(Plum Point, MD) A GMRS pirate with several radio users operating as an unlicensed ineligible entity was identified by the Personal Radio Association on the evening of Friday, September 28, 2007. The pirate was operating a GMRS repeater located in the vicinity of Cambridge, MD on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. As of Saturday morning the same organization is operating the illegal radio system despite having been warned that they are operating without a license and may cause serious interference to GMRS licensees. Radio operation is occurring at a park on the Choptank River.

An organizer of the Chesapeake Man Triathlon event in Cambridge, MD was contacted on his cellular telephone. He identified the Race Director as Robert Vigarito. A law enforcement agency on the Eastern Shore provided the telephone number. The contact the PRA spoke with refused to shut down the radio system or to call the radio company that rented them the system citing safety concerns as their event was already well underway and would continue on Saturday, September 29.

GMRS licensees in the DelMarVa area including other unlicensed persons using GMRS are requested to avoid interfering with the event’s communications on 462.675 MHz. The Columbia Triathlon Association, Inc, appears to be the victim of their radio provider as is the case with most instances like this one. The United States Coast Guard is providing law enforcement support on the river and the the Cambridge Police on land near Great Marsh Park. This is a large event. The pirate repeater may only be in operation one more day.

The PRA has filed an FCC complaint form regarding unlicensed use of GMRS by an organization ineligible to license in the GMRS naming the Columbia Triathlon Association and the radio company that rented the repeater to them. The radio company information was provided by the association organizer contacted by the PRA.

A GMRS Pirate is a person, organization, or business that operates two-way radios on the General Mobile Radio Service without having first obtained the required license from the Federal Communications Commission. Organizations and businesses have not been allowed to obtain GMRS licenses since 1989. Only a few grandfathered business users remain that have since renewed licenses obtained prior to 1989. The General Mobile Radio Service is regulated by Part 95 of the FCC Rules and Regulations. Individuals are permitted to obtain GMRS licenses for their personal business and that of their family.

An all too common GMRS piracy problem has existed across the United States for years. Radio companies seeking to avoid paying license fees and performing frequency coordination filings put temporary and even full-time customers on GMRS frequencies hoping no one will ever notice. This fraudulent practice was pernicious enough to encourage GMRS licensees across the United States to form the Personal Radio Association Inc., a Maryland not-for profit corporation. The PRA actively reports GMRS rules violations and unlicensed users to the Federal Communications Commission Enforcement Bureau.

GMRS licensees authorized to use GMRS channels pay a license fee and observe radio regulations designed to facilitate channel sharing of the eight repeater frequency pairs allocated to the service. The business radio services have hundreds of channels to choose from but also have specific rules to follow under FCC Rules Part 90. It is not uncommon for a GMRS licensee to have spent thousands of dollars on their own repeater system that they in turn share with other area families. GMRS licensees are forbidden by rule to rent or to take any renumeration other than actual operating costs to/from others.

The unscrupulous radio companies rent radios on channels they are ineligible to use at the expense of those licensed to use the channels. When a local radio shop breaks the rules to put a pirate on the air the pirate is often uncooperative with GMRS licensees pretty much clueless and unaware of any rules or licensing regulations. Pirates typically operate with unacceptable radio practices causing harmful interference to licensed users of the same channels. Pirates are a persistent nuisance in the GMRS. More information on this topic can be found using our blogroll in the Bubble-Pack Pirate FAQ and GMRS Intruder Help. The PRA website is http://popularwireless.com/blog1/go

I upgraded to WordPress version 2.3 tonight . A bunch of widgets broke as did other functionality. It is going to take a day or two to put it all back together. Well maybe…It isn’t actually broken – just in between versions.

Most of the modifications I had made were to theme files which were not touched thank goodness.  The widgets I was using just needed to be reactivated or upgraded. WordPress 2.3 now checks widgets for new versions.  The developers added a TAG option form each article so the site now sports a TAG cloud at the bottom of the main blog page.  Widget support is built in. The new WordPress 2.3 is outstanding. What a gem.  Since the beginning, learning and using WordPress has been well FUN.

Let me know if you find any weirdness.

