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How do they know the users were GMRS licensees or using GMRS radios? My money would be on FRS, and like @AdmiralCochrane, I'd be more surprised if they didn't use them. It's kind of an obvious tool for quick coordination. And, yes, I have no doubt law enforcement agencies are listening.

Lithium Ion batteries can be very volatile even with protection systems. Internal shorts can happen with minor damage to the battery and overheat them. Fun is. Glad you weren't hurt.

I would be stunned if the rioters were not using HT's. Also stunned if three letter people weren't nearby using scanners and recorders and I don't mean Uncle Charlie.

And D411N also means the same thing.

back in 2014 i was playing with a brand new Samsung tablet when the thing started smoking like crazy. I threw it in the kitchen sink, open the doors and if finally fizzled out. I contacted Samsung, they fedexed me a brand new one over night along with a return package and box for the bad one.. They actually provided a fire proof bag with a zip lock to place the old one in. I still use the replacement to this day.

If it didn't it's burst into flames the 1st time you charged it. They are very prone to thermal run away if unprotected.

Most LiFePO4 batteries can be drawn down completely without harm. The BMS will protect them from discharging too far. You might have to coax the battery to come back to life if the BMS turns it off for low voltage though. Discharging a LiFePO4 fully does reduce it overall life. But it is still going to substantially outlive a lead acid battery by 1000s of cycles.

My KG1000+ draws 8.7 amps according to my digital clamp meter. I was surprised it was lower than 10 amps.

*Proving* it is an entirely different matter...

But when even the people who have the copyright on the name Meshtastic say it’s a network, the lone person claiming everyone else is wrong, and that it’s not a network, might have a problem proving he’s right.

That would be a full violation of the eff sea seas rules/regulations. I can't imagine those breaking the law would decide to use these frequencies illegally and for illicit purposes. They should have their licenses takes away. As soon as you here them ID themselves you should write it down and report them. /S

Which Ham freq?

Just because lots of people are mistaken at once, doesn't mean they're right!

What word follows “mesh” when talking about “mesh networks“?

You know, after I posted that glib reply, I started thinking (which is always super-dangerous, according to some people: People like my wife and closest friends!)... Because of the broadcast nature of LoRa technology, where every transmission is just put out there with the hope someone will help you get it where it's going, I actually don't think it *does* technically fit the definition of a network!

If it's Lithium, it has a BMS. Now don't get miss concepted,, she'll beat your azz

That's the one I bought on Amazon for ~$159 in February. Presently it's $239 there. Nice product. I believe it's being replaced by the "3" model, which is fast enough in a power outage to act as a UPS.

The little handheld power bricks OP was talking about can often have minimal BMS, if any. Especially if you got it from Ali Express! She's a hard lady to find, that Miss Conception.

Hmm... I had not thought of listening. I might do that tonight to see if anything is on the repeaters or simplex...

There is a miss conception when people say Lithium Batteries can completely die if allowed to completely discharge. Most Lithium batteries today have a protection circuit that wont let the battery completely discharge.. And most Lithium batteries have BMS System Circuit (Battery Management System) that manages an array of things, charging, bulk, discharging, temperature etc. BMS systems depend on a small amount of battery current to function, else they simply go to sleep and the battery will look dead until the BMS gets enough energy to function. New BMS systems do not allow the battery to completely discharge, it turns the battery off reserving the small amount of energy so the BMS can function. If the Lithium battery looses all voltage due to a completely discharged battery then it needs woken up. How do you do that? it depends on the battery as there are several methods,, a google search for your particular battery will find the answer,, but the most common way i.e. a Power Tool Battery, you take a good charged battery and apply its voltage for several seconds to the dead battery.. That should 'wake' up the BMS so that it can now operate and sense the real charger to talk with and do its work.. a lot of people have thrown away perfectly good power tool batteries because they simply didn't know who to wake them up

FYI, anyone following this: Walmart has a 2 ridiculously cheap power stations perfect for running a radio/charging your gear/lighting your campsite/etc... https://www.walmart.com/ip/EF-EcoFlow-Portable-Power-Station-RIVER-2-240-243wh-LiFePO4-Battery-1-Hour-Fast-Charging-600W-Output-Solar-Generator-Solar-Panel-Optional-Outdoor-Cam/5478283286?adsRedirect=true https://www.walmart.com/ip/Flashfish-Portable-Power-Station-Mini-Solar-Generator-98Wh-26400mAh-Lithium-Battery-120W-110V-AC-Outlets-LED-Light-Backup-Battery-Camping-Outdoor/371451213?classType=REGULAR Note: the $149 one is marked in watt-hours, and the $69 one is in amp-hours. LifePo cells are about 3.7 volts, so multiply the Amp-hours by 3.7 for a rough(very) comparison. Whether the numbers listed are true? Well, Walmart's better than Temu, but marketing departments are ubiquitous...

It's most true of straight lithium ion. LiPo is much better. I've seen them run down to 10% or less numerous times and still retain most of their capacity. They don't like it if you *leave* them uncharged, though. More than day or two sub-10% can easily do them in...

Does this apply to all batteries containing lithium, lithium ion and LiFePo4?

Sweet.

Thank you so very, very much. I deeply appreciate this.