Leaderboard

All types of communication devices can fail or not work due to location. It never hurts to have different modes of communications available to you. And I agree, never go out alone or at least let someone know exactly where you are planning on going.

I would personally stay away from coax cables from Amazon. Yes good quality coax is expensive. But good coax and a good antenna as high as you can get it makes a world of difference. DX Engineering brand coax is pretty good and normally cheaper that Times LMR400 and M & P coax. https://www.dxengineering.com/search/part-type/coaxial-cable-assemblies?N=coaxial-cable-type%3A400max

Sad-H.A.M.s are a myth and do not exi....... I stand corrected...

He has definitely made a business out of it. I heard that the reason the questions/answers are now public is because he sued to get them. He uses them to assemble his books. A new edition must be released every three years when the questions change. And he has a school for the purpose of training hams to upgrade. And now ARRL is his publisher. He has done an excellent job of vertical integration.

I read it the way you intended. I just provided the info I did in the event someone just wanted to read the questions and answers. West does a good job, but they cost money. LOL

I didn’t phrase my statement very clearly. Gordon West doesn’t compile the test questions for the amateur radio exams; he compiles his books using the test questions and answers.

I havnt had any issues so far..

Greetings. If you have programmed your AR-152 radio with Chirp or RT Systems BAO-152 programming software, it is possible that your radio is malfunctioning and you won’t know it because your AR-152 will continue to appear to function normally. I need your help if you (1) have programmed your AR-152 radio with third-party programming software and (2) you own or have access to a VHF-UHF Power Meter. I have purchased a number of these radios and I believe that I have discovered a fairly serious problem that probably affects all AR-152 radios because, as far as I know, Baofeng is still using its original hardware design and A152V01 firmware version. But, since your radio still appears to operate normally, the true problem will be hidden from you. Here’s the problem: When you first receive your new AR-152 it functions correctly. However, as soon as you connect it to either Chirp or RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software and program the radio, a Transmit Power malfunction is triggered and, after this happens, there appears to be no way to restore the radio to normal operation. One of the problems with this malfunction is that your AR-152 radio still appears to function normally. It can still receive and make transmissions. There is zero hint that anything is wrong. When you set TXP=High/Mid/Low, the little “H”, “M”, “L” indicators appear in the LCD and so on. When you push the PTT button, the little transmit icon makes it look like your radio is transmitting the selected power. However, the truth is very different and the only way to determine if your AR-152 is working properly after it has been programmed, is to measure its Transmit Power. If it works properly, setting TXP=High should always produce the highest Transmit Power and setting TXP=Mid should always produce more power than TXP=Low. If you have not yet programmed your AR-152, I strongly recommend that you NOT do so. Configure its Memory channels only via the built-in menus and avoid programming it with external software and you will not trigger the malfunction. If you have programmed your AR-152 with external software, I’d like you to do a quick Transmit Power test and report your results here. Any Surecom Power/VSWR Meter with a 50-ohm test load will work for the test. Here’s the test procedure: Fully charge your AR-152 battery. Put your radio in VFO mode with a long press of the MENU key. Enter a VHF frequency (such as 144.000 MHz) and test the Transmit Power at each of the radio’s three TXP settings (High, Mid, Low). Make a note of the frequency you used and the Watts at each TXP setting. (Hint: The keypad shortcut to change the TXP setting without using the menu is a short-tap of the #/lock-keypad key while the radio is in standby.) Pick a UHF frequency (such as 462.600 MHz) and test the Transmit Power at each of the radio’s three TXP settings (High, Mid, Low). Make a note of the frequency you used and the Watts at each TXP setting. Describe the kinds of programming changes you made when you programmed your AR-152. Turn your radio off. Then press and hold the 3/SAVE key while you turn the radio back on. As soon as the LCD comes to life, release the #/SAVE key and the firmware version of your radio will momentarily appear. It happens so fast that you may need to do this several times so you can record your firmware version. Please include it in your post. (All of my radios have firmware “A152V01”, which I believe is version 1.) If your radio has the Transmit Power malfunction, you’ll discover that the Watts you measure do not match the TXP settings. When TXP=High, the Watts will be too low. When TXP=Mid or TXP=Low, the Watts will be the same and they will be way too high. The dangerous aspect to this is: You think your radio is transmitting its lowest power when you set TXP=Low. But, in reality you’ll be transmitting at nearly full power. To help you visualize the problem, I’ve attached five graphs which illustrate what is happening. Each data point on the plotlines was measured by me. The before measurements were made before the radio was programmed. The after measurements were made after the radio was programmed. The first graph shows the AR-152 when it is working correctly. This is how our radios should work. The second graph shows the AR-152 after the malfunction has been triggered by programming the radio. The third graph combines the first two so you can view both in one graph. The fourth graph focuses on TXP=High only and shows its dramatic drop in level after the malfunction sets in. The fifth (last) graph focuses on TXP=Mid and TXP=Low. The reason TXP setting are shown in the same graph is because, after the malfunction is triggered, the radio thinks they are the same setting and regardless whether you select TXP=Mid or TXP=Low, you'll get the same power level and it will be way too high. Thanks in advance for your help. Together, I hope we can demonstrate to Baofeng that this malfunction is not an isolated incident and this will prompt them to give its solution their highest priority. If you know other AR-152 radio owners who have programmed their radios, please ask them to join myGMRS and add their Transmit Power measurements to this thread. Again, thanks! Kind regards, RGB

