[Noisebridge-discuss] two-way radios donation

[Jake]

Mike (effinnay at g mail) wrote:

462 - 467 MHz or so is GMRS, anyone can get a license and do up to 50
watts with any antenna.
But HAM bands are much cooler!

Josh wrote:

Also, please don't use them unless you know what you're getting into. 
They operate on a small section of the amateur band (which requires a 
license), and a bigger chunk of the commercial band (probably don't need a 
license, but it's easy to accidentally interfere with others).  The radios 
are from a jail, so they might also be programmed with police/emergency 
frequencies, which is incredibly uncool (and illegal) to use outside of an 
emergency.

Jake wrote:

> here's what I wrote to Dr. Jesus when he asked if they could be used on a
> ham band (the radios say 450-530 MHz on the sticker on the back):
>
> Ham band is 420-450 MHz unfortunately, so it's a question of whether the
> software will allow programming outside that range.  Otherwise it would be
> necessary to hack the hardware somehow unless someone has documented a more
> elegant solution, but the days of EEPROM burning are over.
>
> I would be into dissecting the radio's internal layout so that an arduino
> could talk to the PLL directly, which would bypass all the programming and
> limitations, and allow for dynamic entering of frequency like a real ham
> radio.  We could make 50 noisebridgers into hams!  The analog section surely
> can reach down to 420 no problem.
>
> At that point we can use the arduino to actually modulate digital data and
> we can have Text Messaging!
>
> ---
>
> and now i have found the following page, posted when Josh first brought them
> in:
>
> https://www.noisebridge.net/pipermail/cq/2010-December/000248.html
>
> see the link in the middle for the technical datasheets on the chips inside.
>  Glad someone has already done the hard work of looking in.
> Unfortunately the PLL is not among the chips listed with datasheets.
>
> We will make hams out of everyone we know who wants in on it.
>
> -jake
>