HI folks, WHen transmitting out of band you're not operating within the terms of your amateur license. IN part 97 it states that you can use "any amateur frequency" and that doesn't mean public service or other freqs. If the folks at the friendly candy company find you transmitting out of band without proper licenses you'll be getting a nice little pink slip. THere was a case a few years ago where a fellow was on a bike ride in the mountains with friends. One of his companions had a serious accident. tHe rider called on some local ham radio repeaters but got no response after folks found that their cell phones weren't working from that spot. AFter meeting no positive result on ham freqs he went to the local sheriff's department repeater system where he was able to summon aide for his fallen comrade. TO make a long one short the sheriff's department wanted to give him an attaboy for quick thinking, whereas the FCC wanted to confiscate his equipment and fine him. NOte that I've reproduced the relevant section of the rules below. I've heard some discussion about this, and if you really want to ask him I'm sure Riley would tell you that the key phrase in the passage I've quoted below is "at its disposal" and the only frequencies an amateur station is to have "at its disposal" are amateur frequencies. S 97.403 Safety of life and protection of property. No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of any means of radiocommunication at its disposal to provide essential communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are not available. S 97.405 Station in distress. (a) No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station in distress of any means at its disposal to attract attention, make known its condition and location, and obtain assistance. (b) No provision of these rules prevents the use by a station, in the exceptional circumstances described in paragraph (a), of any means of radiocommunications at its disposal to assist a station in distress. Richard Webb Electric Spider Productions If you put garbage in a computer nothing comes out but garbage. But this garbage, having passed through a very expensive machine, is somehow enobled and none dare criticize it.