what is minimum license needed to operate a baofeng radio

I saw a video near survivalists/militia in the USA today. One element caught my attention. This is a frame catch:

The radio is a Baofeng UV-5R, a model with 8W and an extra battery.

I know this particular model is non legal for use in Europe, unless i has a licence. Is information technology legal to apply for the general public in the USA?
W7UUU Advising Moderator Lifetime Member 133 Administrator Volunteer Moderator Platinum Subscriber Life Member QRZ Page

Yes - to legally use a UV-5R in the US you must have a license.
What in the photo suggests he's not licensed? You can written report for a Technician license in a few hours and pass the test. Information technology'due south VERY easy and costs nothing

Dave
W7UUU
Bingo. Admittedly the dude in the motion picture looks like a knucklehead...only that doesn't mean he is an unlicensed knucklehead.

Last edited: Nov 19, 2020

KA4DPO, N0TZU and KU4X like this.
I'd say he looks more like a bonehead.

KA4DPO and W4NNF like this.
W7UUU Advising Moderator Lifetime Member 133 Ambassador Volunteer Moderator Platinum Subscriber Life Member QRZ Folio

He IS a niggling creepy looking - that I volition certainly grant
Licensed or not licensed? Nix in the photograph suggests one or the other at all.

Dave
W7UUU
i dunno... kinda looks like my paintball days... expert times...
Nothing in the photograph suggests he is not licensed. I was just thinking nearly the situation where I live. We have no technical licence, the lowest level licence needs more than a few hours to study and the examination is not gratis. Moreover, ane tin only talk to other licensed amateurs and only about radio related stuff. It is not allowed to employ the band to, for example, organise a hunting party. There is PMR446 for that (I think the US equivalent is chosen FRS), but the Baofeng is not allowed on them. Because the band is UHF and the power limited, typical range in a forest is quite express with PMR446, however.
So: what is one allowed to exercise with a Baofeng and a technician license in the USA?
What is the legality of playing weekend rambo over the ham bands? Not allowed in the USA either? Pretty sure you lot cannot plan for state of war on the ham bands in Australia without beingness raided by the federal law. Then perhaps everything in the photograph, bold he is some militia man might betoken to illegal operation of a radio?
Innocent till proven guilty, certain, but in the court of public opinion we get to judge him eleventeen dissimilar ways just for fun LOL
Operate betwixt 144.0-148.0MHz and 420-450MHz. There are a couple of boosted limits and exceptions, just the overall signal is y'all can get on FM phone mode and talk to other hams on 2 popular bands including repeater support where available.
It's a proficient start into the hobby- my first radio was a Baofeng, and I notwithstanding apply it daily. There simply hasn't been any compelling reason to upgrade. I congenital mine upwardly every bit a base radio- I put a prissy Kenwood speakermic on it to better sound in both directions, fastened it to a 5/eight groundplane antenna in the attic and put information technology on my shack DC power bus.
Then the bespeak is that the licence is manifestly much easier to accept in the USA than where I live. In Federal republic of germany, at that place is a beginner licence which gives access to 144-146 and 430-440 MHz, but information technology is sufficiently difficult to deter casual users. For case, if I merely wanted to talk to my friends, I would non be able to convince them to invest time and money to pass it. Basically, the only persons who try the licence want to exist hams and non just a communication arrangement where the cell phone access is deficient. This is what dislocated me with the picture.I do basically the same, merely with a Radioddity GD-77 and an HB9V antenna.
[QUOTE="DO1JML, post: 5669697, member: 990159"
So: what is ane allowed to do with a Baofeng and a technician license in the U.s.a.?[/QUOTE]
§97.111 Authorized transmissions.
(a) An amateur station may transmit the following types of two-way communications:

(1) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with other stations in the amateur service, except those in any country whose administration has notified the ITU that it objects to such communications. The FCC volition issue public notices of current arrangements for international communications.

(2) Transmissions necessary to see essential communication needs and to facilitate relief actions.

(three) Transmissions necessary to commutation letters with a station in another FCC-regulated service while providing emergency communications;

(iv) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with a U.s. government station, necessary to providing communications in RACES; and

(5) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with a station in a service not regulated by the FCC, but authorized by the FCC to communicate with apprentice stations. An amateur station may exchange messages with a participating The states military machine station during an Military Solar day Communications Test.

(b) In addition to one-way transmissions specifically authorized elsewhere in this part, an amateur station may transmit the post-obit types of one-fashion communications:

(1) Cursory transmissions necessary to make adjustments to the station;

(2) Brief transmissions necessary to establishing two-way communications with other stations;

(iii) Telecommand;

(4) Transmissions necessary to providing emergency communications;

(5) Transmissions necessary to profitable persons learning, or improving proficiency in, the international Morse lawmaking; and

(6) Transmissions necessary to disseminate information bulletins.

