Abu Dhabi Off-Road Club Forums

Hi All,

I thought of sharing my recent eid activity/dilemma in Oman with you for sake of FYI only.

I had set off last Thursday to Salalah -Oman, passing by Hafeet boarder (usual shortcut)....

600KM later, was stopped by Omani police/army check point in an area called HEMA, checking and verifying all vehicles passing by!

A minute later, the found my Motorola walky talky, which was unpleasant to them at all!

They have took me and my friend to police station, confiscate my car and kept me in jail, for wireless devices custody!

To our shock, that we kept un-attended till we have seek help from UAE, which we received from our Emirati and Omani friend!

To cut shortly:

- Jailed for 2 days

- our cars, passports got confiscated.

- Tomorrow we shall have court hearing.

Hopefully we shall get minimal sentence and leave asap.


Thanks

Omar

damn thx for sharing Omar hope all goes well

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As Omar said it’s illegal and not allowed I would advice all our members to start applying for radio licenses in Uae as if anyone get caught using Walkie talkie in UAE without license he will be facing a six month sentence and 50 to 60 thousand Dirhams fine and full life ban in UAE the only issue with having the license is the cost 1800 Dirhams for 3years so if our board of Marshal can arrange meeting with Emirates amateur radio society and grab good discount for our beloved club members that will really great contribution from the club side

Thanks for sharing. Are we talking Marshal radio or handheld devices?

As per my experience standard walkie talkie with less than 3W power should not be a problem in UAE. Many people are using them in UAE and are part of our safety equipment.

I am really sorry for this unfortunate experience. Nevertheless Oman has many desert areas with no coverage (until our last trip in 2014) and a walkie talkie can really be an asset over there.

Bigger devices like the Marshall radio VHF require a license from the relevant authority (TRA) in UAE. AD 4x4 has a certain amount of licenses and these radios can only operate on a fixed VHF frequency assigned to AD4x4. Everything perfectly regular.

G

Thanks Mega

@Guys, its never been about technicality, kw rating.. etc as many of us has no clue about all what you were saying! If you got caught, you will be in jail till you can prove what you state 3w or so!

Ending in jail or sentenced with couple of months might end up your life while trying to go for off-road trip...


Apology if I shared such thing, just for safety of others ...



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Omar, i think this is a very important item for everyoneand i am sorry to hear that you are in your currnet predicament.

I believe it should be clear that we use these in the UAE desert at the discretion of the authorities for safety, however this in no way makes it legal except those with registered marshal radios.

when it comes to foreign territories, we are to follow their rules.

I can attest to the checkpoints, they are army operated, very friendly explaining what they want / need from you as i have been through them and i can confirm they are thorough searching ( last trip was 5-10 minutes per car). but they are firm on their position.

Sorrow to hear about your situation. Hopefully it will get resolved

I think you bring to our attention a very valid point. The club needs to sensitivize the members via sticky posts, ANIT briefings and log books on the risks of getting caught with a walkie talkie. And any workarounds if possible.


Thanks


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Sorry to hear what you went through Omar.

Some useful information and links anyone may want to read related to allowed frequencies and licencing for the UAE.

https://www.tra.gov.ae/en/services-and- ... plans.aspx

Brochures page (download & open)
https://www.tra.gov.ae/en/media-hub/brochures.aspx

Frequencies Chart (download & open)
https://www.google.ae/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... lPOJIUGMCJ

National Frequency Plan (download & open)
https://www.tra.gov.ae/assets/wTp3YSL1.pdf.aspx

Please note that the frequencies we use for in the club are in UHF FRS (Family Radio Service 462.5625 to 462.7250 MHz).

Hope the above provides info for anyone interested.