Radio listeners across America are trying to hide from a monster, but there is no shelter. After spending its adolescence in technical trials during daytime hours, IBOC has now come out at night. (PopWireless Comment: interesting and timely viewpoint. Please go to Karl’s blog to read the entire article)

read more | digg story

A rather tepid forecast for holiday season electronics retailers. The credit crunch is taking its toll on retail sales which are expected to have far fewer gains this year. Excellent article at TWICE. If you are not already receiving their email alerts on these items it is a must read. Not spammy at all. Very news worthy stuff if you are watching the economy as I do.

read more | digg story

For the past two years, Sprint Nextel has been trying to reroute its cellphone signals to avoid causing static on emergency radios used at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The wireless carrier and Maryland officials dispute who should pay for some of the costs.

read more | digg story

Oh, this one plays into so many stereotypes that if a movie scriptwriter composed this, it would be laughed away.

read more | digg story

In March of this year the Federal Communications Commission authorized AM HD radio stations to begin twenty-four-hour per day broadcasting on September 14, 2007. This is a major shift in the FCC Rules that formerly protected broadcasters against the expected and now prevalent nighttime interference to stations on channels adjoining an HD broadcaster.

The HD Radio Interference, we will coin it HDRI, is characterized as a loud obnoxious frying egg noise on top of an AM radio station’s analog signal. Here at PopularWireless HQ the kitchen is open and the eggs are cooking big time. A favorite here has been New York’s famous WABC where many enjoy listening to Coast-to-Coast AM in the early mornings. WABC is now plagued by HDRI making listening impossible at times. Across the AM dial the analog receiver is sizzling away.

What does this mean for AM radio? A few things can happen. The AM radio DX’er, the radio listening hobbyist that listens for long distance radio stations at night is not going to give up. These folks will adapt because the hobby is too exciting to give up. The average consumer of AM radio is going to either move to satellite radio, buy an HD radio and keep their fingers crossed, listen to the radio anyway and grit their teeth or just turn it off altogether. Only the radio station’s rating periods will tell who does what.

HD radio is still an expensive upgrade to a medium that basically cost nothing until now. The night worker that listens to a tiny transistor on the table at their job might have paid six bucks for the privilege. HD radios are still priced from $149 and up with most of the popular brands at $299.99. You guessed it. Folks that once listened to their favorite programs at night are going to either put up with the interference or flat out give up.

The FCC is forcing the new upgrade down our throats. It is economy building and social change all wrapped up into a neat little bundle. The bureaucrat thinks the public needs this cool new technology so the FCC is going to take actions which prompt the public to make changes. At least the consumer can elect to do nothing rather than consider an expensive option like a satellite radio subscription or an expensive new radio. But we have to wait and see. Will HDRI drive the public away from AM radio or will FM radio or even shortwave radio be the new entertainment destination?

The big impact will be on consumers already living in challenging AM radio reception areas. Here in Southern Maryland listening even to our local stations can be a daunting challenge. At nighttime, WTNT on 570 kHz lowers their power at sunset. The signal all but disappears requiring the listener to find the same program on stations in far away cities. All across the AM band listeners here are regularly annoyed by the relentless tick-tock-tick-tock and Morse code “RR” of Cuba’s Radio Reloj across the AM dial.

The laws of physics as those laws apply to radio propagation mean that many stations might be heard on the same frequency making listening difficult or impossible. Nighttime radio listening already had significant issues and now, on purpose, and even with great fanfare HDRI was introduced in the mix. Nighttime AM radio is now a complete mess. We will have to wait and see if it ever gets cleaned up or if people just accept the change.

Early adopters of HD Radio are only getting a fraction of the stations they should. (PopularWireless: Interesting HD radio point of view.)

read more | digg story

Great little article which exposes the flaws on wireless security alarm systems. (PopularWireless comments: The issue boils down to what support will you get after the sale. After I paid a LARGE chunk of change for my wireless system the company was acquired by another company. The new company will not return a telephone call/voice mail on a simple question- like how to change a battery in a wireless device. Batteries in wireless devices appear to be welded to the connectors! Surprise the new company also monitors the business I manage. The business is a wired system. They are about to lose a monitored wired account. Ultimately it all boils down to whether or not your alarm company really cares about you and your on-going support. I know one big provider in Calvert County, Maryland could care less. Farewell Rampart Alarm or whatever you call yourself now. The sad thing is I KNOW the previous owner and his staff would have never treated his customers this way. Customer service makes all the difference no matter what the marketing and sales department says.)

