> Could I emit 500W or more with whatever modulation or lack thereof and not be prosecuted You could emit 500w in the 2.4GHz ISM band legally as a ham radio o

> Could I emit 500W or more with whatever modulation or lack thereof and not be prosecuted You could emit 500w in the 2.4GHz ISM band legally as a ham radio operator, as there is an overlapping ham allocation, so long as you complied with the ham requirements (which limits you somewhat on the 'whatever modulation' front). But why would you? You're limited to line of sight communications -- far less than 500w will get you to the horizon. :P The only application I can think of for 500w at 2.4GHz would be moon-bounce. :) Outside of the ham radio overlap, any intentional transmission in that band would have to be via a type-certified device. ... So it's more a question of what devices the fcc will certify than what you're able to do.