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The FCC’s Consumer Complaints page for reporting interference recently added a category for reporting interference to GMRS stations. Previously, there was no way to report issues specific to GMRS, but there was for Broadcast, Amateur, etc. This is a small but important development and may help combat the FCC’s recurring claim that “…we have received no reports of interference...”. This statement has been common in most all Part 95 and GMRS rule-making proceedings over the last few decades to help justify further encroachment of FRS and support other policies that licensed GMRS licensees generally opposed. We are not suggesting the Commission lied about the lack of complaints – they had not provided a way to report, categorize and centrally store them! The Northern California GMRS Users Group (NCGUG) encourages repeater owners and users to report recurring interference problems, such as unlicensed operation on repeater uplink channels, intentional jamming and abuse, and of course interference from FRS (co- or adjacent-channel). We have been reporting recurring interference from maritime operations on our repeater uplinks for some time. While the FCC rarely responds to such complaints, this may go a long way to eventually reducing the rising tide of interference sources that we all have to deal with. Brief instructions on how to use this site follow. ____________________________ https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us Create an account (different from your ULS account) File a complaint Radio Fill in Subject and Description Radio Issues: INTERFERENCE Radio Interference Sub Issue: TO LICENSED TWO_WAY RADIO SERVICES (LAND MOBILE, AVIATION, MARINE) Your Radio Method: PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES (CB, FRS, GMRS) Fill-in the remaining fields marked with “*”. The site provides a selection of “To Unlicensed Service (CB, FRS GMRS)” under Radio Interference Sub Issue. This incorrectly refers the GMRS as an unlicensed service, which it is not. While we have requested a correction, we recommend using the “Licensed….” selection noted above instead. Greg

FCC List of Equipment and Services That Pose National Security Threat Released On: Mar 12, 2021 http://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-list-equipment-and-services-pose-national-security-threat "FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau publishes a list of communications equipment and services that are deemed a threat to national security, consistent with requirements in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019" A later link takes you to a document with more detail on Hytera's issues: "Covered Equipment or Services Video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced or provided by Hytera Communications Corporation, to the extent it is used for the purpose of public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, including telecommunications or video surveillance services produced or provided by such entity or using such equipment." Commentary: It looks like Motorola is getting great value for their DC lobbying investments. Some GMRS licensees that use Hytera products (including me) will find it amusing that they have again gone to the courts to kill their most viable competitor. So, instead of providing products that meet their customer's needs, Motorola has found it more cost-effective to pursue the low road. They are getting really lazy - not the same company when it was under the Galvins. For those not having used Hytera's higher-end mobile, portable and repeater products (similar build quality to Motorola in their DMR lines, designed originally for the Chinese police forces, etc.), you will find them to be superior from a feature, capability and ETSI compliance standpoint. Not even close. While I support death to the CCP (our greatest enemy) and the concern over camera equipment, I will give credit to Hytera for their product design efforts, even though they likely lifted some marginally important IP from Motorola (another ongoing litigation issue). As the repeaters have Ethernet connectivity, I can see a concern there that might be mitigated through a simple "air gap". This policy will really kick Hytera's a** in the utility market and elsewhere. They do not manufacturer any P25 products. FCC List of Equipment and Services That Pose National Security Threat:

ARLB014 FCC Auto-Registration Feature for Exam Applicants to be Discontinued Auto-registration in the FCC Commission Registration System (CORES) amateur radio exam for candidates using a Social Security number will be discontinued on May 20, 2021. Applicants must use an FCC Registration Number (FRN) for all license transactions with the FCC. Examinees must register in CORES and receive an FRN before exam day. Starting on May 20, electronic batch filed applications that do not include a candidate's FRN will be rejected. The Social Security/Licensee ID Field will be disabled. The CORES website can be accessed at: https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do .

