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FCC

  • Will the FCC Change the Part 95 Rules for Digital Data on the GMRS?

    On July 16, 2021, Midland requested that the FCC waive certain sections of its Part 95 rules to extend data privileges that are currently limited only to handheld GMRS devices to include mobile radios as well. On November 29, 2023 the FCC issued a public notice seeking public comment on the request within 30 days. What exactly is this all about?

    In this extended video segment from episode 185 of The Two Way Radio Show Podcast, Danny and Rick explain what is going on, the likelihood that the petition will be granted and what this potentially means for the future of the General Mobile Radio Service.

    Listen to the full Two Way Radio Show podcast and Subscribe to the show!

    Want more videos about 2-way radios? Browse our video blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

  • TWRS-185 - Will the FCC Allow Digital Data on GMRS Mobile Radios?

    Two Way Radio Show
    We discuss Midland's request for changes to Part 95 of the FCC rules to allow digital data transmissions from GMRS mobile radios. We’ll also tell you about a big giveaway promotion and take some of your comments and questions from our blog and our forum.

    Intro :00
    Billboard 1:08

    FCC petition to change Part 95 rules for the GMRS 1:24
    On July 16, 2021, Midland requested that the FCC waive certain sections of its Part 95 rules to extend data privileges that are currently limited only to handheld GMRS devices to include mobile radios. On November 29, 2023 the OFFICE OF MANAGING AND DIRECTOR’S BUREAU issued a public notice stating that Interested persons may file statements opposing or supporting the Petition for Rulemaking within 30 days. What exactly is this all about? If this petition is approved, what does this mean for the future of the General Mobile Radio Service? Will this be good or bad for the GMRS airwaves going forward?

    Survival Dispatch $25,000 New Year's Giveaway Promotion 30:37
    To ring in the new year, Survival Dispatch is giving away $25,000 in prizes during a giveaway drawing on New Year's Day, 2024! Buy Two Way Radios is contributing a Wouxun KG-935G Plus Prepper GMRS Radio Kit to their promotion, valued at $469.99! All you need to do is go to the official giveaway sign up page, enter your email address, and you're in. Listen to the show for details.

    Questions and Answers 33:58
    Comments and questions from our blog and members of the Two Way Radio Forum. Check out and join the forum! It's free!

    Wrap up and Close 37:50
    Send in your comments and questions for Danny, Anthony and Rick to show[at]buytwowayradios.com. Feedback on this and other topics will be read by the hosts and included in future episodes of the show. If we read your comment about this episode on a future episode, we may send you a free t-shirt or some swag! Visit us at www.twowayradioshow.com!

    © 2023 Cricket Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved.

  • How to get a GMRS License in only four steps

    Getting your GMRS license has never been easier. Really, it hasn't. This is because it's never been easy at all. Unlike the main FCC web site, the portion of the site where you get a license, known as the Universal License System, or ULS, seems to be it's own little ecosystem. Unfortunately, the ULS isn't exactly a modern, intuitive web experience.

    Before 2017, the FCC site as a whole was an archaic design, a throwback to the mid 1990's that was excruciatingly cumbersome to navigate and use. At some point the Commission decided to modernize it, but for some reason neglected to update the front facing side of the COmmission REgistration System (CORES) site as well, which included the Universal License System, or ULS. The result was a mashup of relatively modern web design butted up against crude, pre-millennial blast from the past. Imagine driving down a four lane freeway and suddenly turning onto an old dirt road. The ULS was something like that. It also was not mobile friendly, so if you wanted to do this on a tablet or cell phone, good luck.

    In the fall of 2022 the FCC apparently updated the site again. It is now known as the New CORES. Before you get too excited though, it looks about the same as the old CORES, with a few minor upgrades, which at least brings it up to the year 1999. It is still not very mobile friendly. It's like steam punk without the steam or the punk. We recommend you use a desktop computer to navigate the site. At least it's functional.

    Aside from navigating decades old web site technology, getting a GMRS license isn't really that hard at all. It just takes some patience and a little perseverence. You could say it's even kind of amazing, in the sense that you're going through a maze. You have to know where to go and what information to provide. Oh, and if you really like to fill out forms, you'll love this. If you don't, maybe not. Just try not to think about it.

    Here's where and how to apply for a GMRS license in only four steps.

    Step 1. Register for a Username
    Note: If you already registered in CORES, you can skip this step.

    To register for an FCC Username, go to the FCC Universal License System (ULS) page, and under the Filing sub-heading, click New User Registration. This will take you to the FCC Registration Login page. Select the option Register under the column header Need a Username?. This will take you to the online FRN registration form.

