"Export" Radios & DOT Inspections

Does The Man hassle you about an "illegal" radio during an inspection?

What do you mean by illegal radio ?

Illegal as in an 11 meter transceiver that exceeds 4 watts. Or even more specific; a 10 meter radio modified for 11 meter band.

If it's not on during the inspection I don't see why it would be much of an issue. Not to mention, they have no real way of checking it as far as your power output. If you were to get caught, or just ticked people off because you're walking all over them, it would be an FCC issue.

I had to look up "11 meter transceiver" to see this was an amateur (ham) radio that can be modified for CB frequencies. That's the illegal part. But the regulation is a FCC rule, not a FMCSA rule. Also, these transceivers usually transmit at more than the maximum 5 watts allowed by the FCC for CB radios.

Hammer, there are actually a lot of drivers out here with radios like that. I've never heard of anyone having an issue with them. When I say "a lot" I don't mean that you see them all the time, but it is usually a person who happens to be a "radio person" who will be running one of these units in their truck. I think Guyjax had one at one time.

Haha back in the day pops ran an illegal base radio, with freq sliders he could talk on FM bands....then add a 1000 watt matched kicker box! Gangsters, next door, were having a little too loud a party. Old man couldn't hear the TV, he went out on porch in his tighty whiteys n told em, "Turn that crap down!" They did for 10 minutes, then back up it went....He went flipped the switches, keyed the mic and told em again, this time, over and thru their stereo speakers! No more noise!

I know from experience that getting the FCC to enforce the law on amateur bands is ridiculously hard, even with multiple complaints from lots of licensed operators for a guy who liked to interrupt conversations with profanity on the local repeater. They don't care at all about CB, and if they did they'd have a hard time enforcing the profanity rule (if it even still exists). The only way you'd draw attention to it is if you regularly and repeatedly interfered with a bunch of TVs or broadcasters in the same area over a long period of time (like at least a year).

Regular law enforcement won't give that rig a second glance.

Thanks for the insightful replies. When I get in my own unit I'll feel more at ease with my Galaxy dx99v tuned up with a 50 watt swing...

Even though I do have my ham tech ticket the radio is "illegal" because it modulates on both 10 & 11 meters.

I was just wondering what if any extent the DOT cared about it (ya know, the federal good ol' boy network)

73's! :)

Thanks for the insightful replies. When I get in my own unit I'll feel more at ease with my Galaxy dx99v tuned up with a 50 watt swing...

Even though I do have my ham tech ticket the radio is "illegal" because it modulates on both 10 & 11 meters.

I was just wondering what if any extent the DOT cared about it (ya know, the federal good ol' boy network)

73's! :)

Hell Ya they care.. They care that you don't care and thats the only thing you don't need to care about.