New HA product development

is,

you

By "illegally" do you mean without a license, or intruding into forbidden bands?

Don't the airwaves belong to the people? Shouldn't the people be allowed to make any use they want of the airwaves, as long as they don't interfere with properly licensed/permitted signals, or cause a hazard to others?

The feds can be so picky. I am aware of a local ham who altered his portable to be able to listen to police bands. While mountain-biking with friends, one fellow got badly hurt. He called for help on the Sheriff's frequency, and the victim was saved. A few days later, the FCC paid him a visit and confiscated the device.

Yes.

Change the word "airwaves" to "air" or "water" or any other public resource. All have regulations because, in general, your actions in them can affect people quite a ways away without your knowledge. Just as fertilizer runoff from a field can pollute the wells of people far away, transmitting even small amounts of power can prevent reception of ("pollute") someone else's signal far away. Hence, regulation is a reasonable thing.

In the U.S., you can legally receive whatever you want... other than the old AMPS cell phone bands, and in my opinion the feds making that illegal was a mistake that, if anything, only delayed the introduction of reasonably secure cell phone technology.

Ah, well TRANSMITTING on the police bands is another issue. That certainly is illegal (for your friend). But note that the FCC confiscated the device specifically because it was modified and therefore no longer type accepted... if you friend had purchased, say, a police radio from eBay and had used it, technically I believe he would have been OK! (Since, in general, during an emergency you're allowed to use whatever frequencies and equipment you want to obtain help, but if the cops discover anything illegal after all the dust has settled, they can still pursue it. Say your friend had smashed the window of a car to grab a cell phone to call 911... technically I think he could then still be prosecuted for vandalism, although the cops might be a little more understanding because it was a spur of the moment decision, whereas modifying a radio to transmit on the police bands is highly premeditated!)

Keep in mind that while you can find stories where doing something like your friend did ended up saving someone's life, someone else could find a story where some moron transmitting on the police bands to report someone's house being robbed prevented a cop from calling in that he'd been shot and was lying there dying.

You have to put everything in perspective. Would I be willing to risk going to jail if I thought smashing a car window to call 911 in a true emergency would help? Absolutely. There's the old story about Thomas Edison smashing a the front display case window of a store to steal a large mirror so that a surgeon would have enough reflected candlelight to be able to perform surgery to save his mother. You have to decide for yourself when the overall good outweighs the bad if you choose to commit a crime...

---Joel Kolstad

As they should have. He was too damned stupid to hide his "device" ?:-)

...Jim Thompson

Shut up! Do you want 'ass-barphed' to start writing another one of his patented, "John, the Rhyming Retard" poems about it?

Roses are red violets are blue my name is John and I'm stupid!

signed, the Stylish Tusker

BTW, who put a quarter in your slot?

I see how sharp you are trimming quotes to suit your purposes. If your intention was to out-lame John, you win the prize.

You are badly misinformed.

It is even legal for me to require that you, for example, be of prime

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

You can be sued because someone thinks you're ugly... doesn't mean they'll win!

Wow, you really aren't the sharpest tool in the shed, are you? That 'poetry' was an example of just how incredibly bad ass-barphed's poetry is, not my own! Hello --- it's supposed to be bad! My god, how do you function? Sorry Kieth, I just cannot buy into this fallacy that you are some kind of electronics professional, more likely you are a victim of lunatic asylum budget-cutbacks --- they thought you'd be ok as long as you took your medication, and kicked you out to save money.

Only those with previous work experience at Hooters ;-)

...Jim Thompson

It was an illegal device, is the point --- dummy.

--- The point is, cretin, he was operating an illegal, non type-accepted transmitter on a frequency for which he wasn't licensed.

Not that I'd expect you to understand that, what with your sorry ass thinking that it's OK to do that if you only do it infrequently enough that you don't get caught.

Even then, you snuffling, nose-picking piece of s*it, if what you were advocating was laissez-faire, it would only be for your own convenience, not was was good for everyone.

-- John Fields Professional Circuit Designer

Damn!!! That's so funny I'm going to have to unplonk Bloggs ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Well I never imagined I would spawn this much debate over nothing.

Dont worry about it anymore, I accomplished what I set out to do. I have several established companies in the US and Canada, who are willing to work with me on contractual terms.

To answer many of the odd questions and points brought up in this very very long and pointless discussion.

I have never used another name (specifically I have never used the name "Tom")in this forum or any other forum. I have nothing to hide from (except spam).

To be honest I have to thank all of your post it was rather quite amusing, and I enjoyed it.

-- Brett Griffin, Home Technology Consultant

Architechtronics, Inc. get to know home technologyT p. (610) 825.7018 f (215) 827.5484

**keep up on cutting-edge technology... join "the EDGE" for free at

-------------------------------------------

--- "Worry about it"? Don't flatter yourself. You're just another creep who was looking to hoodwink someone into falling for your crap and then find out at the end of it, sadly, that there were no profits to share. "Operating expenses" ate them all up.

---

--- If making yourself look like a disreputable slimeball was your goal, then I'll agree with you; you've succeeded admirably.

---

--- Then why did you even bother to post your "offer" unless you thought you'd find some sucker stupid enough to fall for it?

---

--- If you think this has been a "long" discussion, you're obviously an amateur in this melee, and if you think it's been pointless, I disagree. We all know a lot more about you than we did before, thanks to you!

---

--- Those posts weren't directed to you, as you'd know if you knew how to use your newsreader.

---

--- Unbelievable! you post unsolicited off-topic commercial crap on newsgroups where your junk is unwelcome and you think it's _not_ SPAM? I guess, from your POV, SPAM is only stuff that annoys _you_.

---

--- If you really wanted to be honest you wouldn't try to steal precious time out of someone else's life.

-- John Fields Professional Circuit Designer

Lucky they didn't prosecute him, fine him and throw him in jail. He knew what he was doing was illegal. Broadcasting on an emergency service frequency is just plain stupid. Especially after 9/11.

He could at least have got himself deputized. It still wouldn't be legal, but he might have a flimsy excuse that might have kept him out of trouble. The feds have a job to do, and he knew what he did could get him in deep trouble. Or he should have.

Most transceivers have highly integrated transmit/receive circuitry. The synthesizers that generate the needed frequencies are controlled by the on-board mpu. The same unit may be sold for different usage, so there must be some means of restricting the frequency coverage.

Some sets have an internal jumper that bypass these frequency restriction. I doubt this guy had the equipment needed to redesign a highly integrated portable rig. Instead, he may have found instructions on the web on how to cut a jumper.

These days, it doesn't matter if your heart is in the right place. You gotta have all the documents and papers signed and stamped.

Mike Monett Recovering Mold Victim

Only those with US Coast Guard approved floatation devices need apply?

ROFLMAOPIMP!!!!

Thanks! Rich

'scuse - gotta go hit another bowl....