legality of walki-talkies, 2-way radios and cb radios in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine - Russian Ukrainian Belarus Travel Music Woman Dating News

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legality of walki-talkies, 2-way radios and cb radios in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine
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Posted by: Khashyar

This was written in another thread:

****

Re: Lena is slowly buying presents/ gifts for her family for our trip to Belarus in Sept.

>>1) 4 walkie talkies for Lena's dad (with a range of 6 miles (9.6 >>kilometers)

Be aware that the FRS frequency walkie talkies (462 and 467 MHz) commonly found in the USA are not legal for use in Belarus (or anywhere else in Europe for that matter). Same goes for the older 27 MHz band ('CB' band).

*****

I wanted to do some research about the legality of walkie talkies, 2-way radios and cb radios in Russia.

Here is some of what I found:

--- in Russia
CB radios in Russia use the same frequencies as the USA and CEPT (European)
countries. AM and FM are both permitted. The maximum transmit power is
5 watts. Our reporter from Russia says there is no restriction on the
distance of communications so, technically, use of skip (see Part 4) can be
assumed to be legal.

Because both AM and FM are legal, Russian CB radios can communicate with
European radios (in FM) and with North American or Australian radios (in AM.)

****(and...)****

--- in countries subscribing to the European CEPT conference
The following countries have implemented the CEPT (Conference of European
Postal and Telecommunications administrations) recommendations T/R 20-02 and
T/R 20-07 for CB radios:
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus (see Note 1), Denmark (see Note 2), Finland,
France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal (see Note 2), Norway
(see Note 2), Sweden, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

Notes:
1) as of last report, confirmation was pending in Cyprus
2) special markings are required on the radios so, for example, UK radios
marked "CEPT PR 27 GB" are legal but ones marked "PR 27 GB" are not.
Radios from other countries may also be similarly affected.

CEPT approval is significant because, with the exceptions listed above, CEPT-
approved CBs from any one of the countries listed above can be used in any
other on the list.

frequencies (MHz) modulation description
26.965 - 27.405 FM 40 channels, same frequencies as USA
4W max power

If you travel to another CEPT-conforming country, you may use your CB under
the terms of your license from your own country. Be aware that only FM is
CEPT-approved so AM and SSB may not be legal to use once you cross the
border.

Important note: CEPT-approved CB radios are not legal in the USA and
made-for-
the-USA CB radios are not legal anywhere in Europe. The difference is
because
CEPT radios use FM and American radios use AM or SSB. There are no
agreements
allowing a radio which is type-accepted in North America to be used in Europe
or vice versa.

Channel 19 appears to be the calling channel in most CEPT-conforming
countries.
When exceptions are known, they are listed specifically for the country.

(from: http://www.hackcanada.com/canadian/other/cb_faq.txt)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(I am looking for more infor...)

Khashyar

Posted by: Khashyar

... I am still researching the web...

I mentioned the legality of walkie talkies in Belarus to Lena, and she said that she didn't think that anyone would care because of the growing popularity of cell phones in Belarus, and the fact that people can already communicate with one another on wireless cell phone devices.

Khashyar

Posted by: Khashyar

Here is some more information that I found:

GLOBAL POSITIONING EQUIPMENT AND RADIO ELECTRONICS:

The importation and use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and other radio electronic devices are subject to special rules and regulations in Russia. Mapping and natural resource data collection activities associated with normal, commercial and scientific collaboration may result in the seizure of equipment and/or arrest of the user. The penalty for using a GPS device in a manner that is determined to have compromised Russia ’s national security can carry a prison term of ten to twenty years. No traveler should attempt to import or use GPS equipment in any manner unless it has been properly and fully documented by the traveler in accordance with the instructions of the Glavgossvyaznadzor (Main Inspectorate of Communications) and is declared in full on a customs declaration at the point of entry to the Russian Federation.

All radio electronic devices brought into Russia must have a certificate from the Glavgossvyaznadzor of the Russian Federation. This includes all emitting, transmitting and receiving equipment such as GPS devices, satellite telephones and other kinds of radio electronic equipment. Excluded from the list are consumer electronic devices such as am/fm radios and cellular phones. A general information sheet on the importation and use of GPS devices, radio-electronic equipment, and computers in Russia is available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov and from the American Citizens Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow or U.S. Consulates elsewhere in Russia.

(this information is from: http://travel.state.gov/russia.html)

Khashyar

Posted by: Khashyar

more information:

U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
3/98

INFORMATION ON USING GPS DEVICES, RADIO-ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, AND COMPUTERS IN RUSSIA

This information can change without notice.

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS (GPS)

The importation and use of Global Positioning Systems and other radio electronic devices are subject to special rules and regulations in Russia. In general, mapping and natural resource data collection activities associated with normal, commercial, and scientific collaboration may result in seizure of the equipment and/or arrest of the user. The penalty for using a GPS device in a manner which is determined to have compromised Russian national security can be a prison term of ten to twenty years. In December 1997, a U.S. citizen was imprisoned in Rostov-na-Donu for ten days on charges of espionage for using a GPS device to check the efficacy of newly-installed telecommunications equipment. He and his company believed the GPS had been legally imported and were not aware that Russian authorities considered nearby government installations secret.