read more | digg story

Tower climbing is becoming the most dangerous job in America. More people die doing repairs to wireless systems than die in our coal mines according to this reporter. Next time you use your Blackberry or your cellular phone think about the guy in that network that lost his life making it all possible. (PopularWireless readers need to take note! When you work on your own antennas take great care that you do everything safely anytime you climb.)

read more | digg story

ICOM did what Motorola, Cobra, and RadioShack did not do and that was continue to market a license-free Family Radio Service two-way radio for families. The others might all refer to the GMRS/FRS hybrids as FRS radios but we all know that is not true. The companies that sell twenty-two channel hybrids are all bargaining that the FCC declares GMRS license free by rule. ICOM, however, is living up to its name as a real and quality-radio company with a serious concern for the radio services as each currently exists under the FCC Rules. ICOM is selling a real Family Radio Service radio. No license required.

When the FCC OET unilaterally authorized the twenty-two channel bubble-pack radio with no objections from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau the assault on the General Mobile Radio Service began. It was the first time in history that a licensed radio service was combined with an unlicensed radio service. What did the FCC expect the major national retailers to do? Wow what a gift! We believe the FCC expected and even anticipated what has actually happened. The assault on the General Mobile Radio Service was planned by American marketers on behalf of off-shore manufacturers and executed by the bureaucrats of the FCC in Washington D.C. It was all about economy building.

The moment the twenty-two channel bubble-pack radios hit the market GMRS was doomed and the FCC knew it and frankly didn’t care. They decided long ago GMRS should be licensed by rule whether or not the individuals licensed to use GMRS had a chance to publicly argue the merits of the move. Walk into a local retailer and ask them if a license is required to use any of the channels in the twenty-two channel bubble packs. We believe the majority will say no or tell the customer that no one will care. Ask the retailer if a school or business is allowed to use the twenty-two channel bubble pack and the answer will be sure no problem! Most retailers now have no clue that the ONLY license-free channels in most twenty-two channel bubble-pack radios are FRS channels eight through fourteen. There are actually SEVEN FEWER license-free channels in the GMRS/FRS hybrid bubble-packs!

Do not suggest that the market place made the decision, that the hand writing was on the wall. or that at the end of the day it’s what the people wanted. This was planned and executed before a GMRS advocacy group like the Personal Radio Association, Inc. could object on behalf of GMRS licensees. People always want something for nothing. Manufacturers and retailers gave away something that did not belong to them because no one was there to object. This was ultimately a for-profit spectrum grab, nothing more nothing less. A grab that the FCC thought was cool! This was one spectrum grab the government bureaucrats felt was socially acceptable so they engineered a way for it to come true for all radio retailers – eventually.

Had the truth been told to the customer at the point of sale, and had stores observed the licensing laws the big three could have continued to sell license-free radios and license-required GMRS radios. That idea was never explored. The nation might now be building new nation-wide GMRS radio repeater systems. Imagine if the public had access to radio systems other than subscription cellular service. Families could be using radio repeaters, base stations, mobile radios, and hand-held radios in national parks, state parks, amusement parks, tourist areas and even in America’s neighborhoods. The American public believes a cellular subscription is necessary to communicate effectively and exclusively with family members!

Keeping the license-free FRS radios would have meant that a TRUE license-free option was available for families desiring simple no-hassle personal radio communication. Instead we now have interminable interference problems in the GMRS related to the illegal use of the twenty-channel bubble packs radios by everyone and anyone. Families have no clue how to use their new GMRS hybrid radios or how to comply with licensing laws.

The retailers – AMERICAN BUSINESS EXECUTIVES made the choice to co opt GMRS. This was a move to do the wrong thing looking at future business quarters of climbing profits. The retail industry had its eyes on GMRS and they were taking it over. Their fingers were crossed behind their backs and the FCC was giving them the wink.

