Frequencies and the law: ham, LPD, PMR — where you may transmit (Russia)

The radio airwaves are not free-for-all air that belongs to no one. Every kilohertz of the spectrum is allocated to someone: some bands go to aviation and the navy, others to mobile operators, still others to emergency services, and only a few small "windows" are open to us, ordinary people. Switching on a transmitter and "turning the dial" wherever you please is not a harmless hobby but a violation, and in Russia it carries very real consequences, up to confiscation of your equipment. The good news: there are plenty of legal ways to get on the air, and they range from completely free ones (LPD, PMR) to the "grown-up" amateur bands, where you can work serious distances and in digital modes, including DMR. This article is a map for the beginner: where you can, where you can't, and what you need for it.

Three levels of access to the air

For a beginner it is convenient to break the whole spectrum into three steps by "barrier to entry":

1. Licence-free bands (LPD, PMR, CB). You can buy a ready-made radio and start operating right away — no callsign, no registration, no exams. But you pay for that freedom with strict limits: tiny power, fixed channels, a built-in antenna, and a ban on any modifications.
2. Amateur service (ham radio). A full-fledged hobby: dozens of bands from HF to microwave, proper power, any antennas, digital modes (including DMR), repeaters, satellites. But you need a callsign, a qualification category and station registration.
3. Professional/departmental frequencies. Bands allotted for specific tasks (taxis, security, enterprises) — assigned by permit from the GRFC/Roskomnadzor to a legal entity. For an individual as a hobby, this is off-limits.

Below we cover the first two steps — those are exactly what a beginning radio amateur deals with.

Licence-free LPD and PMR: freedom in exchange for limits

These are the very "kids' walkie-talkies from the outdoor store" and the "hunting and fishing" sets. Anyone may operate them without any paperwork — but exactly as they are sold. Any "tweak with a file" instantly makes them illegal.

The conditions for licence-free LPD/PMR operation are rock-solid, and breaking any one of them strips the radio of its "free" status:

• Only the fixed channels and power from the SCRF decision. 10 mW on LPD, 0.5 W on PMR. Not "well, I'll just bump it up a little".
• Built-in (non-removable) antenna. You can't screw an external "stick" or a remote collinear onto a PMR radio — that is no longer the device that was permitted.
• No modifications. Extending the band by firmware, an amplifier, an external power amp — all of this turns a licence-free radio into an illegal transmitter.
• Certified equipment. The radio itself must meet the parameters of the decision; a "grey-market" unit with 5 W "in PMR mode" is in fact not a PMR device at all.

An important caveat: 433 and 446 MHz physically lie inside the amateur UHF segment (430–440) and next to it. But the licence-free status gives you exactly a "window" with micro-power and fixed channels — not the right to operate across the whole band. Want more? Welcome to the amateur service.

Amateur service: callsign, category, registration

This is the "grown-up" path, the very reason our hobby exists. The radio amateur has full bands, proper power, any antennas and digital modes. The price of admission is three mandatory steps:

1. Obtain a qualification category. In Russia there are four: 1st is the highest, 4th is the entry level (where beginners start). The category is determined by a qualification commission (in practice the process is overseen by the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia, SRR).
2. Obtain a callsign. The technical work of forming the callsign is done by the FSUE "Main Radio Frequency Centre" (GRFC), while the certificate of callsign assignment is granted and issued by Roskomnadzor (via the Gosuslugi portal, free of charge, for 10 years). The callsign is your personal "number" on the air, which you are required to use to identify yourself.
3. Register your station. An amateur radio station is registered with the regional office of Roskomnadzor. Without registration you cannot get on the air even with a callsign.

The category determines what power and what segments you may work on. Approximately for VHF/UHF (for exact values see the current regulations and the conditions of your category):

* for certain modes (EME, tropo) the highest category is allowed more — per the conditions of the category.

The main "working" VHF/UHF bands for a radio amateur in Russia:

• VHF 144–146 MHz — the "two metres", a classic for local contacts, repeaters and digital modes.
• UHF 430–440 MHz — where the bulk of ham DMR traffic, hotspots and repeaters live. Allocated to the amateur service on a secondary basis, that is, with priority given to other services.
• Plus the HF bands (for example, 7.0–7.2 MHz) and other segments — as your category grows.

And where do DMR and our network fit in?

A common beginner's question: "Is DMR even legal in Russia?" Yes. DMR is just a digital modulation type/protocol, not a separate band. Legality is determined not by whether you run analogue or digital, but by which band and at what power you transmit, and whether you have the right to do so.

So ham DMR is legal exactly where amateur operation is legal in general — first and foremost in UHF 430–440 MHz (and 144–146 for two metres), provided you have a callsign, a category and a registered station. It is in this segment that amateur DMR repeaters, hotspots and networks operate — including ours.

Technically our network lets you in by DMR ID, but the radio part on your side is your responsibility. The radio and the hotspot must radiate only in the segment you are permitted. A network ID and server access do not replace a callsign and station registration — these are different things.

Why you can't transmit "on whatever you like" and about interfering with services

Beyond the formal "those are the rules", there is an engineering and human reason not to wander into other people's bands:

• Your spectrum neighbours are services. Just above the "amateur" UHF and next to it operate systems where interference is unacceptable. The harmonics and out-of-band emissions of a "souped-up" radio easily reach places you weren't aiming at.
• The aviation band and emergency services. Transmitting on their frequencies (even "accidentally", because of extended firmware and a botched codeplug) is not "mischief" but the creation of a hazard. Such incidents are investigated thoroughly.
• An extended band ≠ permission. The fact that firmware such as md380tools or OpenGD77 technically lets you enter any frequency does not mean you may transmit there. Capability ≠ right. You are responsible for the frequency plan in your codeplug.

Liability: what you risk for a violation

These are not scare stories but live articles of the Administrative Code of Russia. The nastiest part of them is that confiscation of radio equipment almost always comes on top of the fine.

• Article 13.3 of the Administrative Code — unauthorized design, manufacture, acquisition, installation or operation of a radio-electronic device without a special permit (licence) where one is required. For individuals — a fine of 1,500–3,000 ₽ with confiscation of the device or without.
• Article 13.4, part 2 of the Administrative Code — use of a radio-electronic device without registration (where it is required). For individuals — a fine of 1,500–3,000 ₽ with confiscation or without; for legal entities, 30,000–60,000 ₽.
• Article 13.4, part 3 of the Administrative Code — violation of the conditions for using the radio frequency spectrum, the rules of radio exchange, or emission norms/parameters (operating outside the permitted band, exceeding power). For individuals — a fine of 3,000–4,500 ₽ with confiscation; for legal entities, 45,000–90,000 ₽.

The figures in the law change from time to time — here they are given as a guide to "scale". What matters far more is the principle: the air is under supervision, the source of interference is direction-found when necessary, and the offender's equipment is seized. Losing your favourite radio and paying a fine for the sake of a hobby is a poor deal when the legal path is right there.

Where to look: primary sources, not forums

Rumours and "a guy I know said" are dangerous in this topic. Rely on the documents:

1. SCRF decisions (of the State Commission for Radio Frequencies) — these are exactly what open the licence-free bands (LPD, PMR, CB) and set the power/channels. The numbers of the key decisions are in the table above.
2. The Radio Regulations and the national Table of Frequency Band Allocations — what is given to whom.
3. The conditions of the qualification categories and the rules of the amateur service — which segments and powers you are entitled to. Maintained and explained by the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia (SRR).
4. Roskomnadzor / GRFC — station registration and callsign assignment.