It’s nice to see a happy ending story now and again.

@nokones they have GMRS versions of the UV-5R now.

Nice job documenting the problem. Ignore the naysayers. They’re just upset because you’re smarter than they are.

My Experience with the AR-152 I first learned about Baofeng’s AR-152 radio a few months ago from NotaRubicon Productions’ YouTube video (from 07-Nov-2023). I was immediately drawn to the radio because of its gigantic 12,000 mAH (12 AH) battery and its ability to operate over such a wide frequency range which included Ham, Business, MURS and NOAA NWR frequencies in the VHF band and Ham, GMRS and Business in the UHF band. Plus it can receive FM Radio. This makes it an ideal two-way radio for use during an Emergency or Disaster when FCC license requirements are temporarily suspended for people in life-or-death situations. Since then I have purchased a number of these radios from different sellers like Brushbeater and Kong Tone. The first thing I do with a new radio is test it to make sure it is working as intended. This includes Transmit Power tests. Every one of my AR-152 radios tested great and I was very happy with them. Then I programmed my first one using Chirp and the BF-F8HP profile (this is the profile recommended by Brushbeater and it is the ONLY profile that supports all three of the TXP settings (High, Mid, Low)). Chirp enabled me to expand the VHF and UHF frequency limits (as shown in a YouTube video by Indrid Cold on Brushbeater’s website) and I configured some Memory channels to facilitate further testing. Next, I returned to my Transmit Power testing to see how well the expanded VHF and UHF limits worked. This is when I discovered the problem. From that moment on, the Transmit Power of my programmed radio malfunctioned. My first thought was that I must have received a defective radio. So I tried programming a second AR-152 from a different vendor and the same thing happened again. My second thought was that Chirp must be defective or the BF-F8HP profile is an insufficient match for an AR-152. So I found RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software that is specifically made for the AR-152 radio. I purchased a copy and used it to program a third AR-152. The same thing happened again. All three of these radios were brand new and had never been programmed before. I measured the Transmit Power of each of them and all three measured great before they were programmed. I purchased one from Brushbeater and two from Kong Tone. The likelihood of all three radios being defective seems rare. And remember, all three measured great before they were programmed. I took the usual safety precautions so I could restore a radio—before I programmed it: I downloaded and saved its original factory settings using the programming software. Then, after the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered during programming, I did a full factory reset (RESET ALL) and reinstalled the original factory settings. This never fixed a radio. Once the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered, I could find no way to restore the radio to normal operation. Yesterday (08-Apr-2024), NotaRubicon Productions posted a new YouTube video about the AR-152. It stated that the AR-152 is Chirp-compatible. However, I think my tests have shown the opposite. In fact, the current iteration of the AR-152 should not be programmed with any third-party software less you trigger the Transmit Power malfunction. With your help I hope to document the extent of the problem. I have been in contact with Baofeng. They were very nice, but it took three messages, three radios and my detailed graphs to finally convince them of the potential scale of the problem. The last thing they told me was that they had forwarded my data to their “technical team”. However, Baofeng provides zero official support for the AR-152. It is considered a specialty radio which is only sold through select sellers. And they say those sellers configure their AR-152 radios differently for their markets. Therefore, they defer all technical support and warranty service to their sellers (in this case Brushbeater and Kong Tone). I understand their position, but I think this problem, if widespread, is beyond the scope of their sellers and should result in a repair (if possible) or a recall and replacement (if repair is not possible). These are still the early days of this issue and it may take some time before Baofeng responds. As for radio differences from one seller to the next, my radios from Brushbeater and Kong Tone appeared to be configured the same. Kind regards, RGB

Most GMRS certified radios have the firmware locked down so that people cannot unlock them. Most dual band 2m/70cm radios can be unlocked through software hacks or hardware modifications. The issue with unlocked radios is that most go down to 5 watts and GMRS channels 8 - 14 are limited to 0.5 watts since they are in between the GMRS repeater channels. Running at 5 watts, especially on wide band, could cause interference. Yes I do have one GMRS certified 20 watt radio that will transmit on channels 8 - 14. But I won't transmit on those channels even on low power (5 watts) unless it is a real world emergency.

Nice video. 10 meters from Death Valley to Ohio is pretty impressive. That’s the potential of HF radio propagation.

You need a few more zip-ties on the cable. I imagine that's to try and take the weight off the cable connector at the base of the antenna.

I would agree with a slight clarification. Good quality cables are available at Amazon if you know what you are looking for. A person can buy Times-Microwave or M&P cables there, but you pay considerably more than you pay for the same cables from DX Engineering, Gigaparts, or Ham Radio Outlet.

Randy's plate is a Personalized Plate that was issued not in conflict with a regular sequential issued series plate. The three Alpha and three numerical series plates are still in service and were originally issued in 1963 with yellow characters on a black background plate. In 1970 they reversed the three numbers and three Alpha characters and were yellow characters on a blue back ground plates. After a couple decades most of the 1963 series plates were no longer in service and DMV allowed the 1963 series letters and numbers combination be used for personalized plates providing there were no conflicts with an existing in-service record. I bet when Randy requested that plate, the Sunrise reflectorized plate was the only style plate issued during that era. It wasn't until about 2017 that the State allowed people to request Personalized Plates on the Legacy Yellow Characters on Black background plates. Since Randy's license plate number is the old letters and number series combination that were issued starting in 1963 with the black plates he should make an application to request his number be put on a legacy plate. Just my opinion, I'm an old black license plate fan. I had several of them. Although, he may want to keep the existing plate because those plates are rare and discontinued in the interest of saving money in producing those plates. They discontinued those plates during an extreme fiscal management crisis period back in the 90s. If my memory serves me right I think he is using a Legacy black plate on his "Notarubicon" now and I know what his plate combo is. His license plate number combo gave my the idea of my license plate number combo for my "ISARUBICON" My old plate:

As a child of the '70s, I approve! LOL

Lost to time, that and this... but i wouldve been laughing inside if i had a WKRPxxx callsign.

I'm on my third. Bought an MXT-90 at Wal-Mart on silly good sale, got an MXT-100 on eBay as a spare for fifteen bucks or so, and upgraded to the MXT-275 ASAP when it came out. That is and remains my "daily driver" mobile radio and base station. Eventually it's going to be semi-permanently vehicle mounted with an Australian-style RJ45 passthrough in the dash. That's already bought and mounted, currently just struggling to find a minimally-invasive antenna solution right now. Best I can find is a $330 Sti-Co antenna. Currently planning on upgrading to the new second-generation units which can handle split tones and the new hand-mic with volume knob, but I'm in no hurry.

