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First before investing in any kind of radio for P25 monitoring, particularly for public safety, you want to make sure it's not encrypted. If it is you're hosed. You won't find any way to break the encryption normally used. Second it's not a trunked system. Some radios will NOT scan trunking systems unless they are registered/affiliated. That's can't happen without the system administrator of the system authorizing your radio on it, which likely 99.999% of the time won't happen. There are some ways to do what is called a "non affiliated" scan. It usually means some way to spoof the radio to think it's really on the trunking system. I have a buddy who managed to do that with some XTS2500's on 700/800 MHz to monitor his local PD. He's lucky they don't encrypt. It's usually the first item above that spoils the idea of monitoring.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. You stated you have Motorola DMR radios but don't have a HAM license. So on what service are you using those radios?

With the exception of CB Radio, FRS, Marine and Aviation in the United States, and IMS Spread Spectrum, I believe all services require some type of Station or Operator license.

I have a Baofeng DM-32UV, still in the box. I intend to configure the analog side for GMRS. I'll RX only on the digital side for now, but would like to know what I should be listening to. It's not a matter of how to program it, it's a matter of what to program, i.e. what should a DMR newbie be listening to? Is there a recommended beginner code plug?

Some scanners receive P25.

Not really. Ground is the reference for everything so lightning always wants to flow towards it, but you don’t want it going through your house to get there. Plus lightning isn’t very good at reversing its direction instantly. It would be different if lightning caused a long term voltage increase.

Okay, but on what service can you use DMR without a license? The only one I'm aware of is PMR446 in Europe.

Thanks for the reply. I will look at the link you gave. What you said confirms what I thought. The one thing that makes no sense that I always hear is not letting the lightning in your house yet that is essentially what is happening when you bond your lightning ground rod to your service ground. That creates a route into your breaker box. I will probably just move the ground wire for the service by putting a ground rod in the back of the house and bond everything together that way. That would be the shortest route and probably the easiest. That will get it off the water line. It looks like I should be able to do that.

The only reason I'm interested in P25 is to RX LEO/EMS frequencies to keep track of what's going on same as I monitor DPS on NFM. You'd be surprised at all the stuff going on on the roadways.

This is at least one of your problems. Imagine sitting next to a window air conditioner while your wife is talking to you at normal speaking voice from another room. Without the AC you would probably hear her. But with the AC, even though her voice is no quieter, the AC is making it very hard to hear her, because it's dominating your hearing. The radio that is transmitting TO the repeater is transmitting at maybe 5 to 15w. That's a very loud window air conditioner, to follow this example. The repeater is the quiet voice in another room. Your receiving radio is sitting next to the window air conditioner, in this example. It cannot "hear" the repeater because there's a very strong signal next to it. This is called de-sensing. The listening radio is desensitized by the overwhelming output of the nearby transmitting radio, preventing it from hearing the very distant radio (the repeater).

In addition to bonding to a water pipe (and a jumper around the non-conductive water meter), my electrical service has a ground rod in the floor under the panels. From there, I have #4 wire through the basement wall to outside, where it runs in an "L" pattern about 100' to the back of the house and then along the back wall. Every 16' I have an 8' long ground rod that the #4 passes through via clamps. That #4 then comes up the back wall of the house about 6', where it is connected to the lightning protector for the antenna.

That's the type of ID used for P25 digital voice mode. Not without a real P25 radio, or a hot spot with the P25 protocol built in. Note P25 radios are expensive. Some used radios people have them priced like Gold Bricks, and IMHO they are way over priced. You can buy really nice used DMR and NXDN radios far cheaper than the P25 stuff. For example this is a section of Kenwoods 2024 catalog. Look at the cost to add P25 conventional verses DMR conventional to one of their top tier NX5000 HT's. Note they come out of the box enabled already for NXDN. https://comms.kenwood.com/special/nx_5000/common/pdf/nx_5000_brochure_2016.pdf The price is shocking to say the least. Other manufactures will rape you just as bad. P25 radios are expensive, I'm guessing,for a couple of reasons. One it's a requirement for many emergency communications systems, and its used by just about every government agency. Second, and I don''t know if it's still true or not, but there were/are government grants to cover some of the cost of the equipment. Of course as soon as the government starts handing out money the prices go up because the manufactures figure the end buyer isn't footing the whole bill so the cost, to them out of pocket, isn't as big of a deal.

I've tried to hit 725/Shaw Butte which I normally would hit easily but lately I've had no luck with it. Even on our list there's only a couple repeaters in the Metro Phoenix area.

No worries, I was sure you were only trying to help. I purposely didn’t quote your post so it wouldn’t be saved in mine.

I've done pretty good flipping certain Hytera Radio Equip.. Mostly Hytera Repeaters. I do weekly search's on the stuff and have noticed a huge decline in Hytera equip adds over the last month. Then yesterday i got an email from an ebay seller i've worked with telling me Ebay is restricting Hytera related adds. Not only do i see a decline in Hytera stuff but other manufactures i.e. Motorola, Kenwood etc.. Apparently Hytera is on the Homeland Security radar over networking issues..

Not sure what CCS7 is. I understand DMR and P25. Also, another question, will I be able to RX P25 channels?

You can go on eBay right now and find serialized firearm receivers, suppressors, and any number of highly illegal things... They do not care at all. Call me cynical but somehow I can't see them cracking down on radios in any meaningful way. If the ATF can't get them to enforce the law what chance does the FCC have.

I live in Califailure.. Ebay does have capability to censor adds based on states and their laws.

I agree. I don’t understand.

That's sort of interesting. You have two different ID's that both show as working for DMR/P25. Not sure why the first one shows for DMR/P25/CCS7 since your DMR ID should work for that already unless they are maintaining two separate databases for DMR and CCS7.

You have to use the OpenGD77 CPS. You want to. That’s the whole point of going to OpenGD77 is to be able to use the much simpler CPS.

Interesting. I guess it’s possible that because you live somewhere else that your eBay results are censored. Is that your state government or eBay’s doing?

If my radio comes with GD77 installed do I still use the factory CPS or is there one made just for GD77 that I'll need to use? Also, would it be possible to add a DMR section to the Forum?

The simple answer is no, don’t invite the lightning into your house. Which is the most direct way for a lightning induced surge to get to the service ground? The box where your surge suppressors are is also connected to your service ground, but if running from the mast ground to the service ground is straighter, then that’s what you should do. Motorola R56 is the bible of station grounding, but most questions related to home amateur radio equipment bonding and grounding can be answered with this document: https://reeve.com/Documents/Articles Papers/Reeve_AntennaSystemGroundingRequirements.pdf On page 3 is a diagram that shows a bonding conductor running from the mast to the antenna discharge unit and then to the service ground. On page 10 it shows a bonding electrode running from a tower to a grounding electrode and then to the service ground electrode with a separate ground conductor running from the antenna discharge unit and the service ground, so it can be done either way.

Randy, Looks like you are 100% correct. The seller sent me the same page Ebay sent him notifying him of their denialing of allowiing him to sell Hytera stuff. Kirk, The link below is what eBay sends. Evidently eBay searches for key words RD-982, or Repeater. The word Hytera itself does not trigger the response below. Notice this dates back some time. https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist