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Yeah, works on the Ham band. Would be a novelty. Without another compatible radio, or decoder for an SDR, good luck monitoring the digital voice traffic. Almost as good as encryption but since it’s publicly documented the FCC can’t really complain it’s a “secret code” thus illegal on the Ham band. The point to remember is the modulation used is exactly the same as the low data rate NXDN mode. The later the FCC has emission designators for that. You can’t tell the difference with a spectrum analyzer. What’s different is the CAI, common air interface a.k.a. the digital protocol used. Note the radio is restricted to just the official dPMR446 frequencies in self programming mode. The radio programming software is also locked to the same frequencies. My main objective was to do some testing to see if it will communicate with a full feature dPMR radio. I have some Icom dPMR radios. There are a few “slight” differences which might bigger that up. There are in fact two different ETSI standards, one each, for the two, dPMR446 verses dPMR. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/500-ic-f3162dt-front-and-back-sidepng/?context=new

I am interested in attending

As someone whose end goal is to RV full time in retirement, I feel like this might be my focus when I enter the world of HAM. I appreciate the insight.

Any progress or further interest in this?

LMR-400 is an excellent VHF/UHF cable, but has a solid center conductor and is very stiff. LMR-400 should not be unrolled/rerolled/bent/unbent very much due to damaging the dielectric. A better choice for portable with similar loss figures is LMR-400 Ultra-Flex, which has a stranded center conductor which tolerates handling much better. I use LMR-400 for my base/home installations (even HF) and LMR-400 UF for temporary/portable/mobile use like Field Day setups, etc..

All of the above. POTA allow one to enjoy the outdoors while being on the air at the same time. One benefit is that those living in noisy RF environments can get away from all the noise by going to a park. Some will take a 100 watt radio and some will even take amplifiers. Others like using QRP radios (10 watts or less) to see how far away they can be heard and make contacts. I like using my 20 watt Xiegu G90 and keeping my antennas light and simple. Mostly it is a way to get out of the house and have fun.

I agree with @UncleYodain that I would change the name of the thread. Assuming you are looking for GMRS repeaters, I don't think there are any. At least none that I can find. There are a good many HAM repeaters in the low country, though. If you're on facebook, maybe this group can help you?

The KMC-45 and KMC-45D are not the same microphone.

OK, so it's about what I thought. Do you have any insight into the "app" they use?

The KMC-45 and KMC-45D are not the same microphone.

Hey everyone! I know it's a little last minute, but NOVA GMRS is having a get-together this Sunday for lunch. We are going to try to beat the heat of day and meet from Noon to 3:00 PM. We are going to meet at Virginia Gateway Center, in the lot between Target and Five Guys. For those who haven't been to this location before, you can navigate to 13299 Gateway Center Dr. There is a picture below, showing where specifically, we park. Bring a chair, drinks, etc. to be comfortable. The plan is to talk radio (or whatever) and then sneak into Five Guys about 1:00 PM for a quick bit and enjoy some company. If you have never been to a get-together or if you are new to GMRS, I highly encourage you to join us and ask lots of questions. As always, this is a family friendly event. So, bring your family and friends! RSVP below or check us out on FaceBook! https://fb.me/e/5m4JpSoAs

I don't have a POTA rig, but there seems to be two purposes: 1. You get to operate your mobile radio away from a permanent location so if you're into emergency or off-the-grid communication, this is gamified practice. 2. Playing with radios outside is more fun than playing with radios inside.* *weather permitting

Closest I know of is Bowman between Summerville and Orangeburg. That one requires club membership. But I suggest you change the title to "Charleston SC repeater?"

By the way, looks like the CPS discount code has expired but these are on sale now and the savings is better than with the code. My order shipped out today and should get it later in the week! Excited for it.

Seems like WINE for Mac has better support for Intel Macs but not as good for ARM Macs (I have an M2). UTM has been smooth for me so far. This was my initial hesitation with the VM idea until ChatGPT told me a license key wasn’t necessary. I remember back when I had a burned CD of Windows XP with the pirated license key written on it with sharpie.

Your CPS seems to work fine under WINE. It makes programming the radio a breeze. Thanks for all the work you put into it.

Can someone explain to me the purpose of POTA? I've been watching Mike on Ham Radio Tube and he's had several videos up where he is using various objects as antennas for his G90. I understand that there are "hunters" and "activators" and that the goal is for the activator to go into a park of some sort and get a certain amount of contacts in a certain amount of time and then that is plotted into an app of some sort? Simple question, is this just for the gamesmanship of saying "I can do it!" and it's something HAM guys do for fun? Or is there a broader sense to it in that they creating a map whereby other HAM people will know that contact can be made from this location to that location? And in that regard is it prep for a grid down situation? Or am I reading too much into it? I've been all over their website and still don't really "get it."

Im searching for a repeater in the Charleston SC area and haven't come up with anything. Does anyone know if I'm missing one?

If there's anything I can do in the BF-F8HP Pro CPS or other tools to help them work better under WINE, let me know.

LOL!!! And here I thought "Patio On The Air" was funny.

I understand your position. But in our case, it makes sense. We can currently sort of daisy chain comms as Steve lives about 3 miles south of Bob who wants to talk to Billy who lives 3 miles south of Steve. Bob calls out for Steve who relays it on to Billy. But if Steve would just put up a repeater, Bob could get Billy without bothering Steve. The spot we have to put up a repeater is above the line of sight of all trees and buildings in the area so while it won't get us to the moon, we feel confident it will link us all up.

That was quick.

It came today! Now I just got to find some one to go up on my tower.

Are there any “legitimate” domestic (US) uses for this radio?

That's good. The engineer in me would like to know a bit more about the "how and why" that is the case.