Does anyone know what the export situation is for the USRP? Seems to me even in
receive only mode their must be some objective criterion (tune range, speed,
bandwidth, etc.) that determines whether usrp can or cannot be exported? Also,
since the usrp is being used in government/military applications, why doesn't
ITAR apply to it?
Thanks,
Clark
Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:44:48 -0500From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL
PROTECTED]: Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] US no-license for USRP info?CC: It is not
legal to use "homebrew" equipment to transmit on any of the Part 95 personal
communications services (e.g. FRS, GMRS, CB, MURS) or in fact in any service
other than the amateur radio service. Any transmitter to be used in any
licensed service (other than the amateur service), whether licensed-by-rule or
individually licensed, must have had its manufacturing design certified by the
FCC, and any modifications thereto made consistent with the rather complicated
rules in Part 2. However, as the FCC does not actively regulate the Part 95
services (that is, they typically only investigate complaints regarding
activities in these bands when they create problems in other services, or have
implications beyond merely being annoying to other licensees), you can probably
get away with transmitting in these services with uncertificated radios. Just
make sure your spurious emissions are under control; if you are splattering
into a band allocated to another service, you might find yourself the subject
of an interference complaint, and if the investigation determines that you're
using an uncertificated radio, you will get slapped with an "unauthorized
operation" citation and quite possibly a forfeiture.I imagine most USRP uses in
the US that involve transmit are conducted either within the limits for Part 15
intentional radiators, or within the scope of the amateur radio service. Note
that Part 15 allows low power operations in quite a lot of spectrum; for
example, you can transmit in at least part of the FM broadcast band within the
limits of Part 15 as long as you keep your power low enough. Unfortunately,
Part 15 is very very complicated and figuring out if a particular use or
purpose is permitted under it, and if so under what conditions, can be quite
challenging.It is likely the case that any USRP-based application would be
unable to be certified due to the FCC's requirement for certification that the
programming of a software-defined radio must be locked so as to prevent the end
user from changing it. It's an open question (as far as I know) whether you
can bundle a USRP, some daughterboards, and a software load together and sell
that, but I strongly suspect the answer to that is a no, as such a bundle would
amount to a transmitter under FCC regs (if a TX daughterboard is present) and
would have to be certified before it could be sold, and because of the USRP's
ready reprogrammability will necessarily fail the lockdown rules imposed by
section 2.944.Kelly
On Sat, Jun 28, 2008 at 9:33 PM, Dave Killion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I am not a lawyer (IANAL). The following comments deal with US laws and
policies as I understand them.The basic idea as to how USRP's can be sold to an
unlicensed user is that they are sold as "Radio Test Parts" - that is, you
assemble it yourself into a functional receiver/transmitter. Furthermore, it
needs software (that Matt doesn't provide) in order to create a functional
radio system. That's how you legally obtain the USRP.Reception of radio
transmissions is a protected activity in the US - that is, you can implicitly
do it unless specifically told not to - in the US (where the USRP is made and
sold) with the exception of cellular telephone bands (that's the "not to"
part). The USRP daughter boards that transmit and receive on those protected
frequencies have a filter for those frequencies by default. But since the USRP
is an international product (used all over the world), the block is not
difficult to bypass for users in other countries that are not restricted or use
different bands.Transmission is restricted by both frequency and power
depending on what license you have. For instance, Title 47 Part 95 covers all
"Personal Communications", which includes the frequency band used by CB radios
(CFR, 95.401), as well as the Family Radio Service (CFR, Part 95.191-95.194).
Products sold that use these two bands are reviewed by the FCC to ensure they
don't exceed power and frequency restrictions for those bands. There are
etiquette rules to follow using these bands, but they are otherwise
unrestricted. There are also additional PC bands (GMRS, for instance) that
require a license which is not difficult to obtain. Great page with lots of
info for these services can be found here:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_07/47cfr95_07.html If you used your
USRP on these bands and stayed within the legal power levels, I doubt there
would be a real problem. Technically, the USRP has not been reviewed to
transmit on those bands, but... if you're following the power and frequency
guidelines, I'd imagine you'd not be hassled.If you have obtained a HAM radio
license, then you'll legally have access to a wide range of bands and
considerably high power systems. Part 97 covers all of that. If you get a
license, you'll know what bands and power you'll be permitted - it's part of
the test. :) Part 97 data is here:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_07/47cfr97_07.html Most any other
bands not covered in the Personal or HAM bands are generally restricted from
use unless specifically licensed.I'm sorry, I know I'm not being terribly
specific like you asked, but... you're not asking very specific questions.
Obtaining the USRP is perfectly legal. What you intend to do with it is up to
you. Depending on the frequency, power levels, and potential disruption to
other radio devices (a big no-no in the US), different regulations will apply.I
hope this helps some,-- Dave Killion, CISSPContributing Author, Security Power
ToolsKI6KVY
On Thu, Jun 26, 2008 at 11:01 AM, Michael Dickens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Looking at < http://www.ettus.com/faq.html >:"The USRP is sold as test
equipment, which has no licensing requirements."Can someone with experience in
this area please explain to me the relevant -specific- portion(s) of the US
law/code regarding the USRP? Please do not say "Part 15" since that's a large
chunk of writing. I'm looking for (example) "15.103 (c)" as a specific portion
(which, btw, is interesting but IMHO not applicable to the USRP). Thanks in
advance! - MLD
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