(7) Transmissions of telemetry.

[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at 56 FR 56171, November. 1, 1991; 71 FR 25982, May three, 2006; 71 FR 66462, Nov. xv, 2006]
§97.113 Prohibited transmissions.
(a) No apprentice station shall transmit:

(1) Communications specifically prohibited elsewhere in this role;

(two) Communications for hire or for material bounty, directly or indirect, paid or promised, except equally otherwise provided in these rules;

(3) Communications in which the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer, with the following exceptions:

(i) A station licensee or station command operator may participate on behalf of an employer in an emergency preparedness or disaster readiness exam or drill, limited to the duration and scope of such test or drill, and operational testing immediately prior to such exam or drill. Tests or drills that are non regime-sponsored are express to a total time of one hour per calendar week; except that no more than twice in any calendar yr, they may be conducted for a menses not to exceed 72 hours.

(two) An amateur operator may notify other amateur operators of the availability for sale or merchandise of appliance normally used in an apprentice station, provided that such activity is non conducted on a regular basis.

(three) A control operator may accept compensation as an incident of a teaching position during periods of time when an apprentice station is used by that teacher as a part of classroom didactics at an educational establishment.

(iv) The control operator of a guild station may accept compensation for the periods of fourth dimension when the station is transmitting telegraphy exercise or information bulletins, provided that the station transmits such telegraphy practice and bulletins for at least 40 hours per week; schedules operations on at least six apprentice service MF and HF bands using reasonable measures to maximize coverage; where the schedule of normal operating times and frequencies is published at least 30 days in advance of the actual transmissions; and where the control operator does not accept any straight or indirect compensation for any other service every bit a control operator.

(4) Music using a telephone emission except as specifically provided elsewhere in this section; communications intended to facilitate a criminal human action; messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning, except as otherwise provided herein; obscene or indecent words or language; or simulated or deceptive letters, signals or identification.

(5) Communications, on a regular basis, which could reasonably exist furnished alternatively through other radio services.

(b) An amateur station shall non appoint in any form of dissemination, nor may an amateur station transmit 1-way communications except as specifically provided in these rules; nor shall an apprentice station engage in any activeness related to program production or news gathering for broadcasting purposes, except that communications directly related to the immediate safe of human life or the protection of property may be provided by amateur stations to broadcasters for broadcasting to the public where no other means of communication is reasonably available before or at the time of the outcome.

(c) No station shall retransmit programs or signals emanating from whatever blazon of radio station other than an amateur station, except propagation and weather forecast information intended for use by the full general public and originated from United States Regime stations, and communications, including incidental music, originating on The states Government frequencies betwixt a manned spacecraft and its associated Earth stations. Prior approval for manned spacecraft communications retransmissions must be obtained from the National Helmsmanship and Space Administration. Such retransmissions must be for the exclusive use of amateur radio operators. Propagation, weather forecasts, and manned spacecraft communications retransmissions may not be conducted on a regular basis, simply only occasionally, as an incident of normal amateur radio communications.

(d) No amateur station, except an auxiliary, repeater, or space station, may automatically retransmit the radio signals of other amateur station.

[58 FR 43072, Aug. 13, 1993; 58 FR 47219, Sept. 8, 1993, as amended at 71 FR 25982, May 3, 2006; 71 FR 66462, November. 15, 2006; 75 FR 46857, Aug. 4, 2010; 79 FR 35291, June 20, 2014]
I just got a UV-5R and here in Canada like in the USA only people with a license can transmit on the amateur frequencies. For $35 CDN shipped to my door it works for me. I tin hit a local repeater 12 miles away from my location. I have used it simplex and information technology's range was 4-5 miles in the city. That'southward not bad for a cheap HT. That beingness said they are not technically legal for GMRS/FRS here because they can transmit 5 watts and the antennas are removable. In Canada 2 watts is the the max y'all're allowed to employ on those frequencies with HT'southward using stock-still antenna's just No base stations allowed. In the USA I believe GMRS is immune l watts simply the operator can just pay for a license and the whole family can use the service with i license.
Now of course I use the Baofeng to scan other frequencies and the communications I hear on GMRS/FRS sounds pretty illegal to me. At that place is i local GMRS channel here that is like CB radio with people running more wattage with illegal base stations, playing music etc...
nothing in your comment has anything to do with the OPs question well-nigh the Baofeng radio.
And? I was non replying to the op. My comment has everything to do with the comment i quoted and nearly legal ham transmissions.