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RX = Receive TX = Transmit CCR is a derogatory and racially motived term that "some people" use when describing a radio that does everything their very expensive radio does, but it costs 10X less monies.

Tones (PL, CTCSS, DCS, Tone Squelch): All of these are just names for a way to filter out unwanted transmissions so that you only hear the ones you want, and so that others only hear you if they either have no tone set, or set a tone and use the tone you're transmitting with: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_Tone-Coded_Squelch_System PL: Private Line (But it's not actually private, so it's poorly named) CTCSS: Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System DCS: Digital-Coded Squelch DPL: Digital Private Line (Not actually private. Same as DCS) TX/RX: Transmit, or Receive Often used in the context of tones: If you set a Tx tone, you transmit that tone so others can use it in filtering out those transmitting without the tone. If you set an Rx tone, you will only hear those transmitting with that same tone as their Tx tone. Repeaters usually require you to use a Tx tone so that the repeater wakes up and listens to you. Repeaters may use an Rx tone so you can set your radio to only hear a channel when the repeater is transmitting that tone. Often used in the context of reception: Example "My Rx is good, but nobody can hear me when I transmit", or "People hear me but my Tx is causing the radio to heat up." CCR: Cheap <Some country starting with "Ch"> Radio Funny thing is that almost all radios are made in that country nowadays, regardless of the price. And if not that country, some other country that is not the US. SWR: Standing Wave Ratio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_wave_ratio Fars: A humorous term for describing how far a radio will communicate, paying attention to the fact that it is not typically reasonable to assert a given radio will transmit for a very specific distance in units like miles or kilometers. Rather than saying "Will transmit 38 miles", which is almost always incorrect for a given situation, people say "lots of fars" to indicate that the radio transmits about as well as any other radio, or "more fars" to indicate that with an antenna up high, the radio seems to have better propagation. Any other terms you need ad-hoc explanations for?

CCR is Credence Clearwater Revival if you’re my age, but around here it is shorthand for cheap Chinese radio. As @OffRoaderX said it’s intended to denigrate. There are a few other abbreviations that you’ll run into: PL is short for Private Line, which is what Motorola marketed as their implementation of CTCSS. There are other abbreviations for this as well. CTCSS keeps your squelch closed (radio audio output silent) unless it detects a specific audio tone included in a transmission. DPL means digital private line and is the same thing except with a digital code instead of an audio tone. It also has several other names such as DCS and DTCSS. Neither DTCSS nor CTCSS provides any security but they do serve to reduce interruptions.

Well It's Not 14 Users Anymore, Since You Posted The DPL Tones On This Forum........... That Should NEVER Be Posted On A Social Media Site, For Anyone To Read..........

I'd rather hand my non-amateur licensed family members a locked GMRS radio and not worry about them accidently keying up on an amateur frequency.

Some people like to follow regulations. Using a certified radio makes it easy to select a channel and be sure it’s programmed to the right frequency, with the right offset (if any), at the right output power, and using the right bandwidth to avoid interfering with other channels and services.

I'm use to working on and with military generators. Those all ran at 3600 rpms to produce either 240/120 single phase or 208/120 three phase at 60 Hz. Granted I got out of the Army in 1996 and things change over time. I personally would not want to use a hand crank or bicycle generator to try and charge a larger capacity battery. But that is just me. I am with @marcspaz in that I would be looking at a solar charge setup. LIPO4 batteries are pretty light now days. I bought a 100 AH LIPO4 battery to replace the lead acid trolling motor battery and the weight difference was pretty significant. The deep cycle battery weighs around 60 pounds and the same size LIPO4 battery is around 23 pounds. Even the 10 AH LIPO4 batteries are quite a bit lighter than the standard lead acid batteries of the same size.

They may be on a repeater or just using tones simplex. Read up on repeaters and tones. It's called Chinglesh and by the time you learn it you will already be an expert on your radio.

But you can keep your GMRS license, which can be shared to family members, and you can be a ham at the same time. I know I do and I am.

The radios are probably too close together and you are experiencing desense. Get someone to help and move the HT 50 feet away and try again.

