[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

b. the phone based GPS actually communicate through the frequency alloted for telecommunication.
I suspect the first hunch is correct (otherwise how could mapmyindia etc sell their GPS legitimately) but I can't find anything on the subject on the net. Will have to find out.
But believe it or not - someone who is conversant with bureaucracy and rules etc told me - selling GPS and using GPS are two different things !! Meaning, you can sell it perfectly legally if it is not a restricted or banned item but not use it. lol . Such ridiculous loopholes are quite possible in India.

No phone based GPS(proper GPS, not AGPS) work like any handheld GPS.
I suspect you are right.
there is no ban on sale of GPS, but in the books usage may be banned. For example, you can sell cigerrets in a mall but smoking them there is illegal

[gd1418]

I myself used to pay an annual fees of Rs.100 at the P.O for my radio set. And also there was a licence to own a TV set. I had one.

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

My father used to pay the licence fee at the local post office every month. I don't know how old you are. But those who are in their 40s would remember those dreadful days of licensing raj.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

For example, you can sell cigerrets in a mall but smoking them there is illegal

Fantastic real life example. It didn't strike me. In fact it doesn't sound so unreasonable now !!

[rammishra]

For information of everyone here uing mobile based GPS or Stand alone GPS is not retricted by any license or frequency regulations. GPS frequency is entirely different spectrum from one used by mobile communication companies or millitary communication frequency. GPS frequency is in the satellite communication frequncy range which is much above millitary or mobile communication spectrum. All GPS presently use the services of 24 number satellites launched by the USA which are continously orbiting the earth. When ever a GPS receiver be it built in mobile phone or be it stand alone GPS receiver receives the signal from 2-3 satellites minimum it is able to calculate its position on earth/Map.

Actually catch comes after this. GPS receiver/Mobile based GPS has a GPS receiver and application software and maps. The Maps which are used by navigation software are provided by companies like mapmyindia, satnav and many other companies etc. The maps should be produced with the approval of Govt of India and should not contain Millitary installation and other restricted installations without govt approval.

What two gentlemen who have been caught did wrong was as follows:
1. They had photographs of airforce station,Aircrafts, refinery etc with them which you are not supposed to have as per offcial secrets act.
2. Then they had the Maps of the area.
3. Then they had pistols.
5. They were roaming in the area as stranger and taking pictures and making Maps.

It was enough to raise the suspicion of police in these gentlemen as Saurashtra is very sensitive area and very prone to Spy activity from Pakistan.
RP

[setuniket]

If using GPS is illegal in India, then how come companies(mapmyindia, satnav, garmin) are openly selling such products? Ideally they should be banned as it was attempted with Blackberry, I guess none of the companies actually bothered to check with GOI whether its legal or not(the mistake which Tata Indicom did)


btw I too have the TV licence, still kept as memoir

[hydrashok]

I think there is a minor point here that is being missed. The two gentlemen who were caught with a GPS, Laptop & a Digicam had all that data in the laptop & the Digicam. Agreed. Now what I'm coming to is that the cops stopped them because they had these items, went through the laptop & Digicam and then arrested them on the basis of the stuff they found.

So what happens if I'm driving with a laptop, GPS and Digicam in my car? With a 'suspicious looking' big black box in the boot, connected by wire to a 'suspicious looking' silver coloured electronic item screwed to the wall of the boot (= my sub and amp)? I also have on my person an "advanced mobile phone with state-of-the art communication facilities", and xxx amount of money in my wallet. Not to mention a "black bag" with various wires, batteries, & a lot of memory cards (that of course may look like a lot of SIM cards to the un-techie eye). Does all this add up to a potential suspect?

Do they get to make me pull over, make me boot-up my laptop and show them everything in it? What if they find pics of electonic circuits (pics of ICE stuff), maps, etc. and various photographs of places that they can't identify right away (pics from my various trips to various places)? Does that make me a potential bombmaker scoping out my next target?

Just because the cops don't know what the pics are of, can they arrest me and cart me off to a police station, where I will have to convince them that the pics are of such and such places? And about the photographs, the cops will have to verify that they are of the places I claim (if I remember which photo is of what place at that point), right? Till then I stay in the Police Station, right? What about my laptop, GPS and Digicam? Will they release these items to me immediately? After all, they are 'potential evidence', right? BTW, I'm not mentioning their taking my sub-box apart just to make sure there are no explosives in the box.

What I'm coming to is that unless the cops are trained well to recognize what is a threat and what is not, we don't need any terrorists to terrorise us. The neigbourhood cop will do just fine. I know I was stretching things a little in my earlier paragraphs, but don't you think this is likely to happen to YOU?

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by hydrashok

Do they get to make me pull over, make me boot-up my laptop and show them everything in it? What if they find pics of electonic circuits (pics of ICE stuff), maps, etc. and various photographs of places that they can't identify right away (pics from my various trips to various places)? Does that make me a potential bombmaker scoping out my next target?

These guys were apprehended since they were taking pictures of Airbase and Refinery. And if they really had Pistols, it would raise the bar.

Almost any policeman will act in a similar way if someone is brought to him in this situation.

Had it been anything to do with GPS/Electronics, it would be P&T act and not Official Secrets Act.

[rammishra]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

These guys were apprehended since they were taking pictures of Airbase and Refinery. And if they really had Pistols, it would raise the bar.

Almost any policeman will act in a similar way if someone is brought to him in this situation.

Had it been anything to do with GPS/Electronics, it would be P&T act and not Official Secrets Act.

I said Official secrets act in terms of taking pictures of Airbase,Airforce aircrafts,prohibited maps and refinery not for GPS. carrying and using GPS i not an offence.