No, not AM, but part 15 broadcasting nonetheless. It never occurred to me how families traveling together on cruise ships keep in touch with each other without their cellphones which are out of range of any towers. The resort to part 15 broadcasting with walkie- talkies.
https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-weighs-in-on-using-walkie-talkies-onboard-its-ships/151073
Hope this doesn't come across as nit-picking, but the use of HT's (walkie talkies) for point to point contact isn't considered broadcasting. These sorts of unlicensed walkie talkies are most likely under the FRS service, which is not Part 15, but Part 95 Subpart B. The older 49MHz walkie talkies were indeed Part 15, but it's the FRS ones which are the easiest to obtain these days. They're the ones you see in sporting stores, and places like REI, Walmart, etc.
FRS is licensed by rule. This means an individual license is not required to operate an FRS radio provided you comply with the rules.
@richpowers Correct, and they're allowed under Part 95 subpart B - not Part 15. I found a cheap pair of Motorolas for $10 a couple of years ago in a discount store in Utah, and couldn't resist. They work pretty well up to about 3/4 mile away over open ground. I'm a sucker for anything that emits and receives RF! 😊
@rugster Not but the term "HT's" for walkie talkies before, I guess hams know.
Even using your cellphone is "broadcasting", is it not? Would I be more accurate to say "transmiting"?
I recall one time saying that the building across the street was blocking my signal, to which someone corrected me "it's not blocking your signal, it attuning it".
Same goes for calling a boat galley a kitchen (they dont like that), or calling the head a toilet.
@rugster Ah, I see your point now. But are there really no part 15 walkie talkies anymore?
Edit - Yes there are, GMRS radios are commonly available in both licenced and part 15 versions. I knew that!
I'm not sure if the term HT is limited to the ham community or not. It stands for "Handie Talkie". We used to call them handhelds then, at some point, the term HT became commonly used in those circles.
Unless I'm mistaken (and I don't think I am), the word broadcasting refers to a transmission from one station being sent out to multiple receiving stations, hence the word broadcasting - casting your transmission out to a broad group of people.
Unless you're somehow using your cellphone to send your transmission out to a wide group of people, you're not broadcasting. If you were using your phone to stream a live feed, then I suppose you could call it broadcasting, but the more commonly used term for that is livestreaming. If you're using your cellphone to talk to one person, you're not broadcasting. Yes, you are transmitting, but we wouldn't say that. We'd just say that we're talking on the phone!
Anyway, the broadcasting thing is a bit of a nit-pick, but I wanted to clarify that the large majority of these little unlicensed walkie talkies these days are not Part 15, but Part 95.
PS - I'll add that these types of commonly available walkie talkies, even though they're Part 95, could perhaps be considered in the spirit of Part 15, as they represent unlicensed yet legal transmissions! 😊
PS - I'll add that these types of commonly available walkie talkies, even though they're Part 95, could perhaps be considered in the spirit of Part 15, as they represent unlicensed yet legal transmissions! 😊
They are both, they always have been. There are two options with them, licences and part 15
Product description
FCC certified:FCC Part 15 Part 95 Certified. FFC ID:2AJGM-GM15PRO
- Specification:
- Memory Channel：30 GMRS+11 NoAA weather Channels+220 Scanner
- Frequency Range：GMRS(RX & TX)，136-174 & 400-512MHz(Scanning RX)
- Tones: 50 CTCSS / 104 DCS
- Output Power: 0.5W / 5W
- Operation Voltage：DC 7.4 V ±10%
- Battery Capacity：1500mAh
Closer to home, the same goes for TIS, two options, licenced and part 15, but they too are both classified as TIS transmitters.
How do GMRS and FRS differ from one another? How do either one of them differ from Citizens Band (CB)?
PS - I'll add that these types of commonly available walkie talkies, even though they're Part 95, could perhaps be considered in the spirit of Part 15, as they represent unlicensed yet legal transmissions! 😊
They are both, they always have been. There are two options with them, licences and part 15
Product description
FCC certified:FCC Part 15 Part 95 Certified. FFC ID:2AJGM-GM15PRO
- Specification:
- Memory Channel：30 GMRS+11 NoAA weather Channels+220 Scanner
- Frequency Range：GMRS(RX & TX)，136-174 & 400-512MHz(Scanning RX)
- Tones: 50 CTCSS / 104 DCS
- Output Power: 0.5W / 5W
- Operation Voltage：DC 7.4 V ±10%
- Battery Capacity：1500mAh
I checked, and this radio is indeed certified for Part 95 GMRS use -
https://fcc.report/FCC-ID/2AJGM-GM15PRO
I'm not sure what they mean by mentioning part 15 though. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there is no band in the frequency coverage of these radios for which these would be legal to use under Part 15 rules (FRS is not Part 15, by the way). Even on the low power setting, the power output is 0.5W. The only band I know of where the allowed power output under Part 15 is over 0.5W, is the 160-190KHz band, and this radio doesn't operate there. Once again, please correct me if I'm wrong. On the official Baofeng page for this radio, there is no mention of Part 15 anywhere. Some advertisers throw these terms out without knowing, or caring, what they actually mean.
https://www.baofengradio.com/products/gm-15-pro?variant=40961851981904
You do need a license to use a GMRS radio, but there is no test involved. You just pay a fee of $35 for 10 years, and that's it. Many users don't have a license, but you're supposed to have one.
Closer to home, the same goes for TIS, two options, licenced and part 15, but they too are both classified as TIS transmitters.
I'm not sure what you mean Rich. A transmitter that is legal to use with a TIS license would almost certainly not be legal under Part 15, as the power output would be too high. Conversely, why would someone with a TIS license bother with a Part 15 certified transmitter, when they can use more power and bigger antennas (usually up to 10W and antenna length of up to 15 meters). The city of Berkeley has a TIS station a few miles up the road from me, and the signal is way stronger than anything I've ever heard from a Part 15 station.
Can you give an example of a Part 15 certified transmitter that is classified as TIS? I'm genuinely curious.
How do GMRS and FRS differ from one another? How do either one of them differ from Citizens Band (CB)?
Please forgive me Carl, but I just got home and really need to veg out in front of the TV for a bit. They use different frequency bands (though GMRS and FRS use some of the same channels), with different limitations on power, antennas, and licensing requirements. The information is all out there.
There's another unlicensed personal radio service, called MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) but although it still exists, it is largely forgotten. Very few radios were ever made for it, and with FRS and GMRS, there is no need for anyone to bother with MURS any more.
Geez. I'm getting Baofeng ads in my Facebook feed now.