Leaderboard

I ended up bringing the radio in and using the CPS. I might try out changing the mode and adding the GMRS code plug to it later. For now, I'm just getting used to having a radio in the truck with me. Next step is going to be the permanent antenna, but that can wait for another day.

I don’t participate in the contests. Perhaps the majority of us don’t. I have no problem ignoring the contests. On summer Field Day our club provides comms for a bicycle race.

In the early GMRS years, the 462.675 MHz (GMRS Ch. 20) freq pair with CTCSS tone 141.3 Hz was designated as a nationwide emergency channel. In the subsequent years and as GMRS evolved, the same channel and tone was no longer restricted to just emergencies and became recognized as a nationwide travel channel and tone and GMRS organizations recognize and utilizes Ch. 20 as the standard travel channel. Yes, CB Ch. 19 was recognized as a nationwide truckers channel except for a very small part of California, and in Oregon and Washington State. Three other CB channels were used instead of Ch. 19. Ch. 19 was only used in the California desert traveling north and east from Barstow. I get it that "some people" would like to designate GMRS Ch. 19 as a travel channel just like CB Ch. 19 was recognized as a nationwide channel on the highways and byways decades ago. But, why change something that has been in play for many years before GMRS has exploded in popularity in the last couple years. Ch. 20 should remain the travelers channel tone 141.3 and lets not create unnecessary confusion among the newbie and longtime GMRS users. I kinda like the idea of designating Ch. 19 as a nationwide calling channel but a nationwide travelers channel and tone has already been decided way before most of the newbie users were born. Keep Ch. 20 and 141.3 Hz CTCSS as the travelers calling/monitoring channel as it has been recognized as such for more years than most GMRS users have been living.

16, already using it for off road and I can't be bothered to change the channel but seriously even though I'm no where near line "A" I would not choose to exclude them so if I had to choose I'd say 20 but does anyone really use a road channel for GMRS? Add me to the scanning category.

Thank you all for your comments. I already have all the things necessary for the tape measure one so my investment is basically zero and I just want to kind of get my feet wet building stuff. I'm just hoping that I can get out to the local repeaters from my house and provide a stronger signal than capable with the rubber duck on the handheld. If I can do that I will call it a success.

Apparently you missed a few of the details. The OP didn’t take it. The people who found the coax loaded it and took it to a place where the rightful owners should find it.

You transmit to the repeater on 467.xxx and receive from the repeater on 462.xxx. Anything that comes out of the repeater will be heard on 462.xxx. That includes the repeater beep that indicates that the repeater has been activated. Sometimes the volume of this beep is very low and hard to hear. Sometimes it is sent without a tone. If it is sent out without a tone, and you have your receive tone set, you will not hear it. Leave the receive tone out for a while until you feel comfortable that everything is working. Afterwards, you can set it so that you don't have to hear all the extra signals that you will sometimes hear in a congested area. Where I commute back and forth to work. I hear lots of signals from businesses along the highway. I have my receive tone set so I don't have to listen to all that extra noise. Just a primer incase you don't understand tones: A tone on the receive squelches out any signal not carrying that specific tone. If you transmit with a tone: Someone without a receive tone will hear you. Someone with the same receive tone will hear you. Someone with a different receive tone will not hear you. Hope this helps.

It might not even be a problem. It may be that the repeater is identifying itself, possibly with Morse code even, and that it’s programmed to do so without CTCSS. If you remove the CTCSS (or DCS) Code on your end you might be able to hear what it is.

I don’t. I will sometimes listen to ham radio though.

We need to be using our radios, both HAM and GMRS, for serious discussions. I'm not going to explain because it should be obvious to anyone with two brain cells. I'd even like to extend the concept to the forum but I don't expect much from the jokers here. Get serious or don't press the PTT button!

Enjoy your weekend !

https://thewireman.com/product/1175-uhf-female-n-male/ https://thewireman.com/product/50ft-rg8x-mini-low-loss-pl259-installed/ You can't do much better.

Define "serious". I don't want to make the mistake of having the wrong conversation on my repeater on my commute, which by the way starts in 7 minutes.

