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By TjW
#403197
cheesehead wrote: Thu Apr 12, 2018 10:24 pm And after my troubles with the FBI, ATF, and DEA, I'm going to face "FCC Nazis" next, huh? God bless America!
The fact that you have no idea how you might mess up someone else's hobby by misusing a transmitter is precisely the reason there is a test.
Vulgar descriptions are apt for those who behave in vulgar, self-centered ways. Don't want to be called a d---? Don't be a d---.
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By red
#403201
cheesehead wrote: Thu Apr 12, 2018 10:24 pmAnd after my troubles with the FBI, ATF, and DEA, I'm going to face "FCC Nazis" next, huh? God bless America!
Cheesehead,

We had some Canadian pilots come and visit POTM one summer. Lots of HG pilots (myself included) would camp on the South Side, near launch. The west end we reserved for the RC glider club, Silent Fliers. Most days, the middle of the day is not HG flyable there, and these Canadian visitors were just not up for the mountains of Utah (their choice, though; we did invite them along).

So, these guys got bored each day, around noon. They had a linear amp for their CB, running at illegal power levels. These clowns could "step on" a lot of of Utah CBers, with that rig. They discovered that they could lock up the controls of the RC gliders with their linear amp, and they had lots of fun crashing RC planes, costing their owners a lot of money and time.

After enough complaints, the FCC came out with their DF (loop) trucks, and located the source of the interference, with evidence suitable for court. The Canadians were still laughing it up when the tow truck pulled up, and started hooking up their custom van. They tried to force the tow truck operator to quit the hook-up, but several Federal Agents stepped stepped in, showing badges, and separated the Canadians from their van. The Canadians insisted that they had rights! The Feds agreed, but pointed out that the van had no such rights. The Canadians wanted their gliders and camping gear from the truck, but it was all confiscated as equipment used to commit a criminal act. They were informed that they could go to FCC court and try to get their stuff back, but the current court backlog then was about six months. That time would be in the middle of a cold and snowy Winter, here. A favorable outcome is not likely, in FCC court.

It was a case of childish pilots who arrived here in a $35,000 custom van, and left here in a $150,000 Greyhound bus. Those figures would be about doubled, in today's dollars.

Last I heard, for the first offense, transmitting without the correct FCC license for your frequency can be a $10,000 fine, and confiscation of all equipment used to perpetrate the offense, for each occurrence. It can go higher, if injuries or damage may be involved, or for repeated offenses. They can and do voice-print any illegal transmissions, BTW. Maybe somebody here has newer information on that stuff, but it isn't trivial. You could be surprised at what havoc your transmissions may cause, in the real world, and at the range you may have, being in the air.

Just FYI, though: you are betting your radio, your glider, cubic dollars, and maybe your vehicle against making a simple application and learning the basic rules. It's easy to be a legal FCC radio operator; you do not need to learn code, now. Feel free to make an informed choice there; I have no dog in that hunt. The FCC does not go looking for trouble, but they will respond if they (or citizens) find it.
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By lizzard
#403310
The cheap chinese radios reports of bleed and intererence are usually related to frequencies being slightly off due to programming errors and allowance for bandwidth .

I am vetren radtech and whils the cheapies are ok for the price they require a bit of understanding to use properly.
Having uhf cs and vhf marine has its advantages but only on the coast .

Whatever you use be sure that you know what you are programming into it ,what bandwith is, and know that they are not approved ...This protects most users form their own ignorance however well intended .

You could buy 4 boafeng radios for the price of one name brand .

Just be sure that you program them to be compatible with your area and know the bandwidth allocated for each channel , which will differ from place to place .
The good thing about standards is that there are so many from which to chose.
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By waltspoint
#406068
I'm thinking of buying a Yaesu FT-65R. Is there any reason that I shouldn't? It does get somewhat mixed reviews on the interwebs, but I can't tell if people have unreasonable expectations or legitimate complaints that I should care about.

https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=D ... Archived=0

There also seems to be an older version of the same offering, the FT-60R, which gets better reviews but is $50 more expensive, a bit heavier, and a bit lower capacity battery. Any thoughts? thnx, /jd
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By Wonder Boy
#406073
I've been using Yaesu for the last 12+ years.
VX 150, and vx250. They've never let me down.

Baofeng has a UV 5r that are very cheap and so far have been reliable. Keep a couple around for a backup and or if a pilot needs a radio.

I fly with the vx250 have the 150 in the car for retrieve.
By blindrodie
#406104
Yaesu VX 150 since I can't remember...will get VX 250 if this one dies.

Only one I've ever owned. Simple, powerful, lockable keys. Doubles as a good HAM if you carry the right antenna and licence.

You get what you pay for...

8)