Can Non-Licensed Friends Transmit Legally on a GMRS Licensee's Radio?

[n4gix]

3 hours ago, wayoverthere said:

since gmrs doesn't have the same prohibition on business use

Only businesses that were licensed when such was offered by the FCC would have that ability. The FCC hasn't licensed GMRS for businesses for a very long time (since 1989 IIRC).

The only legal way a business could use GMRS now would be for every employee to have their own GMRS license.

[wayoverthere]

18 minutes ago, n4gix said:

The only legal way a business could use GMRS now would be for every employee to have their own GMRS license.

Or covered "family members" operating under one license? 

 

the past business licensing (and the existence of grandfathered licenses) is probably part of why there isn't the blanket prohibition on business use in gmrs like there is in amateur, though.

[n4gix]

22 minutes ago, wayoverthere said:

Or covered "family members" operating under one license? 

Provided they actually are real "family members" such as might occur on a family owned farm or ranch.

[Radioguy7268]

FCC field agents carrying DNA kits.   That's something I haven't seen.

[jwilkers]

As long as a licensed operator is "in control" of the station it is permissible for an unlicensed person to use your radio. In other services, the licensed operator would establish contact and then hand the mic to the other person. While the rules are a little vague, the use of a call sign is limited to the actual person holding the license. That does not preclude an unlicensed person calling your call sign and identifying themselves as "Unit X."

I don't believe the "control operator" as defined in amateur radio would be legal in GMRS.

Only ones immediate family can use your GMRS call sign.

NOW...remember...FRS and GMRS share most of their frequencies. As such, the OPS friends could get FRS radios and talk to him that way.

Sent from my SM-A125U using Tapatalk

[IanM]

On 9/5/2021 at 2:39 PM, n4gix said:

Provided they actually are real "family members" such as might occur on a family owned farm or ranch.

Works out for me; my 'business use' would be coordinating movements while working as a vendor at shows/fairs, and my assistants/'employees' are my SO and immediate family members, so I take it that's in the clear, and nice I can use the same hardware rather than buying some MURS or 900MHz sets for one specific and rather occasional use. The regulation doesn't restrict business use, but just doesn't license businesses, only individuals + family. Whether that's by quirk of legal precedent or intentional, it does work out for low-traffic uses, like you say, a small family business. 

 

As an aside, I was browsing Amazon and amazed at how many preprogrammed, commercial-style UHF radios are out there with reviews like 'I run security at a nightclub, these worked great out of the box!' Don't know what frequencies they're preprogrammed to, but I feel bad for any licensed businesses nearby unfortunate enough to get stepped on...

[WRKC935]

To be honest here.  Once the 35 dollar GMRS license actually goes into effect, I never read where you can't purchase a license in another persons name and gift that license to them.  Obviously I wouldn't expect folks to be buying licenses for everyone they are acquainted with.  But for those that show a real interest in it, and for those that have the means to do it. I don't see a reason NOT to if they are unable to for any reason short of being banned from having a GMRS license (due to felony convictions and the like).

I don't see GMRS being ham radio.  And I hope it never goes that way.  And in truth, I wish that the ham's that got licensed for purposes OTHER than the true nature of ham radio like SAR and such would have gone the GMRS route instead. 

[BoxCar]

37 minutes ago, WRKC935 said:

To be honest here.  Once the 35 dollar GMRS license actually goes into effect, I never read where you can't purchase a license in another persons name and gift that license to them.  Obviously I wouldn't expect folks to be buying licenses for everyone they are acquainted with.  But for those that show a real interest in it, and for those that have the means to do it. I don't see a reason NOT to if they are unable to for any reason short of being banned from having a GMRS license (due to felony convictions and the like).

I don't see GMRS being ham radio.  And I hope it never goes that way.  And in truth, I wish that the ham's that got licensed for purposes OTHER than the true nature of ham radio like SAR and such would have gone the GMRS route instead. 

The application requires certain personal information and the person submitting the application certifies they are the applicant so no; you can't buy a license for another person. That does not mean they couldn't make the application and then you use your credit card to pay for it. It's the statement where the applicant certifies all the statements are true. Falsification is a federal offense.

[MichaelLAX]

On 9/2/2021 at 3:32 AM, mrgmrs said:

If I'm visiting non-GMRS-licensed friends and one or more of them would like to transmit using my radio and call sign, would this be legal if done while they are in my presence?  

 

What I would do in your circumstance, is bring a Radioddity GM-N1 and lock out the repeater channels for non-licensed FRS use by your friends while you are visiting.

Technically these HTs are not fully FRS compliant because of their ability to transmit on GMRS repeater channels, but once you lock out these repeater channels with its software; I believe that they are fully FRS compliant otherwise: 2 watt, fixed antenna.

Once they get the "bug" they can then buy their own GMRS license!