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Thank you! This is the way it should be done. I believe your efforts will be rewarded in the future. It's a balancing act between people that will donate and ones that won't. Don't sweat it and enjoy the journey of deploying it the way you want it. Let us know with progress reports.

Figure out how to propose that as a reduction or simplification of regulations and go for it.

To drag this (kicking and screaming) back on-topic.. Right now I have a free "access by request" system (with poor coverage - the best anyone has reported is a little under 7 miles in the NYC area). I'm waiting on an updated antenna (this whole Commscope to Andrew changeover has been a complete disaster, with even large corporate customers being quoted 4-5 month delays on catalog products and even longer for customized ones) and a tower climber to install it and the heliax, plus various incidentals (16 ground rods, cable to connect them, lightning arrestors, so on). Once all that is done, my repeater will still be free to access on request, but if someone wants to make a donation, I'll gladly accept it. My repeater info page will have a link to a secondary page with the actual invoices and amounts for the various pieces of the project, with a total dollar amount. There will also be a list of donations which can be marked either "anonymous" or someone's name and/or call sign if desired, along with amounts and a total dollar amount donated so far. Think of it like the giant "dollars raised thermometer" outside your local volunteer fire department. I doubt I'll recoup 10% of what this improvement project is costing, but it's nice to know that some people care enough to support a mutual hobby project. Nobody gets preferential treatment for donating vs. not donating. To add - donations will not be tax deductible, will be reported ny me as "miscellaneous income" on my tax returns, and so on.

I'm in your camp. I have very little desire to collect names from around the world like Pokemon, just isn't my thing. That and the cost of entry into HF is more than I'm willing to spend. I got my General ticket for the challenge more than the added privileges. 2m\70cm\1.25m are very active in my area and I do get a small thrill when I can key up a repeater 50-60 miles away with an HT running through an amp in the car. I've got 3 mobiles, 9 HTs, and still have less invested than a used HF rig would set me back. If I really want to reach out around the world, I can do that on TG 91. Yes, I know that many consider that cheating, then again, I really don't care :). They can enjoy the hobby their way, I'll do mine.

When Hams "sell Ham Radio" to non Hams, they tend to do more talking about communicating around the world rather than what you can do locally. Out of the guys I have talked to, that is the only thing they were ever really told about Ham. I actually tried to change their mind and show them the benefits of the 2m/70cm bands, but they were against it. There is a lot you can do with the local bands. It's too bad they don't get used to their full potential. If I had endless amounts of money to blow, I would be setting up repeater systems, linked networks with all sorts of added goodies and I would utilize the bands up as high as I could go. Sadly, I don't have the money or even the time. When it comes to the test, that tech test is really easy. It almost seems easier than when I took it back in the 90's. If you encounter any math, it is really simple. Memorizing will help. I really had to do it when taking my general. I passed, but just like the tech, I didn't really learn a lot, until I started talking with other Hams, experimenting, and applying what I learned. I always believe that the true learning part comes after you pass the test and really get into Ham Radio and meet others and start experimenting. I am with you on hoping these interested ones reconsider. The ones I have met were very knowledgeable. They weren't the run of the mill CB'er that just sits and chats. These guys had the basic tech knowledge.

I agree, but then again when you consider you’d be putting it on a car that cost about 150 grand brand new it seems like a drop in the bucket.

How about asking FCC to allow MURS/GMRS cross-band repeater function?

Regular. Learn to ignore it or use the forum function.

$190 is awfully high for a piece of steel and an NGP antenna. I'd look into making my own with a piece of stainless epoxied in place.

I apologize. I didn't realize we had a rule against it.

I last soldered SMT back in the late 60's. The worst part was getting the heatsink fastened correctly so you didn't stress the flat pack.

I just ordered an demo/open IC-F4021S from Ham Radio Outlet for $53.96, I'll buy the charger & AAA battery case for it But looking at this listing.....my Needing & Wanting are definitely at war Does anyone recognize the blue case model at the top? I've seen orange & red case Icom h-t's, but not a blue one Never mind: I think that I found it, I think that it's the IC-F3201DEX

What if I was operating under my maternal grandfather's GMRS license? He has a different last name and AFAIK, there is no requirement that a family keep documentation of such.

Sorry, Rich.

This is a warning to everyone in this thread that Rule #7 forbids the discussion of weapons including firearms on this forum. I just removed about 20 posts in violation of this rule. Beyond that, it was also completely off-topic for this post and GMRS in general.

Ahhhhh..........

So,,,,, you play all day at work.. You're Fired!

I’m so glad to see this site has people even more rude and condescending than me. What a pointless thread that helps no one. No we are not family and we do t all respect eachother. And yes we disagree A LOT.

It is easy for the law to verify your fcc licenses just by doing a records check even thru fcc. The police do have mobile data terminals in there cruisers that can do it.

Just stating the facts. I do understand some people might have a hard when the facts disagree with their agenda. Nothing personal or argumentative on my end. We're all family here and we respect each other even though we might disagree.

And I am trying to start arguments. Right.

I get free internet at work and many places in between. It's totally and utterly foolish and breaks every terrestrial and celestial boundary of human stupidity to pay for internet. Do all GMRS operators lack creativity and self awareness?

Nice! They even sell the SPE Expert 1.5K amp, which I got.

Baofengs are easy pezy to collect. Even a Cave Man can do it