04/01/2026
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has responded to a complaint
involving a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, amateur for operating outside the
privileges of his Technician Class license and causing interference to local
emergency service communications by transmitting on a public service frequency,
470.4375 MHz.
According to a letter released by the FCC's Enforcement Bureau[1], agents
investigating an interference complaint from Allegheny County Emergency Services
determined that the interfering signal originated from the residence of David
Knudtson, KD3ASC, who also holds a General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) license,
WSDQ885. The letter states that Knudtson gave the agents a BTech UV-Pro handheld
which had been programmed to monitor the county emergency services frequency.
Agents determined that its "Audio Relay" feature had been activated, turning the
HT "into a simplex repeater that was retransmitting the Allegheny County
channel."
The letter continues that Knudtson, who is a relatively new amateur licensee,
surrendered the radio to the agents, who then "verified that the interference to
the Allegheny County system had ceased." The letter also notes that Knudtson's
BTech radio was certified as a Part 90 (private land mobile radio) device and
that he was not licensed to transmit on the emergency services frequency.
Knudtson was warned that unauthorized operation and its associated harmful
interference must not resume. He was given 10 days from the date of the March 25
letter to respond with a description of the steps he is taking to avoid a repeat
violation.
Amateurs are reminded to exercise care when programming non-amateur frequencies
into their VHF/UHF radios, and to ensure that transmitting on those frequencies
is disabled.
[1] https://www.fcc.gov/document/david-o-knudtson-pittsburgh-pa
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