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The moral of the story is you can blow $25 on things a lot worse than quality software. I never had a negative experience with RT Systems.

Or just buy a base station antenna

This very well could be common knowledge and intuitive to many people but to the ones like me out there, just wanted to let you know about my epiphany as to why the radio will sometimes save tones and sometimes not. I'm a little OCD and like to double check things, especially settings. That is not beneficial in this case with this radio and checking CTCSS/DCS. If your repeater needs DCS and you put the correct tones in and want to check that CTCSS says "OFF", just entering in the CTCSS menu option will turn your DCS tones to "OFF". Like I said, this may be obvious and common knowledge to most, but it wasn't to me so I just wanted to share in hopes of saving others the confusion. If you're double checking all the tones, you're messing up. Ironically.

Yes there are many opinions on this subject. Your best bet is to follow NEC when it comes to grounding your antennas, coax, and radios. Here are a couple of other links that will be helpful for you. https://reeve.com/Documents/Articles Papers/Reeve_AntennaSystemGroundingRequirements.pdf https://www.arrl.org/grounding GMRS and amateur radio antennas, coax and equipment require the same grounding techniques.

Using a VM or Remote Desktop is always an option. But I would rather have Mac native software when possible. It is just easier to deal with. I have never had much luck with Wine or other emulators on Linux or Mac. The Apple ecosystem has spoiled me a bit since it is so much easier to deal with when you have multiple Mac's and Apple iPads, etc. I am currently running Mac, Linux and Windows on separate computers. The Linux computer basically runs just one program for me which is HamClock. The Windows 11 computer is currently running WSJT-X, TQSL, and Grid Tracker for running digital modes, along with my Windows only CPS programs. Anyway, I'm glad that RT Systems has come through for the AT-779/DB20G and it is working well for everyone.

This is an ideal situation for the RT97 repeater. Add a battery and a little antenna and it will sit and tick away.

Or you can do what I do I have 8-14 programmed in with transmit off selected...but know that it can be enabled pretty quickly through the menu in a pinch

That is a great PSA. Thinking through it, I can understand why the programming is that way, but I don't think I would prefer that vs. manually changing DCS/CTCSS.

Why would you buy the roll up version if you are going to stick it in PVC like the standard version? His instructions are very specific on the type of PVC pipe to buy that it is designed to work with, anything different changes it's effectiveness and match. I'd suggest buy the other one for next to nothing and put it in PVC.

Part of the reason why I am doing this is because I don't think the neighbors would want anything like an antenna on the side of the house, but a random small white PVC pipe that matches the paint probably would not draw any attention. On the back of the house even better!

I'm so glad that I set my coffee down before reading that. Coffee is hard to clean up from keyboards and monitors. And yes the RT systems is definitely worth it. While the Icom CPS is not bad, RT Systems is definitely easier to use. I am still waiting on a reply from RT systems about porting their Wouxun software over to MacOS. They did reply asking what radios but I have not heard anything else from them yet.

If you put a roll-up twinlead antenna into a pvc pipe the velocity factor of the twinlead may change (according to Ed Fong’s videos and I don’t know nearly as much as he does), which would shift the tuning of the antenna. I would do as @UncleYoda suggests and put an antenna analyzer on it before and after. You might need to shorten the twinlead some.

No, but I did agree to follow a set of rules and generally speaking I like to stick to that unless there's a real good reason not to.

N9TAX does not recommend putting his roll-up ladder-line Slim-Jims inside of PVC pipe or even against anything. If you do it, do some before and after testing.

Nice job building something that meets your needs and describing it. As long as it does what you want that’s all that matters. Fortunately there are many ways to do something. Your way is inexpensive and simple. Thanks for telling us about it.

Then I would recommend sending it in or replacing it unless you’re good at replacing surface mount components.

