5 ms·

So this would make it impossoble to sell just about any software defined radio that can transmit?

by ohazi 8y ago

im3w1l 8y ago
My common sense tells me that it probably depends on ease of doing it. Consider these scenarios: It will transmit on non-amateur bands if you... plug it in. push a particular button. type in a particular password. flash the firmware. short two pins. physically remove a limiter component. physically add a limit-override component. take a hammer to it and rebuild it from scratch. Somewhere along that scale it will decided to be compliant.
- anticensor 8y ago
  > physically add a limit-override component. Is this possible at all? > take a hammer to it and rebuild it from scratch. That does not count as an adaptation.
  - VLM 8y ago
    Maybe 40 years ago toward the end of the CB fad (CB was kinda the boomer generations version of the current social media fad) vacuum tube medium to high power external amps were (and still are) a thing for ham radio use and toward the higher end of the HF frequency range they struggled to achieve 10 dB of gain, at least with simpler designs and cheaper tubes, so stick a simple low pass filter in the input that rolls off to 10 dB of loss by 11 meters and you've ruined the amp for illegal CB use while all a technically knowledgeable ham has to do to operate legally on the ham 10 meter band is short the low pass filter out with a piece of wire. It depends a bit on your filter topology, blocking the input can be shorted as per above, whereas filter elements shorting to ground you'd have to snip one wire. Usually the advertisements in the magazines would mention obtusely "snip one wire for full legal coverage" or "solder one wire for reversible full legal coverage".
  - im3w1l 8y ago
    I was thinking of something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modchip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modchip Idk if that's a thing for radios.
drmpeg 8y ago
Transmit capable SDR's are classified as test equipment and exempt from equipment authorization.
- Lucky225 8y ago
  Regarding Software and specifically SDR, it would seem that the radio would need to be certificated AS an SDR, AND only software that has been approved would be allowed to be loaded on to the radio: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/2.1 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/2.1 Software defined radio. A radio that includes a transmitter in which the operating parameters of frequency range, modulation type or maximum output power (either radiated or conducted), or the circumstances under which the transmitter operates in accordance with Commission rules, can be altered by making a change in software without making any changes to hardware components that affect the radio frequency emissions. In accordance with § 2.944 of this part, only radios in which the software is designed or expected to be modified by a party other than the manufacturer and would affect the above-listed operating parameters or circumstances under which the radio transmits must be certified as software defined radios. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/2.944 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/2.944 (a) Manufacturers must take steps to ensure that only software that has been approved with a software defined radio can be loaded into the radio. The software must not allow the user to operate the transmitter with operating frequencies, output power, modulation types or other radio frequency parameters outside those that were approved. (b) Any radio in which the software is designed or expected to be modified by a party other than the manufacturer and would affect the operating parameters of frequency range, modulation type or maximum output power (either radiated or conducted), or the circumstances under which the transmitter operates in accordance with Commission rules, must comply with the requirements in paragraph (a) of this section and must be certified as a software defined radio.
swebs 8y ago
There are exemptions below a certain wattage. I believe 1kw.

So this would make it impossoble to sell just about any software defined radio that can transmit?

by ohazi 8y ago

So this would make it impossoble to sell just about any software defined radio that can transmit?

My common sense tells me that it probably depends on ease of doing it. Consider these scenarios: It will transmit on non-amateur bands if you... plug it in. push a particular button. type in a particular password. flash the firmware. short two pins. physically remove a limiter component. physically add a limit-override component. take a hammer to it and rebuild it from scratch. Somewhere along that scale it will decided to be compliant.

anticensor 8y ago
> physically add a limit-override component. Is this possible at all? > take a hammer to it and rebuild it from scratch. That does not count as an adaptation.
- VLM 8y ago
  Maybe 40 years ago toward the end of the CB fad (CB was kinda the boomer generations version of the current social media fad) vacuum tube medium to high power external amps were (and still are) a thing for ham radio use and toward the higher end of the HF frequency range they struggled to achieve 10 dB of gain, at least with simpler designs and cheaper tubes, so stick a simple low pass filter in the input that rolls off to 10 dB of loss by 11 meters and you've ruined the amp for illegal CB use while all a technically knowledgeable ham has to do to operate legally on the ham 10 meter band is short the low pass filter out with a piece of wire. It depends a bit on your filter topology, blocking the input can be shorted as per above, whereas filter elements shorting to ground you'd have to snip one wire. Usually the advertisements in the magazines would mention obtusely "snip one wire for full legal coverage" or "solder one wire for reversible full legal coverage".
- im3w1l 8y ago
  I was thinking of something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modchip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modchip Idk if that's a thing for radios.

drmpeg 8y ago

Transmit capable SDR's are classified as test equipment and exempt from equipment authorization.

Lucky225 8y ago
Regarding Software and specifically SDR, it would seem that the radio would need to be certificated AS an SDR, AND only software that has been approved would be allowed to be loaded on to the radio: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/2.1 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/2.1 Software defined radio. A radio that includes a transmitter in which the operating parameters of frequency range, modulation type or maximum output power (either radiated or conducted), or the circumstances under which the transmitter operates in accordance with Commission rules, can be altered by making a change in software without making any changes to hardware components that affect the radio frequency emissions. In accordance with § 2.944 of this part, only radios in which the software is designed or expected to be modified by a party other than the manufacturer and would affect the above-listed operating parameters or circumstances under which the radio transmits must be certified as software defined radios. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/2.944 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/2.944 (a) Manufacturers must take steps to ensure that only software that has been approved with a software defined radio can be loaded into the radio. The software must not allow the user to operate the transmitter with operating frequencies, output power, modulation types or other radio frequency parameters outside those that were approved. (b) Any radio in which the software is designed or expected to be modified by a party other than the manufacturer and would affect the operating parameters of frequency range, modulation type or maximum output power (either radiated or conducted), or the circumstances under which the transmitter operates in accordance with Commission rules, must comply with the requirements in paragraph (a) of this section and must be certified as a software defined radio.

swebs 8y ago

There are exemptions below a certain wattage. I believe 1kw.