Gmrs MOXON is fairly easy too. Use any of the online calculators to get the measurements

It looks like they've moved to a club requiring dues, probably why they switched the channel to requiring a password (I got bumped out by that move too, btw). Their webpage seems to be offline, but they have a club page on the site, if you want to go that route: https://forums.mygmrs.com/clubs/49-broadnet-gmrs-repeater-systems/

CN-901V to be specific as there are several 901 models. The V goes to 525 MHz. Sent using Tapatalk

If you're talking about needing a password to connect to a certain channel, identifying the channel may help with getting you pointed to the relevant contacts (or otherwise providing help). I've definitely run into a couple that I hadn't been on in a bit and either needed a password, or had been bumped out of the "trusted" group.

I built a tape measure yagi for 440 back in 2007 from a QST article. It did in fact work, but only for handheld use as the elements flop in the wind. I picked up an Arrow dual band satellite yagi and it is much better but still handheld use. Sent using Tapatalk

I do the same thing for trail runs. It's more rewarding and useful than amassing points. We had the California QSO Party last weekend. I gave away a couple dozen points to folks trying to get California, but some of those folks had amassed over a thousand contacts with California in one weekend. No thank you.

I have an FT-4x and I like it. I like the FT-65r even better. But to repeat @OffRoaderX, there’s no need for unlocking. The exact same frequencies can be received whether the radio is locked or unlocked and reception is all that’s necessary for RDF. That very wide receive range is typical of nearly all modern radios.

You may be better off with a simple dipole. A 1/4 wave will have the vertical radiator about 19" long. A panel mount SO239 connector can be had for less than $5 and the needed wire can be found in the big box hardware stores. https://www.americanradiosupply.com/so-239-uhf-female-4-hole-panel-mount-coaxial-connector/

This is one of the problems with amateur radio. So many activities have devolved into contests and bogus 5-9 signal reports. I enjoy Field Day and Parks On The Air because they get everyone off the grid and outside, but the contest aspect does get old.

You took your good energy to load it. Return it to where you think it might belong (and found by the possible owner) and call the supposed owner of the place you dropped it off at, to inform them it was you that placed it there and why. You'll sleep better at night. and you know why.

The way field days are run, as a contest, I refuse to participate other than seeing if I can make a contact. I don't submit my logs either.

Usually someone else talking on the channel using another code your radio isn't programed on.

Their end.

Just look under GMRS

What’s the backup plan for people in Seattle, Detroit, etc?

The newer ones with the USB-C connector can be set to Wide-Band.. Older ones cannot.

Summerville, SC also. I have been licensed for about 2 months now WRYG604. Also, I am a licensed HAM (KB4ERT) for 33 years. Still trying to learn about GMRS, I have a BAOFENG GM-15 PRO, I'm still having a learning curve about programming it. WRYG604-Bert

the taste of sin is sweet. we must have integrity men.

“Off with his thumb!”

In this screen grab from an FCC training film, we can see that an unlicensed radio operator is being cited by an FCC agent tasked with hunting down and prosecuting anyone caught pressing a PTT button on a radio without proper licensing.

C'mon man, dont joke around! As @Adamdaj pointed out, this is a very serious subject, i'm just waiting for his response because obviously the FCC takes these matters very seriously.

Every time someone keys up without a license, a puppy dies.

What happens if you press the PTT on the H.A.M. bands without a amateur radio license?

The thing that I don't like about clubs is that they (Group Leader) make it a point to change things without notifying their members of procedural changes and when they try to log in to the page only to find out they have to request for membership all over again that's why membership in groups are dropping IMO.

If you are using a UV-5G, you dont need to use the offset. Step by step: Go to a channel that says REPTR and an number. Press "Menu", Press the Up arrow until you get to "T-DCS" or "T-CTCS" Press "Menu" Use the Up or Down arrow until you find the number that corresponds to the tone e.g. 141.3 or 156.7 etc Press "Menu" Now do the same thing for "R-DCS" or "R-CTCS" Press "ecs" and key up