Owning Amateur gear without a licence

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MiXiN
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Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by MiXiN »

Not much to say really, but is it legal to own HF/VHF/UHF rigs without being licensed?

I'm looking at getting a TS2000 for a steal but want to know this before I buy it.

I plan on using it as a receiver as I'm into SWL.
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ROTEL240
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by ROTEL240 »

Yes it's legal so fill your boots
paulears
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by paulears »

In the UK it’s always been fine. Name me one person who’s never been tempted though? It’s a bit like buying a super car or sour bike and never exceeding the speed limit. As soon as you have it, you’ll want to take the test, I guarantee it!

The real crux of British law is that you can have in your possession, something that has a licence available. If you bought an ex-military uhf aircraft radio, then as there is NOT a licence available, then it could be confiscated, and you could be fined. Luckily, this only happens if you’re stupid with what you do with it.
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LeakyFeeder
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by LeakyFeeder »

paulears wrote: 13 Sep 2021, 05:59 ... If you bought an ex-military uhf aircraft radio, then as there is NOT a licence available, then it could be confiscated, and you could be fined. Luckily, this only happens if you’re stupid with what you do with it.

As it happens ive got three of em... PRC344.... full working order... goes with the rest of my Clansman collection3👍
26mb04
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by 26mb04 »

(With regard to a 344) having the gear itself is fine. If it were illegal to own, the government wouldn't have sold them off, they would have been shredded or given to Ukraine.

I operate a PRC349 disposal service, by the way. I can dispose of any quantity of super-dodgy PRC349, totally legally. I'll even give you a Certificate of Disposal you can show people.
Sent from my GP300 using DTMF
paulears
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by paulears »

I remember loads of pye pocketfones coming on to the second hand market, still on the police channels. All you had to do was rummage through bins of them and buy any marked ch47! Then a friend got arrested with one when an off duty policeman saw it in his pocket and assumed he’d stolen it!
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Metradio
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by Metradio »

Watford Electronics used to sell the PYE PF1 Pocketfone receiver for £1, and as said you just had to rummage through them looking for one marked with your local UHF PR channel..

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MiXiN
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by MiXiN »

I've just bought myself a TS2000, due tomorrow.

I sometimes go on CB, so is it also ok to use on here or will Ofcom come knocking lol.

I'm in Plymouth so keep listen out for me & I plan on sitting my foundation test in a month or two.
109 Jim
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by 109 Jim »

it doesnt stop radio shops opening up the radio to tx out of band
paulears
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by paulears »

Well, I doubt OFCOM will be interested, but it seems odd to begin your radio ‘career’ with a bit of law breaking? The only good news is that when you cause interference nowadays, because all you do is freeze pictures or make them blocky, people don’t make a link with the big antenna across the road. When voices came out and the patterning was with it, folk worked it out. A free view tv that just stops gives no clues!

This is a moral and ethical question, and something you need to be comfy with. Strictly speaking, it’s outside of the exemptions for CB radio, so there is a tiny, but potential risk of OFCOM’s covert tactical team breaking down the door and taking your children into care and removing the house wiring for your dirty deed, but …………
Alan Pilot
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by Alan Pilot »

TS2000 expensive bit of kit.
I would get a licence so i could use it not loose it.
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bigpimp347
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by bigpimp347 »

the only offence is if you TX on them..

that said, majority of amateur radios are being opened up for out of band use and are illegal to transmit on for this reason, but amateurs still use them.

Ofcom don't care, even visiting unlicenced people and just telling them to stop it as they don't have a licence and if they don't they might get a smacked wrist.
and if you are licenced and use you HF set illegally on CB all Ofcom say is 'why when you have all those other bands to play on'

so there are laws, but rarely enforced..

so buy the TS-2000 i have two, great receivers, although not the best and take some setting up to get the best from them.
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juliernes
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by juliernes »

Yes, for having them nothing will happen to you bro
Chanty Wrassler
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by Chanty Wrassler »

Oddly, the situation here in Ireland is different.
It's an offence to own a radio Tx for which you don't have a licence to use.
Of course, nobody ever enforces it unless some stupidity goes on, like somebody trying to jam repeaters or that kind of thing. Thankfully, that kind of behaviour is fairly rare here.
A blind eye is turned to ham sets on 11m, and for the most part it works well enough.
intermod
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Re: Owning Amateur gear without a licence

Post by intermod »

It is illegal to "establish a station" without a licence. Owning equipment in itself is not illegal.
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