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They're fun, inexpensive radios (well, my experience is with the UV5G, but practically the same). However, true scanners they are not. Even a 22 year old Radio Shack scanner will breeze through 22 GMRS frequencies in the time it takes a UV5G to get through five to seven. Modern ones are even faster. One of the key elements to scanning is covering the scanned frequencies quickly enough that you don't miss a lot. Dedicated scanners are good at that. They also often allow for easily turning on or off scan banks, quickly.

Or we could go back to using Channel 20!

FCC Line A also excludes people in Seattle, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, most of I80/90 through Ohio, Buffalo, Syracuse, Montpelier and 75% of Maine, from using GMRS channels 19 and 21.

THANK YOU!!!!!

Go to ULS Advanced License Search and look for all GMRS licensees in Texas: https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchAdvanced.jsp;JSESSIONID_ULSSEARCH=NmlSvfQf3LLCynDMknHT40XzHm1LpkTbTyJJNL2ZVqb332mzGd2J!-1761060429!-1920965459

https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchAdvanced.jsp

You just guaranteed this thread will never end.

I have local police and fire programmed into my cheapo Retevis RA25. Is it great? No. Is it entertaining and informative? It is.

"Whatever is out there..." May not be as much as one would like -- depending upon one's taste in "whatever". The state of Michigan basically finished converting all government (city/county/state) systems over to a single P25 TRUNKED system. That wouldn't be so bad -- my ancient GRE scanner does trunking in something like three schemes. BUT -- essentially ALL law enforcement "talk groups" are also encrypted. What is left in the clear is things like: the local city zoo, animal control, maybe sewer and water line services. Oh -- Fire dispatch is still simulcast on analog FM. I suspect the government didn't want to provide volunteer firefighters with new radios programmed for the encrypted channels; the volunteers probably (in the past) had to provide their own scanner for the dispatch calls. My GRE basically sits scanning empty channels except for the rare fire call, while doing checks on the NOAA weather channels for a SAME alert, when it transfers over to sounding the alert message. I understand the Peoples Republic of CA had also done encrypted -- but there seems to be a law-suit or proposal going through to require them to put the traffic in the clear (freedom of information act, or some such "open government" charges). Analog trunking capable scanners are around $200 (these do not handle P25 or other digital voice encodings) https://www.bearcatscanner.com/uniden-bct15x/ Analog NON-trunking a bit over $100 https://www.bearcatscanner.com/uniden-bc355n/ Digital trunking starts in the $420 and up range https://www.bearcatscanner.com/bcd996p2-base-scanner/ Top end model is $750 -- but you have to pay more to activate digital modes beyond P25 and base Motorola/EDACS/LTR modes (DMR, NXDN, etc. are $$)

So tempting. If I wasn't on a final push to pay the house off. Ugh!!! Sent from my SM-T860 using Tapatalk

It's not a nonsense. It is a modification of the existing dipole in an attempt to improve it. By attaching counterpoise you change the currents in the whole antenna, changing many things: pattern, efficiency, SWR, etc. The rationalization of the length (19") comes from the desire to have a center fed dipole (on 2m). Sometimes it helps, often it does not. Here a link with the proper HT antenna testing method explained, and also experiments with counterpoise that show that they are not always good thing to have: https://www.hamradio.me/antennas/ht-antenna-comparisons.html

Agreed with the people understanding the fact YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR YOURSELF... LOL Once most understood that part, it worked decent.

Just program both radios then have the shop re-tune the duplexer. The controller has dip switches for hang time and repeater enable. Here is the manual that has the dip switch stuff. No ID built in. We used an external COMM SPEC repeater panel on some so they could have MPL. This was not designed as a full blown repeater but really a small construction style unit to take from place to place. Basically to complete with the MSI GR300/500 series repeaters. https://www.icomamerica.com/en/downloads/DownloadDocument.aspx?Document=71

The RT97 is ideal. Had one in my motorhome and would cover most camp grounds just fine with a decent antenna. The issue with the surecomm simplex repeaters is people understanding how they work and worse if they can hear both conversations. Save up and get the RT

2nd the RT-97.. Its portable, light, small, rugged, and it works great

This is a very good use for the Retevis RT-97, which is an all in one repeater and duplexer. Add an antenna and cable and you have a small low power repeater.

The repeater is on .550. You'll need to check your radio manual for which repeater channel has the .550. (Judging by the skimpy manual I found, you may have multiple repeater "channels" on .550 -- so you could have multiple repeaters using the same frequency but with different tones). Your radio will transmit on 467.550, using a transmit tone of 136.5 (you can leave the receive tone OFF until you confirm the repeater is accessed). Your radio will receive on 462.550. If you have both units configured for repeater mode, then they are both transmitting on a 467. frequency and listening on a 462. frequency -- so naturally, they can't talk to each other. To do that you need to go to a simplex (non-repeater) channel where they transmit and receive on the same frequency. PS: Posting the same thing in multiple forums just results in split responses and overhead of finding information.

Are you close enough to the repeater to reach it? Can you hear traffic on the repeater at all? I don't know your radio but if the repeater requires tones make sure you have the correct TX tone selected on your radio. You might want to leave the RX tone off until you are sure you can open up the repeater. If the tones are correct do you hear a squelch tail when you transmit? If you are not opening the repeater and everything else is correct you might try moving closer to the repeater and see if you can open it. Try all this on both radios. Will the radios talk to each other on simplex? You could try the Talk Around feature if your radio has it to see if the radios will communicate to each other. try getting some distance between the radios if you can. I imagine someone else will correct me or add anything I didn't know or think of. Let us know what happens.

He would have to have been violating a regulation that a state or other federal agency had on their books for them to take action. Forestry can't enforce FAA regulations unless they have a similar regulation within their rules. Without specific regulations against causing interference or impeding radio communications they have to defer to the FCC as the agency with the jurisdiction to take action.

Now all that being said. GMRS and Ham licenses are BOTH going to be 35 dollars and last 10 years at this point. So the SAR / CERT groups that are pushing folks to get ham licenses could just as easily push their members to get a GMRS license that requires no testing. Ham radio is great for what it is. It's a fun hobby. The problem with ham radio and CERT / SAR operations is they typically want to rely on other peoples infrastructure. ANd that can work if that infrastructure is installed and maintained at a high level. Problem is that it's not always that way and it can become a single point of failure for communications. And I am not saying that a GMRS repeater is somehow more technologically advanced than a ham repeater, but if you as a group have a GMRS repeater, YOU as a group are going to be the ones maintaining it. And while this may 'hurt' ham radio if CERT / SAR folks go the route of GMRS, if that was their only motivation to get a ham license, then what were they bringing to ham radio to begin with?

Since the radio spectrum is controlled by the FCC, through an act of Congress, that would be under Federal Control. So how would a local PD think they can get away with enforcing a law, FCC regulation, they don't have any statuary power to be involved enforcing? It would be like the local PD demanding to see your Ham and or GMRS license. As far as I know they only person you must show it to is a official of the FCC with proper identification being shown.

Oh.. shit. As it turns out, a AM as stupid as everyone says. It is also entire possible that I have had too much NyQuil .. Carry on.

We hear the same thing on the roads.. A lot of nothing and people that dont respond (probably using privacy codes).. When offroading, the official GMRS channel is 16.. This a scientific fact because is "offroading" = "4 X 4" and 4 x 4 = 16 .. so this is the scientific answer to the question - it is explained in more detail in this video made by some Youtube clown: