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The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
71–80 of 140 posts
Re: The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
> This is already present insofar as hardware requirements in radios - radios cannot be permitted to listen on frequencies reserved for cell phones, and must not be restricted in such way as they can be easily modified to enable it (e.g., a header/jumper). This really just extends this requirement that it is non-trivial to enable illegal broadcasting or reception on software defined radios. Cough, cough, HackRF( http…
As I recall, they got around this by not being FCC licensed - in other words, HackRF is classified as a kit/developer component, and is not legal to operate unless you hold an independent license from FCC (e.g.: if you're a Ham you can use it on Ham frequencies you are licensed for). Read the disclaimer at bottom > HackRF One is test equipment for RF systems. It has not been tested for compliance with regulations gov…
What harm does listening on a frequency cause? If radio waves travel through my house I'm not allowed to listen to them?
Re: The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
#73Do they do this because they don't have the resources to enforce the law?
Re: The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
#74Note that the FCC still hasn't stopped manufacturers from using RP-SMA connectors on their routers, despite ruling that they are "commonly available" in 2000.
Can you elaborate on why the FCC would ban a commonly used antenna connector?
Adding higher gain antennas without decreasing transmit power is a common way for people to exceed authorized transmit power.
The regulatory theory was that by using a "uncommon" connector only people who know to decrease transmit power (the "professional installer") would be changing antennas: https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/kdb/forms/FTSSearchResultPage.cfm...
Re: The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
#75I thought to myself: "This looks like a good time to stock up on SDR equipment, in case this ever goes through." And then I realized this is exactly the same thing gun enthusiasts thought when they though Obama would limit their guns/bullets, and stocked up on them, and I thought it was silly. I guess we're a lot more similar than I would have thought, made me think a little bit more about it. I'm reminded a bit of t…
FWIW, I don't think there's a lot of regret among gun enthusiasts who stocked up. They like guns, they like ammo, and they found a reason to buy in bulk. The people I know are happy they did. I can imagine being pretty happy in a year or two having stocked up on SDR gear. :-)
And I bet those people would never concede that their favorite political commentators that whipped up a frenzy without any evidence were 100% completely wrong about what Obama was going to do. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those people think that Obama actually did ban bullets. And they still listen to their favorite loud mouths and take them seriously.
The FCC thing is based on actual information, not the fevered mind of deranged anti-Obama conspiracy theorists.
Re: The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
#76How not draconian of the FCC. /sarc. I feel like Freedom is being banned everywhere by every western government.
Re: The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
#77This title is kind of click-bait - they aren't prohibiting operating systems, they _might_ be prohibiting installation of operating systems that are not approved on certain types of devices that allow software defined radio - that is, transceivers that can be tweaked easily by software. That is not at all the same thing as banning an operating system. This is already present insofar as hardware requirements in radios…
If the net result is that I can't install OpenWRT on my router in Australia, then yes, that's really bad.
Re: The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
#78I thought to myself: "This looks like a good time to stock up on SDR equipment, in case this ever goes through." And then I realized this is exactly the same thing gun enthusiasts thought when they though Obama would limit their guns/bullets, and stocked up on them, and I thought it was silly. I guess we're a lot more similar than I would have thought, made me think a little bit more about it. I'm reminded a bit of t…
I'm reminded of another similar saying (paraphrased): "If you outlaw free operating systems, only outlaws will have free operating systems."
Re: The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, there is a gun problem in this country and this is a terribly flawed analogy.
A random American has a 1/10,000 chance of dying to a gun this year. Half of them are suicides. Hardly a 'gun problem' worthy of banning guns. I have a higher chance of crashing my motorcycle and dying that way, do you support banning motorcycles too?
You throw the number (1/10,000 chance) like it's low but I think that's fairly high. You cite crashing motorcycles but the total US deaths by traffic accidents was close to 1/10,000 in the most recent years [1]. You ask if we want to ban motorcycles but motorcyles aren't used to murder people, we ban or heavily regulate lots of things that are more generally harmful (explosives, lead, asbestos, radium, DDT, CFCs, etc.) many of which caused fewer deaths than firearms when they were legal.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_i...
Re: The FCC Might Ban Specific Operating Systems
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
> You don't need a license to buy or operate a HAM receiver. Why have you capitalised ham? What are you under the impression it stands for? Are you also one of those people that capitalises JAVA? What goes through the heads of people like you?
Honestly I don't know what was "going through my head". I think most letter case decisions are handled by my brain below the threshold of conscious awareness. I don't spend a lot of time agonizing over trivialities in my online comments that are completely irrelevant to my question or point.
This is needlessly abusive.