I don't think it was the FCC... it might have been customs or the IRS, shutting them down for designing products intended for "surrepitous use" or something... I am, of course, referring to the Ramsey Electronics fiasco. -Randy Glenn Sure, Windows is stable. As stable as the install CD, balanced on the edge of a ruler. In high winds. ================================================= PICxpert@home.com - PICxpert@yahoo.com PICxpert.com going away - use picxpert.dyndns.org Not that the site works yet, of course... ================================================= -----Original Message----- From: pic microcontroller discussion list [mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Scott Stephens Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 8:32 AM To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU Subject: Re: [PICLIST] [EE]: Kits? >It appears, though, that if I were to sell kits, I would have to apply >for FCC certification for an intentional radiator (for the transmitters, >anyway) and possibly regular certification for any of the devices which >use frequencies higerh than 1.7MHz. Is this correct? From my reading of part 15 and/or 97, yes, unless it is test equipment, or a prototype - but you can't sell prototypes. You can't even peddle a damn PIC product that clocks over a few KHz! :-( > I have bought quite >a few kits during my time as an electronic experimenter, and I never >remember any FCC data on them (even for transmittes). Is this rule >generally not enforced and ignored, or am I interpreting it correctly? I believe it is not enforced, proceed at your peril! The FCC surely has lots of better things to do. Unless you make so much money you compete with a company that will contribute to a politician that can sick their dogs on you - like if Linx gets mad and complains about. If they never hear of your gadgets, how can they persecute you? Now if you made 50 or 5 KW amplifiers for CB radios or cellular phone jammer kits they would probably find out. The FCC is suppose to promote such things as amature radio and advancing the art, which your product and literature does. Which would make you in compliance with the spirit of the law if not the letter. >it is ture, can I get around it by just selling a PCB and offering a >selection of parts which would just happen to allow you to build the >devices on the site? Only the top preditors in the food chain get away with with dissembling over the meaning of the word 'is', coaching witnesses and suborning perjury ("I was never alone with her Betty, right? I never had the door shut Betty, right?). As Orwell said, "some animals are more equal than others". You might want to find out who to make a campaign contribution to in case you have any problems. Maybe an indirect offer, something like "I'll be able to contribute regularly to your campaign fund, as long as I'm capable of operating profitably, unharrassed by the FCC". Most savy politicians probably wouldn't accept a direct quid-pro-quo (but their brothers might!). Its much easier for them to break the implicit 'deal' if they can deny there ever was one! >I don't think I could afford to make all th measurements >needed for the certification process. The FCC busted a bug peddler a while back for selling kits, IIRC. I remember it was discussed. There were plenty of others to go after, and the bug wasn't a sophisticated spread spectrum or matched filter device either. I wonder what a laywer would have to say about selective enforcement of laws? Once again, the system gets paid either way when you pay the lawyers. Scott **************************************************************** Freedom is pursuing your carrot, not running from a stick. The mob only rules what its members are allowed to achieve. How is it the cellular phone spectrum is divided so both service providers have and equal hardware burden, yet the banking monopolies can freely share your private credit card purchase records with their subsidiaries for 'marketing' purposes? I guess the banks and their oligarchs know how to bribe politicians better than the cellular industry! Quo Bono - Who Profits! **************************************************************** -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.