Hi. My name is Andy and I have an export radio. After reading this article, I really do feel guilty about using my radio, but let me explain. I'm using an HR-2600. I bought it on ebay so I could get on 10 meters at a relatively low cost. After reading this article, I went and started to research the radio and found that it is capable of going on the CB frequencies, after soldering a wire and adding a capacitor. This is actually more of an effort than is required on some "legal" ham radios to get extra frequencies out of it. My radio has never been modified nor do I have a desire or need to modify it. The FCC should review their list and take radios like this off of the list. A CB'er isn't going to buy an HR-2600 to get on CB when they can get another radio that is much easier to convert, like an RCI-2950 (Just move a jumper!). If they want to be this strict, then every radio capable of being modified to transmit outside the ham bands should be outlawed. How easy is it to modify most 2m radios to transmit in public safety frequencies (150 mhz range)? My HR-2600 does everything that KC8TCQ mentioned above. It has a frequency display. It does all modes. It has a true VFO that allows me to go to all frequencies in the 10m band, not channelized frequencies, so it doesn't have the "typical" lack-of-features that other "export" radios have. I honestly don't have the $500 - $1000 I need to plunk down on an HF radio that can do all of the HF band. It also doesn't make sense for me to own one of those types of radios if I'm not going to have an antenna that can talk on most of those bands, so once you add in the antenna, you're talking possibly as high as $1500+. For a married guy with two kids and one income, that's not going to happen, so I have to be happy with my HR-2600 and Imax-2000 veritcal (left over from my CB days, but has a low 1.3:1 SWR on 10m!) Now, if one of you hams out there wish to donate a multiband HF radio and antenna to a poor ham with one income and a disabled terminally ill child that is collecting social security and medicade, please, send direct to my address here on QRZ (no need to go through the buro! hi hi).
Well, don't feel too bad. The FCC recently threatened a company based in Great Britain with all sorts of fines if they didn't take cell phone jammers off of their web site. I'm no attorney, but, as a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, using a service that is worldwide in nature, it seems that all you would have to do is post a restriction that it could only be sold in Canada to a Canadian citizen. That should do it. Many of us here in the states are completely fed up with our government trying to force its will on peoples of the world that are not US citizens. As a sovereign nation, we should respect the rights of persons in other nations and where permissions and privileges differ, accept same and go on about our business. EBay is ChickenBay as far as I'm concerned. They've done similar antics with Motorola radios that were built "for export only." Many of these that were banned at the behest of mother /\/\ had been tested to meet general FCC requirements, but could not be Part 90 type accepted due to keyboard programmability. So, rather than insist on a simple caveat like "for sale to licensed amateur radio operators only," they simply prohibited the listings. The insistence of such actions by /\/\ only underscores a belief by many that /\/\ is not ham friendly. (Their model GP-68 HT is a case in point). 73.
ILLEGAL RADIO's Guess what folks the Ft-2000, PRO III, TS-2000 all of these work in the CB band along with any radio that has a MARS Mod. Just go to any hamfest and get your radio modified. No one asks for a MARS license or go to MODS.DK and do the mod yourself... To bad Riley retired I see uncle Charlie going to the dogs... All the best W1PE
10m radios for sale her on QRZ.com I used to have an RCI 2950dx and loved it! It allowed me to have a piece of ham gear in my car that I didn't have to worry about being stolen, it was cheep if it was. I worked a JA while waiting for a tow truck one time and worked stations all over the US. I also had a Ranger 3500 and found it to be a great piece of equipment which had a very quiet receiver with a very sensitive receiver as well. I also used it on the 10m band and worked stations all over the nation. I also had the pleasure of having a Uniden 2510 and also worked stations everywhere, it also performed well for such an inexpensive rig. This was ALL on the 10 meter band! I would like to buy another 2950dx someday soon as the band will be opening up soon and i don't want to spend $400 to $600 on a rig that could be stolen when i go into the grocery store, if I loose it than no biggie. I think they have a place and the FCC has NO business in telling me that i can't possess and use one of these radios on the ham bands. I now have a Radio Shaft HTX 10 and in comparison it IS a piece of junk and is NOT on the prohibited list! Should be! lol!!! Please don't prohibit sales as some of us like the little radios and would use them in a legal way. By the way, there IS a version of the 2950dx that is NOT modifiable (sp) to the CB band, I ran across one a couple of years ago, I bet IT is on the list too even though it can't be made to go to CB. My take on the problem. Keith Santo WB7RTT A proud Boeing employee!!! By the way, why the fuss over CB when the REAL danger are those new HT's (With funny korean and Chinese names) that can operate all over the commercial bands including the police and fire frequencies? I think those are the ones to worry about!
Bert, if every US citizen did as you suggest every time our freedoms were threatened, we wouldn't today still have any. As my signature tags state, I love my country and its founding principles, but, at times, some in government need recalibration. I'll even toss in $10 to help foot the bill for the legal maneuvering.
True but the radios you mention fall into the category of major money makers. That means more income from tax for the us government.
Banned equipment. Good Luck Fred, You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, you just can't please all of the people, all of the time. This subject could top the controversy on the "No Code License" Hi Hi. Wonder if Industry Canada (Canadian FCC) has an opinion???? Bill Hicks VA6RQ / VE7DGM
The FCC isn't trying to keep these radios out of the hands of hams. They banned these things to try to keep them out of the hands of people who are unlicensed, which is a good thing for amateur radio. If you think your radio doesn't deserve to be on the list, get your congressman to inquire with the FCC about it. Or better yet, a senator.
Here is my "thought experiment": I have a stock RCI-2970 which hasn't been modified. I open up the case and put a big blob of epoxy where the "CB mod" can occur on the circuit board. The epoxy cures and makes it much, much harder for someone to "CB mod" my 2970 than a stock one. As best I understand it, my radio would be legal as it is no longer easily modifiable.
It is the law and we should obey it no matter what.. Now if some don't like it, whining on QRZ won't get it changed, save the effort for the powers that be.
Ah yes, the good Ol' model 122 VFO + a Viking 1 or Viking 2 will put you anywhere from the AM broadcast band - 30mc.
So if I do the freq mod to my FT1000 so I can transmit on 60 meters, I cannot ever sell it. DUH. John k4kwm
Like I said earlier, advertise it as a free radio, but charge a few hundred for shipping. That way you aren't SELLING the radio, you're giving it away!
Good idea. Problem is unless you're the manufacturer of the radio, that really wouldn't fly. And the problem is here that QRZ is being looked upon by the FCC as a place where sales of equipment on the "banned" list are made. Since hams can use virtually any equipment, the FCC can't really prosecute hams for selling these radios to other hams for ham use. So even if you as an individual make that effort to make your radio unmodifiable, the FCC really doesn't care about you. It cares about the environment here as a whole.
