FCC Part 95 petition August 2021

[Trevor?]

https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-374114A1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3GQrL1LL_zjxMRzjiNi4Kxf8Vq gojRP4bKAKCsrOxSskyFMxfceV-umjE

These things take a long time to work through the FCC's bureaucracy, but it appears this petition is on the docket for the FCC to review in August.

The petition proposes two changes:
1. Narrowband FM modulation on CB Frequencies.
2. Automatic data transmission on GMRS and FRS. Think position reporting similar to APRS for Hams.

FM on CB would be interesting. I still like the smaller antennas that GMRS offers.
Position reports on GMRS/FRS could be cool, but if it worked like APRS you would want to dedicate a particular channel for it.

[Trevor?]

I hadn't stumbled on this previously. Maybe others had:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/702373

Garmin has a sat-nav system with a built in MURS radio. I think this was launched earlier this year.

Looks like they transmit position data, so if a group has these things they could see each-others locations on their respective screens. I think because the MURS rules specifically allow telemetry data and telecommand, unlike GMRS currently, this is what allows this to meet FCC regs. These could be the kinds of product features we could see in the future if the GMRS rule changes above are implemented.... hopefully for a far, far lesser price. This is way to expensive for me, but for the $30k "texas wheelchair" crowd maybe not so much?

I think a bluetooth radio in something that looks like the midland micromobile radios and a phone app would be much more economical.

Maybe the reason Midland doesn't currently have any competition from Cobra, Uniden, or Motorola in low cost GMRS mobiles is because those companies are waiting to see what happens with this proposal?

[Jim]

This might be an audible chat about the Part 95 issue


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XevGDwC0_Z0