[aprssig] Radio Pirates

[Keith VE7GDH]

Bob WB4APR wrote...

> Chinese Radios invade: Went to local flea market today... and 
> was shocked to see a guy selling brand-new boxes of VHF and UHF, 
> and Dual band HT's fully programmable from 140 to 170 and 440 to 
> 570 MHz 5 to 7 watts.

7 Watts? The half dozen I have only put out 5W. In the past we 
worried about amateur gear being modified for use on commercial 
frequencies. Now it's the other way around. Commercial gear that 
can also be used on amateur frequencies. Anyone with an eBay 
account can order them delivered to the door, as well as dealers 
starting to carry them too. I've used one for a WX station, but 
for receive capable APRS, the squelch can be a bit slow. Of 
course, if you don't have to worry about current drain, you can 
just run them open squelch.

For "safe" use on amateur frequencies, it's easy to program them 
so they will only transmit in-band, at least for the ones that I 
have.

73 es cul - Keith VE7GDH
--
"I may be lost, but I know exactly where I am!"