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Good day Radioguy. Good to see you back in the chat again. I think many interpret that, but that has never been my interpretation. What Wouxun seems to have done on some radios is bake the FCC rules into the radio’s firmware so that only valid combinations of frequencies and power can Tx, regardless of whether the radio is in VFO or Channel mode. And honestly, if a manufacturer is truly targeting 95e compliance, that is exactly what I would expect out of them. On some models not even a novice operator can mess it up. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

I carry my APX8000 for SAR most of the time but do grab my FT1DR sometimes. I dont see a need for GMRS/MURS most of the time anyway. If I can't do what I need with ham I grab the 8000

Per the FCC rules they state the following: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95 "§ 95.1761 GMRS transmitter certification. ..... No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with the capabilities to operate in services that do not require equipment certification, such as the Amateur Radio Service. All frequency determining circuitry (including crystals) and programming controls in each GMRS transmitter must be internal to the transmitter and must not be accessible from the exterior of the transmitter operating panel or from the exterior of the transmitter enclosure. " Yes there are radios that "allow" FPP, front panel programming, but with conditions. Many require a deliberate hardware modification, typical diode, resistor or solder shunt removable, and enabling in the radio's programming software. Others require entering a "secret code" to switch operating modes, typical of the Chinese radios. So, as long as the radio is configured to comply with 95.1761 it is operating under GMRS rules it's legal. The moment this is violated you're not compliant so the transmitter is now operating with illegal functionality and loses it's certification, even if it isn't being used. Of course it can be switched back, in which case the radio again would be in compliance, and the certification once again applies if it had it to begin with. My Kenwood commercial radios can be modified for FPP, needs the hardware mod and the feature enabled in the software. There is a warning that radios MUST NOT be returned to the end user(s) with FPP feature enabled, so it's disabled in the software with the modified code plug written to the radio. Of course if the radio is ONLY going to be used on the Ham bands it's not a problem. The problem revolves around the last sentence quoted above. Some feel just because the feature is there then there is no issue with enabling it. The FCC is clear that's not the case. There is no mention that one must be using the feature, the mere fact it's "possible" to access through some action(s) performed by the user is enough to void the certification. This includes changing the "mode" though any means accessible by the user external to the radio, such as pressing a sequence of buttons etc. during power up or any other time. There is a VERY fine line with switching modes through a sequence of button presses. There is a reason why it's NOT documented, at least for anything an end user gets to read. The user isn't supposed to even know about it. This could be considered a violation of the above section of the FCC rules. If there is any debate it would be over this point alone. Everything else is fairly clear cut IMHO.

Sure, you can do it yourself by removing a diode from under the battery cover. Or you can have it professionally done here.

In order to keep the Part 95 certification, VFO transmit has to be disabled for anything other than the GMRS frequencies, my guess is its easier to disable VFO transmit all together, which appears what they did.

Just got my GMRS license last week. GMRS call sign is WROA265, in Madison County Missouri. My 1st GMRS radio is a set of Bubble Pack (yuck, I know) Midland GTX1000VP4s from good old Walmart. I love in a rural area and while I have seen a few others listed in this area, I haven't found any traffic yet. I read of a repeater and GMRS club 30ish miles NW of me, but I contacted the "President" of the club about it and the repeater via email, no responses yet. Hoping to get some use of this thing...:) I actually mainly bought it for off road SxS and Gambler500 usage. Scott WROA265

I have a FT-60R and it works fantastically on Ham, GMRS, FRS, and MURS and any other service within it's frequency range following modification. I'm not going to say here whether or not I actually have ever done it because it is not certified for non-ham frequencies and therefore it is not legal for Part 95, 90, 80, or 22 use, but that radio can also be programmed for the exact Part 95 power limits for each Part 95 service and frequencies as well. It is much better at this than any of the Chinese radios regardless of certification. It is almost as if Yeasu knew going in that there would be responsible Hams that also wanted to use it on GMRS, MURS, FRS, Marine, Commercial, and Ham radio. For example, you are allowed 5 watts on GMRS/FRS splinter simplex frequencies on FRS channels if you have a GMRS license (and type-accepted radio). The FT60 will do this. Furthermore you can run wide or narrow bandwidth. Current GMRS rules require narrowband emissions with a 5 watt limit on FRS channels 7-14, for example if you have a GMRS license. There is also a 2 watt power level setting which just by coincidence is the power limit for MURS, an FCC licensed-by-rule service like CB radio. There is also a 1/2 watt setting that can be used for pure FRS, but once again, not legally. The FT60 is very good at maintaining these power levels across it's band capability regardless of frequency. There is a very simple diode-removal modification available from many sources if you google "FT60 Mod" to do this but you have to have a very steady hand so you don't destroy the radio because the diode is almost microscopic. I encourage anyone doing this to do their absolute best to conform to emissions requirements, including power, bandwidth, and spurious emissions for any band you plan to use it on, keeping in mind that is not legal to use it in the USA on anything but Ham frequencies. Also keep in mind that there are 2 bandwidth requirements within the MURS band depending on which channel you are using. Personally, I am OK with using the same radios across radio services as long as you conform to ALL of the other FCC regulatory requirements including RF emissions, but that is up to the individual to decide if that is an acceptable thing for them to do because it is not legal due to FT-60's lack of FCC Certification. I also like having maximum frequency range transmit capabilities in case of a life or death emergency, which is allowed by the FCC. Here's a review of the FT60: https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=4286#:~:text=Battery%20life%20is%20excellent%2C%20easy,trip%20the%20%22wires%22%20key.

Hmmm. I doubt anything will change anytime soon, but when the rules come up for re-evaluation, I wonder if it would be worth it for the Amateur Radio community to request a hardware certification exemption if they have both licenses and the equipment is capable of operating within the rules?