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We all know this is absolutely un-true.. Only about 90% of them are like that.

I can't believe this is true AND you have the previously stated opinion. You would know that there is no other group or assortment of technology, techniques and talent that can match what we can accomplish and have accomplished with amateur radio and our partnerships with the aforementioned agencies. When no one else can communicate, Hams can. I'm certainly not bashing GMRS, FRS. The best solution is the one you have, but I'm not going to sit here and let you post that BS opinion and not call you out. Sorry... but no.

I can't even begin to describe how ignorant and arrogant you sound. You clearly have zero practical experience in amateur radio, how the operators are integrated within local, state and federal emergency response plans, nor the overwhelming success the amateur radio community has had serving in actual national emergencies. The assumption that every operator is a decrepit, overweight, old man whom needs rescuing is laughable at best. Sorry @OffRoaderX I know that has Sad Ham written all over it... but I have to draw the line somewhere. LOL

Old racks and the new ones. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Ham is touted as the best option for emergency communications or SHTF situations. The problem is that old fogies who run the miscellaneous clubs, and prepper groups, think that reading fox news headlines over the local repeater, or broadcasting which Costco still has pallets of toilet paper in stock during a crisis is going to be the best use of 2 way radio comms after a major emergency. The reality of course is that inexpensive radios that can be looted from the local Walmart and distributed to neighbors will be used for coordinating the digging of latrines, and clearing debris with a little bit of search and rescue thrown in for good measure. In the case of a major disaster, overweight retirees with ham licenses, will be the ones needing rescue, not providing essential communications (or any useful assistance whatsoever). FRS/GMRS fits the bill for easily accessible equipment that can be rapidly deployed where and when its needed. Amateur radio, while an excellent hobby for a 10 year old boy scout to learn about radio communications, radiation, frequency spectrums, and other nerdy stuff, it's not well suited for the stated purpose, precisely because of the specialized, complicated, and overpriced equipment required for basic functionality. Personally, I think the testing requirement for the tech(+) license has outlived its usefulness and only serves as a way to keep lonely old guys busy proctoring exams, and pontificating about the dangers of cheap Chinese radios. Removing the testing requirement (not the operating rules) would do a world of good for improving ham as a hobby, and make it more useful for emergency communications.

I know, since this post, Ham Radio now costs for the license, but Ham Radio itself is NOT cheap, unless you go with a Chinese radio and stick with repeaters. If you upgrade and get into HF you are looking at thousands of dollars just to effectively communicate and run with the big boys. Its one of many things that turn me off about HF. The big thing about Ham Radio tests for people who just want to talk is that they don't want to have to learn all that technical radio stuff. They just want to use repeaters and talk. Of course, if you live in many areas, especially like I do in the northeast, repeaters are dead so getting into Ham Radio makes no sense unless you want to jump on HF and activate OTA stations. Seems like that's all Ham Radio is now. CONTESTS. We're doomed if that's the case. If they behave like they have around me when bad weather pops up and Skywarn is supposed to be activated, You're better off tucking your head between your legs and kissing your butt goodbye. I have personally witnessed times where Ham Radio should have been used and it wasn't and it could have costed lives. Thanks to our reliable cell phone networks, people were properly warned. Ham radio is a hobby for contesting and experimenting. Its something for people who want to learn about radio and if it is left as that without the rotten politics that consume it, Its a real fun hobby because it covers just about every sort of radio communication with the exception of trunking and encryption. There is a lot to learn and many wonderful knowledgeable Hams to teach people. Emergency communication, national security, etc? It will never happen. That's what GMRS/FRS is for. More people can throw money at the FCC and get a license than can throw money at the FCC AND take a test on theory they dont care about. FRS radios can be found at any corner store and GMRS radios are found all over Ebay, Bridgecom, and many other sites. GMRS/FRS is the service that preppers and other survivalists are drawn to more. Its got your short range you want and you are able to operate repeaters if you want (licensed of course).

Or mobile hotspot.

Yes...in the car. I think this is it. I've found on various channels if I aim the antenna in specific part of the headliner it happens. Could be the satellite or GPS antennas interfering.