Interestingly enough the FCC OET and WTB did not approve requests for a dual band LICENSE-FREE radios using MURS and FRS! Draw your own conclusions. We DO NOTE that OET approved a marine VHF radio with FRS included but not before the Personal Radio Association objected through channels to rumors of a combined marine GMRS/FRS combo units. Mark our words. We believe that that the Marine/FRS combo radios are going to appear on the nations ski slopes. The FCC OET has opened Pandoras box and now the Marine Radio Service is in serious trouble. The public is going to ASSUME that the license free FRS channels mean using the marine channels on land is no big deal either! You guessed it. Using marine channels on land is not legal unless you have a special license to permit such operation.

Thousands of licensees in the General Mobile Radio Service who have millions of dollars invested in their family communication or personal-family-business systems do care. I believe that every licensee takes notice of ICOM being the only major radio manufacturer still selling a license-free Family Radio Service two-way radio. Every licensee that has ever given up trying to communicate with a family member because little Johnny and Sally were using the GMRS Mr. Microphone to sing silly songs cares a lot. We think ICOM rocks!

In a way it makes sense. I own quite a bit of ICOM’s stuff. Two R8500 receivers and an ICOM 756 PRO III at the high end and a hand-held ICOM GMRS radio at the low end. Their radios have always impressed me as has their customer service. It just doesn’t get any better than ICOM! A company with this kind of quality would as a matter of course do the right thing by the laws of the United State.

Thanks to Motorola, Cobra, Audiovox, and RadioShack American consumers no longer have lots of license-free FRS radio options. Now it’s a trust issue. You sell the 22-channel bubble pack radio and cross your heart that your customer will only use SEVEN of the 22 channels to stay legal. It is absurd. Only seven of the of the channels in most of these radios are actually license free and those channels are FRS 8-14. FRS 1-7 in a bubble pack are often now at GMRS power levels making the channel ineligible as a license free channel.

By the way, not one of the radios we are talking about is even made in the United States. The 22-channel bubble pack boom never benefited anyone BUT foreign manufacturers and the pocket books of US based marketing folks.

None of the major retailers ever bought into helping build GMRS the right way. The little guys under them like AudioVox and Garmin followed in lockstep pushing the 22-channel radios which have devastated the GMRS with horrendous interference levels in urban areas. The FCC is marching alongside. While license applications have gone up and continue to rise the numbers don’t equal radio sales. Humans follow the path of least resistance just like electrons. Most people will not (and have not) license a 22-channel bubble pack.

We think that individuals, businesses, or organizations considering the purchase of license-free radios should consider the ICOM FRS radio before any other. You can use it without a license. You will not be tempted to operate without a license and if you want to upgrade the licensed radio service will still be there waiting for you. Truth be told, the higher powered bubble packs do not provide the significant mileage claimed by the manufacturers. That is unsupported marketing hype. It always has been and always will be marketing hype. Dropping the license free radios and manufacturing only 22 channel bubble packs was also a marketing decision. One that focused on the future – asking the FCC to license GMRS by rule. A future that we believe will doom GMRS to the same fate as CB radio.

We might already be doomed but until then we think you should buy ICOM FRS if you need a license-free option. You can choose your own ICOM dealer or our preferred ICOM dealer, PopularWireless advertiser NSI Communications. We suggest that RadioShack redeem their own reputation after having helped create FRS by selling a REAL FRS radio and then properly train all of their employees. Retailers should STOP referring to the GMRS hybrids as FRS radios! These are NOT FRS radios they are GMRS radios that require a license for FIFTEEN out of the twenty-two available channels. Signs in stores should tell customers that an FCC license  is required and that there is a fee. Until then contact NSI Radio. NSI is the the dealer doing the right thing by the GMRS community and the FCC Rules.

The ICOM IC-4088 is still available:

With rapid charger $145
With overnight charger $124
Radio only, no charger $95

ICOM is a TOP manufacturer of two-way radio equipment and systems. This radio is not a GMRS chew toy. It is a quality product that will give you or your organization excellent service and utility. NSI Radio is ready to take your orders so you can stay license free!

There are many areas of the United States still considered rural and very rural. Residents are isolated from civilization and often each other by choice. Living this way can present communications difficulties when land-line or cellular telephone services break down in inclement weather or, perish the thought, don’t exist at all.

The General Mobile Radio Service can be a viable communication tool in rural areas particularly if neighbors build a radio system together. Multiple families can purchase and install a repeater system with back-up battery power to use in the event of a communications outage. During the rest of the time the two-way radio system serves to link families and friends for social and business purposes. The family radio is a link to another family group since neighbors often count upon each other just for company as well for emergencies.

This is where everyone is reminded that the GMRS is more than just the two-way radio chew toys for sale at big-box stores. GMRS can be a sophisticated yet easy to use communication option complete with base stations, mobile units and hand-held radios. Let’s look at some possibilities.

The Family Farm

GMRS is a radio service that the licensee can use to conduct his or her personal business. As long as the licensee allows his or her immediate family to use the radio system and not unlicensed employees the family farm or ranch can use the GMRS system for the family business. Individual employees not related to the licensee can use the same system as long as they too are licensed and use their FCC assigned call letters.

The General Store

Wouldn’t it be great if you could call your general store on the two-way radio to give them your shopping list? As long as the store owner and his family have a GMRS license he or she can use their radio to chat with customers, friends and family.

Rural Churches

Rural pastors can use GMRS to stay in touch with the flock as long as each family has the appropriate GMRS license. Rural churches are important centers of activity and support for families living in isolation. As long as everyone (individuals) are licensed properly members of the church could sponsor and share a local GMRS repeater so that everyone in that area had a lifeline to one another.

Travel in Rural Areas

There might be cellular coverage problems traveling in rural areas that GMRS could solve. A well placed local system might provide families with communications on long or potentially hazardous local road trips in rural areas. Where conventional communication fails a GMRS system built by neighbors might provide two-way radio communication to people that travel.

Your own monitoring network.

It is certainly conceivable that neighbors who count on one another could establish a local monitoring schedule so that anyone traveling actually had someone to talk to. When you set the expectation it is a very good idea to make sure someone is actually ready to respond. It might not hurt to get important local folks licensed and equipped with a GMRS radio so that communication is even more meaningful. How about the local sheriff’s deputy and his family, local volunteer firefighters and medical personnel and maybe eve the country doctor. As long as these individuals license as individuals they can use the GMRS to be part of the community back-up system.

When you live in or near a maritime community scanning the marine VHF channels can be as entertaining as listening to police, fire, and medical calls. It can also be quite a bit cheaper when you stop to consider that a newer model digital scanner from RadioShack can cost you $399 on sale. The RadioShack PRO-96 hand-held scanner like it’s base/mobile cousin the PRO-2096 scanner are excellent scanners for digital public safety systems and even have marine VHF search capabilities built in. The PRO-96 is one of my favorites since I own one myself; however, you don’t need this super scanner to enjoy listening to marine VHF frequencies.

Several manufacturers, including RadioShack make inexpensive scanning receivers capable of scanning what the scanning enthusiasts call conventional radio systems. Many so-called conventional scanners are often not capable of scanning trunked public safety radio systems whether digital or analog. You don’t buy a conventional scanner to scan a trunked radio system but you might if you wanted to hear what was going on in the water surrounding your home. An example of a good low-cost conventional scanner is the RadioShack PRO-2018 desk-top scanner priced currently at $99. Also available is the low-priced PRO-82 hand-held scanner. Each scanner holds up to two-hundred user programmed frequencies.

How do I listen?

Programming conventional radio systems into a scanner is still much easier than programming trunked public safety systems. Don’t be afraid of making a scanner purchase to scan marine frequencies if your primary worry is that you will never figure out how to do it! It is not rocket science. Besides your local radio store will probably program the scanner for you if you ask.

Probably one of the easiest ways to listen to marine VHF channels is to use the grouped search function available on most scanners. On scanners like the RadioShack PRO-95, PRO-96 and others you can press the pre-programmed search button for marine channels and then start scanning all of the known VHF channels. It just takes seconds to enter the keystrokes. But if you have just a handful of of favorite channels you want to listen to you would enter those into a bank. Read your scanner documentation for instructions.

Where can I find my list of favorites?