    Before you fill out the form, you will need to perform a search to verify that the you are not already registered. Enter your email address in the field and click the button marked Check Availability. This will be your username. If your email address is unavailable, follow the instructions in the latter part of this video to retrieve your existing password.

    If your email address/username is not already listed, proceed to the form. Fill out the form with your name and address, and choose a password. The FCC requires the password have a minimum of 12 characters and a maximum of 15 characters, and must meet all of the following criteria: at least 1 lower case letter, 1 upper case letter, 1 number, and 1 punctuation mark/special character.

    Next, select a personal security question, enter an answer and click Submit. After the form is submitted, there will be a process by which your email address/username needs to be verified. Once verified and accepted, click on the button GoToCores to continue with step 2, where you will need to register for an FRN number.

    Step 2. Register for an FRN number
    Note: If you already have an FRN number, you can skip this step.

    Before you apply for any FCC license, you will need an FCC Registration Number, commonly referred to by the Commission as an FRN. Your FRN is a 10 digit number that identifies you when conducting financial transactions with the FCC. As a social security number identifies you as a taxpayer with the IRS, an FRN identifies you as a fee payer with the FCC. Ironically, the form will require your SSN as well, so be ready for that.

    The important thing to remember is that your FRN will be used for all license applications, changes, renewals and upgrades. Once you have an FRN, it's your number for life.

    To apply for an FRN, click on the button mentioned at the end of step 1 or go to the FCC Universal License System (ULS) page, go to the Filing sub-heading and under the Username Login section, login with your Username and password. Either method will take you to the User Home page.

    Now, here's where it gets interesting. On this page you will find the following six options:

    • Associate Username to FRN - Link your registered username to an existing FRN.
    • Manage Existing FRNs | FRN Financial | Bills and Fees - View & Pay Regulatory Fees, Application Fees, and Bills | View Red & Green light status.
    • Register New FRN - Register and receive a new FRN (including Restricted Use Frn).
    • Reset FRN Password - Reset/update your FRN password.
    • Search for FRN - Search for public FRN information.
    • Update your username profile.

    If you already have an FRN, skip to step 3. For the rest of us, the one to click on is the third item, Register New FRN. This will take you to a box with radio buttons for registration options.

    FRN Registration

    There are two registration types, business and individual. A business cannot apply for a GMRS license, so you would choose An Individual. Your contact address should be within the United States or its territories, so this is the option to choose. Click Continue.

    FRN Registration 2This takes you to a second box with another set of radio buttons. Choose CORES FRN Registration and click Continue.

    FRN Registration 3This will take you to the actual online FRN registration form. yeah, another form. Fill out the form with your name and address.

    After the form is submitted and accepted, you should be taken to a page with your FRN registration information, along with your assigned FRN number, which should appear at the top of the information box. It is important to write this number down and keep it in a safe place for reference later, as this is the number for which you laboriously applied.

    As an important side note, if you already have existing FRNs, you must associate them with your username before you can manage them. To do so, go back to the User Home page, click on Associate Username to FRN and fill out that little form.

    Step 3. Apply for the license
    Once you have your FRN number, you can begin the actual license application process. Go to the FCC Universal License System (ULS) page and under the Filing sub-heading Click File Online. This should take you to the License Manager login page. Enter your new FRN number and password to log in.

    You should now be on the My Licenses page. Click the link on the left sidebar labeled Apply for a New License. This will take you to another page with a drop-down to select the service license for which you want to apply. You will want to choose the option ZA - General Mobile Radio (GMRS). Click the continue button, Choose No for all three drop-downs on the next page, click continue again and will be taken to - you guessed it - another form. Fill out that one, submit it, and it should take you to the page Manage Existing FRN(s).

    This page has a lot of intimidating looking red type, and four options from which to choose:

    • Manage FRNs
    • FRN Financial
    • Regulatory Fee Manager
    • ULS Pay Fees

    Thought you were done? Not quite. Now you have to pay the fee. On a normal web site, this would actually be a simple and intuitive step at the end of the application process. fill out the application, click pay, and you're done. But this isn't a normal web site. It's the domain of the FCC. This means that for some convoluted reason it has to be unnecessarily complicated. We've already filled out two forms with what was basically the same information. Now we're off to yet another area of the FCC website.

    Step 4. Pay the license application fee
    On the Manage Existing FRN(s) page, click on FRN Financial. This will take you to the page where you begin the fee payment process. It should list your FRN number on the left and the link View/Make Payments to the right. Click the link to go to yet another page with the FRN listed under the tab Awaiting Payment Confirmation and a Make Payment link to the right. Click that link, fill out the payment form, and submit. Now you're done.

