[Boatanchors] Legal To Sell Or Not?

[Glen Zook]

The only "type acceptance", now called "certification", for amateur radio equipment is for external radio amplifiers capable of operation below 144 MHz that are commercially manufactured.  Home brew or units modified by a licensed amateur radio operator are exempt.

The certification that is referred to by the various manufacturers of amateur radio equipment is for receivers capable of operating on frequencies above 30 MHz (also for receivers manufactured for the 47 CFR Part 95 Subpart D service - "CB").  This certification is required by 47 CFR Part 15 and is basically a "box top" requirement in the regard that most of the certification process can be done by the manufacturer.  Receivers that are limited to a maximum frequency of 30 MHz are exempt and do not require any certification.  Again, certification is required for commercially manufactured receivers capable of operation above 30 MHz and is not required for home brew receivers and receivers modified for such operation by individuals.
 
Glen, K9STH


Website:  http://k9sth.com


________________________________
 From: Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell at gmail.com>
To: "Duane Fischer, W8DBF" <dfischer at usol.com> 
Cc: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net 
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 7:29 AM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Legal To Sell Or Not?
 
Hi,

Other replies have stressed the point about ownership, buying, and
selling not being restricted. In the USA there may some bans about some
gear being sold to certain countries (terrorists) but that wasn't the
nature of the questions. The legal details only involve putting the gear
on the air. Manufacturers of whole transmitters for resale - even to
hams - may have to meet type acceptance. That would include the
YaeComWood and most Ten Tec radios. Individual licensed hams do not. Kit
sellers are merely selling a set of parts to those individual licensed
hams so that the licensed hams can build their own radio more easily.
AND..anybody may buy a kit and build a radio. Again..it's the on-air use
that matters. A person studying for their license might buy and build a
kit to be used on the air when their new license does arrive. SWLs also
build their own radios.

When my novice license arrived in the fall of 1980 my radio station was
already powered up and waiting. A check arrived with the same mail. I
tossed the unopened check on the dining room table and went straight to
the radio and had myself a 40 meter CW chat.

Type acceptance was mentioned, too. As hams we don't have to worry about
type acceptance - yet. Some people would love to restrict us to type
accepted radios so as to enrich their own bank accounts at our expense.
That would kill one of the main reasons for ham radio's existence. Hams
buy military radios (often on the cheap) all the time and operate them -
in the ham bands. Even military radios that were not designed to operate
on a ham band as part of their range may be modified to operate in the
ham bands. Hams are supposed to know how to keep their emitted radiation
inside the ham bands and inside the appropriate sub bands. That's what
those exams are all about.