April 4, 2026

This Week in Amateur Radio

North America's Premiere Amateur Radio News Magazine

FCC Warns Pittsburgh Amateur Radio Operator for 911 Interference

A BTech UV-Pro was transmitting over an Allegheny County EMS channel, commission alleges

The Federal Communications Commission has sent a notice of licensed operation and harmful interference to an amateur radio operator in Pittsburgh regarding transmissions on a 911 emergency services channel from a handheld transceiver.

Last summer, the FCC received a complaint from Allegheny County, Pa., Emergency Services concerning interference with one of its UHF “T-Band” emergency communications channels.

The interference affected the county’s west EMS dispatch channel on 470.4375 MHz.

On July 30, 2025, agents from the Columbia Office of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau conducted an investigation and determined, using direction-finding techniques, that the source of the interference was a signal emanating from the residence of David Kundston, a licensed amateur radio operator with the callsign KD3ASC.

(Read the FCC’s notice.)

After the agents notified Kundston of the issue, he produced a Baofeng BTech UV-Pro handheld radio.

The BTech UV-Pro Tan edition lists for approximately $165 on Amazon. It is capable of transmitting on the VHF and UHF amateur radio and private land mobile radio bands.

An examination of the radio by the agents determined it had been programmed to monitor the Allegheny County channel in question, and its “audio relay” feature had been activated.

Read more – RadioWorld: https://bit.ly/4lZe6jQ