    The FCC should issue your GMRS callsign within a few days. To check the status of your license and callsign, simply log into the ULS License Manager.

    And there you have it. That's how to apply for a GMRS license from the FCC in only four steps.

    Hey, I said there were only four steps. I didn't say they were easy.

  • TWRS-161 - The FCC Approves FM on CB and Location Data on GMRS

    Two Way Radio Show
    We discuss the new FCC rule changes on Part 95 that allow CB radios to operate on FM and location data transmissions on both FRS and GMRS. We also take some of your comments and questions from our blog and our forum.

    Intro :00
    Billboard 1:20

    The FCC approves FM on CB 2:30
    We give you an overview of the FCC approval to allow FM on the CB radio service. We discuss the possible effects of the new rules and speculate when we would likely see new radios that implement them enter the market. Our guest on this episode is our in-house tech for Buy Two Way Radios and longtime CBer, John Sorrentino.

    FCC approved location data transmission on FRS and GMRS 27:52
    We tell you about the new FCC rule changes that allow location data transmission to the FRS and GMRS.

    Questions and Answers 49:35
    Comments and questions from readers of our Two Way Radio Blog and members of the Two Way Radio Forum. Check out and join the forum! It's free!

    Wrap up and Close 1:00:20
    Send in your comments and questions for Danny, Anthony and Rick to show[at]buytwowayradios.com. Feedback on this and other topics will be read by the hosts and included in future episodes of the show. If we read your comment about this episode on a future episode, we may send you a free Two Way Radio Show t-shirt or some swag! Visit us at www.twowayradioshow.com!

    © 2021 Cricket Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved.

  • When will the new FCC license fees take effect?

    UPDATE March 23, 2022: The FCC license fees will take effect on April 19, 2022. Read more.

    UPDATE: The original article posted a specific date for activation, which turned out to be in error. We have since updated the article to correct the error and clarify the implementation process. We apologize for the error.

    Last year the FCC announced new license application fees for various radio services, including the Amateur Radio Service and the GMRS. While the announcement received mixed response from the users of these services, it also created some confusion as to exactly when these new fees would begin to be enforced.

    On December 29, 2020 the FCC issued a FCC Report and Order announcing the new fees. According to the document, the fee for an amateur radio technician, general or extra license, which previously was without charge, will now cost $35. The fee will apply to vanity call signs as well. The cost of a GMRS license will decrease from $70 to only $35. The licenses for both services are valid for 10 years.

    When we first reported the FCC approval of the new ham and GMRS license fees back in December, there was no official date set for their implementation. This Report and Order would become effective after it was to be published in the Federal Register. However, some parts of it, including the applications fees, would not become effective until it is approved by Congress.

    The Schedule of Application Fees of the Commission's Rules was published in the Federal Register March 19, 2021. According to the notice, the fees officially take effect once it is sent to Congress and the FCC's systems have been updated. The FCC will then publish a notice of the actual effective date. Update: Amateur and GMRS license fees change to $35 on April 19, 2022. Read for details.

    If you are planning to obtain a ham radio license or vanity call sign, you still have time to do so without incurring the new $35 fee. If you want to buy a GMRS license and pay the lower fee, you may want to wait little awhile longer. Either way, we'll be here at Buy Two Way Radios to help you save on your ham, GMRS, and any other business or personal radios and radio accessories you may need.

  • FCC approves new ham and GMRS license fees

    UPDATE March 19, 2020 - When will the new FCC license fees take effect? Read here for details.

    The FCC has just approved new license fees for Amateur Radio and the GMRS. These fees are actually lower than the original fees proposed in August, which were highly contested by hams, but welcomed by GMRS licensees. While the new FCC license fees may alleviate some of the sticker shock from the original fees proposed by the Commission, it is welcome news for fans of the GMRS.

    According to the FCC Report and Order released December 29, 2020, Amateur Radio license fees will now cost $35. This same fee will apply to new licenses, renewal licenses, and vanity call signs. Previously, no fees were collected for ham licenses or vanity call signs issued to amateur radio operators, so technically it is a significant change. However, it is considerably less than the $50 fees originally proposed by the Commission, so it should be of some comfort to hams.

    On the brighter side, a GMRS license will now cost significantly less than before. Up to now the application fee for a GMRS license was $70. With this Report and Order, the new GMRS license fee will be only $35, which is $15 less than the proposed fee and half the cost of the fees previously charged by the FCC. The license is still valid for 10 years and covers an entire family.