No traveler should seek to import or use GPS equipment in any manner unless it has been properly and fully documented by the traveler in accordance with the instructions of the Glavgossvyaznadzor (Main Inspectorate in Communications) and is declared in full on a customs declaration at the point of entry to the Russian Federation.

All radio electronic devices brought into Russia must have a certificate from Glavgossvyaznadzor (Main Inspectorate in Communications) of the Russian Federation. This includes all emitting, transmitting, and receiving equipment such as GPS devices, cellular telephones, satellite telephones, and other kinds of radio electronic equipment. Excluded from the list are consumer electronic devices such as AM/FM radios.

CELLULAR TELEPHONES

To obtain permission to bring in a cellular telephone, an agreement for service from a local cellular provider in Russia is required. That agreement and a letter of guarantee to pay for the cellular service must be sent to Glavgossvyaznadzor along with a request for permission to import the telephone. Based on these documents, a certificate is issued. This procedure is reported to take two weeks. Without a certificate, no cellular telephone can be brought into the country, regardless of whether or not it is meant for use in Russia. Permission for the above devices may also be required from the State Customs Committee of the Russian Federation.

COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

The State Customs Committee has stated that there are no restrictions on bringing laptop computers into the Russian Federation for personal use. The software, however, can be inspected upon departure; and some equipment and software have been confiscated because of the data contained in them, or due to software encryption, which is standard in many programs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

State Customs Committee of the Russian Federation
Russia 107842 Moscow
1A Komsomolskaya Place
Telephone: 7-095-975-4070
Department for clearance of items for personal use:
Telephone: 7-095-975-4095

Glavgossvyaznadzor
Russia 117909 Moscow
Second Spasnailovkovsky 6
Telephone: 7-095-238-6331
Fax: 7-095-238-5102

(this information is from: http://travel.state.gov/gps.html)

Posted by: Eryk

>>CB radios in Russia use the same frequencies as the USA and >>CEPT (European)
>>countries. AM and FM are both permitted.

CB band (27MHz) is not usually used for walkie talkies these days since you need a 50cm plus antenna to get reasonable performance without huge power drain. The usual devices you'll get there in the USA from Radio Shack etc. are 'FRS' band (higher frequency allows shorter antenna) and they are not legal anywhere in Europe (although there are very similar equivalents).

>>I mentioned the legality of walkie talkies in Belarus to Lena, >>and she said that she didn't think that anyone would care >>because of the growing popularity of cell phones in Belarus, >>and the fact that people can already communicate with one >>another on wireless cell phone devices.

That is not really the issue, what matters is interfering with a frequency allocated for other purposes. Granted, it might never be noticed because the frequency is empty anyway but it might just as easily be the KGB's favourite bugging frequency

Personally I would feel safer picking up something legal in the duty free at Vienna, Warsaw, Frankfurt.

Eryk

PS: The customs data from '98 regarding GPS systems and cellphones in Russia is hopelessly outdated. Russia has had GSM roaming agreements for years ...same with Belarus.

Posted by: Lonestar

Quote:

Originally posted by Khashyar
I mentioned the legality of walkie talkies in Belarus to Lena, and she said that she didn't think that anyone would care because of the growing popularity of cell phones in Belarus, and the fact that people can already communicate with one another on wireless cell phone devices.

Just a small point to bring up. While handy, in an emergency a cellphone may not be the most reliable way to communicate. If a cellular tower isn't damaged by [natural or man-made] disaster, then everyone attempting to make calls may effectively "choke" the system. Also to consider is the new "walkie-talkie" feature of some cellphones -- this also uses the cellular system for access. These phones do not transmit/receive unit-to-unit.

So, having some kind of radio, CB, FRS [or its equivalent], or Amateur ["ham," which requires a license] would be good for family outings, traveling, and/or emergencies.

Now, it's a bloody shame that European/Russian CB radios can't be legally imported or used here in the States. I'd like to see some nice alternatives to Cobra [which isn't the marque that I grew up with, anymore], Midland [same complaint], Uniden, and Galaxy [which really has no new stying -- it tends to be a Cobra knock-off].

Your friendly neighborhood radio hobbyist...

Posted by: andreas

Nice to see some radio related stuff here. I am a Ham radio operator here in Australia and although we have rules and guidlines there is a lot of piracy going on. This is generaly accepted even amongst some Ham operators who often modify their radios and talk out of the allocated frequencies. The situation here is that as long as you do not cause any major drama nobody is going to bother you, especially with the smaller hanheld units which dont get out far enough to cause any problem. The ACA here in Aus does not bother chasing pirates unless they are contacted by someone who has a genuine compliant againt an operator, and even then they have to catch the operator actually connected and using the equipment out of band. Obviously there are different situations in other countries but I thought I would gshare our situation for what it may be worth.

Andrew