Actually, just the opposite. The +5 is relative to your receive frequency. You listen on the 462 frequency and transmit 5 up.

Bullshit. That’s a cheap shot that paints all of us with the same brush. Yes, there are those that simply memorize enough to pass the Technicians test, but they don’t hang around long. There are still many who work within clubs to help provide backup long distance communications. There are hams helping out during every tornado, flood, and hurricane.

Recently acquired 2 Midland MXT275's for our Jeeps, went through the repeater process, and we are now communicating at 10+ miles in Urban terrain....We did not do an in-depth installation as we like the fact that we can easily remove everything as needed. Thanks goes to OffRoaderX/NotaRubicon and all the info that he posts for making the whole thing trouble free!

1) Incorrect 2) nobody cares!

They haven't gone by the wayside. But they're probably circling the drain. Personally, with all the information on YouTube University and about a million other free internet sources, I think an in-person class seems silly, especially if you have to pay for it. I studied on my own and passed my tests with no in-person classes. The only in-person stuff was the tests.

I tried it once because I had an extra ten cents, and I found that it had absolutely no effect. Except right now I could really use that dime back.

The Comet CA-712EFC is a great antenna. How far you can talk to others will depend on how high the antenna is, local terrain, vegetation/trees, structures, etc. Don't expect to get a 200 mile range unless you live in the wide open desert or along very large lake.

Here's an option that I came across while cruising the web. https://www.radioddity.com/products/radioddity-rh1-cup-holder-radio-mount It's only $25, so won't it break the bank. Always hard to figure out where to mount a radio. Need it to be readable and accessible without issues.

A cable grip is the better method. But zip ties do work as long as you don't over tighten them. I agree that you don't want to over tighten zip ties.

(As I’m sure you know) The problem with zip ties like that is a zip tie concentrates too much force in a small area which can crush the foam dielectric, resulting in impedance issues and SWR problems. A cable grip is a better choice: https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/tmv-hg-400t?rrec=true

That's a really good point. And it wouldn't take a very high powered one. Just good antenna placement, really. I end up going to this spot a couple of times a year, most years, and I can think of a great place for a repeater there, where it would be (1) line of sight over a great distance and (2) permitted on a temporary basis without any problem. Perhaps next time I'm out there I'll consider it.

My primary vehicle: Retevis RA87, 40w with MXTA26 antenna. Sailboat: MXT-275 with Laird B4505N (installation in progress). Handhelds: Two Baofeng UV-5g with Nagoya 701 antennas, and two Midland GXT-1000s. RV: MXT-275 (swapped with boat as needed), and HYS SDN1-T antenna. I also have the MXTA25 3db Ghost antenna. I swap it around with the vehicle's MXTA26 6dbi antenna sometimes. If I'm camping with the RV I'll sometimes put the longer antenna on it, as that seems to make the most sense for base camp. My primary reason for getting into GMRS in the first place was keeping track of my ski party; my two kids, and my brother, as we learned our way around a bunch of different ski resorts, particularly before the kids had phones. It's proven to be useful camping and hiking, too, and for drives that involve two or more vehicles. It's worked out well for those uses. Once I finish my sailboat installation I'll be able to reach between the boat and mobile from most of the vast Great Salt Lake, and across most of the Salt Lake valley. But somewhere along the way GMRS also became a hobby because I enjoy tinkering.

The ARRL manages the testing process, as the FCC decided we should be self-regulated. The ARRL shares all of the official test questions and answers, exactly as you would see them on the test, including the correct and incorrect questions. So not only do you get to memorize the correct answer, you get to use pattern recognition to learn to avoid the wrong answer. http://www.arrl.org/question-pools The only problem I see is with the Extra Class... with 621 possible questions and 10 schematic diagrams, you may be more likely to pass the test if you actually know the material, rather than trying to memorize it all.

