The amateur radio community already has a significant problem with unlicensed users on UHF and VHF, because cheap Chinese handhelds are widely marketed on Amazo

The amateur radio community already has a significant problem with unlicensed users on UHF and VHF, because cheap Chinese handhelds are widely marketed on Amazon and eBay with no mention of the fact that they're amateur-band equipment and require a license to use. If you search for "two-way radio" or "walkie talkie", most of the product listings make no distinction between FRS, MURS, GMRS and amateur band equipment. With wideband SDR devices falling rapidly in price, there is an impending threat to all licensed frequencies - it isn't illegal to buy or sell a HackRF One, but you can do a lot of illegal things with it if you're ignorant of or indifferent to the regulations. https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-Two-Way-136-174Mhz-400-520Mhz/dp/B00MAULSOK/ https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-Two-Way-136-174Mhz-40... FCC enforcement is light-touch and they don't have infinite investigative capacity, but they are more than willing to throw down a hefty fine if you're a flagrant violator. The encryption ban is essential in allowing amateur radio operators to monitor their own service; a large proportion of FCC enforcement actions are initiated in response to a complaint from another service user. https://www.fcc.gov/enforcement/orders https://www.fcc.gov/enforcement/orders