To start off with - Since when doesn't Amateur equipment not have to
certified, I'm sure
Kenwood would have loved to hear about this since the FCC blocked the sales
of the
Kenwood Sky Command linking system several years ago! Also the people at
Vertex-
Standard(Yeasu), Ten-Tec, Icom and several more amateur equipment
manufactures
must be jumping for joy I hope this post wasn't taken perbatum from some
newspaper
or something written on the men's room wall. #2 As far as I know the Galaxy
Radio
mentioned in the post are FCC Type Accepted. or they wouldn't even be
allowed to
be imported as is into the US. ONLY if a radio is modified after it's
importation to the
US makes them illegal for use on the CB band. Even if a technician modifies
the radio all
he has to do is verbally warn you that the modification makes it illegal for
use on the CB
band. Then YOU are the law breaker not the manufacture or the technician.
The radio
can be used for any Amateur operator that is licensed as a MARS-CAP operator
with the
proper modification. NOT A LEGAL BEAGLE - OUTLAW OPERATOR - 30 years, no
monatary fortitures, no letters, no NADA! You can't creat Common Sence, born
with it -
or ate up with it!!!!!
"R.F. Burns" wrote in message
...
A consent decree has finally ended an enforcement action against Pilot
Travel Centers LLC that could have cost the company $125,000 in fines. In
November 2004 the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL)
asserting
that Pilot, despite multiple citations and warnings, continued to market
CB
transceivers labeled as Amateur Radio gear but intended for use on both
Citizens Band and amateur frequencies. An FCC Order released May 11 adopts
the attached consent decree between the agency and Pilot and terminates
the
forfeiture action. While Pilot agrees to make "a voluntary contribution"
of
$90,000 to the US Treasury "without further protest or recourse," the
company does not admit any wrongdoing.

"The parties further agree that this consent decree is for settlement
purposes only and that by agreeing to the consent decree, Pilot does not
admit or deny any liability for violating the [Communications] Act or the
rules in connection with the matters that are the subject of this consent
decree," the agreement stipulates.

Under the terms of the consent decree, Pilot must refrain in the future
from
marketing as "Amateur Radio" gear any transmitting devices with built-in
features to facilitate CB operation. The company also must determine in
advance that any CB transmitting gear it offers for sale is FCC
certificated. CB transmitters must receive FCC certification--formerly
called "type acceptance." Amateur Radio transmitting equipment does not
require FCC certification.

Should Pilot plan to sell legitimate Amateur Radio transceivers, it must
ensure before marketing or selling them that the ARRL Lab has reviewed the
equipment in question and determined that it transmits only in the Amateur
Radio bands. The ARRL Lab tests equipment both for QST "Product Review"
articles as well as for compliance with QST advertising policy, which
requires that items offered for sale meet FCC rules.

Further, the consent decree requires Pilot to remove from sale certain
Galaxy brand transceivers (models DX33HML, DX66V and DX99V) and any other
"Amateur Radio" transceivers that have not passed ARRL Lab muster in the
course of product review or advertising compliance testing. Pilot also
will
have to ensure that any CB transceivers on sale by entities leasing space
on
its premises are FCC certificated.

The consent decree brings to a close an enforcement action dating back
more
than six years. In its 2004 NAL, the FCC cited 47 separate instances
between
2002 and 2004 when Pilot allegedly had offered for sale various models of
non-certificated Galaxy CB transceivers labeled as "amateur radios" that
easily could be modified for CB operation.

The Order and the consent decree are on the FCC Web site
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-53A1.pdf.