Baofeng – do you need a permit? How to get them?
Baofeng radios have become very popular among radio communication enthusiasts and people looking for a reliable way to communicate in the field. Baofengs are liked by users due to their relatively low price, versatility, and high quality of workmanship. But can everyone use them without any restrictions? In Poland, transmitting via radiotelephone requires compliance with certain legal regulations. In this article you will find out whether you need a permit for your radio . How to obtain such a radio broadcasting license and what steps should be taken to ensure that the use is fully legal and safe? We invite you to read.
Do I need a permit for a radiotelephone?
You don't need a permit to receive signals, so you can listen to emergency services, workers, etc., but you do need a radio license to transmit . You must be aware that in order to legally use a radio with a transmitting power exceeding 0.5 W and with a detachable antenna (this includes, among others, the Baofeng UV-5R 5W or the very popular Baofeng UV-5R 8W ), you must obtain appropriate permission to broadcast. How to do it? We explain everything later in the article, so read on. Also remember that if you transmit via radio without permission, you may disrupt communication with other users (e.g. emergency services workers), which may result in criminal liability! More on this in the following paragraphs.
How to get a license for a radiotelephone?
To obtain a radio permit , present your operator certificate, which you received after passing the state exam, to the Office of Electronic Communications and submit an application for a radio permit to UKE . To register for the exam, create an account at UKE. Then log in and complete the appropriate application for the amateur radio operator certificate exam. You will receive all necessary information about the status of your application to the e-mail address you provided when registering. If you run a business, you can also apply to UKE to reserve your own frequency. The exam consists of a theoretical and practical part, which consists of a "dry" conversation with amateur radio examiners. You can easily find the questions for the test part on the UKE website, so you can prepare the answers in advance and learn them easily. You will have to wait 2 to 4 weeks for your call sign and permissions.
Baofeng Permit – watch out for this!
Important! Beware of scam auctions online (e.g. on Allegro), where someone sells licenses for several dozen zlotys. After such a purchase, you will most likely only receive something like a "radio permit" in the form of a "business card" assigned to a given model, e.g. a Baofeng walkie-talkie and its serial numbers. Such a purchase does not in any way release you from the obligation to obtain an appropriate radio permit (administrative decision) to use the radio device. So how to use Baofeng UV-5R legally ? Certainly not by buying a permit at a cheap online auction. Remember that radio licenses are issued only by the President of UKE at the request of interested persons.
How much does a radio license cost?
The amateur radio exam costs little. Until recently it was around PLN 150-160. However, it is best to check current prices on the official website of the Office of Electronic Communications. The stamp duty for issuing a radio license in the amateur service is PLN 82. Issuing a duplicate of such a permit costs PLN 24.
What are the penalties for not having a radio permit?
Telecommunications law, or rather Art. 208: "Whoever uses a transmitting or transmitting-receiving radio device without the required permission shall be subject to a fine of up to PLN 1,000 . 2. If the perpetrator of the act specified in section 1 acts persistently, shall be subject to a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment for up to 2 years . As you can see, it's really not worth the risk. For this reason, an interesting alternative for people who are afraid of radio is an RTL-SDR device (you will find it in the SDR radio category ). It only has the option of receiving a signal, so there is no risk of accidentally disturbing, for example, a rescue operation.
Amateur radio license – how to check if someone has it?
The list of radio licenses is available on the official UKE website. However, the permit is included in the list only with some delay, because it appears there only after UKE receives confirmation of delivery of the permit to the applicant. The absence of a broadcasting license and a call sign in this list does not necessarily mean that a license has not been issued. Although, as they say on the UKE website: the list of radio licenses in the amateur service is usually updated once a day.