Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 12:31:39 -0500 Author: "Hare,Ed, W1RFI" Subject: RE: Part 97 <-> Part 15 at will? > Now within your house you have a standard wireless network, Part 15 > of course, same channel, talking to the same Access Point or NIC, > that your ham friend does under Part 97. This is an example of Part > 97 and Part 15 at will. Any thoughts? I agree that Part 15 equipment can be used unmodified under Part 97, then used under Part 15 at a later time. It is Certificated for Part 15 and if used under Part 97, requires no Certification. Bouncing back and forth is just fine as long as the equipment remains Certificated for Part 15 by virtue of not being modified. If a ham makes changes to equipment to operate in under Part 97, its Part 15 Certification is no longer valid. 73, Ed Hare, W1RFI Interoperation with Part 15 RLANs This is very sticky. Technically, an amateur station using 802.11b could interoperate with an RLAN operating under Part 15 rules. However, communication between FCC Parts is considered a no-no. Nevertheless, it's possible for an amateur using the same 802.11b card to communicate with an RLAN under Part 15 of the Rules. The problem is that a message received over a Part 15 link must be screened for permissible content before it can be introduced into a Part 97 link. However, a proper Part 97 message could be sent on a Part 15 link.