gutfinski

Originally, when UHF-FM on what we now call GMRS came under Class A Citizens Band, users were licensed to a specific frequency within the 450-470 MHz band. Repeaters were also licensed to a specific frequency pair and at a specific location. Now a GMRS license allows any number of repeaters and radios to an individual licensee and covers everyone in his immediate family. If you have a repeater or repeaters, you can theoretically allow any number of other licensed GMRS users to use it/them. The FCC requires one to get the repeater owner's permission to use his repeater. My understanding is that the user of the repeater must give his own call sign. But that user is actually transmitting on his own radio at possibly only as little as 2 watts on the repeater input frequency (467.---). The repeater picks up that signal and retransmits it at possibly 50 watts on (462,---) from an elevated position. So a listener, including an FCC monitoring station, is actually picking up the repeater output transmission. Now let us assume that the repeater output is somewhat off frequency or giving spurious (illegal) emissions. Who is the FCC going to go after? The walkie-talkie user who has given his call sign or the repeater owner who has not? The repeater owner does not always have an automatic call sign identifer because it is not necessarily required on GMRS. Therefore, the person using the repeater must give his. I think the FCC has been understanding with most GMRS users up to now as long as they are properly licensed. Just wondering if anyone would care to weigh in on this issue.