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by thomashabets2 70 days ago
"Country restrictions apply". Which countries?
3 comments

Each country has different regulations for amateur radio bands. In Germany for example, in the bands > 2 GHz maximum power is capped at 75W PEP [1], the US has vastly different limits [2]

[1] https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/afuv_2005/anlage_1.html

[2] https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D...

I'm sorry, I thought it was very obvious that I was talking about ITAR export controls, not about destination country domestic regulation.

This is a clue from their webpage: "Not intended for radar applications. Core functionality needed for radar not included due to export control restrictions."

All I guess? If you're licensed you should know what you can and can't do.
No, amateur radio does not cover ITAR.

Which is why I ask. I'm not a lawyer, but there could be a general dual use ban, but with some other regulation that exempts e.g. UK.

Any that forbid or restrict satellite comms?

Don’t use this in Iran.

I'm pretty sure the "country restrictions" are about ITAR, not the destination country regulation.

When the page says "uh… do not use this to build a phased array radar… even though you could. And if you do, then in no way were we involved. Just don't", this is extremely likely to be about ITAR.

> License: Amateur Radio (Technician+) to operate, country restrictions apply.

This implies it's about operating a radio transmitter.

Iran will absolutely frown on that right now, as they've frowned on Starlink. Their internet shutoff indicates "empowering the public to connect across the world" is not really what they want.

Leaving Iran and DPRK aside, the frequency range, power levels, and everything else depends of course on the operating country.

> Amateur Radio (Technician+) to operate

This is not even true. You can operate within the ISM band without a license, with ISM band limits. So this is what I mean; listing "country restrictions" (not "local restrictions") doesn't make any sense in this context. Everything is always subject to local laws always. Obviously. And that's not even mentioning that a large reason for having this device is receive-only, which definitely doesn't require a license in the US.

~5.8GHz is an ISM band world wide.

Yes, transmitting at "amateur radio power" or within amateur radio bands but outside ISM requires something.

But "country restrictions apply" doesn't make sense if it means that. That'd be like selling condoms and referring to vatican banning them (I don't know if they do), or some countries banning gay sex, so country restriction applies if you use it for gay sex.