    The amendment to the proposed fees was largely due to the comments and feedback the Commission received in response to the proposal in August. While the FCC disagreed with many of the assertions from hams and the ARRL why the original proposed $50 fees should not be charged at all, it did acknowledge on important point brought up by many that the fees did not fairly represent the amount of effort required to process the license applications, ,which is largely automated.

    As the FCC put it, "We agree that the applications for amateur licenses, and other personal licenses, are largely automated, and for that reason the cost-based fee we adopt is only $35. With respect to the amateur licenses, while review is highly automated, staff must maintain the processing system to ensure applicants are qualified, vanity call sign procedures are followed, and off-lined applications are individually reviewed. Therefore, we cannot conclude that there are no costs involved in processing the applications and we do not have the discretion to exempt this service from application fees."

    Since the same is true with the processing of GMRS licenses, the Commission amended the proposed $50 fee for that as well, bringing the cost of a GMRS license down to $35.

    The new fees will take affect after the Report and Order is published in the Federal Register and is sent to Congress.

  • The FCC Proposes to Lower GMRS License Fees

    Audiogram excerpt from Episode 151 of The Two Way Radio Show Podcast - The FCC Proposes to Lower GMRS License Fees

    If you are interested in obtaining a General Mobile Service or GMRS radio license, but have put it off because of the gradually rising fees, good news may be on the horizon. The FCC recently proposed to amend the schedule of application fees on many of the radio services. While this could mean huge hikes in fees for amateur radio license, it may also bring about a considerable reduction in license fees for the GMRS!

    In this short excerpt from Episode 151 of The Two Way Radio Show Podcast, Danny, Anthony and Rick discuss the proposal to lower the GMRS license fee and why this could be great for the GMRS in the future.

    For details on the proposal, read the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, MD Docket No. 20-270.

    We have a wide selection of FCC approved GMRS Two Way Radios available at Buy Two Way Radios.

  • TWRS-151 - The FCC Proposes New License Fees on the Amateur Radio Service

    Two Way Radio Show
    We discuss the FCC proposal to levy fees on Amateur Radio licenses. we also tell you about some MURS radios from Dakota Alert and some really big summer rebates on Kenwood and Motorola business radios. Plus, the FCC grants Garmin a waiver. We also take some of your comments and questions from our blog and our forum.

    Intro :00
    Billboard 1:21

    The FCC Proposes New Fees on Amateur Radio Licenses 1:41
    On August 26, 2020, the FCC released a proposal to amend the schedule of application fees on various radio services. Read the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, MD Docket No. 20-270.

    The FCC to reduce the GMRS License Fee? 47:17
    There may be good news for GMRS licensees.

    Dakota Alert MURS Radios 52:34
    We tell you about base station and handheld MURS radios from Dakota Alert.

    Kenwood and Motorola Rebates 58:53
    We tell you about some really big rebates on Kenwood business radios, Motorola CP200d commercial radios and Motorola Onsite Business radios.

    FCC Grants a Waiver to Garmin 1:04:19
    The FCC will allow Garmin to manufacture dual service MURS and satellite radios.

    Questions and Answers 1:07:17
    Comments and questions from readers of our Two Way Radio Blog and members of the Two Way Radio Forum. Check out and join the new and improved forum! It's free!

    Wrap up and Close 1:16:34
    Send in your comments and questions for Danny, Anthony and Rick to show[at]buytwowayradios.com. Feedback on this and other topics will be read by the hosts and included in future episodes of the show. If we read your comment about this episode on a future episode, we may send you a free Two Way Radio Show t-shirt! Visit us at www.twowayradioshow.com!

    © 2020 Cricket Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved.

  • TWRS-129 - Kenwood Offers Refurbished Radios

    Two Way Radio Show
    We announce a new initiative by Kenwood to offer refurbished radios, talk about some new frequencies for business radios and a discuss a radio operator who was fined for impersonating first responders.

    Intro :00
    Billboard 1:24

    Kenwood offers refurbished radios 1:44
    Kenwood is a popular and respected manufacturer of two way radios, and their ProTalk line is used in many businesses and industries. Now, the company is offering an alternative to their brand new products – Kenwood refurbished radios.

    New frequencies for business radios 21:30
    We discuss a report and order by the FCC to open additional frequencies for business and industrial use that takes them closer to channels used for the GMRS.

    Radio operator fined for unauthorized transmission 28:08
    We’ll tell you about a radio operator who was fined by the FCC for impersonating first responders on a public safety frequency.

    What happened with the FCC Enforcement Advisory 37:09
    Did the FCC accomplish anything with their recent enforcement advisory on unauthorized UHF/VHF radios or did they simply drop a grenade and walk away?

