The PRA is two years old!
Because numbers matter. The PRA is headquartered at Huntingtown, MD. Our new mailing address is P.O. Box 485, Huntingtown, MD 20639, telephone 410-414-8380
Readers of PopularWireless Magazine, faced with repeated FCC decisions contributing increased interference levels to GMRS and FRS have had enough. In February 2005 the concept of a Personal Radio Association was born. A PRA steering committee looked at the necessary building blocks for a national organization that could represent the interests of individuals and families with investments in two-way radio communications in the General Mobile Radio Service, Family Radio Service, Multi-Use Radio Service, the Citizens Radio Service, and Part-15 devices. This steering committee formed the beginnings of an incorporated non-profit association. A Board of Directors was selected from within the steering committee. The PRA is selecting an attorney to incorporate the PRA in the State of Maryland and seek our IRS 501(c3) status. Membership As of July 17, 2005 memberships were being taken by regular mail and FAX. In September we added the ability to send the application by mail. In the future, there will be an annual membership dues requirement. All dues will go toward the costs of running the Association. Only individual persons can be members of the PRA. There are no organizational memberships though we do expect to ask repeater associations to participate in the association in an advisory capacity while encouraging their members to join up! PRA Links The PRA Mission Statement & Code of Ethics The PRA GMRS Licensee Code of Conduct The PRA Radio Industry Code of Ethics The major efforts of the PRA will be focused on these concerns: PRA Focus in Brief
Dominion is a GMRS Champion! The Personal Radio Association with the cooperation of the Dominion Corp. LNG facility at Lusby, MD has significantly mitigated interference to local GMRS systems along the Chesapeake Bay. Dominion earned the majority of the credit through its insistence that visiting ships of foreign registry observe international treaty and not use GMRS repeater inputs for ship board operations while in US waters. PRA members along the Bay have notice a sharp decrease in repeater input interference. The PRA, in a face-to-face meeting with the FCC Enforcement Bureau on October 20, 2005 requested that the EB look into ways this problem can be dealt with on a national basis. Licensees are still requested to tell the Commission about maritime interference problems associated with international shipping. Visiting foreign ships are not just using two GMRS repeater input channels! On the Chesapeake Bay ships have been heard on EVERY GMRS repeater input and some output channels. A ship transiting the Chesapeake bay operated a REPEATER with 467.575 as the output (CTCSS 100Hz). The input was 462.575! This ship board repeater brought up two repeaters in the New Jersey, New York area one weekend in November, 2005. This is a serious problem for licensees and it needs to be fixed. You can help! Document every occurrence of international shipping interference on the PRA form for that purpose and mail it to the FCC. Who
is Still Selling The PRA hopes radio retailers are concerned about doing the right thing when it comes to selling GMRS/FRS hybrid radios and FRS only radios. The right thing of course is to tell customers about the GMRS licensing requirement and the $80 license fee. We also hope that retailers continue to offer FRS (14 channel) only radios (unlike the major US retailer that petitioned the FCC to create FRS) which do not require an FCC license. Is your business selling FRS only models? Are you telling your customers about the licensing requirement? Tell us. Email doug@praweb.org
Useful PRA FAQ's The PRA GMRS Repeater Beacon ID FAQ The PRA GMRS & FRS Emergency FAQ How GMRS, FRS, CB, MURS etc can be used in a disaster - the right way. The PRA Personal Radio Service Enforcement FAQ The PRA Position Regarding the National SOS Emergency (NationalSOS.com) FRS Monitoring Proposal. (PDF) -or- the HTML version PRA Forms
Own a Bubble-Pack GMRS? Get a license. It is the law and it is the right thing to do. |
PRA Status Now the Personal Radio Association, Inc. March 2007 The PRA is now incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in the State of Maryland. Our attorney completed the State incorporation process for the Board of Trustees in February 2007. The Board will be meeting officially for the first time as a corporate board in March or April. April 2006 The PRA is still accepting memberships ahead of incorporation. Maryland incorporation is likely to happen by our first anniversary in February 2006. There are no dues required until the PRA is fully incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit corporation. A link to the PRA membership form is at the top and bottom of this page. You may mail it, FAX it, or click the send by email button to send it to the PRA. (Pop3 email account required for this method to work) Please complete the form and mail, email, or FAX to PRA HQ. Watch this website and PopularWireless.com for further information. On your application please tell us how many family members are active users under your GMRS license. (Over and under 18. We are keeping track of voters here.) One member may have many family users on his or her GMRS system that do not hold individual licenses. The PRA is working with the FCC Enforcement Bureau to build a GMRS enforcement program. PRA Enforcement Committees are working with licensees in areas of the country where there are serious interference problems, and commercial intruders. Serious violations of the FCC Rules the reflect poorly on the service are also being reported by licensees to the FCC.
