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I've been looking into building a briefcase repeater using a couple of HT's. It's a summer project I'm working on with my sons. It'll be used mainly for personal communication at some rural property where we don't quite get good coverage with HT's. I will probably order a tuned duplexer from BuyTwoWayRadios. The 462.725/467.725 pair is fairly open in the areas where I might be traveling and there are no repeaters near the property. I can't find a good explanation as to why the duplexers need to be tuned for a specific frequency pair. Why wouldn't a duplexer tuned for GMRS UHF bands be able to cover all pairs as long as the TX and RX radios had the proper offsets on them? As usual, thanks for your help and Happy Father's Day...

I have read that manufacturers wanted it approved so they could sell the same units in the US and Europe. I have no idea if that's true, but it makes sense. If it's true, the manufacturers wouldn't care if the FM feature goes unused and US users would have no incentive to use it.

It could be a number of different things causing the noise. Knowing what vehicle he is using and how it is powered will help. All of the LED bulbs and computer modules on newer vehicles can cause noise. I had to put clamp on ferrite beads on the wires powering my radios and I even put one clamp on ferrite bead on each end of the main wire going from my alternator to the battery on my 2023 Ford Escape. I still get an occasional whine when transmitting. But it doesn't happen often enough to chase down the source. Another thing people sometimes overlook are al of the LED street lights and LED bulbs used in homes. I know the cheap LED lights in my garage are very noisy on 2m, 70cm and GMRS. I don't dare try to use any 2m/70cm or GMRS radios inside the garage with the lights on. Power transformers are another source of noise if they are starting to go bad and/or have bad connections. Solar panels are another source of noise.

Here is the difference between the 2730A and 2730B for those interested.

It shouldn't be if they're still getting it with the engine off and just running off the battery. Could be some noise from lights tho, since seemingly every car turns the headlights on if you so much as walk too close to it

Hi I recently received my GMRS license and call sign, which was issued on 6/1/1/25. I am now trying to register on mygmrs.com to get the details to set up a repeater, and get the following message. "A license could not be found with the given callsign. If it was recently issued, it may not be available in our database yet. Please allow 24-48 hours after the Grant Date on your license before expecting to see your license here" My call sign is WSIR477, so not sure what is going on. It's been more than 48 hours, coudl it be that mygmrs.com just doesn't have my info yet, anything I can do to get this resolved? Thanks in advance for your help. Cheers, Robert

An old thread brought back from the dead. The 2730A is a nice radio. I do find that it does not do so well on GMRS with the MARS MOD compared to other modded/unlocked radios or Type 95 certified GMRS radios. I can highly suggest the 2730B with black screen over the 2730A with its white screen. The $50 difference is worth it. The 2730B screen is so much easier to see in bright sunlight and easier on the eyes at night.

More information will allow us to help you better. Noise can come from many sources. Alternators, spark plug wires. cheap LED lights, using an accessory port, wiring directly to the fuse panel, etc. The best way to connect any two way radio in vehicles is to run the radio's positive wire directly to the positive battery terminal while running the radio's ground wire to a chassis ground. You do not want to use the battery negative terminal, especially on newer vehicles equipped with battery management systems.

I may have mentioned this earlier in the thread... but I think the FCC is 40 years too late in approving FM on CB. I'm glad a manufacturer stepped up and got the change made, but it's just too late.

FM CB. FM. He said no one used FM CB. and he would be correct.

Hey- glad it helped! The Icom rig is super. Big display, compact sized faceplate, Chirp interface for programming. A lot to like!

yea, couple hours ago i was goinna take a drive by a couple cell towers to do close proximity test, but the damn beer won my attention

I remember those days, way back when. . My 70 Chevile played hell with my CB until i put in an electronic ignition

Cell phones work very well at -107dBm and OK at -115dBm and at -120dBm it's getting iffy. So a 50-60dB drop may not be enough in a lot of situations. But you'd have to be pretty close to the cell tower for it not to go below -120dBm in the bag. A -60dBm cell signal is usually right on top of the cell tower.

Well thought out

That's not 'feedback', its noise, or engine noise.. or, ignition noise.. Feedback is a whole 'nuther thing. what kind of car is it, does it have any LED lights, and how is the radio wired for power?

Hi, I have a new Midland MXT275 mobile unit. When I connect to my local repeater, I am told that there is feedback in my response and listeners can hear my engine rev while I drive. I have tried to diagnose the issue by parking, turning the car off, but they can still hear feedback in my transmission.

ok .

Here's are the information 462.600 Ch 25. Pl tone 110.9 If you need help just message me on here WSCX647 Join the Facebook by typing Plymouth County gruop you can type it to on Facebook John runs the gruop he nice guy https://www.facebook.com/groups/627868836267887/?ref=share&mibextid=CTbP7E

Offroaderx is absolutely right, FRS may sound as a better option than CB Radio but sounding good does not mean that it is so. One needs to comprehend the characteristics of each radio service and way the radio waves move through the atmosphere. FRS or GMRS simplex may be fine farms or indoor applications where VHF HI or VHF Low fails. I seriously doubt the FRS would be a replacement for CB radio. I guess if you in group in close proximity convoy it would ideal. But nothing like making call out for anyone who may know why I-95 is backed up 5 miles. You're not going random strangers to give you a heads up on FRS as it was on CB back in the day.

One of Chirp's quirks is that for DTCS, you only enter the code in the "DTCS" column and leave the "RX DTCS" blank and it sets both TX and RX to the same tone.

thanks

If the repeater has a DTCSS 205 you must have it under TX. It’s optional under RX. If you don’t have a code under RX you hear everything transmitted on that frequency. That’s helpful when getting started. Later, you might want to add it under RX, but if you do you only hear transmissions that include the same DTCSS code. DTCSS cross mode is used when you have something different in RX and TX.

Both will work equally well. With Tone you’ll hear everything transmitted by the repeater, even if your TX tone is incorrect. That’s why I recommend starting with Tone. With TSQL you’ll only hear radios transmitting on that frequencies using that CTCSS tone.

1. when using chirp program: if the repeater has a tone: ex: 110.9) on the program, under column (tone mode) select tone and under tone column put the number and that provide me with in and out? 2. ex #2 if the repeater has a DTCS 205 I have to put it under DTCS code column and DTCS Rx code column and Cross Mode DTCS-DTCS or just in one column? thank you. using chrip program. WRUT292