[chirp_users] GMRS Channel Locking

[Jim Unroe]

Nigel,

On Wed, Feb 23, 2022 at 1:54 PM Nigel A. Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF
<nigel at ngunn.net> wrote:
>
> OK Chris.
> In most radios that come pre-programmed by the manufacturer, as opposed to the random channels that a manufacturer seems to leave in there after testing, I believe they are locked by the firmware in order to comply with a country's frequency allocations and get type approval in that country. Don't know if the FCC insists on that.
>
>

This isn't my experience. The majority of GMRS radios sold by Chinese
vendors/dealers are not locked in any way. It is only by use of the
OEM CPS that the radio masquerades as being a frequency locked radio.
Underneath, they are nothing more than your typical UHF (400-470+ MHz)
handheld radio. The same can be true for several MURS, PMR and FreeNet
models. I've even got one that is a dual-band model disguised as a
GMRS radio. It seems that it isn't very hard to fool the FCC.

Jim KC9HI