The Issues Consider a membership in the PRA if the following issues concern you:
PRA Initiatives Reporting retailers using false, misleading, or deceptive advertising to market two-way radio, or that advertise illegal radio hardware to the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission respectively. Report false, misleading, or deceptive advertising at this link. Select "File a Complaint." Public education regarding use of the Personal Radio Services. GMRS Intruder reporting via PRA form
through the PRA Intruder Encouraging FCC enforcement of GMRS FCC Rules in problem areas of the United States. PRA's Reliable Retailer Program. We focus attention on retailers doing the right thing applying the Radio Industry Code as a standard. Keydown Focus Group. This group gathers information on illegal CB radio keydown events and reports findings to the FCC. (New- 1/06) The PRA begins an initiative in January 2006 to identify and report to the FCC Internet retailers selling illegal CB radio equipment. The so-called export radios. (As of March 2007 we are again looking for volunteers to staff this program.)
The PRA Community Visit the PRA Forums at the PopularWireless.com Personal Wireless Bulletin Board.
Are You the Subject of a PRA FCC Personal Radio Service Complaint? FCC Personal Radio Service Are you the subject of an FCC GMRS complaint made by a member of the Personal Radio Association? Please understand that if you have received a letter from the FCC that is based on a complaint from a member of the Association and you contact us you are still required to follow the instructions received in the FCC letter. When you call the PRA we can read you the complaint if we have a copy available but we cannot discuss any potential outcome, revise the complaint based on information from you, or negotiate for you with the FCC. All statements you make to the PRA about the complaint are submitted as supplemental documentation to the Commission. The fastest and easiest way to resolve an issue is to respond as requested to the FCC Enforcement Bureau. CERT The PRA encourages you to get CERT-ified! Take CERT training offered in your community. Be part of the Homeland Security solution for your area. Get ready ahead of time to help your neighbors.
First Year PRA Accomplishments
Second Year PRA Accomplishments The PRA and the FCC after some back and forth discussion with the FCC Enforcement Bureau spanning some twelve months have reached an agreement on a method to mitigate GMRS interference from international shipping in port cities. Initially the FCC felt that licensees should accept this occasional use by foreign shipping as one of the drawbacks of the radio service. The PRA pushed back. To Bureau Chief Kris Monteith's credit the FCC decided to write the United States Coast Guard an internal memorandum asking for their help reminding ship's Captains of the ITU regulations and international treaty that specifically state ships must use preferred radio channels in the United States and NOT GMRS channels. Ships are also forbidden by ITU regulations from causing harmful interference in US waters. International shipping has not complied with ITU regulations for over 20 years. In addition Mr. Riley Hollingsworth is accepting PRA interference complaints where a ship and shipping line have been identified. He writes letters explaining the ITU and NTIA regulations and asks the shipping company to comply. On the Chesapeake Bay, Dominion Corp remains a friend of the GMRS licensee by handling interference matters as part of their contract agreements. The PRA wants to expand the PRA Enforcement Program to include port monitors in US port cities to monitor compliance with the education effort. The PRA appreciates the FCC's assistance in this matter. The PRA Enforcement Program reported a number of issues to the FCC Enforcement Bureau. Volunteers in various parts of the country are taking responsibility for their radio neighborhoods. The FCC continues to handle issues in a respectful way. Commercial users of the GMRS ineligible to license are asked to license properly on a business radio channel. |
Please visit the PRA message areas at PopularWireless.com for the latest PRA News. The PRA Message Area has announcements for volunteers interested in helping. We are looking for a webmaster and newsletter editor. |
CB Radio Interference Complaint? In 2000, the President signed into law a bill modifying Section 302 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 302 a) authorizing local political jurisdictions to enact ordinances allowing police to investigate illegal CB radio stations. (Our thanks to the ARRL for this link) Such stations often cause interference to television, radio, and telephone communication. Many local governments have chosen not to participate in this program. Because of this law, you may have been referred by the FCC Call Center to your local police and found no help with your complaint. Police agencies were NOT required to take on this responsibility and the FCC does not, in our opinion, go out of its way to help you identify whether or not an illegal power amplifier might be the proximate cause of your interference complaint. You do have the right to file a complaint with the FCC's Enforcement Bureau regardless of what you are told at the FCC's 800 Consumer number. The FCC does not investigate claims of radio and television interference from two-way radios but they will eventually investigate complaints of the illegal use of linear amplifiers by CB stations. It is a very low-priority complaint but they do get around to these. The PRA is in the process of building a FAQ on this issue and in creating a form you can fill out and print to make a report to the FCC Enforcement Bureau. In the meantime, we encourage you to join the PopularWireless.com forums and ask questions about this type of complaint. |
Updated March 25, 2007
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