Howdy, all!
So glad the kids have taken to carrying their radios with them when they bike around town and are off with friends; getting the GMRS license is a no-brainer for active families.
I'm looking to add a mobile unit to my car -- I'm looking at the Midland MXT400 -- and since we live in a rural area near Lake Erie and the Canadian Border, I'm confused as to what's permitted from a power standpoint North of Line A.
Are mobile units limited to 5, 15, or 50 Watts? Is the MXT400 legal for use if the Power output can be reduced? Can it be reduced?
Aside from well-known frequency restrictions, what are the power requirements north of Line A?
Thanks in advance!
James, I just looked up your license, and it contains the same restrictions that Robinson pointed out: Licensees who operate North of Line A and East of Line C may not operate on channels 462.650 MHZ,467.650 MHZ, 462.700 MHZ and 467.700 MHZ unless your previous license authorized such operations. That seems pretty clear to me.
If you'll read Part 95a, you will find that there's no limitation on power beyond the standard 50 watts mobile or base, and 5 watts handheld.
In the proposal that the FCC just released, they clearly admit that the "small base station" and "small control station" rules are antiquated and no longer apply to today's equipment and operations so any lower power restrictions in that section are meaningless. Those rules were applicable back when you had to list control locations on your 605 application. Since we are no longer required to list specific transmitter locations on GMRS license applications, the low power restrictions can not be applied to us.