Mobile Ham operations banned?

[AmericanEagle575]

Has this law been sent to the Governor yet and has it been Signed or is it still being reworked, just curious........

This was Signed into Law by our Governor a few days ago,the First year will be warnings only and then after that I believe I heard a $50 dollar fine going forward!!

 

[BC Coyote]

I heard a $50 dollar fine going forward!!

Wow that's cheap ! Up here it's over a $300 Canadian ticket plus you get demerit points on your license that add up to almost another $1000 over a period of time (insurance costs more with the demerit points).
$50 fine seems like almost no deterrent at all !

We do have exemptions for two way radio gear including ham, VHF and CB.

 

[whiteastro]

This was Signed into Law by our Governor a few days ago,the First year will be warnings only and then after that I believe I heard a $50 dollar fine going forward!!

I wonder how we get a copy of the bill as it was signed to see exactly what it states and not someone else's interpretation.

 

[whiteastro]

I think I'll stop in at my local State Representatives office when I go for my VA blood work and buy the secretary a coffee like I promised her for helping me with a DMV problem. Maybe she can send me a electronic copy of the radio bill just signed. If not it must be Top Secret Real Important State Business. LOL

 

[DelR]

I think I'll stop in at my local State Representatives office when I go for my VA blood work and buy the secretary a coffee like I promised her for helping me with a DMV problem. Maybe she can send me a electronic copy of the radio bill just signed. If not it must be Top Secret Real Important State Business. LOL

I'm going to work on a dryer for a state rep buddy of mine tomorrow, I will have to mention it to him to not let that crap fly here in AR.

 

[Rwb]

Air horns around here (WA state) are legal as long as the horns are placed on the outside of the vehicle. At least it was that way the last time I looked it up which admittedly has been several years. I doubt anyone cares. I had them under the hood or up front behind the grill of different cars for many years but I don't use them often.

Some of the electric aftermarket horns are just as loud but they are not "air" horns.
Around here I see all kinds of "illegal for road use" stuff on cars and trucks very often but no one seems to care.

It might be a problem if you had to go through a state run safety check for licensing or something like that.

t600 kenworth has horns by the fuel tank passenger side

 

[AmericanEagle575]

Wow that's cheap ! Up here it's over a $300 Canadian ticket plus you get demerit points on your license that add up to almost another $1000 over a period of time (insurance costs more with the demerit points).
$50 fine seems like almost no deterrent at all !

We do have exemptions for two way radio gear including ham, VHF and CB.

I wish there was a exemption for CB in our Bill that's was signed into law,as I understand correctly,the only exceptions are if you have a ham license,a CDL(truck driver)or are a First responder,I'll have to look up the bill to make sure ,but that's what I heard about it on the local news stations,etc....

 

[whiteastro]

I wish there was a exemption for CB in our Bill that's was signed into law,as I understand correctly,the only exceptions are if you have a ham license,a CDL(truck driver)or are a First responder,I'll have to look up the bill to make sure ,but that's what I heard about it on the local news stations,etc....

I don't know how they could do anything to you for just listening ( monitor ) as you drive for traffic alerts. I'm going to check into it further. More government control freaks !

 

[AmericanEagle575]

I don't know how they could do anything to you for just listening ( monitor ) as you drive for traffic alerts. I'm going to check into it further. More government control freaks !

I'll be curious to see what you find,I agree with the overreaching government control,as I remember correctly, before this law came about,we already had a law on the books concerning using cellphone usage while driving in Pennsylvania,or so I was lead to believe!!

 

[BC Coyote]

I don't know how they could do anything to you for just listening ( monitor ) as you drive for traffic alerts. I'm going to check into it further. More government control freaks

They would have to see you actually speaking into the mic or fiddling with the controls to have any chance of a conviction. Just having the radio on and listening would be fine.

Remember, these types of laws are being enacted mainly to go after people using their cellphones or texting while driving. Radio's aren't really the problem at all, but it's much easier for governments to just apply a blanket ban on operating an electronic device while driving than to specify only certain devices...........
Blanket bans stand up well in court, while specific device bans tend to get picked apart in courts by lawyers.

At the end of the day, the vast majority of front line police don't know or care about the differences between ham, VHF, and CB equipment. Especially if you have a modern CB that looks more like ham gear, they won't even question it. Users of chrome encrusted gear should probably be careful though, as chrome is exclusive to CB's. Don't see too many chrome ham or VHF radios LOL!

I wouldn't hesitate to install gear and use it in my vehicle. Just keep your eyes open and put the mic down if you see a trooper going the other way or on the side of the highway. And remember, if he asks, that's a ham radio on the dash !

 

[whiteastro]

I'll be curious to see what you find,I agree with the overreaching government control,as I remember correctly, before this law came about,we already had a law on the books concerning using cellphone usage while driving in Pennsylvania,or so I was lead to believe!!

I'm going Thursday for my VA blood work in the same town as the State Rep. and I told his Secretary I'd buy her a coffee for helping me before so it is a good excuse to stop and see her. Can't promise I'll find anything out right away but plant a seed. The bureaucrats better hope I never come across their family in a accident in a cell phone dead area which Pennsylvania and it's hills and valleys has plenty. I know there is abuse of cell phones. The worse case I heard of was a woman Driving, Breast Feeding her kid and Texting all at the same time. The CB has helped me avoid accidents and detour around road closings. Sometimes I'm glad I'm at the end of life because I've seen the good times in the Old USA. I'll let you know if I find anything out !

 

[whiteastro]

I pulled my foot warmers this morning. Sometimes just seeing a big antenna make people curious and some police are over zealous especially if they have something to prove. I was at a grocery store in the parking lot and a guy comes running up because he saw my Sirio Performer 5000 and wanted to know what radio I had. Lucky for me he was just a enthusiast and a CBer with a Cobra 148 wondering why there is no local traffic anymore. But the Sirio 5000 is a attention getter and could be the wrong kind.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I don't know how they could do anything to you for just listening ( monitor ) as you drive for traffic alerts. I'm going to check into it further. More government control freaks !

The old "I was just using it to listen" is a straw man argument. It is the same thing as trying to tell the FCC that you are only using the preamp feature in your amp to hear better, and you never use it to boost your power output. If it is present, it is deemed to be used.

 

[whiteastro]

The old "I was just using it to listen" is a straw man argument. It is the same thing as trying to tell the FCC that you are only using the preamp feature in your amp to hear better, and you never use it to boost your power output. If it is present, it is deemed to be used.

That's why I pulled it but won't pull the radio. Hell people have listened to Police scanners for years. You would have thought they would have outlawed those.

 

[BC Coyote]

I think you guys are being much too paranoid. We've had these distracted driving laws in Canada for some time and I haven't heard of anybody being harassed for having two way radio gear in a vehicle.
In fact, my girlfriend was pulled over for talking on her cellphone and driving and issued a big ticket and fine. There is a 6666 mounted to the dash of the car and a mag mount on the roof, and the cop never so much as glanced at it.......and he certainly never asked any questions.

We live in a very rural area, and tons of people legally have VHF radios in their vehicles. The 6666 looks awfully similar to many VHF radios, so it wasn't an issue. Keep it low key and you likely won't have any trouble.