At 07:35 PM 7/4/01 +1000, Roman wrote:
>David VanHorn wrote:
> >
> > At 10:31 PM 7/3/01 -0300, Alexandre Domingos F. Souza wrote:
> > > >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.
> > >
> > >         What happened to Ramsey?
> >
> > It was the FCC.
> > They were selling bugging devices in kit form.
> > Granted they were the world's crappiest bugs, but that's what they were.
> > The FCC stepped in and said "no more".
> >
> > They are doing enforcement these days.
>
>
>Is that for real?? In the US i'm guessing.
>Here in Aust all the electronics stores sell
>fm bug kits, they are a very popular beginner
>kit.
>-Roman

I believe the seizure was done by the FBI and the original stories quoted
the Terrorist Control Act as the authority.

There are two obvious explanations for the event:

1. Promoting the device as a "bug" in contravention of anti-tapping laws, or
2. Importing of circuits that violated custom rules.

Ramsey Electronics did not seem too adversely impacted by the event.

================================================================
Robert A. LaBudde, PhD, PAS, Dpl. ACAFS  e-mail: ral@lcfltd.com
Least Cost Formulations, Ltd.            URL: http://lcfltd.com/
824 Timberlake Drive                     Tel: 757-467-0954
Virginia Beach, VA 23464-3239            Fax: 757-467-2947

"Vere scire est per causas scire"
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