Background: A friend has a 10,000 acre ranch in the middle of nowhere. Cell phone reception is spotty at best. We were looking for a reliable way to be able to communicate while at the ranch for quick status updates and for emergencies. About 2/3rds of the land is fairly flat with the other 1/3rd being draws and ridges that limit line of site. The challenge was threefold; 1) to find a location that allowed "line-of-sight" to as much of the ranch as possible, 2) to have a repeater located at said spot to "see" down the draws, and 3) to limit costs for an occasional use system. Equipment: Red's Engineering Simplex Repeater - $61.00 Boafeng UV-5R GMRS radios - $31.00 (2pk) A 15' pool cleaning pole - already had from previous project The Red's Engineering Simplex Repeater features from the website: Web based configuration via cell phone Works with the Baofeng UV-5R radio DTMF detection, enable disable repeater Fox Hunt Transmitter Mode Periodic Station ID 45 second message record time Station Identification (Morse Code generation) LED Indicators show current status Shield type enclosure design USB Power / Charging Open source software OTA Firmware Updates (WiFi) Long battery life, ~12 hours talk time, ~10 month active standby Set-up After charging the repeater and radio, the set-up was straight forward and is easily done through the app. You plug in the supplied cable to the repeater and radio. On the initial startup you must press the reset button. Turn on the radio and wait a few seconds, turn on the repeater, set the volume to about 50%, and you're ready. Within just a few minutes I had the repeater programmed, connected to the radio, and bench tested. In the app you can change the record time, toggle remote enable/disable function, program callsign and ID transmission, and a few other things. Since we are very remote and the likelihood that anyone else would ever find the repeater is slim to none, I didn't go through some of the whistles and bells. They may come into use later but I left most everything pretty basic. Real-world testing - Home After scouring Google Earth, Radio Mobile Online, and SCADACore line of sight generator I determined what I thought was going to be the optimum location for the "tower". The furthest we would need to transmit and receive would be about 5 miles. I unceremoniously duct taped the radio and repeater to a telescoping pool pole, ratchet-strapped it to the fence corner post at home and drove just over 7 miles LOS. I transmitted on channel 5 and heard the repeater, well, repeat back my message. Since 7 miles was well outside of the limits I needed I felt it was a good test and waited until the next trip to the ranch. The radio was wearing the Abree AR-771 antenna that came with the radios. Real-world testing - Ranch In a couple of weeks we went to the ranch. Still using the high-tech duct tape and pool pole, I found the location I had identified and set up the repeater. Over the course of two days, we tested the repeater at all the blinds we had around the ranch and routes along the way. We found that the repeater worked as expected and better, hitting one blind that we were skeptical of hitting. The repeater and radio were left up overnight and the batteries lasted both days. We were not carrying on conversations, mainly just checking the repeater function and checking in with each other occasionally. If we had 15 minutes of total talk time I would be surprised. I was very impressed by the simplistic, but reliable, function of the repeater. Take Aways This is a simplex repeater. You must accept that you will, at minimum hear your own message repeated back to you. In some cases, if you are in simplex range of the other radio, you may hear the original message and repeater message of both yourself and who you are talking to. While some find this cumbersome, it is just the fact of a simplex repeater and if you know it is going to happen you learn to deal with it. Personally, I didn't find it to be a problem for what we were trying to accomplish. For about $100 I don't think it can be beat for what we wanted to accomplish, basic communication for status checks and emergencies. We also accept that there may still be locations that simply cannot be reached due to terrain. That is why we stress that we let everyone know where we are going and when, within reason, to expect us back. No amount of technology should replace a simple "flight plan". Future plans I am now in the process of piecing together a weatherproof housing and solar backup. The internal batteries will last about three days (not using any of the power-saving functions) at our communication frequency, maybe more. In the event we are down there for more than a couple of days, solar will allow the batteries to remain topped off. Additionally, I am looking at "tower" options that allow us to put the repeater up and down when we come and go. I'm heavily leaning towards a 30' telescoping flag pole (staying with the limiting cost theme). That will allow us to have a permanent location that is easy to run up and down. All in I think I'm probably looking at about $300, radio, repeater, pole, solar, and bits and pieces. While I tinker with a lot of things, this is my first foray into repeaters, albeit very limited. The Red's Engineering gets my initial thumbs up. I hope to be back with updates soon.

I hae no experience with the CA-GMRS so I can't comment on it. I do have several Comet antennas and I have been very happy with all of them. I have a GP-9 and CA-712EFC base antennas along with a SBB-1 and 2x4SR mobile antennas. I don't think you will go wrong with the CA-GMRS if it is anything like the Comet antennas I have.

I made a PVC type "hanger" for my slim jim. Was supposed to be temporary, but it's been there for over a year now. It's the arrow in the photo (sorry, it's the only photo I had available, but you can see what I mean)

I was eyeballing that one too but there were just enough questionable reviews to make me pause. This Comet is about the same price and a nice size but I don't want to keep buying antennas with little to no improvement.

I enjoy working solutions like 703 did. Finding something that works for your needs on your budget. Sure there are other ways to do things but he got it done. I can see a use case for a simplex repeater like he put together.

I believe my old Kenwood HT programming behaves the same way.

My preference for an OS is Mac while I don't mind using Linux. I have not cared for Windows since they released Windows 8.1. One of the issues I have with Widows is the fact that the more RAM you add, the more Windows wants to take, which does affect how much RAM you can give multiple virtual machines. Needless to say I am not a fan of Microsoft or Windows OS. Windows 2000 Pro, XP Pro, and 7 Pro were good operating systems. Windows ME, Vista and 8 were total wrecks. Windows 10 isn't bad. But Windows 11 is convoluted for system administrators which how it hides the admin menus. I wouldn't have a Windows (PC or virtual machine) in my house if I didn't need one for certain radio and model train programs. I actually have a degree in network administration and went through the Microsoft MCSE courses, Linux admin courses and Cisco CCNA courses. While MacOS is not perfect it is overall easier to deal with compared to Windows 11 and Linux. And since I am stuck with having to have a Windows PC, then I will just run Windows native programs on it versus running them in a virtual machine. Wine and other emulators don't always work well.

