On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 17:37:55 -0400, "Lou"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
p.s. I did not steal these FRS radios. I bought them legally, and have
had them probably over a week now.

They were advertised as to keep in touch witg yur family (and locate
each other) at shoppng malls and parks.

of course, when you go to a shopping mall, you usually shop, and since
these radios were advertised for to be used at shopping malls,

it never even crossed my mind that just having them (turned off, not
transmitting, just having them) would set off the theft alarms of every
single store in the mall that I went into and out of both when I went in
and when I went out.

until. it happened to me today.

I did not have anything else with me that would have set off the theft
alarms, and I did not try to steal anything from any store.

The alarms must have detected the metal and went off when they did so.

So I imagine anyone carrying just a regular handheld scanner they have
to listen to would also acidentally set them off.

My purpose was communications since the radio I had was advetrised to be
used at the mall for personal communications with famly (to locate each
other when we're ready to leave).

Whose at fault here? The stores and mall or the radio manufacturers or
the FCC for allowing it (FRS) to be used for that purpose and promoting
it to be used that for purpose?

They'll all probably blame each other.

What I do know however, is that this can cause some very serious trouble
and very serious problems with people. such as

Theft alarms going off when people didn't steal anything and are just
legally carrying their FRS radios and getting picked up by mall security
and police for it, even if they didn't transmit anything. and were using
it the way it was intended to and advertised as.

Theft alarms going off when Liscened GMRS users are just carrying their
radios and getting picked up by mall security and police for it, even if
they didn't transmit anything, and were using it the way it was intended
to and advertised as.

Mall security and police going to a store where the theft allarm went
off because of a FRS user or liscened GMRS user just having their radio
with them, to be used as intended, while a real burglarly happens at a
different store in the same mall and all the security personnel and
police are at the store with the FRS or GMRS user because the theft
alarms went off just from the FRS user or GMRS user having their radio
with them. (not even transmitting anything).


Strange, I go into all sorts of shops and malls with FRS radios, Fire
Pagers, Fire Radios, and Scanners and a cell phone - not to mention a pocket
knife, etc. and have YET to have ANY alarms go off. As one person suggested,
maybe there is a theft strip still attached there somehow. Just a guess! Not
sure if those places have any settings to adjust, but if so, maybe they're
set to max! The ONLY place I've ever been subjected to searches - and as
expected, were in County Office Buildings, Airports. Even there, things like
belt buckles, zippers, etc, set them off. Yes, I've taken my fire
pagers/radios and so on in there too, but no knife! IF they don't recognize
the type of radio it is, all they've done is ask to make it work. No
problem. But I also carry ID with me just in case to show my need for said
items. And, to make another point clear, any one of those items invariably
has been used while in the stores. Still, no problems encountered.


FWIW, I've set off alarms at my local library just carrying a
data CD in my pocket. At one of the two, it doesn't go off if I walk
in off center, but with the CD in the pocket closer to the detector.
If I go in with the CD pocket right next to the detector, it sets off
the alarm every time. It doesn't seem to happen in malls, but the
doorways there are wider. Maybe that makes a difference.