ORIGINAL: deli_conker
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According to the above, that little pull out modular thing that says 72.xxx on the outside of my radio can't be the crystal (although it looks like one to me) because I can manipulate it without opening the radio enclosure and it is very accesible. If the argument exists that the radio enclosure is opened by pulling that out, then taking the battery out would also be illegal. And if it is the crystal, then futaba (and just about every other Tx manufacturer) isn't following the law. It's like watching a cop speed or roll through a stop sign when he's not responding to a call.
The pull out modular thing contains the crystal. When the transmitter was built, it was glued in with a tiny drop of glue to make it 'inaccessible' to the end user in the US. But, since the same transmitter may be sold outside the US, they make the glue drop small enough that it doesn't destroy the radio if it is popped out.
The cop analogy doesn't apply in Texas. Certified peace officers here are exempt from many of the traffic laws they enforce.
I do not know the licensing requirements to be able to swap Tx crystals. I'd guess the FCC web site has the info buried somewhere. The cost of the equipment required to properly test, and potentially recalibrate, transmitters would buy a bunch of receiver crystals.