@WROZ250 I'm curious which authorized resellers have raised the prices. I just checked all the ones I've purchased from (Adafruit, Sparkfun, Pishop.US, The Pi Hut) and of course none of them HAVE any RPIs, but they are still showing the MSRP. Interestingly enough, I also checked Mouser and Digikey and while Digikey's prices seem to match MSRP, Mouser's are higher, but only by a few bucks, not double or anything like that. One thing to note is that Amazon is NOT an authorized reseller. If you had looked on Amazon for RPIs a year or two ago, you would have found lots of accessories but no actual boards. Now, you can find LOTS of boards for sale, at tremendously inflated prices. How about an RPi 3B+, which should cost $35, for $239??? I think I'll pass, thanks. But if you look at the listings, they aren't actually being sold by Amazon. The order might ship from an Amazon warehouse, but it's a third-party seller. At lot of them don't even ship from Amazon but directly from the seller.

Well, that sort of makes @Radioguy7268 case. If somebody is willing to pay a 3rd party 400% over retail, then they kind of deserve to get fleeced. Still, I don't see the 'authorized retailers' selling at MSRP, so they too are profiting to some extent. You are correct however, It isn't illegal, but it is horribly unethical. Either way it's a bad situation. While I don't have a stockpile, I do have enough for the projects I am working on and, while I would have liked to have had a few more in hand, I simply cannot justify paying even the best prices today. Given that, I have been looking at other SBC options if not reusing an older PC with Linux OS. I too apologize for the off track pull on the thread. ?

It's not the authorized resellers that are doing this, so don't blame them. They are still selling them for the official price. Check a few of their websites and you'll see that's the case. These are people who are buying RPis from the authorized resellers (at the MSRP) and turning around and offering them at jacked-up prices. Is that illegal? No. Is it unethical? I would argue that it is, especially when these folks are using things like bots that monitor the authorized reseller websites and as soon as there are any RPis available they buy 100 or 1000. I don't think many hobbyists have those resources available to them. That's why many (hopefully all) of the resellers have taken measures to prevent this. Here's the word from Raspberry Pi: https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/production-and-supply-chain-update/ I didn't mean to take us off into a discussion on the ethics of the free market. Personally I find it disturbing that I can't just order a couple RPis any time I want like I could a year or so ago. Fortunately I have a small stockpile (we're talking 3 or 4, not 3 or 4 hundred!) that I can use for any projects I am working on. I might even be willing to part with one or two. $1500 sounds like a good starting bid. ?

The official price for Raspberry Pi boards has not gone up one cent. Unfortunately, like many other things, they are in short supply due to the ongoing chip shortage and other logistical challenges. There are people out there that are buying them (usually in quantity) from an authorized reseller when they are available and turning around and selling them at rip-off prices. Many of the legit resellers are taking measures to prevent that from happening, but they are still very hard to locate. And yes, Asterisk (including the Allstar flavor) will run on a PC running Linux.

Sounds like what you are looking for is some kind of 'hot spot'. I think a bigger issue you might be running into is finding a GMRS network that will accept a non-repeater (i.e. Hot Spot) connecting to their network. Many, including the MyGMRS network only allow repeaters to connect. That said, I do know such system are out there because You Tube has all sorts of videos with people building these things. Unfortunately most of these are running asterisk (a.k.a A-star or Allstar) or some variation of it on a RPi. Really disgusting how much the price of the RPi has gone up. ? I could be wrong, but I believe there is a version of asterisk that will run under Linux on a PC. Good Luck in any event.

Hello all, It's been a while since I posted and I look back fondly at all the former post and interactions from last year when I first got my GMRS license. What started as a upgrade from having a CB radio in my vehicle to GMRS for off-road communication has definitely morphed into something way beyond what I imagined. I remember all the input about getting my rig setup, coaxial, base antennas, etc. and am very thankful for all those that help inspire me to explore and experiment more of the radio world. All of that led me to get my ham ticket in December and now four months into amateur radio, I'm a general class operator. Having so much fun in vhf, uhf, hf, and dmr! I encourage all other radio operators to stay current with GMRS and also get their ham ticket, as it does open up many new avenues of radio operation(s). 73 to all and stay RadioActive! de WROA675/KN6SDM

I have learned that anyone that calls something "junk", or worse, "cheap Chinese junk!!" without ever even using the device is an idiot, and should be ignored. I have several Wouxun radios, including multiple KG1000Gs, and I have many friends that also have them. The radios aren't perfect, and there is always a chance of getting a dud, but assuming you purchase it from BuyTwoWayRadio, they have great support and will always take care of you. The KG1000G is my favorite high-power Part 95 mobile radio, I dont care what the "expert" radio-bigots say.

