[gmrs linking legal now ?]

1 hour ago, tweiss3 said:

 

It is not a broad term:

 

47 CFR 95.303 “Remote control” Operation of a Personal Radio Services station from a location that is not in the immediate vicinity of the transmitter. Operation of a Personal Radio Services station from any location on the premises, vehicle or craft where the transmitter is located is not considered to be remote control.

Thanks!  Digging through the jargon and definitions it is starting to make more sense to me now...

Remote Control...

Operate...

Network Connection...

So when the FCC says:

"You cannot directly interconnect a GMRS station with the telephone network or any other network for the purpose of carrying GMRS communications, but these networks can be used for remote control of repeater stations."

It is pertaining to only to radio-to-telephone communication, namely using a radio to dial a phone number.  

Thanks everyone!  I love the idea of a network of connected GMRS repeaters, but that statement on the FCC site of "You cannot directly interconnect a GMRS station with the telephone network or any other network for the purpose of carrying GMRS communications, but these networks can be used for remote control of repeater stations" had me stumbling for a bit.

[gmrs linking legal now ?]

52 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

The wording specifically allows “operation by remote control.”  When you are transmitting on a station, you are operating that station.  

When you press your “push to talk” switch on your handheld and speak, your radio signal enters the receiver of the repeater, breaks squelch, and causes the transmitter of the repeater to re-transmit your signal.  You have operated the repeater.

95.1749 specifically allows you to do that using a network connection: 

§ 95.1749 GMRS network connection.

Operation of a GMRS station with a telephone connection is prohibited, as in § 95.349. GMRS repeater, base and fixed stations, however, may be connected to the public switched network or other networks for the sole purpose of operation by remote control pursuant to § 95.1745.

 

However...

"Remote Control" is a broad term covering many things, not just GMRS communications. And the FCC explicitly states that connecting a repeater to a network for the purpose of carrying GMRS communications is not allowed.

[gmrs linking legal now ?]

16 hours ago, JeepCrawler98 said:

Good catch on this informal and informational page; the phrase "or any other network" showed up in November of last year per archive.org well after other sources in the FCC had stated that it's fine and well after linking had already become prevalent on GMRS based on that correspondence and the implementation of the 2017 rules. This 'minor' addition in my opinion is in conflict with prior correspondence from the FCC before this date, the current CFR (which of course represent the actual rules: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95?toc=1), upon which the GMRS community have already acted (and invested) in good faith.

Perhaps they're looking to discourage it, but in my opinion it still remains legal regardless of whatever the official sentiment may be especially since they already stated its fine in the past and the current rules are consistent with that. Perhaps someone inside the FCC had an "oh wait not like that" moment after evaluating impacts of the 2017 rule change, since GMRS absolutely exploded in popularity during COVID. Still - the rules are the rules and are the only thing that governs the service. The only thing that would concern me on the issue is any future proposed rulemaking changes or amendments (which I believe require a public comment period?)

Yeah, I've seen the various FCC letters / emails from 2017.  But when I look at the current FCC site and the current FCC rules I'm unable to find anything supporting / allowing the linking / networking of repeaters...what I do find is quite the opposite.

So, obviously, making telephone calls via repeater is not allowed.  But as the rules are currently written, the only thing that is allowed to be done via network is remote control.  I've looked through the entire Part 95, did keyword searches for network, link, repeater, interconnect just to see if I missed anything.  So...what am I missing?  At the moment, the statement on the FCC website and the FCC Part 95 rules appear to be in harmony, unless there is something in the rules I'm missing.

[gmrs linking legal now ?]

I'm quite new to all of this, and just trying to learn & understand.  It's this statement on the FCC website that has me questioning "linking" for anything other than remote control of the repeater...