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Build Your Own Cell tower
BlakeCaldwell writes "If you're the type who dreads being dragged kicking and screaming into the use of a cell phone, Samsung sells their Long Range Cordless Phone. With an incredible (for landlines) 30-mile range, the set includes a caller ID-capable LCD and is able to communicate with the base-station, acting as an intercom."
Most of these things are illegal in the US. They use frequecies assigned to other services, and power that far exceeds limits in FCC part 15.
I don't know about other places, but using that in the US risks huge fines ($10,000).
If God had meant for man to see the sunrise, He would have scheduled it later in the day.
I've never been bothered by telemarketers on my cell phone yet. With this, you can get harrassed by them all day long.
Perhaps you should consider this.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
*Pages 1--4 from Microsoft Word - 45968.doc* Federal Communications Commission DA 05- 336 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D. C. 20554 In the Matter of Pang Cheng, d/ b as Best Wok 1 Westville, New Jersey File No. EB- 03- PA- 029 NAL/ Acct. No. 200432400001 FRN: 0009- 3455- 62 MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Adopted: February 7, 2005 Released: February 9, 2005 By the Chief, Enforcement Bureau: I. INTRODUCTION 1. In this Memorandum Opinion and Order (" Order"), we deny a petition for reconsideration filed by Pang Cheng, d/ b as Best Wok (" Best Wok"), and we affirm the Forfeiture Order issued May 21, 2004, in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($ 10,000) for willful violation of Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (" Act"). 2 At the time of the noted violation Best Wok owned a restaurant located at 1070 Delsea Drive, Westville, New Jersey. The noted violation involves Best Wok's operation of radio transmitting equipment on the frequency 145.8376 MHz without a license issued by the Commission. II. BACKGROUND 2. The Enforcement Bureau (" Bureau') received a complaint alleging that Best Wok was operating radio transmitting equipment on the two meter amateur frequency 145.835 MHz without a license. On October 16, 2001, and January 22, 2003, the Bureau sent Best Wok letters warning that operation of radio transmitting equipment without a license is in violation of Section 301 of the Act and could subject it to penalties. The certified mail return receipts indicate that Best Wok received the warning letters on October 25, 2001, and January 27, 2003, respectively. 3. On February 28, 2003, an agent from the Commission's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, field office (" Philadelphia Office") drove to the Westville, New Jersey, area to determine whether Best Wok was operating radio transmitting equipment without a license. At approximately 10: 45 a. m., the agent began monitoring a constant radio signal on or near 145.835 MHz. At 11: 10 a. m., the agent used direction finding techniques to determine that the source of the transmissions was the Best Wok restaurant 1 The Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture(" NAL"), NAL/ Acct No. 200432400001 (Enf. Bur., Philadelphia Office, released February 26, 2004) and the Forfeiture Order, 19 FCC Rcd 8939 (Enf. Bur. 2004), were captioned "Best Wok." Information submitted with the petition for reconsideration indicates that Best Wok is a sole proprietorship business owned by Pang Cheng. According, we have recaptioned this matter as "Pang Cheng, d/ b as Best Wok." 2 47 U. S. C. 301. 1 Federal Communications Commission DA 05- 336 2 at 1070 Delsea Drive, Westville, New Jersey. 4. At 11: 30 a. m. on February 28, 2003, the agent entered the Best Wok restaurant and inspected the radio transmitting equipment in the presence of the restaurant manager, Mr. Sae C. Hauwo, who admitted that Best Wok was operating a long range cordless telephone system. The system included a base unit at the restaurant and a mobile unit in Mr. Hauwo's vehicle. The agent used frequency-measuring equipment to determine that the base unit was transmitting on 145.8376 MHz. Mr. Hauwo stated that neither Best Wok nor any of its employees had a license to operate the radio transmitting equipment. Additionally, Mr. Hauwo asserted that, when Best Wok received the October 16, 2001, warning letter, it ceased operation of the lon
Bruce Perens.
Bruce
Bruce Perens.
Think twice folks, these devices are illegal to use in the US (lets not get into the 'rights of the airspace within a Farrady cage in a private club' stuff, ok?). Look for fines ranging from $7,500 to over $10k for 'wilfull and repeated violations' of FCC regulations if you fire one of these up (and your local hams or ANYONE ELSE reports you).
Most of these types radios use frequencies right in the midle of the the 2 meter band (140Mhz), allocated to gov't/amateur radio.
Just wait and see what happens when you fire up one of these and step all over coordinated 2m repeater....
Toil is Stupid. Don't be Stupid.
This is not a Samsung model. In fact it is made by several Chinese factories as fakes of Samsung, SENAO, etc. They normally use HAM radio frequencies or comercial VHF/UHF. Due to the fact that they are only certified in China it is illegal to use in most countries.
If you operate one of these devices in the U.S., and it operates on ANY frequency used by the military, government, business, or amateur radio, you will be hunted down and taken out--by the FCC.
The price of the unit may be cheaper than cell phone bills, but add on that $10,000 fine and seizure of the equipment and it gets real expensive real quick.
