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For what it's worth, there are some federal statutes (I'm out and don't remember at the moment) that state HOAs 'must' make reasonable accommodations for 2-way radio equipment. My friend actually went to court over and the HOA lost. He replaced his small antennas that could only be seen off property through about 2 degrees of opening in the trees, with a giant mast that is 20 feet higher than the house and has several monster antennas for HF, VHF and UHF.

I recall this from my general test last week

Funny enough neighborhood is full of "karens". Complaining about leaf blowers and lawn mowers during business hours. That can be heard in their house. Same people where if they were less financially secure with live under a glide path to an airport. Then demand they move the airport that was there 40 years prior to the houses. Lol. I will have to recheck the covenant. But it's pretty restrictive. Not sure about the op. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

While I was traveling back from a car club driving tour outing up in the San Jacinto Mountains to the Resort where my car club is holding a week long National Convention, I came upon a multi-car traffic collision with the road almost completely blocked in a blinding curve, on State Route 74, between Palm Desert and Idyllwild, and I noticed several people trying to use their cellular telephone probably trying to report the collision. I assumed they were not having any success because we were in a cellular dead zone which was several miles long. I did not stop to check on injuries because there was no safe place to pullover since it was a narrow mountain road with essentially no shoulders. I continued on hoping to see some bars on my cell phone. Fortunately, I had both my portable and mobile GMRS units with me and I attempted to make contact with another station that could relay the incident to the California Highway Patrol. I knew there were two repeaters in the area so I tried Coachella Valley Repeater and called out in the blind asking if any station would relay the incident to the CHP. A station in the Salton City Area answered up and relayed the incident and came back to tell me he was successful in making contact with the CHP. I signed off and continued my drive back to La Quinta It pays to have a GMRS Radio as an additional means of communications to report emergencies to public safety agencies. Also, it pays to be prepared and know the GMRS system in the area you are traveling in and have your radio units programmed accordingly just in case. This was the “just in case”.

I'm brand new to the GMRS world. Just joined AZGMRS. Live most of the time in Chandler while trying to figure out how to spend less time here and more in Linden (near Show Low).

I bet that was "Auto Repair Randy" in Salton City! He's always monitoring that repeater.. We chat every time i go 4X4ing anywhere in the area.

You'll have to shop around a bit. Don't get in a rush to buy one. A second alternative is the TK-3173. It's the same radio but with trunking features, which you won't care about for GMRS. It's programmed using the same software and cable as the TK-3170. http://www.swscomm.com/kenwood/TK-3173.pdf Oh, before I forget the radios are Part 95 certified to so they are perfectly legal to use on GMRS. Also make sure you get a US market code model. They are several different types out there. I got two from Ireland a while back that required a different version of the software to program them. Look at the photos and VERIFY it has an FCC ID of "ALH34713110". Sellers frequently get the description wrong so looking at the FCC ID is a good way to be sure what you're looking at is what you want. If you get either one I have all the documentation, brochures - user manuals - service manuals, for them. I also have the programming software and the most current radio firmware too. While the official frequency range is 450MHz to 490MHz you can program in frequencies under 450MHz for use on the Ham 70cm band if you have a license or thinking about getting one. The software will generate a warning every time you do that but will accept the entry when you click OK. I have a number of Ham 70cm repeaters programmed in mine and it does work. One of the reasons I like Kenwood radios. Some other manufactures won't let you do this. TK-3170 Grant.pdf

I'm close enough to know where (and what!) the Qmart is, and trust me, they are not the only local users on 151.625. I've got a license for that frequency & use it in my VHF rental fleet. My biggest problem on that channel is a bunch of paving contractors who use it as an unlicensed "chat channel" while they're driving between jobs. Judging by what I've heard & how far apart they've been, they're using at least 25 to 40 watt mobile radios on what's supposed to be a low power channel. Not quite sure why you would willingly admit to operating unlicensed on a freq, but if you're looking for a blessing I doubt you're going to find it. However, in reality you are not the first and probably won't be the last to violate the rules in VHF.

Static on receive is typically caused by one of two things. First is signal levels from the transmitter (repeater) you are listening to isn't sufficent to fully capture the receiver you are using to monitor the transmitter. Second possibility is that something is loose in your antenna system and not making 100% contact all the way from the antenna to the radio. This could be a bad coax, loose antenna or part in the antenna, or even a loose RF connector on the radio. Go through the system, verify the cable isn't pinched or damaged in any way and that all connections are tight.

I thought the amateur antenna is protected if you are a mars operator. Then it is protected by the DOD. Then everyone can go pound sand. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I know that 47 C.F.R. §97.15 applies to Amateur Radio, and section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 covers almost everything else. If the HOA bust chops about a CB or GMRS antenna, I would just get my Amateur license and then the antennas would be protected.

This is why so many auto race tracks go away.

I feel like intentionally cutting residents off from emergency transmissions and news *has* to be illegal!

There may be other ways to get the repeater information such as the local ham/GMRS group or by scanning the input frequency with a radio that can scan for the tone, then connecting to the repeater and calling out/asking for permission, or just using it until someone tells you to not use it.

The peak of the eaves. I have a giant triangle on the side of the house. Some 40 feet off the ground. Mobile verticals are going to be omni. Very few people use mobile yagis. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

You're not licensed to use it. You know that for a fact? Did you go there and ask them to be sure? This is how it usually starts. The typical excuses: "I'm not hurting anyone" "I'm not interfering with anything" "Nobody uses the frequency anyway" "The FCC doesn't care" and so it goes. Why bother with rules when people ignore them anyway? That's how the CB 11M band ended up the mess it became in the late 70's and early 80's. And that's not talking about the freebanders above 27.405MHz. Hams can tell you all about the illegals operating on the lower end of the CW section of the 10M band.

That guy is a clown..and a shill for all the cheap Chinese radio companies that tell him what to say, and he doesn't know what he's talking about because he doesn't have a H.A.M. license.. I know all this because he lives rent-free in so many people's heads here at MyGMRS that keep watching and then complaining about his videos even though they hate him so much... So all that stuff must be true.

Also for my GMRS HTs I sometimes use a Nagoya NA-771G, or a Nagoya NA-701G when I get tired of poking myself in the eye. These both are optimized for GMRS, like the previous antennas I mentioned. Notarubicon has good videos on YouTube if you want to get ideas without breaking the bank, but @OffRoaderX will tell you that you are his favorite viewer. Don't fall for it ?

Thanks for the reply. I look forward to chatting with you.