Bahaha, CCR is short for creedence clearwater revival, I just felt old!!!!

I absolutely agree. However the Tram 1174 isn’t sold as a GMRS specific antenna (that I’m aware of) and my comment was about antennas sold for specifically for GMRS. My point being if you purchase an GMRS only antenna you likely won’t be trimming it. Also any antenna that has duel frequencies or broader frequencies will suffer in some areas so as you mentioned may need some tuning if you want something specific out of it. edit- I mentioned this not to be argumentative but rather to caution someone of trying to tune an antenna that likely wouldn’t need it and may ruin it.

Which isn’t accessible unless you’re registered with your license on the site. So just a heads up it is against this sites rules to do so outside of the Private Discussion form for reasons stated below. For that reason I keep at least the name of the repeater unknown while discussing the particulars. Private content. Do not post sensitive information such as repeater PL/DPL (also known as privacy or CTCSS/DCS tones) tones outside of the Private Discussion forum. This is to protect sensitive information from being picked up and indexed by search engines such as Google and Bing. Also, do not post any personal information about our members, including but not limited to, their home address even if it is publicly available by searching online.

You can use an SWR meter, but the dummy load won’t do anything to hep you determine the SWR of the antenna. WRYZ926 is correct when he says that an analyzer (or a NanoVNA) is much easier. An analyzer will show you the SWR over a range of frequencies. To get similar results with an SWR meter you would have to transmit on a range of different frequencies and record the SWR for each frequency. You’ll have to do that at a power level that is high enough to register on the SWR meter, not only for forward power but for reflected power. At lower power’s some SWR meters simply don’t register the reflected power and show an artificially low SWR. The dummy load is useful if you need to test transmit on your radio, but because it replaces the antenna you can no longer see the reflected power coming from the antenna. With most decent dummy loads you simply see an SWR of 1.0:1 full range. If you do choose to use an SWR meter to analyze SWR across the entire GMRS range, be aware of the fact that power output changes for different channels on a certified GMRS radio and that the frequencies are not spread evenly or ordered according to channel number.

While this is very true, I personally find it much easier to just use an antenna analyzer. All I can say is go with what method is easiest for you.

The forum and the map/repeater site need to be logged into separately but will use the same passcode.

Yeah, especially a PAID access repeater.

The data looks right. Do you hear anything at all when you just listen on 462.650 with no CTCSS or DTCSS? If not, maybe the repeater is down. Tune your other radio to 462.650, no tones or codes, and give it to a friend or family member. Have them go to the other end of the block while you transmit. All they need to do is listen. If they can’t hear you on the repeater, maybe it is down or you’re out of range.

What (specific) frequencies or GMRS Channels are you hearing them on? They may be using repeaters, and you are on a non-repeater channel and/or not setup with the proper tone to activate the repeater. or they might be using a tone to listen to only their own group and can't hear you because you are not on that tone either. You can check the repeater map on this site to see if there are repeater systems near you... if they are open they might list the tones to activate them... or you might need to join their club to get access to them.

Those all transmit on the wrong frequency. They must transmit on 467.650 MHz. GMRS repeaters receive on the 467 MHz frequencies and transmit on the 462 frequencies. That’s why I keep asking what channel you’re on. If you’re using a GMRS certified radio there are repeater specific channels (either 23-30 or sometimes RP15-RP22) that automatically adjust the transmit and receive frequencies.

Truth be told, since I don't have much time to play radio, I don't remember all the limits either, even 3 years in. unless I'm doing something on a set frequency like ft8, I have a printed copy of the ARRL band chart near my "shack" (desk in the office) and a PDF copy on my phone and double check myself regularly.

53?

Let’s take those one at a time. Yes. no. what about it? and no. If I give or sell a family member or friend a car I’m not paying for their insurance. If you want it for your own uses you can turn requests off, don’t list the tones or don’t list it at all. I guess I just don’t see a problem here that can’t be solved by making a decision of what you want to do. Listing the repeater on Mygmrs with a request button and expecting people not to request to use it is beyond comprehension. It seems like you want to be unburdened by request and possibly the repeater. I was making a suggestion that rather than walking away from it you might hand the burden to someone that would want it. I have included a screen shot for an example of request disabled. It’s up to you to make the decision… or not. You asked and people answered.

