Neither CB nor FRS require a license here in the US (Technically they are “licensed by rule”. Obey the rules, and you have an implied license).
I have to wonder about reciprocal permits necessary for aliens operating two way radios in the USA.
I don’t see the dire need to wireless communications when you have cell phones that can do the same thing inexpensively.
You people keep harping upon power levels. Power means absolutely nothing when you are talking about operating a handheld radio in a basic Faraday cage - a steel framed, glass enclosed space.
You don’t get any range out of any radio until you first get the signal outside the vehicle. There is no one on the citizens band unless there is a band opening.
The bonus here is that the OP wants two way radios, but he doesn’t want to spend any money. Might I suggest two tin cans and a string!
Technicially the higher power GMRS radios do require a license to use, at least that is what it says in the documentation that comes with the radio, the advice not to use it on the gmrs frequencies without a license.
For anyone with a GMRS license, this is an insult, you are permitting people to use your frequencies - that you yourself paid to use…
That does not compute…
The FRS license info I read here:
States that a representative of a foreign government may not use the service. I honestly am not sure who all that applies to as regards a non-citizen. Good point for research if not a US resident I suppose.
As for GMRS radios- the off-the-shelf FRS units are now able to use all 22 channels and up to 2 watts (FCC revision made in the last couple of years). Purpose-built GMRS units certainly do require a license, indeed ( >2W, removable antenna, repeater-capable, etc.)
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“Representative of a foreign government” refers to a person who works in the name of or as an agent of a foreign government, not just anyone who doesn’t happen to be a US citizen. A foreign diplomat or a spy, for example, would be a “representative of a foreign government” and not permitted to obtain a GMRS license in the USA or to operate any Personal Radio Service stations (i.e., CB, FRS, GMRS, MURS, RC, or the 218-219MHz interactive video services) in the USA. 47 CFR 95.305.
For license-free use of any licensed exempt radio service system, pretty much everywhere, unless foreign visitors are denied the licensed or licensed exempt use of radio, I’d imagine you’d be okay to get/use legally Type Approved kit (I’ll leave the US radio pros to guide on that level).
Getting out there is a bigger issue, assuming it’s even sound judgment to do so currently (not implying anything at anyone, but it’s not sound sense to do unnecessary international travel currently).
However, if I were going to do the trip needing to communicate with non hams, I’d buy out there subject to there being no conflicting issues to prevent doing so.
You see, even in these paranoid times, the only people who get a soft ride (relatively) bringing radio transceivers in places like the US are radio hams and even that’s not painless. I can sympathise with their sometimes overkill policies as you can easily use off the shelf US legal kit exported and brought in as personal possession as a radio/remote trigger to many horrible abuses. Remember, over here in the UK, it was 900mhz obscure/uncommon radio set modules that helped the IRA remotely trigger some of their carnage undetected because nobody was looking at 934mhz CB frequencies as a means, helped by the near zero occupancy of the few frequencies in question meant clear frequencies were easy to secure.
So paranoia about radio kit brought in isn’t entirely irrational. Add in the fact a perfectly good US TA-certified rig could have been exported, modded and subsequent destroyed it’s TA certification and carry very unauthorised mods, functions and very noticeable use scope.
That’s why, bypassing issues, it’s better to buy distantly and collect in-country or just locate and buy out there. You’ll be in the right place if there’s paperwork involved (could just be proof of id or signing a declaration).
I’ll never face those issues, so can’t talk from experience of the USA and radio use.
But I’ll, as with specifics, leave it to the US radio pros to advise specifically.
‘Representative of foreign government’ restrictions, which definitely don’t include nondiplomatic and domestic non-official usage civilian use where such prohibitions exist in most regional service licenses and wireless telegraphy general legislation.
In fact, unless there is a global prohibition on foreigner usage of radio equipment in the nation region or nation, standard civil personal and leisure use is usually OK
Part of the many layered rationality of ‘foreign government’ usage prohibition lies with age old conventions and legislation about where and how diplomatic status staff of foreign government staff can use host nation telecommunications in general, especially for diplomatic communications.
But when you consider where you can easily buy, with no or little effort, kits of license-free and registration-free radio kit, it’s not hard to see how if you wanted to aid distancing a black operation by using doctored publicly available kit for group comms it would be a viable option.
After all, a lot of digital radios have common and high encryption modes as well as open versions, and whilst common level isn’t usually a no-go, usage of high level encryption without due permitted variation use is usually a definitely no go territory for legal usage.
Not that maliciously minded abusers of a radio service would give a ■■■■ about such things.
In fact, you’ll find a major cause of close inspection of radio kit imports or restricted transits is due in part to the common availability of high encryption functionality and the fact it’s easy to do nasty malicious mods to a radio and still make it seem functional.
Seen enough examples to know the scope is a lot more practical and practised than mere hypothetical.