    Questions and Answers 48:13
    Comments and questions from readers of our Two Way Radio Blog and members of the Two Way Radio Forum.

    Wrap up and Close 55:05
    Send in your comments and questions for Danny, Anthony and Rick to show[at]buytwowayradios.com. Feedback on this and other topics will be read by the hosts and included in future episodes of the show. Visit us at www.twowayradioshow.com!

    © 2018 Cricket Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved.


  • FCC issues advisory against the import, sale and use of unauthorized UHF/VHF two way radios

    FCC Enforcement Advisory Banner

    The FCC issued an enforcement advisory today against the import, sale and use of unauthorized VHF/UHF two way radios effective immediately. The advisory reiterated that non-compliant radios can not be imported, sold, advertised or operated by anyone in the United States.

    The advisory was issued September 24, 2018 and implies that a crackdown on cheap, imported radios is imminent. The FCC warned that violators will be subject to penalties, including monetary fines up to $19,639 per day during the violation and up to $147,290 for an ongoing violation.

    The "crack-down" began in early August when the FCC went after an Amazon seller of a variant of the immensely popular Baofeng UV-5R, or more specifically, the UV-5R V2+. The FCC issued a cease and desist order to this seller, making it clear that they considered the UV-5R V2+ to be non-compliant. We discussed this at length in episode 126 of The Two Way Radio Show podcast.

    The latest FCC enforcement advisory points out several examples that would violate the commission's rules, most of which refer to use of these radios on business or Land Mobile frequencies. Specifically:

    - The ability to transmit on public safety and/or other unauthorized channels. Some radios have the ability to transmit on a wide range of frequencies, for example 400-512 MHz. Within this range are frequencies that are reserved for government and public safety use and the radio should prohibit transmission on these. It was absent from this advisory, but the cease and desist mentioned above points out that the UV-5R should not allow the programming of frequencies directly from the keypad by an end user.

    - The ability to transmit using wideband. Several years ago the FCC mandated that radios operating on land mobile frequencies must support a maximum of 12.5 kHz bandwidth. Devices that support 25 kHz were prohibited.

    - Radio devices modified after they are FCC approved. After a radio is approved by the FCC, if changes are made to the radio it generally needs to go through the approval process again.

    - Radio products marketed for Ham/Amateur use that are capable of transmitting outside Amateur frequency bands. Radios intended for use by Amateur Radio operators do not require the typical FCC approval process that business radios require. However, these radios must be locked down to only amateur bands. For example, an amateur radio cannot also transmit on business, GMRS or MURS frequencies.

    The Enforcement Bureau of the FCC noted a substantial number UHF/VHF radios marketed, sold and used in the United States that are not FCC certified or compliant with the rules. These radios are capable of operation on multiple bands across multiple radio services for which they are not certified, increasing the risk of interference to authorized or licensed entities and operations, such as federal government operations and private licensed users. Devices that do not meet the requirements and are not FCC certified for use on these radio services are in direct violation of the rules and should not be used by anyone, unless the user is an amateur radio operator.

    An amateur radio operator, or ham, is the only exception to this requirement, provided the radio is only capable of operating on frequencies reserved for amateur radio operation. However, the operator must have a valid amateur radio license to operate the radio and must only operate it according to the FCC rules.

    Our Plan of Action

    As we mentioned in our podcast, once the cease and desist was issued to the Baofeng seller, we started taking steps to ensure that all of the radios that we sell are compliant. The advisory issued today is actually helpful to us, as it provides specifics on what would be considered non-compliant.

    We currently carry several import radios and market them to Amateur Radio operators. We are now working with the manufacturers of these radios to have all models that we carry locked down to the ham bands only (144-148, 222-225, 420-450 MHz). Some radios will be able to be updated soon with firmware changes, others will be closed out and updated models ordered as they are made available.

    What is the Impact?

    Because we market these products to amateur radio operators, we are more in touch with how this will impact those users. There are certainly users who love the fact that they can have a single radio programmed for their work frequencies and also their ham repeaters. We've also heard of users programming these radios for use on the GMRS. If the FCC is successful, this will soon no longer be an option, although it technically never should have been one.

    Perhaps we'll see many popular radio models re-issued with the same hardware in ham or GMRS only versions. The digital models will likely also have a business radio edition.

    We may also see many of these import radios disappear altogether. Some radios are sold on Amazon at very low prices and they are clearly marketed to businesses, but they only support analog operation. Becoming FCC certified isn't going to be an option for these radios, since the FCC is now requiring most radios to essentially support digital operations in order to be granted approval.

    Read the complete FCC Enforcement Advisary 2018-03 for details.

     

     

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