FCC Warns Pittsburgh Amateur Radio Operator for 911 Interference
/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 30th July 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.
FCC 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.
This feature takes audio traffic from one channel and retransmits it on another.
He surrendered the radio to the agents, and they verified that the interference to Allegheny County’s system had ceased, according to the FCC’s account.
Radio stations, including those operating at 470 MHz, must be licensed with the FCC, with the only exception being operation at a power level in accordance with Part 15 of its rules.
The UV-Pro is not certified as a Part 15 device, according to the FCC’s Office of Engineering Technology’s 2024 grant of equipment authorization for the device. It is certified as a Part 90 device, rated for up to seven watts of transmitting power — far above Part 15 power limits.
No person shall interfere with or cause interference to any radio communications of a licensed station, according to FCC rules.
Kundston must respond to the Enforcement Bureau within 10 days of the notice, describing the steps he is taking to avoid operating on unauthorized frequencies.