Any time I do listen at Walmart, you can't hear them once you leave the parking lot.

The reeve.com PDF file must be a good reference considering three of us have posted links to it. And nothing will protect your setup from a direct lightening strike. Read through the references we provided and go with what works best for you and still meets NEC. PS: definitely unplug everything before hand if you know a lightening storm is heading your way.

You did say "open" though, and and the frequency range specified in the instructions includes both. Open is widely used to mean more than just locked to one service. (Don't worry about how busy I am - I'm watching the show in DC.)

Grab a scanner and spend some time listening. It's usually either not used at all, or overrun with wireless driveway alarms. It never seems to be in between.

I didn't realize this. I usually do all my programming through RT Systems so I guess I never noticed. Good to know as I assume you are programming manually through the handset.

You do not need two separate parallel conductors. You’re allowed to bond them together where they physically intersect. Understand that bonding is required to be permanent, using connections that cannot be easily undone. Typical bonding methods include thermite copper welding or crimped connectors, not bolted cable clamps. The Mike Holt videos are very good. The Bible for comm site lightning protection is R56 from Motorola, but it’s very complicated and overkill for anyone other than a professional communications technician. I really like the succinct approach taken by the Reeve document. It agrees with the Holt videos well: https://reeve.com/Documents/Articles Papers/Reeve_AntennaSystemGroundingRequirements.pdf

I have used other RT Systems software that were Windows only on a Mac in Parallels (remotely using TeamViewer or Remote Incident Manager). It worked very well.

I have to agree with what others have said. The only way to know is to try. I would definitely check the antenna with an analyzer before and after to see what the differences are.

Do it. See how it works. The worst that could happen is that you're not happy with the results. Experimenting with antenna installations is part of the fun.

"NOBODY CARES" is not correct. It's a secondary offense, like being pulled over for speeding and then getting a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. And me and lots of other hams (and I assume some GMRS licensees) do try to follow the rules even when we don't like them regardless of whether we expect to be warned/fined.

Welcome WSGP755!

Using channels 8 through 14 on a mobile is somewhat controversial as a violation of part 95E rules The reason being that you are transmitting higher power than was intended on these interstitial channels very close to repeater input channels

Undoubtedly 50 watt radios would work better, and at twice+ the cost, but that is not what I was trying to do. That's like saying a backhoe works better than a shovel. We needed a "shovel" as an occasional use, put up and take down, simple repeater for very limited TX/RX. So far it meets our needs more than adequately.

Providing one of the 2 radios is at the central "sees all" location.

Let's break this down, even if you only have one radio: Cost -- RT Systems @ $25 vs. Chirp (Free) vs. Supplied Software (Free) Convenience and Time savings -- RT Systems @ Very quick and easy to configure allowing you to save multiple profiles if you travel or have different needs. Chirp @ If available for your radio is okay, but not as efficient to use. Front panel @ Just an unnecessary pain in the ass. Ultimate overall savings -- RT Systems vs. Two bean burritos from Taco Bell, Pepto Bismol, toilet paper, and missed time from work. Everything considered, it looks like RT Systems is a real bargain.

Probably should have mentioned that to begin with!

yes.. on paper and when measuring with precise instruments .. in the real world, using human ears, is very different.. Stop trying to over-complicate it and just enjoy using your radio.

In addition to the disadvantages you've already listed, the biggest reason not to do it is that you will never notice any improvement.

There is a guy on You Tube that doesn't have a Rubicon Jeep knows a couple things about radios

Hello all! I just wanted to come on here and let everyone know about a new GMRS net that has just kicked off locally here in the Hickory, NC area (Charlotte, NC metro). It is called the Barretts 600 Net because the repeater is on the Barretts Mountain tower site. Frequency is 462.600, standard +5 offset, and the tone is 146.2 Hz. It's a wide area repeater and reaches at last count about 40 miles circumference to Hickory, NC. The net is every Saturday night @ 7:00pm eastern time. Please feel free to contact me with any questions/comments/concerns. Thank you and hope to talk soon! David (WRAX515 or AK4FD)

I'm pretty sure you can set up a VXR-7000 for 70cm ham band by accessing the repeater with the PC software in dealer mode (-d option). You can search here on how to do that.

Are you operating from a vehicle or as a base station? You seem to be describing two different things: “static interference after releasing the PTT” and choppiness and poor quality audio while transmitting. Let’s take them one at a time. First, static interference. Do you mean that you hear static immediately after letting go of the PTT? How long does it continue? Static is always present to some extent. The squelch control turns off the audio when the signal strength is below a certain threshold. Turning up the squelch increases the threshold. Have you tried turning up the squelch?

I’m just curious if anyone here has an RA87 and have used it for a while, and what you might think of it.

You can buy either a 12v or 15v. Both have adjustment screws to dial in your voltage.