DTR550 legal for use in UK?

[wiscomm]

Hey Guys, Have a bit of a quagmire perhaps someone can shed some light on. Earlier this year I sold a few DTR550 Digital radios to one of my customers that works in London, England. Just got the following email:

While using these radios I was stopped by the local police when they seemed to think it resembled one of their radios and my contact details where taken as they were going to look into whether they were legal or not. I was then contacted by the police who informed me that these radios are illegal to use in this country as they interfere with the 900 mhz GSM network. I luckily managed to convince them to let me keep hold of them on the understanding they would not be used and I contact you.

Not sure if this is some overzealous bobby or if ISM frequencies are not usable in the UK. Anyone familiar with this situation?

Thanks,

Craig

[mr.syntrx]

ISM bands vary around the world. The 900MHz ISM band only goes up to 915MHz in Australia, for example.

In any case, the equipment requires type approval in any country where it'll be used. If it's not type approved in the UK, it's not legal. It's your customer's responsibility to find out what is and isn't legal to use where he lives.

[wiscomm]

One thing is for sure, God Bless the USA for not allowing my local police to advise me if my radio is interfering with a local wireless telephone provider.

Good Grief!

Craig

[mr.syntrx]

Actually, it sounds more like the police took the radio's details, contacted OFCOM, and asked them, before replying to the dude in question with OFCOM's answer.

[dxon2m]

Well...those DTR radios do resemble a lot like their TETRA radios.

[Tom in D.C.]

PMFJI, but who in his right mind who knows anything at all
about the radio comms business would buy an HT in one
country and then waltz into another country and use it
without first finding out if the radio's use was permitted
in the second country?

Just doesn't seem to make any sense whatsoever, but hey,
that's just me.

[radio-link]

ISM bands vary around the world. The 900MHz ISM band only goes up to 915MHz in Australia, for example.

In Europe there are no 900MHz ISM ranges for two way radio. Only some allocations at 868 MHz for data, remote controls and wireless headphones. The only ISM range for two way is 433 MHz with 10mW of power, and then we hafe the PMR channels at 446 Mhz, 0.5W EIRP.

Ralph.

[oh2glg]

The only ISM range for two way is 433 MHz with 10mW of power

That's correct. And most hams are not too happy about that frequency area is available for all kinds on remote controls, wireless door bells and other gadgets of such.

This message might get a little bit out of topic here. There's some nasty elements with ISM and LPD. In some parts of Europe, where 433.050 - 434.775 is allocated for ISM/LPD devices with secondary privledges, they might - and will unfortunately - interfere radioamateurs who share same part of spectrum.

Here where I live, it is not very unrare occurance that there's a concrete truck's remote controller buzzing on local repeater's input frequency all day long.

And what can hams do about it? Well.. Nothing much.

What's different with Germany and Finland is that here all ISM/LPD devices are only for telemetric purposes. So far - afaik - there has not been any incidents where non-ham speech traffic has been heard on ham repeater. Atleast not yet. LPD with voice transimission is still not allowed here (but in Germany they are), so there is many differencies in regard of where and which kinds of ISM/LPD devices one can use within EU region.

But as what comes in regards of original message, I think buyer should have been more familiar of what's allowed and what's not. As many have stated within this thread before, 900MHz is reserved for GSM and Dect CT2.

[radio-link]

Here where I live, it is not very unrare occurance that there's a concrete truck's remote controller buzzing on local repeater's input frequency all day long.

Our 70cm band is 430-440, and the repeater inputs are below the ISM band, so usually we do not have big trouble with remote controls, just the other way, that people do not get into their cars with their remotes when a radio ham is transmitting nearby :-)

[mr.syntrx]

The 433MHz LIPD range lies within the repeater input segment of the 70cm band plan in Australia. The hams were claiming the world was about to end when that range was allocated, but there hasn't been any significant reported problems for repeaters anywhere.