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Protest against the EU radio lockdown

blog.mehl.mx

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Re: Protest against the EU radio lockdown

#21
We have existing regulations stating what is allowed on which frequencies.

Is there evidence that the devices prohibited by the proposal lead to widescale breaking of these regulations? And if so, is there evidence that this causes harm?

It's harsh to assume that people can not be trusted with SDRs and therefore we should ban them outright. I'd like these sorts of blanket bans to come with a strong evidence backed reason.

I am currently in the process of a obtaining a ham radio license specifically so I can experiment and innovate with SDRs and IOTs and be confident that I do so in compliance with the regulations. This proposal will make it much harder for ham radio enthusiasts and innovators to experiment and learn in a compliant way.

^ Above submitted as feedback

Re: Protest against the EU radio lockdown

#22
post #12
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU becomes a worse and worse idea every year. It was good while it lasted. This will be the first year I vote for an anti-EU party locally. It pains me, but it's been enough already :/

Are they cool with you installing whatever you want on whatever you own - or are you in "cutting off the nose to spite the face" mode?

Have you read it? It would mean, for example, the end of OpenWrt.

What about the rest of recent terrible regulations and laws?

Re: Protest against the EU radio lockdown

#23
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically the EU has discovered SDR (Software Defined Radio) and wants to limit its use. The usual excuses are given, electrical safety, emission on protected bands...

Right, but why would they want to regulate SDR?

maybe because they can be used for many nefarious purposes?

Re: Protest against the EU radio lockdown

#24

What would be the motivator for this kind of clause? I can't imagine radio-device manufacturers would appreciate the additional expense, and at least some of them must benefit from consumers buying those products specifically for customization. Are the national governments pushing for more radio control? Is there some kind of crisis of radio abuse? Or is it an indirect way to give governments more punishment tools, b…

Also this feels like an ugly interaction with the right to repair. Old devices will become even harder to update and patch due to legal requirements.

Re: Protest against the EU radio lockdown

#25

Yet another reason why I'm glad for Brexit.

There's still time to oppose this.

> Yet another reason why I'm glad for Brexit.

If you think that Brexit will stop this, I hope you are right – but I very much fear you are massively underestimating the UK government's appetite for bad laws and bad process.

Re: Protest against the EU radio lockdown

#26
post #22
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are they cool with you installing whatever you want on whatever you own - or are you in "cutting off the nose to spite the face" mode?

Have you read it? It would mean, for example, the end of OpenWrt. What about the rest of recent terrible regulations and laws?

I am saying that you need to compare alternatives - in this case an (often authoritarian) anti-EU party.

Re: Protest against the EU radio lockdown

#29
post #21

We have existing regulations stating what is allowed on which frequencies. Is there evidence that the devices prohibited by the proposal lead to widescale breaking of these regulations? And if so, is there evidence that this causes harm? It's harsh to assume that people can not be trusted with SDRs and therefore we should ban them outright. I'd like these sorts of blanket bans to come with a strong evidence backed re…

> Is there evidence that these devices lead to widescale breaking of these regulations? And if so, is there evidence that this causes harm?

Yes there is. A lot of people now import devices from countries with different frequencies causing a mess. This is especially a problem if frequencies are used for other purposes.

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