Wireless Stuff (Regulation)

[Bayard R. Coolidge]

Travis Roy said:

 >>>Question is, does anybody here see a point in
 >>>getting stuff certified at all (besides that it's
 >>>a selling point for Mike's equipment)? If you don't
 >>>cause interference with anybody else and you're
 >>>uncertified then you probably won't be noticed anyway.

You give a great argument for speeding down an Interstate
in the wee hours of the morning, hoping that the fact
that it appears to be unoccupied means that there isn't
a Trooper out there with a radar gun.

Bear in mind that the unlicensed Part 15 devices are
permitted to operate as such by the FCC if and only if
they meet the specified FCC regulations. If you violate
those regulations, and you are caught, you are in for a
VERY hefty fine - thousands of dollars. The FCC's
Enforcement Bureau's web page

http://www.fcc.gov/eb/

is a good place to start your research. Basically,
those who plan to monkey around with Part 15 devices
will be considered the same sort of pond scum that
set up illegal FM broadcast stations or who sell
illegal CB amplifiers.

Furthermore, you need to understand that the most
popular WISP band used today at 2.4GHz is SHARED
with other licensed users who have, by definition,
higher precedence than WISP. These include the
Government Radiolocation Service (i.e., military
radar and related devices) and the Amateur Radio
Service. The same scenario exists at 3.4GHz and
the 5.6-5.9 GHz bands as well.

I am an Amateur Radio operator, and have been for
over 35 years. We take this stuff VERY seriously.
For one, we have to monitor our frequencies carefully
to ensure that we aren't likely to interfere with
the Feds. I don't know specifically about 2.4GHz,
but I know that there is substantial activity on some
of our other microwave allocations. I suspect that
anyone caught screwing around with this will face
a very dangerous legal battle, since the government
can easily invoke various concepts as "National
Security" and "Homeland Security", etc. into the fray.

In short, don't do it. I'm sorry that it costs some
money to get your stuff certified, but I have heard
enough stories over the years about the FCC confiscating
ordinary desktop computers made by firms that didn't
get their stuff certified, that I have no doubt that
they can find illegal WISP equipment fairly readily.
(Technical hint: a very narrow beamwidth antenna for
the 2.4GHz band can be purchased or built very easily
and used for direction-finding purposes. You WILL
be found!)

Bayard (N1HO)