Welcome, Kenny! You are in the right place. I'm relatively new to GMRS myself and have found this forum to be a gold mine of information. There are some very skilled members here and (the best part) they are helpful and patient. Don't be afraid to ask what you think is a stupid question. I do it all the time.

Howdy ! New to GMRS is an understatement. I don't know what I don't know. I joined and ran up a profile here, because I can. Will probably join up the 'premium' level, again, because I can. I'm currently learning / attempting to learn programming my unit first (Baofeng handheld), then will soon see which end is up 'on the air' if anyone's around my area, of course contacting repeater owners in advance of any transmission. Thanks to my bud Josh in Texas for the 'GMRS For Dummies 101' walk through and continuing help. Cheers ! Kenny, WSEV474, South Flori-Duh.

Not to mention all the clocks in our schools here would need a new frequency allocation for their time synchs, as they;re on the 4 metre band....!

Aw man, why didn't I think of that? (< Slaps forehead)

I would add most (at least the ones I’ve seen) GMRS antennas come pre tuned and would not likely benefit from trimming.

Feel free to toss them my way. I will add them to the collection of HTs that can't reach more than two miles in the woods. I hate trees.

The PL is posted on the repeater's page on My GMRS, so no big deal. Also, it appears to be part of a linked system that is known for tying up multiple channels at a time with one conversation.

Actually you can. If the SWR decreases at higher frequencies the antenna is short. Conversely, if the SWR decreases at lower frequencies you need to start trimming in 1/8 inch chunks.

I doubt that it’s broken. I reported your post to the owner. He should be able to help you. Good luck!

No, you're mixing up the process. The state did not try to regulate ham radio, at least not in any enforced way. They told ham operators, in particular the net control who went along with their approach, that hams or other individuals listening should not be doing the actual on-the-ground welfare checks. They said to refer the requests to the central state NIMS position which in this case was AUXCOMM and they would follow up at the appropriate time after search and rescue phase was completed. But they were not doing anything with them right away. It was a very poor, short-sighted approach since doing the checks quickly could save lives.

Wife's hair dryer kept popping the GFI in our RV but never did it at home.. Replaced the GFI, which was a major PITA because RV's use an AC socket type you can't find anywhere.. Got a real household version installed and been working great since

I like the way my 5 Ft CB Firestik II antenna arcs back in the wind at 75 MPH on the Freeway.

I just moved from Texas To Oregon for a few months and would love to know if you are aware of any linked networks between the two!

I’ve heard of it happening with ham radios but usually higher power than MURS. You might check to see if your GFI is truly grounded. Sometimes GFIs are installed in lieu of a ground wire in older homes.

The party controlling the White House selects the Commissioner and the majority of the other members. they used to be engineers but that changed to lawyers 40 or more years ago.

I went out to my car this morning and turned my car on. Turned on the radio and it just worked. I changed nothing since trying it last night and it just started receiving. There is a small amount of noise coming in with the transmission, but still less noise than my HT at that same location. If I grab the coax cable with my hand. the noise diminishes. the tighter I grab it, the less noise there is. Now I might have been stupid for doing this, but I wrapped the extra coax in a nice clean coil. I am self diagnosing this as poor shielding, and my body is acting like a ground for it. Let me know if I am wrong in that thinking. I am trying to learn as much as I can about these systems. I have already been bitten by the small bug of collecting HT radios. This is my first foray into anything more intricate than that. I am completely self taught with people like you guys helping me along.

I'm getting my Ham License once I find the time to take it

Nearly all of the questions about that are asked here involve radios that are new and still under warranty. People suspect they’re doing something incorrectly so they reach out to what should be a friendly group of peers.

More likely the battery is bad from being over discharged as it probably doesn't have a low voltage cutoff.

Put a voltmeter on the battery to see if it’s still capable of accepting a charge. What’s the voltage? If it’s up around or above 7.7 volts it’s likely that either the battery isn’t being installed correctly or the contacts are bad or the radio has failed.

