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Here’s what the regulations say: General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). A mobile two-way voice communication service, with limited data applications, for facilitating activities of individual licensees and their family members, including, but not limited to, voluntary provision of assistance to the public during emergencies and natural disasters.

No, he didn’t say wide and was required.

I’m sorry, but I haven’t.

Obviously he wasn’t a sad ham. ?

The few XPR6550’s I got used were missing the side port covers. I was at a Ham radio flea market a while back and spotted a bag with 4 or 5 of them inside on a table. The guy was selling mostly Motorola gear. Unbelievable he just gave me the bag for free after I inquired about what he wanted for them. He said he had no use for them. Who says there aren’t any nice people around anymore, there are!

The current licensing and band planning done by HAM operators & volunteer coordinators is 100% necessary for the cooperative use of the HAM bands. I think many probably don't realize it, but this website is doing a decent job of that for GMRS, whether intended or not. Allowing us to post our frequency use and coordinate with others around us does some of the job of those frequency allocation volunteers, be it passive or active, either way we tend to not want to step on each other. GMRS is a small band and there's not much room on it so this serves a really important roll. I've noticed even on CB; people will use self-appointed handles and even have use specific channels, there are unspoken rules. Seems like those who use radio have a tendency toward coordinating and cooperation, similar to what is followed by ham operators. All that said, I think GMRS users should agree that GMRS use should be limited to one of if not the final circle in your encompassing circles of communication. Meaning GMRS should be used in and around your community. In my head this basically looks like this: GMRS/FRS Simplex around the neighborhood, GMRS Repeaters for the community, 2M/70cm for community to community, 10m/CB/6m for county wide, and you're looking at a general ham license for anything beyond that. Sorry if this is a bit of a rant, I've been thinking about this for some time and needed to get it out.

I forgot to mention something. And this WILL draw the attention of the FCC and get new rules put into place. Long abut the time that a situation does occur that puts these guys in harms way and the repeaters are overloaded and a group can't communicate out on their repeater because of the others the FCC will step in. Not to help, but to create a ruling that bans the use of GMRS for these types of groups. It's gonna require a group getting up on a mountain somewhere and someone getting killed for it to happen but it will happen. GMRS is NOT for public safety and is NOT to be relied on for life and death communications. It's a shared resource that we are provided by the government for personal and family communications. Go read the rules and see where it says anything different. Using the service for SAR is stretching it and using it for fire fighting or other life safety activities is certainly not what it's for. Those activities are clearly meent for the public safety bands of the LMR allocations. And if the groups are accredited and registered, I am not sure that there is even a licensing fee for them to get frequencies. But there again, these are most likely self appointed groups that aren't serving any specific agency or jurisdiction.

The MXTA26 is what I use on my Jeep.. It replaced a Tram.

Thanks for the feedback all. Had a boo boo off road and put a dent in my oil pan right where the drain plug was so when I went to change the oil I found I needed a new pan. Ended up using my radio funds for that little mistake. I will be aquiring one, but probably early next year. Thanks again and happy holidays!