After the Teresa Saldana (sp) stabbing took place after the stabber made a public inquiry to DMV on her plate to get her address, the State has made it extremely difficult for the public to get information from DMV. Also, law enforcement employees are now held accountable for misusing the system for personal gain and criminal statutes are now in place for those violations. DMV does sell the Driver's License and Vehicle Registration Information in batch form to specific requestors but that information is very limited.

Government records are subject to the Freedom of the Public Records Information Act with some limitations, and very limited information to Personnel Records.

Just search Amazon for Amateur Radio License Exam Question Pool. I think they’re compiled by Gordon West. Or download the questions and answers for free from https://www.ncvec.org But as a volunteer examiner I will tell you that the gnashing of teeth from people like wrkc935, incensed over the availability of the question pool is wasted gnashing. The pools are large (hundreds) with respect to actual number of questions on the tests and in my opinion it would be difficult to memorize 300 questions and answers without learning something about the concepts. Almost all the people I have administered tests to have had questions about the concepts if they have incorrect answers. Only one has not and he repeatedly fails on the amateur extra examination. I’ve offered to go over the questions and answers with him and I’ve offered to explain concepts but so far he hasn’t taken me up on the offer.

This is true and I am normally all for protecting personal information, but I think the vast majority of people are not even aware that they could look up someone's info via call sign. Nor would the vast majority of people even be aware that it is a call sign.

An experience last summer was useful to my understanding with respect to power. Camping east of Zion, a group took a nine mile hike, and a group stayed at camp. The hikers with handhelds kept in touch with each other quite well. Those who stayed at camp radioed to the hikers to check on them, as a storm whipped up. The hikers, later, mentioned that from a few miles out (varied, mountainous terrain) they could hear the campers calling them from 3-4 miles away. But the campers couldn't hear the hikers responding until they were within two miles. The campers were using an MXT-275 (15w) with an MXTA56 (6db antenna). The hikers were on handhelds that transmitted at a little less than 5w, with rubber duck antennas. So, sure, the extra power helped punch through the terrain a *little*. But without the hikers getting up above the terrain, it didn't matter, as they couldn't get a response back to the campers. If you're contemplating a 50w setup vs 15w, just consider whom you'll be communicating with, and in what kind of terrain. I could have had a 50w radio in camp, and it wouldn't have mattered at all; the hikers would have heard the campers from a very slightly greater range, and the campers still wouldn't have heard the hikers responding.

You have to delete the repeater. Adding a listing to the database makes you the owner, and requests will go to you. If you are NOT the owner, do not list the repeater without the owner's consent. Remove it from the "Owned Repeaters" tab of this page: https://mygmrs.com/profile/repeaters

I don't NEED a HT(I know the discussion is about mobiles) with 999 memory slots, or IP-66 rating, or dual receive capabilities, or probably even 5W, or blah blah blah. But that is what I wanted. Get what you want. On the other hand I haven't "needed" a spare tire on my vehicles for over 20 years, but I carry one...

I'm going to echo everyone else's comments. Yes a 5 watt hand held will work when attached to an external base antenna. It won't be the most convenient to use, especially without a hand mic. Some type of mobile radio along with a good antenna will work better than any hand held. Don't skimp on the coax either. A good mag mounted mobile antenna placed on a metal surface (cookie) sheet will work better than any hand held antenna. Neither will work as well as a good base antenna. The Comet CA-712EFC is a popular choice for good reasons, they work well. As noted, stay away from RG8X and RG58, they are very lossy. RG8 would be better than RG8X/RG58 but still not ideal for UHF. LMR400 or equivalent coax is what you want, especially if the run is more than 30 feet. Also avoid the cheap coax from Amazon and eBay.

