[chirp_users] Programming Arcshell-5
Bernhard Hailer
Tue May 12 14:14:22 PDT 2020
> "FRS is licensed by rule. This means an individual license is not
required to operate an FRS radio provided you comply with the rules. You
may operate an FRS radio regardless of your age, and for personal or for
business use if you are not a representative of a foreign government."
The same website also states:
"You can operate a FRS transmitter at any place where the FCC regulates
radio communications, subject to certain limitations. A FRS transmitter
may not be modified /and must be certified by the FCC/."
This is also valid for GMRS in §95.1761, GMRS transmitter certification:
(a) Each GMRS transmitter (a transmitter that operates or is intended to
operate in the GMRS) must be certified in accordance with this subpart
and part 2 of this chapter.
If the Arcshells aren't specifically certified for GMRS, then you can't
legally use them.
Regards
Bernhard AE6YN
Fremont, CA
On 12-May-20 11:55, Chance Fulton wrote:
> The license isn't a physical license, that part is only to use the
> higher powered GMRS frequencies that are usually included in blister
> pack radios from big box stores.
>
> "FRS is licensed by rule. This means an individual license is not
> required to operate an FRS radio provided you comply with the rules.
> You may operate an FRS radio regardless of your age, and for personal
> or for business use if you are not a representative of a foreign
> government."
>
> https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/family-radio-service-frs
>
> That said, the Arcshell radios are most certainly not legal for FRS
> (for many different reasons), and probably not for GMRS by (at least)
> not being type accepted for part 95 use.
>
> -Chance
>
> On Tue, May 12, 2020 at 2:45 PM Bernhard Hailer <ae6yn at arrl.net
> <mailto:ae6yn at arrl.net>> wrote:
>
> > GMRS does require a license, and FRS doesn't.
>
> This statement is incorrect. Even FRS requires a license, but in
> the case of this service it is free of cost: the license comes
> with the radio, /which must be FCC approved/ for this particular
> service. Many of the cheap radios don't fulfill this requirement
> and are not legal to use.
>
> As stated by other posters already: it would be your best option
> to get a ham radio Technician license. It's not very difficult,
> you must go to an exam session (35 questions multiple choice,
> easy; the difficult thing these days with COVID-19 is the
> availability of such exams, though). With a Technician license you
> are legally allowed to use radios not approved by the FCC while
> operating on ham bands - but still not on GMRS or FRS or CB or
> MURS. These services /always /require FCC approved equipment.
>
>
> Regards
> Bernhard AE6YN
> Fremont, CA
>
> On 12-May-20 08:11, Mark Blackwell wrote:
>> GMRS does require a license, and FRS doesn't. A citizens band
>> radio doesn't require a license either, but I don't think its
>> your best choice. Hilly terrain may be an asset or a big problem
>> if you have neighbors on the other side of the hill.
>>
>> Not being FCC approved may involve more than just which
>> frequencies are being used. I is certainly possible, or even
>> likely that even if its on the right frequency, the transmission
>> may not meet the requirements to be legal. For your system to
>> work, it needs regular practice.
>>
>> From your brief description, the best option I see is having
>> neighbors in key spots get an amateur radio license. It does
>> require a test, but the first test isn't that hard. There are
>> three level of licenses in amateur radio. The technicians
>> license is the lowest, and the test isn't that hard. It's
>> likely to work for most of your options. The General License
>> allow a lot more privileges, but it is a harder test. The
>> Amateur Extra is the highest level, and by far the toughest
>> test. For me I was really ready for the Tech in about 2 weeks.
>> The General took about a month of study and the Extra about 2
>> months. This is a few minutes of study a day, not an 8 hour a
>> day crash course. Not everyone would necessarily need a license.
>>
>> The benefits are many. Even without power, many larger more
>> powerful units can be powered with batteries, generators or a
>> host methods that don't require the grid to be working. It also
>> counts on no infrastructure like cell towers or the internet.
>> Though some in amateur radio use the internet for many things, if
>> its out it isn't essential
>>
>> Check out the ARRL website. There is a lot there that is good
>> information that I think will go a long way to helping you make
>> the best decision for your community. Also local ham clubs are a
>> good starting point as well.
>>
>> --
>> Mark Blackwell
>> markshamradio at pobox.com <mailto:markshamradio at pobox.com>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, May 11, 2020, at 6:53 PM, Jonathan Pierce wrote:
>>>
>>> Best wishes from a Noob,
>>>
>>>
>>> I am a FireWise neighborhood council member in a rural,
>>> high-risk forested area (70 miles from the Paradise Fire) of
>>> northern California. Several neighbors and I want to set up a
>>> backup evacuation radio notification system for our
>>> neighborhood in the event that power (lose cable internet and
>>> VOIP phone service) and cell towers are down (the local tower
>>> burnt last year during an event). And we have spotty cell
>>> coverage at best.
>>>
>>> We found the best-seller Arcshells on Amazon are powerful and
>>> reach through our hilly neighborhood OK. But I understand that
>>> 1. The devices are not FCC approved; 2. Antennae is removable;
>>> 3. Stock programming is a mix of FRS and GMRS frequencies. Fire
>>> chief has given go ahead for us to use them if we don’t
>>> interfere with any of the EMS, police, and fire frequencies. The
>>> stock frequencies programmed in the Arcshell AR-5 are indeed
>>> different than all the official ones used.
>>>
>>> But some neighbors want the radios reprogrammed so they are
>>> strictly only using FRS frequencies. I’ve been able to query and
>>> download the memory from an arcshell, and I believe I have
>>> figured out how to save a modified memory profile to a file so
>>> that it could uploaded to all units.
>>>
>>> Questions: 1. Using the chirp edit function can I just go
>>> ahead and change all channels’ frequencies to strictly FRS
>>> permitted ones? 2. Do I need to change any of the other settings
>>> like Tone Mode, Tonesql, DTCS Code, etc, or can they just remain
>>> as is?
>>>
>>> Thanks for your knowledgeable help!
>>>
>>> Jonathan
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
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>
> --
> Chance Fulton
> chance.fulton at gmail.com <mailto:chance.fulton at gmail.com>
> 810.441.5795
>
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