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CTCSS, DCS, or carrier squelch are all options. None of the are based on readability, although DCS (aka DTCSS or DPL) does require some measure of readability for the digital code to be recognized. What do you mean by unreadable? Are you using something like CTCSS or DTCSS?

This sums it up well; i've talked into a GMRS repeater and a 70cm ham repeater on Joaquin Ridge on the west side of the San Joaqin Valley from a hill on the east side of the valley (75ish miles) with 5 watt HTs. I've also talked into another 70cm repeater on Fremont Peak from a bit further east, around a 115 mile shot over the valley on the 50 watt mobile in my truck. In both cases, i had clear line of sight over the valley, as i was sitting around 4500-5000 ft elevation, and all of those repeaters sit around the 3000ft mark on hills/ridges.

that is a lot of power output difference %. what was noticed on mine was quality of signal 11.5 volts vrs 13. I am not a circuit engineer but, bet there is an optimam somewhere in the calculations?? dont think power output wattage is key to the full picture of radio clarity and propagation. am no expert tho.

is there such a thing? our repeater has moved location and seem to get a lot of traffic now that is un readable.

There is a setting in the menus - i dont recall the name but you will find it in your user-manual. That setting sets the screen to show channel number, name, or frequency.. This is ASSUMING you are back in channel mode. Make sure you are in channel mode.

Bingo. Does everything I need it to, does it pretty well, and cost $80. It was just a...Radio...oddity? I'd noticed. Would be nice to know what causes it to hang open tho.

UHF can go a very long ways as long as there is a clear line of site. 70cm is used all the time to communicate with satellites. Of course you don't have to fight the curvature of earth when talking to satellites. A clear line of site is king when it comes to VHF and UHF. We have been having a lot of tropospheric ducting on GMRS over the last 2 weeks with the cooler than normal temperatures we have been having. I've been hearing a GMRS repeater located in Peoria, Illinois almost every day between 8:00 and 8:45 in the morning. Peoria is about 150 miles from me. I've also been hearing another repeater that is about 80-85 miles away.

Your well equipped. Have fun.

I was setting the tones for a local GMRS repeater and had to switch to DCS selection using the PF2 key. I got that done but now the LCD display doesn't show the normal GMRS channel number. Instead it shows 462.575 Also, if this is related, the top line says S W then CH- 02 G-03 How do I get the frequency off the display and go back to the GMRS number label?

I like clubs too, but I dislike anything that purports to be the be-all end-all greatest-thing-of-all.

What an EXCELLENT breakdown and explanation Steve! Thank you for taking the time to write that up! I think most people just get caught up in what tones to program and we don't take the time to actually how they work and what their purposes are.

A technician can work 10m SSB along with CW on 10m, 15m, 40m, and 80m. CW is excellent for QRP (low power). This would allow a technician to do POTA and SOTA activations on HF. I always have a GMRS and a dual band 2m/70cm radio with me when I do POTA activations. You can work POTA on 2m/70cm. POTA and SOTA are not contesting so one can work the WARC bands as a general or extra. There are plenty of ways to deploy a simple wire antenna and keep it hidden from Karen and the HOA's I've heard a lot of negative comments from the old curmudgeons like; digital modes isn't real radio, GMRS is just the UHF version of the Chicken Band, you aren't a real amateur if you didn't have to know CW (morse code) to pass your exam, etc, etc. Radio is what you make of it regardless of which service(s) you use. Back to keeping my blood levels down to an acceptable level in my caffeine system

There are at least a couple alternatives. I never knew anyone who bought anything. The people I know just used discarded business voip phones and signed up. That’s what I did anyway.

I heard something about that. I had a few Ham friends try to get me to buy one of them and I said no way. Good choice lol.

It’s shut down now anyway.

One other thing I have noticed is I pick up RF noise from the programming cable that came with the radio if it’s left plugged into the computer with the other end not connected to anything. It’s enough to cause radios on my desk to stop scanning and hold squelch open on some frequencies and oddly they aren’t even frequencies near each other. Subsequently I always unplug that programming cable. The thing is I’m not complaining, I wouldn’t say any shortfalls of the radio really bother me. It was cheap, it works good, I get good audio reports, it’s small, plenty memories programmed in it and now chirp is available for it. Is it as good as my Icom 2730? No but it cost less than a hundred bucks. I like it. I got it to put in an ammo can that I could take camping but I haven’t gotten to that project yet and it lives on my desk at the moment.

I just got the DB-50, which is the same radio as the Anytone 5888V. For some reason, I can connect transmit and receive to the repeaters I programmed in, but not the regular GMRS channels even on low power. They can receive but not transmit?

Depends on if the OP has a general license or not, AND if they get into contesting. Personally I cant stand contesting. These days, it seems like Ham Radio is either contesting or Emergency Management. Not much going on in other areas, of course, depending on the area you live in. Going mobile works. I have had to do it before and still do in order to use 2 meters and 70cm. In order to join in with the groups in my state that use 2m simplex, I have to drive a good distance from my house and sit on a hill top. But who wants to have to keep driving out to a hill top and sitting somewhere just to use Ham Radio? I definitely don't care for it. My evening is for relaxing. I think if anyone wants to call something "not real Ham Radio", you can call Hamshack hotline "not real radio". At least with DMR, you are still using a portable radio in most cases. Most of the networks are on repeaters anyhow. With Hamshack hotline, you literally use a device that links to an internet network, thats it. I know people like it, but I think that is where I draw the line.

On the contrary, amateur radio is pretty much what you're proposing to initiate. Take advantage of some of the free study materials and get your Tech license. A lot of us participate in both services. They fill different needs.

Mine is the same. It’s not everything but I noticed it on some fire frequencies recently as we had a big fire here and we were next to an evacuation zone so I was scanning those. I don’t know if this has anything to do with it but I didn’t have any tones set so maybe that played into it.

I had it, but bumped upt the SQL to about 7. But them miss out on lower S meter signals coming in.

Your theory is probably correct. AES128 is a little better, ARCA better than both but not holding a candle to the Hytera AES256 . DMR and analog with this radio is very good. I'm not complaing, the DMR32 is still a decent radio and their encryption works, just not to par with higher end radios.

Welcome Sir, I also replied to your guest post. Cheers

Welcome Pedro, I seem to recall seeing good coverage with repeaters there so suspect you wont be disappointed.

This I can dig, thanks for clearing things up. BTW my post with the "Magazine full of ads" was more a dig at the ARRRRRRL than your club idea.