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Katie and I share an interest in 2 way radios. She was EMS and came into our relationship carrying a fancy Bendix King. We have cute code names for each other and use our radios every day. It's enough to make normal people sick.

Too late... you're committed now!

Related: Is there a IGNORE THREAD option?

A mobile radio that sits on your desktop and has a power supply is NOT necessarily a Base Station. As Marc eloquently stated above, it's the operation that counts, not the configuration. A Base radio operates on the lower 462.xxx frequencies. A Control station may appear very similar to a Base, but a Control Station transmits on the 467.xxx frequencies, and listens on the lower (base side) of the pair.

Zero pressure from me... I just hope its a useful tool for you.

I have a request that has been sitting for months. It's still there even after the owner removed the repeater from the listings. LOL

Y'all are all welcome to operate under your own interpretations, just don't expect to me to follow it. Caveat emptor.

I have tried to explain this before, at least the way I understand it... the station type is defined by its use. This is why you never ask cops for advice. You need to consult lawyers and judges. The rule very specifically says that a base station is a station at a fixed location that communicates directly with mobile stations and other base stations. Therefore, the act of using a station to communicate through a repeater changes the 'station type' to a Control station. A Control station is a station at a fixed location that communicates with mobile stations and other control stations through repeater stations, and may also be used to control the operation of repeater stations. So, using a radio at your home to communicate through a repeater is not a rule violation. The only defined hardware type is a Mobile radio, with handheld radios being a sub-type, with the definitions as follows: Mobile station. A station, intended to be used while in motion or during halts at unspecified locations, that communicates directly with base stations and other mobile stations, and with control stations and other mobile stations through repeater stations. Hand-held portable unit. A physically small mobile station that can be operated while being held in the operator's hand. All other references are to station types, which are defined by how they are used... for example: Base station. A station at a fixed location that communicates directly with mobile stations and other base stations. Control station. A station at a fixed location that communicates with mobile stations and other control stations through repeater stations, and may also be used to control the operation of repeater stations. Fixed station. A station at a fixed location that directly communicates with other fixed stations only. Personal Radio Services station. Any transmitter, with or without an incorporated antenna or receiver, which is certified by the FCC to be operated in one or more of the Personal Radio Services. Repeater station. A station in a fixed location used to extend the communications range of mobile stations, hand-held portable units and control stations by receiving their signals on one channel (the input channel) and simultaneously retransmitting these signals on another channel (the output channel), typically with higher transmitting power from a favorable antenna location (typically high above the surrounding terrain). You will notice that even a repeater is defined by the job it does, rather than physical characteristics. That is because you can easily build a repeater with 2 mobile radios, as an example.

The omission of base station from the allowed types for 467 MHz main channels is not an oversight, it's policy. Not what we would like but that's how it is. The Licensing Division advises that this is not an oversight. Repeaters (or mobile relay stations) by definition extend the communication range of mobile and handheld units. And folks, that means thousands of users are breaking the rule, despite how they try to rationalize it.

The official response is not very informative. Besides again quoting the definition in the regs, this is it with only slightly different wording: Fixed Stations are any stations at a fixed location that communicate with other stations at a fixed location. As far as I can tell, that could mean base to base for normal conversation, however that limits power to 15W where a base can do up to 50. The only benefit I can see is fixed stations are allowed to use 467 MHz main channels in simplex mode. I'll address repeater use in another topic.

Heh. My wife doesn't necessarily participate, but finds them useful at times. She didn't really say anything after she saw my last purchase order other than "that's a lot of money" then walked away and didn't mention it again.

I don't have a BTECH UV-50X3 Tri Band but was using one BTECH GMRS-50V2 as a base and one in my vehicle. I ended up swapping the base unit out for a KG-1000G Plus and have been extremely happy with its performance. I'm located on the outskirts of town (~25 miles away from center) so the additional receive capabilities is noticeable. In fact, I had to start using the receive tones on a couple of the repeaters that I use due to picking up so much distant simplex traffic. Didn't have that with the BTECH. Anyway, glad I had an extra radio because the BTECH in my vehicle quit transmitting. It has been sent in for replacement. The second one (that had been my base unit) is now in my vehicle and so far, doing well. All 3 of these radios showed good power output (until the one BTECH failed) but, if I had to do it again, I would have 2 of the KG-1000G Plus radios. I may still get another KG-1000G Plus although I work from home and don't go mobile all that often anymore.

I sure am. She makes me a sandwich every work day and dinner every night.

Seems he wants help when he wants it but isn’t interested in giving it. The snarky “40 years using radios” yet ask for help that won’t reveal any info on what he did wrong that might be helpful for others is telling. As much as I hate the term (I feel it’s over used), what we have here is a bonafide Sad Ham. Some people are gatekeepers and just take. Oh well.

@LeoG reading your story gave me a genuine smile. As someone who feels lucky to have my wife I appreciate hearing someone else’s positive experiences. You are a lucky guy.

Yep, but you gotta feed it with Heliax for it to really wake up and perform. And if you want to get an extra 1.5db out of the 1486, you need to polish the brass elements with Brasso to a mirror finish prior to putting it in the radome.

Now you're talking! There's only one Heliax and you got some. Beats the hell out of using that cheap LMR stuff.

So, basically you did what was required of you to keep things fresh, you rotated stock. Just remember for freshness always put new stock at the back of the pack. Good man!!

Perhaps it was a joke of the day? I’m reminded of the “that’s not how any of this works” meme

Yeah, I can certainly understand how that would get old. I wish everyone could have a spouse as good as mine, but it just doesn’t work that way.

When I went back the second time to collage to get my second degree, combo Mathematics and Computer Science, she would complain about all the time I spent on the weekends doing homework and programming projects for school. That got old really quick. Had me thinking about quitting school. I was about the same age back then as you were when you went back.

No BS. I would spend it anyway whether she approved or not. Life is too short to not have a few pleasantries and hobbies. She has surprised me in the fact that she shows interest in the radio - period. I expected when I got the base station installed it would always be "can you turn that thing off/down". But for the most parts no complaints. She even joins in on the nets on one of the repeaters. I consider this electronics which she has no interest in. I guess it's the gossip part of it. You get to listen to other peoples conversations and then talk about them later on. And after 38 years of marriage it's nice to have another topic to talk about.

So how about telling the rest of us what the problem was so the members of the forum can learn as well?

I have a wonderful wife and I honestly wouldn’t want to dwell on life without her beside me. When I went back to college at 32, she worked two jobs to take care of me and our kids without ever complaining. Now that she’s in a wheelchair with MS she still never complains. I know that not everyone is so fortunate but I’m delighted for @LeoG. It appears he has a good one.

If you go for AE and you're really lucky you may be issued sequentially one of the highly coveted 1X2 or 2X1 callsigns. If not, you'll still get a 2X2 which lets everyone know you're an AE. You can apply for a vanity 1X2 or 2X1 as well, and I considered it, but when I got my 2X2 I was happy with it.