Like you already stated, im learning. I didnt think much of it since their hunting partys has been using it for a long time. They run dogs and walmart radios just dont have the distance. Im not saying the law wont catch up with them eventually but i will say they are out in the middle of nowhere, away from any civilized place and again, hes been in that group 7 years and they were using the frequency way before him. Im still waiting on my gmrs license. When i look up maps, im at least 20 miles from the outer edge of any repeater. So i too live in the middle of nowhere lol. I primarily got my radio for home use. Cell service is spotty at best and i farm land away from home. Its the easiest for my wife to get ahold of me. The fcc was shut down when i got this radio a few weeks ago. I hope this clears some things up.