Well, here is where I think a slight change of tactics could help. Instead of telling people their radios are garbage, let them look at ALL of the tests in one place. You don’t need to advocate for any particular brand or radio. I remember, back when I was more into motorcycles than anything, looking at the back pages of a cycle (or cycle world, motorcyclist? I forget. Point is one had the following data) and there you would find a full page with virtually every bike they tested. 1/4 mile times, top speed, breaking distance, weight, price etc. An odd brand (Bimota) had some really good numbers... but cost a small fortune. Like $20k when a good Japanese bike was like $7500. Obviously, those were dream bikes, so we found bikes that fit our budgets and still performed as best they could at that price.... and we always kept an eye out for a used bike we could afford, that gave us performance that was well above our wallets ability to match in a new bike. Same works here. If someone has a budget of $50 to start, let them buy their Baofeng. When they decide they like the hobby enough to upgrade, they can. Yeah, it may well be junk, but it’s also $50. Not a bad way to test the waters. For many, there is going to be an acceptable price/performance ratio. They might look at the Boafengs and want a step up, so they look at the Wouxun... which is a step up, but still not a top end radio. If they could see HOW MUCH of a step up it is, perhaps they would see that for a bit more, they could have a LOT more radio, and maybe it changes their minds by giving them the information to make a well informed purchase. Not everyone is going to want a Motorola off of E-bay, they might want more features, or simply don’t want to gamble on how good the radio still is, sight unseen. But maybe, in time, they decide they do want a top of the line radio, so they buy a brand new Motorola (or Kenwood, or Icom or...). And someday they sell that to someone looking to upgrade from their Wouxun. It doesn’t have to be insults back and forth. Very few will listen to someone telling them they bought garbage, at least compared to someone telling them, that for their next radio, if they want to see some significant improvements to buy the better brands. I’ve heard (or read) it said “Boafeng has done more for amateur radio (and I suggest GMRS as well), than any club, web page, or organization.” And I believe it is true. Had it not been for my ultra cheap Boafengs, I wouldn’t have gotten my, tyt, Anytone, or my new Icom, much less my GMRS license. Putting the data all out there at once takes away the “radio snob” bull$#!t and lays it all out there for all to see. Some will make better choices because of it. If People send me the data, I will organize it and post it for all to see. I don’t have many radios, and nothing to test with beyond an SWR meter. I won’t be able to generate much data, but I can organize it and even add some grading systems that help people make sense of the numbers without being a full on radio nut.

FRS is a Family Radio Service. As in: you buy the (part 95) radios, you blabber on them, no restrictions. Families use them on camping, fishing, hiking trips, on playgrounds, on county fairs, in shopping malls. Business can use FRS if it suites the needs, like if you are a construction guy on the top of the 5-story building tired of yelling silly at your crew below. Or you are an employee at the valet parking lot. Proper certified FRS radios have fixed antennas. Anyone can monitor and listen on FRS frequencies. Anyone can perfectly transmit on FRS frequencies using FRS radio, including HAM operators. Illegal radios exist and will always exist, just like illegal guns and illegal drugs. And illegal speeding. And illegal fishing. To require to end FRS or pay for FRS license because your operations are inconvenienced, is very wrong, even if you paid $70 for 10 years. Amateur operators (HAMs) are not vital for the national security. It's a hobby, just like knitting or cat grooming. Nuclear subs, healthy economy, transportation network, energy independence, free press, sane leadership are vital for national security. You know what else is vital - a clear head on top of every citizen's shoulders.

Hi Everyone, It's come to my attention that a few members may be posting advertisements for their business in an aggressive manner. For example, they may not be interacting with the other members in a productive way, only pushing their products or services. I think it's a good time to enact a new policy for the forums whereby member advertising is prohibited without written consent from me, the owner. I don't mind a simple signature line that includes your company name, but I do not want to allow posts that are advertising your business. We cannot be held responsible for these posts and we certainly do not endorse any companies other than our approved advertisers. If you'd like to advertise with us, please get in touch with me to discuss. I'm very flexible on rates; doesn't matter if you're a small company or large. Our moderators Gary, William and Scott, as well as myself, reserve the right to edit or remove any posts which serve as an advertising platform that isn't approved by me. This serves to protect the other members as well as myGMRS and its parent company, RepeaterFinder, LLC. Thanks for your understanding, Rich WQEJ577 N2DLX