[HN Gopher] FCC Reaffirms $3M Fine for Marketing Unauthorized Dr...
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FCC Reaffirms $3M Fine for Marketing Unauthorized Drone
Transmitters
Author : 7402
Score : 41 points
Date : 2021-07-01 20:46 UTC (2 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.arrl.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.arrl.org)
| lytfyre wrote:
| Ahh, hobbyking. I used to order RC and electronics stuff from
| them, back before off the shelf drones became common enough that
| regulations ramped way up.
|
| Their checkout pipeline used to have a drop-down box for what
| percent of the orders value to declare on the customs documents.
| IIRC, the default value was 30%...
|
| It was also always interesting seeing what machinations they were
| using when orders of LiPo batteries would get shipped. I had a
| very large battery order for a workshop I ran that was shipped
| from HK to the west coast via Fiji post - and by the postal
| tracking, took the long way around, and showed up with a
| surprising lack of stickers related to the contents.
|
| They still have the best battery searcher in the business if you
| need to find pouch cells with specific dimensions.
|
| Not surprised that regulators have been catching up with them.
| Ecco wrote:
| I got screwed over by HobbyKing who never let me cancel an order
| even though they were over a month late and still hadn't shipped
| it.
|
| I'm glad they got fined, they're definitely shady.
| Syonyk wrote:
| This appears to be "video streaming" style transmitters, not an
| ADS-B out sort of location transmitter or anything.
|
| And it seems that HobbyKing just... hoped nothing would happen.
|
| > _As spelled out in ARRL's 2017 complaint, the ARRL Laboratory
| had documented that the operating frequencies of these drone TV
| transmitters near the 1.3 GHz amateur band were dip-switch
| selectable for frequencies internationally assigned for use by
| Aeronautical Navigation, GPS, GLONASS L1, ATC Mode "S," as well
| as to both the interrogation and reply frequencies used for Air
| Traffic Control Air-Route Surveillance "transponder" radar
| systems. "Transmissions from these drone TV transmitters would
| have caused harmful interference to these essential Navigation
| and ATC Radar systems, presenting a real and dangerous threat to
| the safety of flight," Carlson said._
|
| That's impressively ballsy. I'm glad the FCC smacked them down
| pretty hard. It's not like _global frequency allocations_ aren 't
| well known.
| [deleted]
| trafalgarcircle wrote:
| Linux allows individuals to override tx frequencies and power
| on many devices, but at least that's done in software. I could
| understand if the dips were for setting bits on a frequency
| divider and could allow selecting any frequency, but having
| them directly correlate to reserved frequencies is beyond the
| pale.
| throwaway0a5e wrote:
| >but having them directly correlate to reserved frequencies
| is beyond the pale.
|
| I don't think you get it.
|
| The whole point of this cheapo hardware is that it can be
| used for whatever just by setting switches and therefore
| achieves massive economies of scale. They sell the same
| hardware to the drone makers and the radio makers and so on.
|
| IIRC these switches were not user accessible. The
| manufacturer set them in the right position.
| jimmaswell wrote:
| All that for a dip switch that isn't normally accessible?
| underseacables wrote:
| This is unfortunate but I'm more displeased with the ARRL. They
| spend millions on lobbyists and politicians, pay the President A
| quarter of a million a year, and they're really not doing that
| much for it. The website is seriously lacking an up-to-date
| information about state and federal issues, and I'm very dismayed
| at what seems to be a lot of money spent but very little to show
| for it. Ive been an Extra since 2002 and I didn't renew my
| membership last year. To me, a humble Ham in tornado country,
| ARRL just seems like a lot of people hanging on feeding at the
| trough.
| jquinby wrote:
| Also an Extra. I actually delayed renewal this year, but then
| re-upped when I remembered that I'd been using the
| callsign@arrl.org email forwarded for a bunch of stuff and
| shelling out for one more year was easier than hunting down all
| the places I'd used it. I'll probably address that soon and let
| it go for good after this year.
| jvanderbot wrote:
| Lobbyists is exactly what I pay them for.
|
| But other than that, a quarter million sounds huge, but that's
| not huge for a big, heavily-government-involved national non-
| profit.
|
| For my own benefit, they orchestrate the classes and testing
| that I used to get my license, publish excellent reference
| materials, etc. I'm no longer in tornado country, but in
| earthquake country and a bigger city, the many different HAM
| activities are nice to know about.
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