The problem is that not only is it illegal, but it can also be very annoying for other people nearby who are watching TV or listening to the radio. An amplified CB signal can also overtrap on adjacent CB channels and disturb even more people. Cleaner transmit power can help reduce radio interference (IR), but it can still be problematic and is again against the law. Below are examples of stations sold illegally in the United States. These transmitters claim to operate from half a watt (500 mW) to over 7 watts. While they may claim to be legal by the FCC, they are not: FM for CB is undoubtedly a welcome change. But I`m not sure it will be enough to keep radios alive and well beyond the trucker community. And even then, according to a survey by HWT`s sister publication, Overdrive, only 54% of drivers reported using their credit card regularly. An increase in the legal transmission power limit would certainly help. But if it`s too high, could more powerful and louder CBs prevail as the next big social media platform? If photos, emojis, and viral videos don`t become possible with CBs one day, I don`t think Instagram and truckers worried about stacks of channels have much to worry about. Here in the UK, we had several years of illegal CB am/ssb in the 70s, with the UK government saying it would never legalise CB radio! Then, in the fall of 1981, they announced that CB would be legalized on the upper 27 MHz, and only on FM, plus another 20 FM channels on the near-microwave frequency of 934 MHz, for a total of 60 legal CB channels.

Many people wanted to continue with the AM or AM/SSB radios they already owned. Over the years we were allowed to use radios with EU FM channels [like US channels], and eventually AM followed, then SSB on these EU/UK 934MHz channels was shut down at the end of 1988, the equipment that worked very well was so expensive to buy [up to £500 for a radio], People couldn`t afford it, so it never took. That said, there was more activity on 934 than 2m & 70cms combined, which remain intact. These days, the original legal UK 27/81 channels, as they are called, are our most popular CB channels – although they are much less used than they were 40 years ago! While royalty-free legal FM may seem extremely restrictive, royalty-free AM is slightly less restrictive. Some users in the U.S. have resorted to CB radios, which are sold outside the country and allow power increases of about 20 to 40 watts. This will likely cause less interference, but it`s still illegal and doesn`t exactly convey a hot blur for the user who needs to keep their mouth shut on their platform. On January 24, 2020, President Trump signed the Prevention of Unlawful Radio Abuse through Law Enforcement (PIRATE) Act.

Under the Pirate Act, a new section 511 is added to the Communications Act, which states, among other things, that “any person who intentionally and knowingly directs, provokes or suffers pirate radio broadcasts shall be liable to a fine of not more than $2,000,000.” Fines would be imposed up to $100,000 per day, up to a maximum of $2 million. The bill also calls for increased law enforcement, “annual sweeps” and the creation of a national database of pirate radio stations at the FCC. Occasionally, REC receives questions regarding low-power broadcasting and whether a licence is required to use a particular device. In most cases, the device is illegal in the United States, Canada, and the European Union. Much of this equipment is imported from China and sold on Ebay and similar websites. Recently, we discovered illegal devices sold on Amazon.com. If you are a licensee or licensee of a low-power FM transmitter (LPFM), you are required by FCC rules to use a transmitter that has been specifically certified for low-power FM service. These are transmitters that have been tested in the laboratory and meet certain federal specifications. These transmitters are manufactured by leading manufacturers such as Nautel and BW. Even Part 73 “accepted type” transmitters that do not carry LPFM certification are not legal for LPFM stations and in no case are transmitters sold on Ebay or through Chinese importers legal for use by a licensed LPFM station. At REC, we currently operate the transmitter C. Crane FM-2.

It is an agile transmitter (88.3~107.7MHz) and has a very clean sound. With the built-in antenna and mounted on a high shelf on the second floor of a wooden house, we are able to get about 100 feet in all directions. This is the kind of reach you should expect from a Part 15 certified FM station. Most legal Part 15 stations on the market today are designed to transmit sound from a smartphone or MP3 player via a car stereo and typically consist of a transmitter attached to a cigarette lighter or battery-operated socket and then a cable plugged into the headphone jack of the smartphone or MP3 player.