What are the chances the FCC has guys in the field trying to triangulate your position the day you are doing some topo? And what are the chances they are going to be within a 1/2 mile radius to even detect you? This is silly. And does anyone even know of a surveyor who has a license for their robot radio right now in 2011?
I thought I had heard in the past that Trimble/Geodimeter robots did "technically" require a license. But the general feeling of the sales people were "don't bother". With a 1,500' range, it's unlikely I'm ever going to land myself in trouble ...
You are right joe
checked my satel apecs on 3AS units at one watt with good antenna ie > 6 dbi ie 12 inch whip wil give about 15 km with 6 Dbi on both ends..
yaki of some type > 12 dbi around 30 km on recieving end
Still not to shabby for one watt.
Peter K
> > GeoRadio 600 is a spread spectrum radio, so it doesn't require a license.
>
> Thanks, that's nice to know. (Guilt-free robotics!)
>
> Edit: A little research suggests that I spoke too soon. A Trimble FAQ titled "Changes to FCC Part 90 Regulations," apparently issued in 2004, states that "[a]ll Trimble, Geodimeter, and Zeiss Robotic Total Stations operate in this [430-470] frequency band, and thus require a license. And there are 2 models of the Georadio: the original 430-470 MHz "red dot," which dates back to somewhere around 1994, and the 2.4 GHz "blue dot" that was released around 2004. The press release for the 2.4 GHz describes it as a spread-spectrum license-free solution that can be retrofitted to the older Geodimeter 600 / Trimble 5600.
>
> So it looks like I'll have to resume the burden of guilt when running my robot.
Sorry I got you excited. I was looking at the 2.4 GHz model.
> You are right joe
>
> checked my satel apecs on 3AS units at one watt with good antenna ie > 6 dbi ie 12 inch whip wil give about 15 km with 6 Dbi on both ends..
> yaki of some type > 12 dbi around 30 km on recieving end
>
> Still not to shabby for one watt.
Sorry, dude, I'd have to see that myself. Technology has gotten better but physics is the same. Maybe a directional yagi jacked up high using a 35W UHF base might hit 30km from a mountain top.
Just sayin'