You asked about antennas and coax, so my thoughts: The Comet vertical antennas are popular. If you plan on a run of more than about 30 feet of coax, then you will want a low-loss type cable, especially if you are using only a 5 Watt HT. You can loose almost half of that power just getting the signal to the antenna if the cable is not of good quality and low loss. The most popular is called Times' LMR-400 cable, which is a low-loss cable, about 1/2" in diameter. Even lower loss, but more expensive,is M & P Ultraflex 10, also about 1/2" in diameter. Avoid the smaller diameter (1/4") cables, like RG8x and RG58, as their loss is too great. Quick searches will give you info on them as well as the Comet antenna GMRS line. As BoxCar mentioned, your best bet would be with a 25 Watt mobile type radio in the house, especially if your surroundings are pretty much flat and not at a high elevation. You mentioned being at about 700', but is the area is flat , then everything nearby is also at 700' and you will need to get the antenna as high as practical. Mounted to the side of the house means it will be about 30 or so feet above the ground; a good starting point.

Like Randy says, how do you define "Best". A handheld unit is not the best for attaching to an antenna for base station use. It will work, but not well. I would recommend you look for a 20 to 25W mobile radio with a 15A power supply. The mobile will require 7 to 8 amps of power draw while transmitting, and a 15W power supply will supply at least 11A continuously. For your coaxial cable between the radio and your antenna, use LMR400 or equivalent from one of the amateur radio dealers like The Wireman, Gigaparts, Ham Radio Outlet, or DXEngineering and not the cheapie stuff from Amazon. The antenna you use is the most important piece of the kit, and for that there are several recommendations on this site.

Real men don't read the manual... until they need too!

@WSAK691 I want to touch on the EmComm stuff a bit. I have a 50w UHF station, a 110w UHF station, 50w VHF station, three 50w VHF/UHF repeaters, a 300w VHF station, and a 100w HF station. I have solar and batteries delivering enough power to run at 100w with a 50% duty cycle, 24 hours a day for the life of the batteries (translate to many years). And the reality is, in a real emergency, which I have worked many, I promise you are not going to be anywhere near 50% duty cycle. All of my stations drop to 5w, except my HF radio which will go to 0.4w. Even with no batteries, I can run any one of my radios on low power and pure solar for peak direct light hours. That can be 5 to 7 hours a day, depending on the time of year, weather, etc. I mention all this to highlight the fact that just because a radio can produce 50w, 100w or more, that doesn't mean you have to run them that high all the time. In fact, the FCC rules and generally good practice for not causing interference, is to use the least amount of power required for reliable communications. I would rather have the power in case I need it, rather than not having the option. If you're going to spend the effort and money, there is very little cost or time difference when building a 40w power source and a 1,500w power source.

Yes.. Many repeater owners list their repeater then vanish.. Many also specify that it is an open repeater or that anyone can use it and dont bother replying.. If the tones are listed you can usually start using the repeater and ask for permission over the air, or just use it and wait until someone asks you to stop using it..

I guess i'm going to jail.. along with the thousands of other business/LMR users in my area. But @Radioguy7268 is correct -there is a rule and I stood corrected.

I was also going to suggest a Business (LMR) license - If you pay a service to do the application for you it is actually a very simple process and most only charge a couple hundred $$ - I just go my own LMR/Business license and 5 authorized frequencies from a place called Kemp Wireless in Oregon (yes, I paid full price) - I all needed was a credit card, 15-minutes on the phone with them, and I had to sign one form. But many radio-resellers can do it for you. With the Business/LMR license, you just use the radios on your assigned frequency(s) - no need for callsigns or anything.

This is why some people keep a couple antennas in their vehicle. They use a low gain, 1/4 wave, in very hilly or mountainous area or a high gain antenna in nearly flat areas.

Repeaters are not required to ID. Many do as it satisfices the requirement of ID for the user. Many don't as they don't want folks to know a repeater is there. For my repeater that does ID I use tactile call signs vs dealing with my GMRS call. The repeater is sending it every 15 minutes. The repeaters that don't ID I need to ID. Any repeater cal sit on the air for years and as long as its not being used there is no requirement to send an ID. In commercial and public safety that is different.