When you purchase a two way radio in the United States that operates in the business band VHF or UHF frequencies, the FCC requires that you get a license to operate them. Like all government requirements, paperwork will be involved and it can be confusing and time consuming.

Instead of going it alone through this process, we recommend that you use a licensing coordinator that handles all of the paperwork and processing.  During this process, they’ll ask some questions about your location, the radios you’re using, and how they’ll be used. Then they fill out all the forms and get them submitted to the FCC for approval.

The cost for this is usually in the $400-$700 range per frequency for a 10 year period generally.  Below is contact info for three licensing agencies that we use most often.

CARA Enterprises, Inc.
Doug Thompson
1383 Farm Meadow
Salt Lake City, UT 84117
(801) 278-9728

Atlas License Company & Data Services
Linda Simons
7202 North Shadeland Avenue, Suite 215
Indianapolis, IN 46250
(800) 252-0529

http://www.alcds.com

National License Corporation
9050 Briarclift Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46256
317-849-5866

http://www.nationalicense.com/

If you want to obtain a license yourself, below is some helpful information:

How to Obtain an FCC License Yourself

Radios that operate on Private Land Mobile frequencies, are subject to the Rules and Regulations of the FCC, which requires all operators of these frequencies to obtain a station license before operating their equipment. Make application for your FCC license on FCC Forms 600 and 159.

To have forms and instructions faxed to you by the FCC, call the FCC Fax-On-Demand system at 202-418-0177 from your fax machine and request Document 000600 & Form 159.

To have Document 000600 & Form 159 mailed to you, call the FCC Forms Hotline at 800-418-FORM (800-418-3676).

For help with questions concerning the license application, contact the FCC at
888-CALL-FCC (888-225-5322).

You must decide which radio frequency(ies) you can operate on before filling out your application. See the table below for available frequencies in the UHF and VHF business bands.

When you need to extend your wireless communications across distances greater than wireless signals can travel, a wireless IP intercom will solve your problem if you have a private IP data network with the proper QoS mechanisms in place.

A wireless IP intercom extender receives transmissions from your two way radios or wireless base intercoms and then it converts it to a signal that can be transmitted across your network via a Radio Gateway or RoIP Router.

If the radios on both ends are incompatible such as one side uses VHF and the other side uses UHF radios, you can use these devices to convert the transmissions. You simply use the model of wireless IP adapter that matches the frequencies you are using on either end. These intercoms can be programmed to work with virtually any brand of VHF or UHF business band radio.

You can find these wireless IP intercom units at IntercomsOnline.com