[Spare_account]

OK, so if by the time the signal exits my property it has dropped below mandated limits, there is no harm done right?

If I aim my antenna such that I contain the illegal power region within my property, will there be an unintended consequence?

To be clear, I'm referring to a house not an apartment so I don't have any concerns about upstairs or downstairs neighbours.

[hydrogen18]

No, that is incorrect.

The domain of the FCC extends to all property of the United States of America, be it public or private.

[colanderman]

The reason this is important is that it prevents private corporations from interfering with public air space (as discussed previously on HN [1]), and prevents landlords from interfering with the rights of tenants to legally place outdoor antennas (such as satellite dishes).

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8406022

[colanderman]

RF energy doesn't quite work like this. If your transmitter has a high EIRP (either due to antenna directionality or high TX power), then its signal is going to travel a long way, even after the signal level has dropped to that of a lower-EIRP transmitter. That is simply the inverse square law at work.

You could place sufficiently absorptive materials that this isn't so (e.g. enclose your house in a Faraday cage). But as hydrogen18 points out you're still limited by the FCC.

[ocdtrekkie]

I think FCC laws technically apply within your property as well. Hypothetically, what happens if your non-compliant device blocks a visitor on your property from calling 911?

[sjwright]

I think this falls under the pragmatic category of "you're only breaking the law if you get caught."

[ocdtrekkie]

Oh of course, and there's actually a surprising number of FCC rules you'll never get caught breaking. GMRS license violation is another.