Question about MURS frequencies

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wpflum
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 2:00 pm

Question about MURS frequencies

Post by wpflum »

According to the FCC.gov website the channels for MURS are the following.

151.820 MHz (11.25 kHz)
151.880 MHz (11.25 kHz)
151.940 MHz (11.25 kHz)
154.570 MHz (20.00 kHz)
154.600 MHz (20.00 kHz)

I've recently been put in charge of our yard radios and found out that although the one yard has it's radios set to 156.6 using Kenwood TK2200s the other yard has it's radios set to 154.49 using a combination of old Motorolas and some new Kenwood TK2300s.

Originally both yards had licenses but we were told that we no longer needed them several years back so they were dropped. My question is if the radios in the one yard are set to a frequency other than the 5 listed channels are they not on the free bands? Or am I reading something wrong about the channels??

This came up when I tried to swap some of the newer TK2300 radios to the yard with the 154.6 frequency and discovered that they do not have a setting for that frequency and that none of the frequencies in the MURS table are available on this model. I'm worried that we are running illegal transmitters at the one yard so I really need some clarification ASAP.

Thanks
k2hz
Posts: 150
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 1:02 pm
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Question about MURS frequencies

Post by k2hz »

154.490 requires a Part 90 license for use. 154.570 and 154.600 used to reqiuire a Part 90 license but were changed to MURS and a license is no longer needed for formerly licensed systems.

MURS frequencies require no license but radios must be 2W or less and meet MURS standards. 154.570 and 154.600 may be wide band but the 151 frequencies require approved narrow band radios.

The "old Motorola" radios may be wide band and no longer authorized for use under Part 90 under a new license of after 1/1/2013 in a presently licensed wide band system. To use 154.490 you need to get a license and radios FCC accepted for narrow band operation. The Kenwood 2300s would be OK.

I assume the 156.6 in your post is a typo. 156.6 is a Marine frequency used for Vessel Traffic Control and you would be in big trouble using it on land.

The penalty for unlicensed operation on Part 90 or Marine frequencies starts at $10,000 and can be higher if you interfere with authorized users. While chances of getting caught are slim, it can get very ugly if you are the subject of a complaint.
wpflum
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 2:00 pm

Re: Question about MURS frequencies

Post by wpflum »

Yea, 156.6 was a typo it should have been 154.6. If I can't find any paper trail for payments I'm going to assume that somewhere along the line someone got some bad info on the licenses and dropped them on both stores the only problem being is that one store was using a MURS freq and the other wasn't. This will be a big headache since that store just bought 6 new TN2300s so now we either try and get the license back or junk the new radios and buy TK2200s that will take a MURS freq. I am worried about the FCC since I can see them being more anal about freqs as a way of generating revenue through fines.

Thanks for the info.

Bill
k2hz
Posts: 150
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 1:02 pm
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Question about MURS frequencies

Post by k2hz »

If the license for 154.490 was allowed to expire, your are going to have to go through frequency coordination and apply for a new license. The new license will be narrow band. The 1/1/2013 deadline for conversion applies only to presently licensed systems. No new wide band licenses will be granted. You will be OK with the TK2300's but you will need be sure they are programmed for narrow band. The "old Motorolas" may or may not be narrow band capable and may have to be junked if you want to use them on Part 90 frequencies.

Given the cost of frequency coordination and licensing, it may be to your advantage to just use MURS and see if you can make a deal to swap your TK2300s for TK2200s. This is especially true if your old Motorolas can't do narrow band. MURS 154.600 will remain wide band so you can still use the old radios for the foreseeable future. The MURS frequency 154.570 is also wide band if you need each store on a separate frequency.
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