Greg,
Well, I guess that would make sense too. Thanks Patrick, I'd never heard of that before.
So, what exactly is their target market for these things? I may not be confused anymore, but I think they still might be.
Since these newer Chinese-made radios come to the US market with FCC Part 90 certification, they could be used for commercial two-way radio applications. When these radios were being sold by shops outside the US, they would not come with any sort of FCC certification. The Wouxon HTs started this "trend" of having the radios meet FCC Part 90 and marketed for both amateur and non-amateur use, and sold through US-based importers and dealers.
It is interesting that they can be certified under Part 90, yet are field- programmable (for hams, our ability to program the radio memories or even have access to VFOs) - something that is usually a no-no in the eyes of the FCC for commercial radios. If that mode is disabled with the programming software, that may be how the radios are gaining certification for commercial use. Some commercial radios have a field- programming mode that requires a passcode or physical key to access, and is usually only in the realm of the shops that sell and maintain these radios.
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/