes
1answer
68 views
Transferring old callsign to a club?
A new vanity callsign will be granted to me (currently in pending level 2 stage).
Can I transfer my current soon to be cancelled callsign (vanity) to a club which I am trustee without waiting the ...
5
votes
3answers
116 views
Is Field Day a contest?
Is the ARRL Field Day a contest, or is it not a contest?
Kindly explain the reasoning behind your answer.
A non-ham could not tell the difference.
2
votes
1answer
171 views
Would a ham license allow me to use an uncertified radio on other (non-ham) bands I have permission to use?
I just purchased a UV-5R to hopefully integrate into business class radios my company uses. Do I need a technician or other class FCC license to operate these only on the frequencies I already access ...
13
votes
3answers
275 views
Testing blind license applicants
My friend is blind and would like to take the amateur radio license exam.
I understand that the question and the four possible answers can be read to them, and that is fine. The one question that we ...
3
votes
3answers
98 views
How can I get a license to build broadcast transmitters?
I am in the United States.
The title pretty much says it all. I am really into to building transmitters. It's even more fun for me than using them. I really have a lot of skills and would like to ...
0
votes
2answers
47 views
How old do you have to be to be a ARES volunteer?
Look at the title for the body because my question is short.
1
vote
2answers
88 views
What to do when accidental emission can't be given a call sign ID?
Yes, obviously, it would be best if there's not an emission that doesn't include a call sign ID. Part 97 seems to say this should never, ever occur (the law is often written in that kind of black-and-...
5
votes
3answers
545 views
Call sign ID for a “homebrew” or improvised repeater?
I saw a couple YouTube videos last night about setting up a repeater using a pair of cheap hand-held radios and, at its simplest, an audio patch cable to connect the speaker output of one radio to the ...
6
votes
2answers
523 views
What are the official Baofeng websites in the USA?
Which Baofeng website(s) in the USA is (are) official (that is, selling genuine Baofeng radios, programming cables, and accessories)?
Which "Baofeng" websites are NOT, allegedly selling counterfeit ...
1
vote
2answers
70 views
How to log contacts when mobile?
I'm just about to get on the air for the first time as a ham. It's been my understanding that it's good to log contacts with call sign, frequency, signal quality, and time of contact. However, for ...
3
votes
1answer
49 views
Digital networks — operator at control point, or automatic relay?
I've recently (part of studying for Extra license exam) learned about "mesh networks", where it's common to use repurposed wifi routers to connect at 2.4 or 4.8 GHz and form a network over a much ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Sending a downloaded file on digital: third party communication?
This came up in comments on this question.
Since before the Internet was widely available, it's been common to pass along files received from other users or downloaded from a server somewhere. For ...
4
votes
3answers
334 views
Is compression “encryption” under FCC regs?
I read this question about digital signatures and FCC prohibitions on "obscuring" messages in amateur transmissions, and it cause me to think of something: the difference between encryption and ...
4
votes
1answer
85 views
High-resolution GIS datasets of groundwave conductivity of the United States, besides the FCC?
The FCC publishes a map of estimated groundwave conductivity of the United States, but the resolution is quite low:
Are there any GIS datasets that include groundwave conductivity at a higher ...
5
votes
1answer
152 views
Signing of messages transmitted over ham radio
FCC Regulation 97.113 (a) 4 states that:
"messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning"
Are "Prohibited transmissions", I believe this is the clause that is used to prohibit ...
4
votes
1answer
255 views
What are Radio-location Services in the 1.9-2.0 MHz range?
I'm currently studying for the General Exam and in looking at charts of the new frequency privileges have run across a restriction I would like to have further defined. In the 160 meter band the books ...
3
votes
0answers
79 views
Can anybody identify an appropriate radio for this game? [closed]
Complete radio ignoramous here. I've been playing a game called The Blackout Club, and I'd quite like to make a 3D model of a radio set for it.
The game is set around 2007 and, as in the picture ...
0
votes
3answers
128 views
Why do some of the amateur radio license names imply something different than what it actually is?
I am asking on behalf of my friend who is not on this site.
My friend wants to know the nomenclature behind the licence Amateur extra, since they think that that term is misleading. I think my ...
1
vote
1answer
168 views
What devices are able to decode the EAS SAME headers, attention signal, and encoded marker?
When I was watching television, especially when I was younger, I sometimes heard a loud noise, followed by either a test message, or a genuine emergency broadcasts, like an Amber alert.
The first ...
6
votes
1answer
133 views
What happens to your callsign if you migrate?
If, as an amateur radio operator, you're licensed in one country with a callsign, let's suppose, the US and you migrate to, say, Germany, will you have to reapply and obtain a new callsign?
What if ...
0
votes
3answers
75 views
Voltage Converter for Amp
I have a chance to get a 1 kW amplifier with a 220V plug dirt cheap from a friend of mine, but I only have a 110 outlet. The 110 outlet is on its very own 20A breaker with no other outlets. Could I ...
0
votes
2answers
159 views
Amateur wanting to re-enter ham radio legally
I'm an Amateur Radio enthusiast from way back; mostly CB and 10 meters. I have a couple of hand-held Baofengs that I want to use for family communications and as a backup link in case of emergencies.
...
5
votes
2answers
504 views
Yagi vs Parabolic Dish for 2.4GHz Campus Wifi from 1,800ft away?
My apt balcony is 1,812 feet exactly from my campus's Wifi access point behind a triple pane, brick, 4th floor building window. There is a clear line of sight. I was interested in seeing if I could ...
5
votes
3answers
389 views
Unlicensed TV broadcasting power limit (Band I)
I'm curious what is the legal limit for unlicensed TV signals being transmitted on the VHF Band I?
This seems ill defined. The part 15 FM rules I am assuming don't apply here. And I don't think it ...