Once you propose how to prevent hogging all repeater channels I will sign. Without the hogging limitation, this just solves one thing and presents a new problem in its place. Ursula K. Le Guin's Lathe of Heaven

HAM radio operators or any non-public safety/first responder are not automatically qualified to conduct Search & Rescue or Recovery operations in the field during any disaster event unless they have been trained, and possess the required physical and mental attributes and have been certified by a regulatory or an public safety entity to do so under direction/guidance of the responsible public safety agency.

There are plenty volunteer groups and radio clubs, of course depending on your location, that have relationships with the government agencies. They practice message handling protocols, and yes, some require or recommend some level of training in the FEMA National Incident Management System, however groups like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Church groups, and others also make use of at least some basic protocols and standardized forms to ensure message accuracy, proper handling and routing, and to minimize wasting time communicating to the larger command centers. Without a working plan and solid procedures, chaos will reign. Emergency Management Agencies could not operate effectively if a bunch of random, untrained, chatty good 'ol boys are tying up the comms freq or critical cell phones. Yes, it is arguable that they are effective without the additional burden, but all you really need to do to get an idea of what it is like, check with your local HAM or GMRS clubs to see when their next Simulation exercise is scheduled, and get the details necessary to participate. Some are closed to just their specific org, but many are Statewide coordinated events, some that last for several days. If you are licensed and equipped for the bands they use, there is no other cost. The FEMA Incident Command courses are free and online too.

It has already been said in here............ It depends on the area. Go to California and I am sure there are busy repeaters. Go somewhere else and GMRS is dead. Just like the VHF/UHF bands on Ham Radio, most places are dead. No one wants to bother with local communication when they have a cell phone. My wife and I both have GMRS and Ham licenses and with the exception of when we go out shopping or a few other activities, we use cell phones to communicate, as long as they work. When they dont, the radios come out. But everyone, and I mean everyone has a cell phone with the ability to have similar apps such as Phone, Texting, Zello, Facebook, etc to name a few. It is organized and guaranteed you will be able to instantly communicate with anther person. Not everyone has GMRS or Ham and even if they do, GMRS is limited and Ham has so much, there is no telling where a person might be monitoring and what mode they are using, so cell phones are a lot easier. Another thing also is that if most people turn the radio on and no one is on, before that person even decides to throw their call sign out, they turn the radio off. I used to have a nice setup going at my home with three different directional antennas hooked to a GMRS radio. Because I live in a hole and there are limited repeaters and no activity near me even though there is a very active group of GMRS operators in my state, I took all the antennas and coax down and unhooked the radio and stuffed it all away in the barn in a box. It was taking up space and doing absolutely nothing. Most people I would need to contact, Hams and GMRS ops included, all have cell phones and before any of us start to communicate, we pick up our cell phones and contact each other and plan what frequency we are going to be on. Very rarely do I contact someone straight away on the radio. It is very sad that communication has come to this, and believe me, I dont like it either, but it is what it is. Until Cell phones are abolished, radio will always take a back seat. There are quite a few factors as to why people are not on the radio and these are reasons I have observed.

If you want APRS, get an amateur license and quit trying to make GMRS into something it wasn't meant to be. All you people wanting to turn GMRS into a clone of amateur radio need to just get their licenses. Sent from my SM-S911U1 using Tapatalk

I have tried out many radios as a base station. Of course, they're all mobile radios. As mentioned, the DB20-G is a solid base station, although not a 50watt radio. It's a great radio though and as long as you don't need a lot of power, it's a solid choice. Currently, I'm playing around with the Anytone AT-778UV, which is a ham radio with a bit more power than the DB20-G but not by much. I do not recommend the Wouxun KG-1000G as a base. The volume variability is terrible and the fan is obnoxiously loud in a base setting. The best base radios for GMRS are the commercial mobile radios IMHO. A Kenwood TK-880H or a Motorola CDM1250 are pretty awesome and have the power you're looking for. Couple one of those with a USB fan nearby for long conversations, and you'll be happy. After trying out several radios as base stations, I'm settling on a CDM1250 myself.