And in case you think you're safe because it's in an amateur band, you should note that amateur radio operators practice RDF (Radio Direction Finding) or "Foxhunting" for fun. They will hunt you down, and the FCC accepts evidence from licensed operators in cases against violators.
Jim
Please read these before buying/using these phones...
l m l
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2002/DA-02-453A1.htm
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2002/DA-02-2474A1.ht
4. On July 27, 2001, agents from the Miami Office visited Lightning's retail store located at 231 E. Flagler Street, Unit #1, Miami, Florida. The agents saw several long-range, cordless telephones on display at the store, including a Super Phone CT-9000, a Prolink CT-6000CID, and an Optima OP8810. A salesperson
offered to sell one of the units to the agents. The long-range cordless telephones displayed at the store were capable of causing serious interference to aviation communications and were
not approved6 by the Commission for use in the United States.
Toil is Stupid. Don't be Stupid.
I concur...and there is no such thing as a frequency where no one will notice you...there is always an amateur radio op or scanner fan checking the spectrum for interesting signals.
There is no God, and Dirac is his prophet.
Faraday
google might help you
Thankyou.
I looked a bit farther on the site and found a spec page for the phones. It says they run in the 240-450Mhz range. And it says the transmit power is 1500mA??? That would mean the unit would be in UHF channels and something in the order of 30x more transmit power then the typical "legal" non-licensed deviced in that band. (correct me if I'm wrong on the 30x more powerful part but it's certainly alot more powerful than your typical comsumer or even pro-sumer wireless gear in that range)
I'm not certain, but in Mexico these things are probably legal. Mexico has much higher caps on max transmit power for certain things.
Hell the old original '74 Volks Rabbit (the first small car to have electronic ignition) could have a spark failure caused by strong high frequency rf. A cop friend of mine showed me how he could crap one out by just keying his mike.
Somehow I have a feeling this device is big time vapourware.
Because it's digital rather than analogue and therefore takes up a tiny amount of spectrum while still being able to use that spectrum for other applications?
Are you and the mods new here or something?
Sure and they probably have already checked his Power output and it was within limits. The FCC and lots of listening gear all around the place.
But to it into perspective. The Ham operator is licensed to use that block of spectrum if your device is picking it up it is not his problem. Most likely it is your device at fault.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Every time this has has happened (CB, FRS) the community as a whole demonstrates they are vulgar, abusive, ignorant idiots. Seriously go into any major city and listen to CB or FRS traffic and ask yourself if this is what you want more of.
And Amateur radio spectrum is an international thing, not FCC mandated. The ITU controls it and as far as I can tell there has been no push to remove it. Probably because it routinely proves to be an useful service in emergencies.
Folks, read the last entry at
1 ~m ode=flat~days=9999~start=20
http://www2.dslreports.com/forum/remark,1241943
These phones are illegally transmitting on liscensed bands and are not legal in the USA. The handset transmitter is in the Aircraft band 230mhz. Base unit is in private liscensed 450+ mhz band.
Become a Technician HAM operator and do it legally.
I've setup a legal long range cordless alternative to the Samsung using Yaesu dual band (2meter - 144mhz and 70cm - 430mhz) base and handheld radios with a full duplex autopatch. In the SF-Bay Area, I use a discontinued Yaesu FT-8500 mobile for base and FT-51R handhelds, a Connect Systems Inc C800 Full Duplex Autopatch and a Diamond high gain dual band base antenna. With the base antenna mounted at the top of a hill on a tower with no hills in between, 30 miles or more is common.
The bottom line is these cordless phones are transmitting on bands which will cause interference and possible FCC and other legal actions. PLEASE DON'T TRANSMIT ON ILLEGAL FREQUENCIES.
Skype anyone?
Something that I find surprising in some slashdotters is the fascination for wireless technology. Charming as it is, wireless is just another type of technology having its own benefits and hurdles. In general it is not the 'being wireless' part that is difficult: transmitters have existed for over 100 years.
I understand other people's fascination, but anyone can have his own transmitter, given that you can pass the HAM exam (if not you shouldn't be fooling around with wireless equipment anyway). Wireless links can be bought almost off-the-shelf.
IMHO the communication scheme itself is a lot more difficult. This can be understood easily by looking at the evolution of wireline modems: they started at 150 (or so) bps and worked their way up to 33kbps (higher rates use special tricks). All the time the medium remained the same, only progress was in the digital layers. For the same reason, I don't think it is fair to say 'wireless problem solved, halfway there'.
Just my 2ct...
Digital vs. analog is irrelevant. If it causes interference to a licensed radio service, the FCC can seize the equipment, hit the offender with major fines, and in extreme cases, refer it to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
Just installed a Wilson Electronics cell phone amplier http://wilsonelectronics.com/amps/wcamps.htm for a customer that has really sucky service inside his steel office building. An external antenna brings the signal into an amplifier. Inside cell phone connect to a small ceiling mounted antenna. See images of the install here: http://www.stoneflytech.com/gallery/Cellular-Wirel ess-Amplifier-82
"Now for the long awaited question. I took the whole setup over to a friends place who is a ham radio operator. He immediately chastised me for importing such contraband into the country and continually tsked tsked me while he checked the frequency on the equipment and salivated over it all wishing he had a set of his own. Well, here's the bad news....the frequency range is indeed 450 transmit from the base and 230 from the handset, reverse for the receive frequencies. This of course puts this outside the GMRS band and in the case of the 230 mhz band into some part of the aircraft communication band of frequencies. I do not have the exact frequencies in front of me at this moment but I have been for warned that by using these new toys of mine I would be infringing upon part of the Private Radio Service in the 450mhz range and, as mentioned, part of the aircraft comm band in the 230mhz range. So things look a little bleak as far as using this stuff in the US is concerned."
