Baofeng illegal???

[JoJo]

 If I transmitted only on the marine channels could the FCC tell if my Baofeng is illegal?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG8PU1eG6Cc

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6YsjAl7KVo

[Jackalope]

   Well the radio has a history of spurious, unwanted emissions.  Realistically, there are very few FCC monitoring stations still in existence.  VHF marine frequencies are essentially line of sight, so unless there's a monitoring station in your AO, then it's highly unlikely that the radio would be detected.  An FCC engineer would need to physically place you at the transmission site.  And if it was me, and I thought the authorities suspected something I'd chuck it overboard, a $30 radio is no big loss. I'm aware of some law enforcement agencies that are still using the Baofengs on marine, FRS and GMRS frequencies.  The FCC has bigger problems than someone using a non-compliant radio on a marine frequency.  Oh yeah, avoid transmitting on Channel 16, unless it's an emergency.  The FCC is one of those agencies that is supposedly shut down during the current fiscal crisis.

[JohnyMac]

JoJo and other readers. I was in the commercial marine industry for 30+ years. Here are some facts.

1) You no longer need a FCC issued marine license. Anybody can walk into a West Marine and buy a marine VHF radio walk outside, go
    onto your boat, and legally TX (Transmit).
2) It use to be that you could only TX on the water. If you were going to TX from a vehicle or a West Marine store you needed a land
    marine VHF license. I do not know if you need one today or not, however I know of hundreds of people who have a marine VHF in
    their vehicles who live along navigable waters. Most marina's use marine VHF radios in their building's and in their boat yard vehicles
    and nobody has a land license.
3) Jackalope is 100% in just staying away from certain frequencies like:
    A) 156.800 Mhz Channel 16 Coast Guard distress channel. The CG monitors this frequency 24/7 and take it VERY SERIOUSLY
    B) 157.050 & 161.650 Mhz Channel 21. Coast Guard use only.
    c) There are others but those are the biggies to stay away from.
4) IMO, if you are within 15-miles of navigable waters stay off of any channel/frequency that is designated for work or emergency's.
    Here is a list of all of the marine VHF
    channels. As you can see there is a bunch that are open to the public to use if you are <15-miles from navigable waters.

As a side note: Up at the redoubt when a guest comes and they plan on hiking, hunting, etc. we loan them a BaoFeng set at a marine VHF frequency. The closest navigable water (s) to us is Lake Cayuga which is 60+ miles north of us as the crow flies.

Last, the FCC for all intents and purposes does not exist anymore. It is a shell bureaucracy that only purpose anymore is just to issue amateur radio licenses. They do not track down pirate radio users or hams that do not TX properly - 7.200Mhz is a great example. Most of the folks who TX on this frequency are the bottom of the barrel. The Jerry Springer's of the air waves.

My point in writing the previous paragraph is to state, I AM NOT WORRIED OWNING AN ILLEGAL BAOFENG RADIO.

Peace.

[pkveazey]

I get it that you set your radios up for VHF Marine but I wonder why you didn't just go with the 5 MURS, no license VHF frequencies? My emergency radios are set up with every no license frequency available but I'm sticking to the MURS freqs for my family's use during a problem situation. The FCC's dumbass move to ban the BaoFeng UV5R probably will be ignored by all the Vendors because the BaoFeng has the ability to be programmed in a wide range of frequencies just like all the rest of the brands. That was the most poorly thought out decision I've ever seen them make. Their decision is equal to the Department of Motor Vehicles banning a particular car because it is capable of breaking the speed limit but not banning all the other cars that are also capable of doing the same thing. The last rumors I heard was that they were backing off a bit on their silly decision.