How D Everyone:
On September 30th, 2019, the FCCs new Part 95 Rules update takes effect. The link at the end is a good summary of those changes.
A specific item of note:
“… it is quite clear that the operating, manufacture, import, sale or offer for sale any radio that: 1) is not certified and/or 2) can operate in more than one service, will be a violation of FCC rules after September 30th.”
This means the current batch of Baofeng radios and others, which operate on the Ham Bands, FRS frequencies and in other areas, can no longer be sold in the US after September 30th, 2019. You should also note that it does not prohibit the use of any of the current models you already have. The author of the article linked below makes a good point in that if you have a need for cheap semi-disposable radios, like the Baofeng, for camping, hiking or boating, you will probably see some serious sales on these radios in September. If you also like the Baofeng because you can use it for Ham activities and then give it to family members for FRS use, get them now. They will not be available for sale in the future. You will have to have two separate radios in that case.
NEW FCC RULES THAT IMPACT PREPPERS AND NEW HAMS
I believe this would also effect the AnyTone DMR Radios as well. I have programmed my D868-UV for DMR use at work on their Business Frequencies when I was testing. So they do work in the 450-470 MHz range, which I believe would be a violation of the new rules. However, I am not an expert on this. If it is true, we may see sales on AnyTone DMR radios in September with new models coming soon.
Please note that any opinions expressed here are those of John Fuller, WJ0NF and not necessarily those of the Western Colorado Amateur Club.
73