The FCC had recently proposed a reduction from $70 to $50, but there was push-back at least from Randall Knowles, KAA8142. The Commission subsequently reduced it further to $35. This reduction also applies to license renewals. Source: http://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-184A1.pdf Some passages: "41. One commenter, Knowles, contends that the proposed $50 fee for GMRS is too high, asthe application process is automated. There is no testing involved, as with the amateur license. Werecognize that the application process for GMRS licenses is highly automated. There are, however, somecosts involved in ensuring applicants are qualified and off-lined applications are individually reviewed,and we cannot conclude that there are no costs involved. 42. After reviewing the record, including the extensive comments filed by amateur radiolicensees and based on our revised analysis of the cost of processing mostly automated processesdiscussed in our methodology section, we adopt a $35 application fee, a lower application fee than theCommission proposed in the NPRM for personal licenses, in recognition of the fact that the applicationprocess is mostly automated.... 193. Rule effective date. As the Commission implements the changes to our application fee schedule, we anticipate that OMD, along with the Bureaus and Offices, may be required to update someof our licensing databases, payment instruction guides and/or adjust administrative internal proceduresbefore we may begin accepting the new fees for certain categories of application fee payors.Accordingly, we direct the Office of Managing Director, in consultation with the relevant Offices andBureaus, to cause a notice to be published in the Federal Register announcing when rule change(s) willbecome effective, once the relevant databases, guides, and internal procedures have been updated." $35 can still exceed the cost of some CCRs, but this is an improvement. While we would all want this to be zero, having some fee keeps the GMRS on the FCC's radar, if not for enforcement purposes. Randall Knowles, KAA8142, is from the North Shore Emergency Association. He has lobbied extensively for the GMRS for decades, working closely with Corwin Moore of the Personal Radio Steering Group (PRSG) back in the day. His call sign may be the oldest GMRS one I have identified; I think it was issued in 1976. Attachments area

To all GMRS licensees: I have just spoken with the FCC regarding a Petition for Reconsideration filed by Motorola regarding automatic GPS and data transmissions on the GMRS band. Motorola would like to allow automatic transmissions on the 462 MHz frequencies which includes repeater outputs (Channel 15-22) and the interstitial 462 MHz channels (Channels 1-7). The repeater inputs are not presently mentioned, however we will articulate our position to the Commission that these input frequencies should be prohibited due to the potential of interference to repeaters. myGMRS.com (and it's parent company RepeaterFinder, LLC) will be filing an ex parte response in the docket with the following requests: A Busy Channel Lockout (BCL) feature be mandated for any radios which are to operate in an automatic fashion. The devices must inhibit transmission if there is co-channel activity to prevent interference to other users of the shared frequencies. Blind periodic transmissions are going to be very problematic and will almost certainly cause interference. Limit automatic transmission to the 462 MHz GMRS channels only. Repeater inputs must be excluded to mitigate potential interference. Duty cycle limits of the bursts must be set by the FCC. I believe Uniden America proposed no more than once every 2 minutes and no more than 5 seconds per transmission. This sounds reasonable to cover longer text messages and location updates without constantly trashing the band. The FCC plans to respond to Motorola and issue a decision in the next couple of weeks, so anyone who would like to submit comments to the record is encouraged to do so as soon as possible. No exact deadline was given, but they expressed a desire to have this hammered out within the next week or two. I will provide further details later today. Original Petition for Reconsideration from September 2017: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10928247080350/Ready%20For%20Filing_Motorola%20Part%2095%20Petition%20for%20Recon.pdf Further Comments from Motorola from January 2018: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/101081822912433/Motorola_Part%2095%20Recon_Further%20Comments.pdf Letter from Motorola Detailing their Discussion with Members of the FCC from April 2018: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10420845023222/April%202018_GMRS_FRS_ex%20parte%20notification.docx