Are you and the mods new here or something?
Don't even go there.
And don't forget letter K in the US.
His equipment may not be 'shoddy', but long wires of the proper length can rectify RF and carry the energy into the speakers. Ferrite cores can help
with this problem.
The product referenced by the article will cause problems for many in the US, user included. Please don't purchase it.
73 de
Peter KB1CVH
Peter AI6PG
Someone has a great post on: http://www2.dslreports.com/forum/remark,12419431~m ode=flat~days=9999~start=20
The phones are shipped from the Philipines and are 220v. They are OEM models and not at all intended for the US market... for good reason. The poster dgc3154, checked the actual frequencies and they are transmitting - base at 450 Mhz (Private frequencies - FCC violation) and the phones at 230MHz (Aircraft frequencies - big FCC violation)
They do supposedly work as advertised. The poster was able to use them at over 10 miles on an improper mount with excellent quality and full Caller ID data.
This would be great if you were in an area where the said frequencies were unregulated. Given that we're in the US, it might be ... uh... better buy a cell phone and not have the FCC knocking on your door category.
The language about their lack of a license sounds as if "you're damned if you don't", but what it actually says is that they have a history of non- compliance because there was no license for the device found in their posession.
Bruce
Bruce Perens.
Please note, however, that the license (called "part 15" for short) that all consumer grade equipment carries is inferior to higher class licenses. You are permitted to operate your TV, for instance, so long as it does not create harmful interference for others. (Like, say, for instance, accidentally imitating a distress beacon, see http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/19/014122 0&tid=133) You are not protected from interference from higher class licenseees, provided they are operating within their ruleset.
In practical terms, this means that the cheap, mass-produced-in-China TV, or telephone simply isn't going to be effectivly sheilded against RF interference. I mean, that would require adding more layers of design testing, plus adding metal sheilding, extra capacitors, ferrite chokes, etc. And then your stuff wouldn't be so cheap anymore! [insert generic remark about market pressures here]
(Note also, that most Amateur Radio Operators would be more than happy to help someone shield their equipment using bypass capacitors, rf chokes, etc. But chances are that's the kind of help the grandparent poster was being offered by the FCC, anyway.)
The FCC doesnt care what you are sending or if you interfere. Your rights are of no concern to big media.
Presenting, The Cartoon Guide to Federal Spectrum Policy.
The first time i read it, it seemed like fluff. But its actually quite educational.
Myren
You need to be very careful when purchasing RF equipment outside the US; that it's legal inside the US. A mistake can be expensive!
Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
This device, if it is the one I have heard about, is not legal. And in fact, the FCC has bee ntriangulating any calls that are picked up on its frequencies which are in the HF band [allowing it to travel so far]. It has been heard in airplanes and across cities and is cause for alarm not only for the FCC, but the military which has frequencies around there, amateur radio operators, aviators, and more. I know the device was imported from asia, thus Samsung could fit the bill. All in all, I would not advise buying this without checking to see if it is legit, because the FCC will come knocking sooner or later and people, not only the FCC, are helping trianglulated these types of devices. Otherwise, it would be a great idea, but it causes interference and is not very helpful to most of us...
_
Free 27" Sony WEGA TV
and recent decisions (over the last 12 months) have paved the way for the ILEC's to start pulling out the rug from the CLEC's. It'll be in court for a while, but it's possible it could happen. At the least, things could get real expensive real quick for some companies...
-- There is no sig line, only Zuul.
From the specs page:
Operating frequency: 230-450 Mhz
What's that in the middle of?
Military alocations.
That is almost the exact freqs of the WSC-3's I used to work on when I was in the Navy...
BWP
Why not get a ham license?
* Can't conduct "business" on a ham radio. My cellphone can, as can the BRS-licensed system I use at work.
* Autopatch calls aren't private and piss off everybody. Nobody cares if I use my cellphone while copying a honey-do list of stuff to get at the store.
* Range. My mobile rig reaches 20 miles. My cellphone doesn't have to.
* Callsigns. I really would hate having to mention my KG4--- callsign every so often during every cell call. Really would ruin those hot conversations.
Ham radio is fun for what it is, but it's not going to replace other forms of radio communication i.e. cellphones, FRS, etc.. nor should it. If everybody making casual cell calls suddenly went out and got tech tickets, the hams would have strokes about too many people on the air.
BTW, the gadget mentioned in this article is illegal in the USA. Having a ham ticket would not allow anyone to operate this thing, and in fact, if you had a licence, you'd get worse punishment because hams are supposed to KNOW the laws and act accordingly.
signed, a generic KG4---
Sig for hire.