FCC and UHF - do I need a liscense?

[Nox]

Ok, I'm thinking on picking up a radio that runs in UHF, in the band of about 430 - 470 Mhz range and I was wondering if I need a liscense for it?
I did a search in the topics for fcc related stuff but Im ignorant on what constitues GRMS compared to FRS and blah blah blah - it's greek to me, and Angelo isn't explaining..

So, if I pick one of these radios up, will I need to get liscenced or will I be good to go out of the box?

FYI - the radio I intend to pick up is the Motorola GP68.

[bertat11]

Info I found in a Forum
1) First, why can I only buy the Motorola GP68 from Ebay (overseas) and not in the US? Has it been discontinued, or did I miss something? If they are (discontinued) is it worth investing in (In terms of aftermarket part availability)? I have seen several other AO users recommend this radio fairly recently.

Older 90's tech, Motorola no longer manufactures this model, so yes, discontinued. A bit of searching on google does show some retailers in the US that sell them new, for $250+

2) I understand the basics of UHF and FRS frequencies, so am I correct in saying that if I bought the UHF GP68 I WOULD NOT be able to legally transmit on FRS or GMRS frequencies? This concerns me slightly because apparently FRS frequencies are the most used, and I would like to have a flexible and compatable platform.

Legally speaking, you would NOT be permittted to use the FRS only channels of the FRS band. Half of the FRS band is FRS only, must use no more than 0.5watts power, and have a fixed antenna. This radio has 1watt as its lowest power and a removable antenna, so its disqualified for FRS use, even though it is possible to program to these channels. However, for the GMRS channels and the shared GMRS/FRS channels, you could use it, but would require a GMRS license from the FCC to be legal.

3) Is this a "plug and play" radio? Meaning; can I go to a game, set up a channel with my partner, and go play? Or is there "pre-programming" required?

The full keypad should alow you to program in the field, without needing to link to a PC. It also can store up to 20 frequencies in memory.

4) Does the MHz of the radio matter? For example: can a 430~470 MHz radio transmit to a 136~174 MHz radio? Im going to assume they dont, since I think megahertz has something to do with the frequency.

Mhz range = freqency range. 430-470 MHz is the commonly used part of the UHF spectra for commercial and HAM radios. The 136-174 Mhz range is in the VHF spectrum. In order for two radios to talk to one another directly, they need to be on the same frequency, so no, VHF and UHF radios cannot talk to each other via direct radio-to-radio comms.

[Nox]

Figures....
Back to the good 'ol drawing board.

[Wombat Six]

Okay, so, here is the Earth...damn, you might say, that is a sweet Earth...

Yes, to transmit on huge swathes of the 430-470MHz spectrum, you will need either an amateur radio license (primary user of 420-450MHz) or a GMRS license (primary user of 462-467MHz). I don't know what's in between 450MHz and 462MHz (or above 467MHz), but my brief reading of the FCC's frequency allocation table tells me that it's used by private networks, so you'd probably be best served by not interfering with the sorts of folks who are paying for their spectrum use.

Amateur radio license is $15 for the Technician exam (35 questions, multiple choice), gets you a 10 year license.

GMRS radio license is $85, no exam, gets you a 5 year license. There is discussion around discontinuing the licensing process for a variety of reasons (no enforcement, more utilization than is licensed, FCC's complete lack of concern for things that don't make them any money), but it's still a few years off at this point.

FRS frequencies don't require a license, but are limited to 0.5W for unlicensed use, so, yes, the GP68 would be out of luck. However, you would still be able to communicate with FRS/GMRS hybrid radio users provided they were on the GMRS frequencies of their radios.

The GP68 will require programming prior to use, meaning that you will want to get together with whoever else you want to communicate with and ensure that you all have the same frequencies programmed into your radios. As far as I know, the GP68 does not allow keypad entry of frequencies (you'll need the software and cable), the keypad is for use of the DTMF tones and other inputs.

Hope that helps.