Amazon will require proof of FCC certification for radios that are being sold

purchasing a radio without a liscense is not illegal providing providing you do not transmit on it.
transmitting without a liscense however is.
I don't have my license yet but enjoy listening and learning from the receivers and building kits.
learning to mod a crap radio for better reception and cleaner and less harmonics is both a challenge and a learning experience.
sellers should be licensed and should certify that they are in compliance, (far better equipment would be available).
and i think it would be fun to foxhunt illegal transmitters!

 

You might not believe it but it's true. The UV-5R original FCC ID from 2012 is ZP5BF-5R. Look it up on the FCC OET search page. There are also several other clones of the same design with their own FCC IDs like 2AJGM-UV5R. Some are Part 90 and some are Part 15.

They lied about not being front panel programmable on the original application for Part 90 certification (look at the attachments) but the FCC either doesn't know or doesn't care.

 

I bet this is because some people used ham bands when the attack on the capitol happened. They are making Shure it will be harder to get a radio that isn't on family bands

 

My wallet wont, rest assured.

 

I wasn't speaking in terms of certification (a process I'm quite aware of), but customary usage.

ND5Y is right about Baofeng's failure to block front panel frequency programmability in a Part 90 radio. If the FCC is just now catching on to that, heaven help us. But the advent of CHIRP and inexpensive USB-radio interfaces has pretty much made the front panel rule pointless anyway.

There is currently no legal requirement for Amazon to verify a license or even to attempt to. Amazon could do so voluntarily; I doubt that will happen, although in some cases Amazon has begun to include a "You cannot transmit with this radio unless you are licensed" statement -- in a rather obscure manner.

The FCC could mandate an explicit statement to be included in advertising or a webpage. The FCC has broad powers and could even mandate a license verification policy, regardless of the scenario that someone is buying a HT only as a scanner. My guess is that mandating a verification policy would cause Amazon to drop the products immediately, while the traditional retailers in the ham community would just shrug and comply. But I doubt the FCC will do anything more than mandate an advertising statement, if that. The train has left the station.

What's different about Amazon from all other distributors is their reach. What's different about the Chinese radios from the traditional HT suppliers is price. (Well, some would say there are other differences -- but even if that's stipulated, the signficance of the differences is totally lost on an unlicensed buyer.) It's the combination of reach and price that makes the Baofengs on Amazon a very strong temptation when someone shops for a "walkie-talkie".

 

I think perhaps a lot of people are missing a larger point here; If all items sold by Amazon, were actually still SOLD by Amazon, then it would be easier to hold Amazon responsible for verification. But once Amazon realized that multiple trillions in profit were simply not enough, and grew envious of eBay, Amzon opened their website to millions of little vendors all over the planet, and Amzon simply handles order management and shipping. So, in effect, if you watch very closely when you buy stuff on Amazon, a lot of it is not longer being sold BY Amazon, but the vendor is listed as some other name, just like on eBay. So, again, in effect, Amazon is now 50% or more just like eBay (but with even less buyer protection), and another 50% or so Original Amazon, where they stock and sell the product, and you deal directly with them, even for returns. A huge number of people have not noticed this (until they try to return something bought ON amazon.com but FROM a third-party small vendor). I suspect it is harder to get the millions of little vendors to cooperate, and I really would be surprised if Amazon is going to start spending tens of millions trying to police every single small vendor on the Amazon site. I am not holding my breath Buyer beware. As far as junk radios... You really do get what you pay for. I tried a Baofeng UV-5X3 once. Wow, what a piece of crap. I even exchanged it under warranty. Wow, what a piece of crap. Low FM modulation, super-loud annoying clicks when keying the mic, user interface from hell, poor audio, dirty transmission, battery gauge that either reads full, or no-turn-on. You get what you pay for. I wonder if people realize that it's not pretty plastic that makes a good radio, it's the quality of both the electronics inside and the skill of the engineers designing it.

 

So. Tell me. Where is the FCC ID sticker on a Collins KWM-2? How about a Drake TR4CW?

How is that going to work?

 

Yeah, me too! I'm giving a lot more $$$ to Amazon, to say thanks for helping rid that fractured French named scourge!

 

Some call those people patriots. In Communist countries no one can use ham radios, so I would be cautious about what you ask for. You might get more than you asked for. I see this with "moderate" gun owners all the time. The "I don't see a need for anyone to own that type of gun" mentality.

 

[In Communist countries no one can use ham radios, so I would be cautious about what you ask for. ]

Not correct. Never has been.

 

While Baofengs and other low cost CCR radios fall under the category, including mobiles like the TYT 8900, etc, the Amazon Rule affects zillions of other types of devices. Requiring and FCC Cert is a wise move. That it was not enforced in past years for whatever reason is strange.

My wondering is if Amazon got pressure from the FCC for such compliance and if so, did that pressure or suggestion come post election because of "politics," or pre-election because of the last administrations China Trade policies? A no-brainer to enforce existing cert rules and get rid of unwanted products from the marketplace.

Will there be a rush to purchase Baofengs on Amazon? Probably.. Will Baofengs still be sold at Amazon? Probably. Will the other CCR radios continue to be sold on Amazon? Probably. Will other offending products continue to be sold on Amazon? Probably. Will the FCC bust a baby monitor seller for faking a FCC Cert? Probably.

 

I don't see how this has anything to do with anything.

AMAZON sells stuff. Lotsa enterprises do. Manufacturers are required by the FCC to have 'cert' to sell certain items. Some manu's and vendors have ignored this because of lax enforcement. Present conditions dictate renewed need for enforcement. AMAZON internally and voluntarily complies with the needs of the times, even though they are not the cause..

What part of that did I get incorrect...?

 

The moderator has made it clear that political discussions are not being allowed here. My comment was not political. It merely cites the illegal and clear intent of illegality by groups that have no legal basis to use transceivers in the way they were intended and/or licensed. That is what drove the timing of AMAZON's announcement.

Don't lecture me on politics please. I could give you an education on that-- but you need to find that elsewhere, by self discovery, thoughtful reflection, and understanding people are not ant colonies. And neither are ants, singly.

73
Chip W1YW

 

Nope--You got it right. And it may have had nothing to do with Baofengs and everything to do with Baby monitors, or Vaccum cleaners that are connected to the internet of things or talking lightbulbs, or nothing in particular at all. Maybe Amazon had been crafting the policy for the past six months and this was the month to lay it all out...

 

What ARE you talking about??

DO you wanna see the QSL cards??