Start by listening to channels that should produce some interesting radio listening right away. You will soon develop a list of channels for your area. These are the channels I suggest to start:

• 156.800 – Channel 16 Marine Emergency Calling and Hailing
• 156.450 – Channel 9 Marine calling, hailing, radio checks, navigation
• 156.650 – Channel 13 Marine navigation on inland water ways. The BIG ships are required to maintain a radio watch on this channel just like they are on channel 16.
• 157.050 – Channel 21 US Coast Guard
• 157.100 – Channel 22A US Coast Guard
• 157.150 – Channel 23A US Coast Guard

As you scan these channels listen for ships talking about other marine channels. You will quickly learn the working channels for maritime towing services, harbors, bridges, and pilots. Add those frequencies as you find them. In the Marin Links section of this website you will find a complete frequency list of marine channels.

Do I need a special antenna?

Not necessarily. It can depend how far away your listening point is from the waterway of interest. Simple VHF antennas for scanners are not expensive. Any outdoor antenna is preferable but if you are near the water chances are the antenna on the scanner will provide adequate results for with local signals.

I have always been interested in maritime wireless. There are a few old clocks in my house too. When I saw this unique product at CafePress I scooped it up. It is a reproduction of a ship’s radio room clock. It has radio watches for 500 KHz and 2182 KHz marked in red and green. The clock is also marked in 24 hour time. The idea was so unique I thought it worth mentioning.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands alerted their ship personnel in writing about Foreign Shipping Interference. The FCC is at work behind the scenes. This public document was found on the Internet. It is a WORD document. Link in the FSI links on this page.

————————————————————–

MARINE SAFETY ADVISORY NO. 34-06

The following was provided by the Enforcement Bureau of the U.S. Federal Communication Commission, District Director, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau has received complaints that foreign flag ships in United States ports are using radio transmitting equipment on frequencies between 462.550 MHz and 467.725 MHz. In the United States these frequencies are authorized for licensed land mobile radio users in the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). To avoid causing interference to radio users licensed in the U.S., ships should avoid using these frequencies in U.S. waters.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) addresses this issue in the ITU Rules and Regulations with the following note: “5.288: In the territorial waters of the United States and the Philippines, the preferred frequencies for use by on-board communication stations shall be 457.525 MHz, 457.550 MHz, 457.575 MHz and 457.600 MHz paired, respectively, with 467.750 MHz, 467.775 MHz, 467.800 MHz and 467.825 MHz. The characteristics of the equipment used shall conform to those specified in Recommendation ITU-R M.1174.”

Foreign ships in U.S. territorial waters should use the preferred frequencies listed above and avoid using the frequency range from 462.550 MHz to 467.725 MHz.

Is the Personal Radio Association having an impact on Foreign Shipping Interference? We can only hope. On Sunday evening, September 1, 2007 at about 1856 hrs EDST the receiver at PopWireless HQ logged and recorded a radio transmission on 467.550 MHz. This is a frequency allocated to ships in other countries and is specifically not for use by these ships in the United States. Did they know that? A ship’s crewman asked the Boson to turn off his walkie talkie just as the ship began to pass PopularWireless HQ. (Hear the audio clip.)

The PRA FSI log contained the following entry, in part:

A number of ships passing close together this afternoon:

Liberia Niteroi, mmsi: 212105000 call sign P3MJ9, registered to Cyprus sailing to Newport News

The Texas, mmsi: 267594000, call sign LMWR3, from Norway. I think this is the ship just based on the accents of the sailors. That and my five element Yagi got a great signal pointed directly at the ship.

M/V Morning Melody, mmsi: 354047000, call sign 3EGS6, out of Panama

—————————————————

All were quiet as they sailed by and on at least one ship the Boson’s walkie talkie was off.

Perhaps this is why I never recall hearing an Australian registered vessel on US General Mobile Radio Service channels while the ship is in US waters. Even the FCC regulations are not this precise. Thank you Australia!

This paragraph is taken from Australian radio regulations: (Word file)

2.5 Operation outside Australia

(1) The licensee of a maritime ship station operating outside the territorial sea of Australia must operate the station in accordance with:

(a) the Radio Regulations; and

(b) if the station is in the territorial sea of another country — the radiocommunications requirements of the country.

(2) If a maritime ship station is to be operated outside Australia on a frequency specified in the Manual for use by the Maritime Mobile and Maritime Mobile-Satellite Services, published by the International Telecommunication Union and as in force from time to time, the licensee must only operate the station to communicate with one of the following stations:

(a) a coast station operated in another country;

(b) a coast earth station operated in another country;