How to apply for a GMRS license and receive your FCC call sign Here is a step by step guide on how to obtain a GMRS license and call sign from the FCC. I originally posted this on my blog, but I want to share all the same content here for future reference for any members, guests, and visitors to myGMRS.com. To obtain a GMRS license, one must file an application with the FCC and pay a $70 fee. No exam is required, and the license is valid for 10 years. The FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) is is an online portal to manage your FCC applications/licenses, and pay any applicable fees via a single account. The ULS eliminates the need for paper applications and submitting via snail mail. You may also view the status of pending licenses in the ULS. Once registered with the ULS, you will receive an FCC Registration Number (FRN). This is a 10-digit number that is assigned to a business or individual registering with the FCC, and is used to identify the registrant’s business dealings with the FCC. Once you have this ID number – save it! This will be your username to log in to the Universal Licensing System. Before continuing, I want to highlight one very important consideration when dealing with FCC licenses. Your call sign and license is public information and is easily searchable in FCC databases and other records. Should you choose to register with your home address, this will be visible to anybody if they have your call sign. Exposing personal information on the internet is a concern now more than ever, so one approach to limiting the amount of personal information in FCC databases is to use a P.O. Box as your contact address. Here is what my GMRS license information looks like when queried in the FCC database - WRAA720: I use this P.O. Box address in the center of my local metro area as my primary contact location for all FCC forms and dealings. My actual home address is not associated with my FCC licenses. Step 1: Create an FCC Universal Licensing System account If you are a first time user, create a new ULS account here (skip this step if you have an existing ULS account). Select “Register” to be issued a new FCC Registration Number: Some questions are asked before proceeding, then you can fill out an application with your name, address, password, etc: Step 2: Log in to the ULS After creating the account, or if you have an existing ULS account, log in here. Use your existing FCC Registration Number (FRN), or the FRN provided after completing the first step. Once you are logged in, you will be taken to this screen which shows your current and applied for licenses: Step 3: Begin application for a GMRS license Now we can apply for a GMRS license and pay the fee. On the left hand side menu click “Apply for a New License.” On the next screen, select “ZA-General Mobile Radio Service” from the very bottom of the drop down menu and click Continue. The next step is to answer these applicant questions. Most people can leave “no” selected for each: Click continue after these questions, and on the next screen supply the licensee name and address: - Part 2 continued below as there is a limit to the number of images in a post -

"On March 14, 2013, the Enforcement Bureau’s Spectrum Enforcement Division (SED)received a complaint alleging that Baofeng radio model UV-5R was capable of (1) transmitting on landmobile frequencies using the equipment’s external controls and (2) operating at power levels above thosespecified in its Equipment Authorization. On October 30, 2017, SED issued a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) toAmcrest, an authorized distributor of Baofeng radios, directing it to submit a sworn written response to aseries of questions relating to these allegations..." While Boafeng has some issues, it took the FCC over four years to respond to the initial complaint. WOW....obviously not a priority. https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-18-801A1.docx

"Petitions for reconsideration" are due within 30 days of the rules being published in the Federal Register. The publication is expected for late June, maybe July.

The Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) submitted comments on the proposal set in the World Radiocommunications Conference (RWC) -15 Resolution #766 to elevate satellite downlink operations to PRIMARY STATUS in the 460-470mHz band which includes GMRS. More details at the URL below: https://www.rrmediagroup.com/News/newsDetails/newsID/15573 Wayne

Hello.. So I've seen a few post here regarding groups of users not using their GMRS callsign but instead using a "tactical" or "alias" in place of it. I went to my local REACT and they stated they are covered under their old grandfathered license, could this not be the case for anyone else? I have yet to see it mentioned.. Its just assumed they are in violation, haven't seen anything mentioned regarding the possibility of groups using a grandfathered license. For example, I'll go to Walmart every now and then and play around with the employees on their MURS frequency, I've heard multiple times they have a grandfathered business license, so even though MURS is now unlicensed, they still have "priority" as they have a license..? Am I making sense? Lol.

The FCC has taken down the ULS for system upgrades and maintenance, starting today, Wednesday, September 2nd through Tuesday, September 8th. During this time, myGMRS.com will be unable to fetch new license and callsign data from the FCC. The biggest impact will be for licenses issues within the last 24-48 hours, as we may not have a copy of the licenses before the FCC has shut down the ULS. Presumably the FCC is not granting any new licenses during this time, so we will sync up again after they are back online. We maintain our own database of license data separate from the FCC. We only use the FCC's system for pulling in updates and new licenses. New users who had a license issued more than 48 hours before the shutdown should have no trouble logging in, as we should already have your info on file. Curiously, the License Search page has been replaced already with a redirect to the below link, so we were caught a little off-guard. Please report any issues to our Contact Us page, which will create a new support ticket. Please don't contact us about new licenses not showing up unless they were issued before August 31, 2015. Please note that it will take myGMRS.com a further 24 hours to synchronize with the ULS once it's back online, since we are forced to be 1 day behind the FCC's database. More Info: https://www.fcc.gov/blog/modernizing-fcc-s-it Thanks for your patience!