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Yes, it is normal. it is the "breath" function in your menu.... it flashes to let you know it is still on when the display goes to sleep to save power. you can set how often it flashes in the options.

If your going to use a pole barn, put the repeater as close to the antenna as possiblee to limit cable loss. thats the cool part about the midland and RT97. Just run a power cord to it. A decent antenna and a 3' piece of cable terminated with proper connectors will go along way.

Or one of the radio manufacturers (or both) saved money on a less expensive CTCSS circuit.

I like how you can set it. Helps when monitoring at home and not having to stare at it or pick it up to check if its on. TidRadi radios are feature packed. Hard to go to other radios without missing something.

Is it. I don't think it is... ...as you see, it's a beautiful day, the beaches are open and people are having a wonderful time.

There is a law. Actually there are several in the Communications Act of 1934 and the amendments from 1996. https://transition.fcc.gov/Reports/1934new.pdf The law says follow the regulations or be fined.

This is also very possible. Open RX would mean he hears everything on the frequency regardless of tones used.

His was a Hustler antenna that was struck by a bird. Here’s the thread:

That's interesting. I've never heard of that before, but it seems like a useful feature. I do sometimes look at my radio and can't remember if it's on or off.

As @WRTC928 mentioned, keep channels 8-14 set to narrow band. You won't have to worry about interfering with the repeater input channels if you keep channels 8-14 set to low power and narrow band. Now an unlocked mobile putting out 20 watts or more will get you noticed and can cause interference on the repeater channels. Set those channels to low power and narrow band and use them to your heart's content

Yep, always good to adhere to proper weatherproofing/waterproofing techniques so you don't have to do the job twice.

No one is going to come after you for being 1/2 watt over. And as mentioned, I bet that the power output will be closer to 1/2 watt versus 1 watt if you check with a power/swr meter. Again, don't worry about being at 1 watt versus 1/2 watt.

Well looking at a set of mating N connectors it looks like the mating surfaces are the flat area of the female and the rubber base of the male. If you put a small coating of dielectric grease on the female flat mating surface it looks like the internal portion of the connector has an excellent seal from anything penetrating it. The only ingress would be from the rear of the connector using capillary action into the fittings. Water getting in through the threads should have no chance of getting inside the fitting if it has been tightened properly.

I use the Radioddity UV-5G Plus as the radio model for the Baofeng in CHIRP. It works well, also.

How do you activate this function where you can monitor up to 4 channels at the same time? I'm missing it somehow in the manual. (I am not a fan of their manual, btw.) I just installed this radio in my old Jeep and am trying to figure out how to configure it in different ways that I might like to use it. Thanks!

The difference between 136.5 and 141.3 is what? About 5%? Probably within the tolerance of that Retevis repeater's tone detect circuit. I would try setting the repeater to a PL of something like 203.5 and see if that fixes the issue.

I completely forgot to add that, thank you.

@TrikeRadio Eventually, when I get my AR license I'll try it. Right now I restrict myself to GMRS. I truly appreciate the help and suggestions. I ended up sending back the U5R's and buying two more TD-H3 "GMRS" models for other people in the family. The only thing I don't really like about the "H3" is that when dropped, the battery comes off rather easily. I think for the price and size, the 2408__ software is decent. I see someone saw newer firmware. I'll have to check out the features and bug fixes and decide whether I want to re-image the EPROM.

Sure, keep looking. I won't need it for a while. Thanks.

I believe It is possible if someone is listening to a legitimate transmission coming out of your repeater (a correctly matching tone opened the repeater's squelch) ...if a stronger transmission signal comes in on the same frequency -- even having a different tone -- there can be a delay in detection of the tone and that signal from the other repeater or even a strong simplex station nearby can piggyback on the opened squelch and break in on your repeater... or on the receiving station (your bother's) temporarily, until the radio squelch recognizes the tone and cuts if off.

Does your brother have receive tones programmed in his radio? If not, he'll hear everything on that frequency

My prediction: Your brother is confused.

You are correct.. But just because a government agency says so, it does not necessarily make it "the right thing"..

Well I knew a bird struck an antenna. Thought it was a Laird, at least Laird was in the title.

@WRZY921 is correct. Despite what "some people" may tell you, there's no way for someone at a distance to differentiate between power levels that small, so you're not going to get into trouble with the authorities. The reason for the wattage and bandwidth restrictions is that they are very close to other designated frequencies and excessive power or bandwidth can "spill over" to the adjacent frequencies. Set the radio to the lowest possible power and narrow bandwidth and you won't interfere with anyone else. I have Tx disabled on those channels just because I've never had any reason to use them, but I have a couple of radios rated at 1 watt on low and I wouldn't hesitate to use them if I had a reason.

This is true and I would have sealed the connectors anyway. I would wrap brass connections too.

And you'll find in Comet's instructions is to seal around that plastic fitting. My 712 is well sealed.

Yep, I was pretty bummed myself. Looked like the perfect product to do exactly what I wanted. eBay has 20 tubes for sale, but I only need one.

Even if the repeater station is putting out 50 watts, you're not going to see that much power coming out of the duplexer. Most repeater stations, only put out about 40 watts and you be lucky to see about 28 watts out of the duplexer. Given the fact that "Some People" will no doubt be buying their transmission line, duplexer, antenna from a warehouse type operation that specializes in cheap inferior products will most likely only see no more than 10 watts at the most out of the antenna, for a short period of time until it fails.

Just like the threads of a flare nut not being the sealing surface I understand that the threads of a coax connector are not watertight seal areas, but I am of the persuasion that some greasy material in the middle of the connector short of hydraulic locking the mating surfaces from making contact is beneficial as water, can't occupy the same space that something else already occupies. Water can easily displace gases like air, but has a much more difficult time displacing oil or grease.

I don’t recall anyone suggesting they shouldn’t be wrapped, but Amphenol sells them as weatherproof and even has N connectors listed as suitable for extreme exposure. https://www.amphenolrf.com/rf-connectors.html?applications=638350

Have you ever seen an N connector? If not, you might want to reevaluate that statement. I'll take a properly installed naked N connector over a totally wrapped PL-259/SO-239 any day of the week in the harshest weather.

What model antenna are you using? I think that your only solution is to pull the antenna and coax down for a thorough inspection instead of speculating. Either way, the problem is going to need some physical intervention to rectify.

And how does this help me ? Kidding, kidding. You kids go out and have fun...

I'm getting a much better SWR with cold temps right now. Still looking at it as I only have one day of information I'm looking at.

SWR can change with temperature changes. I have seen it happen on my HF antennas when temps get into single digits. The SWR usually goes up a bit. But the SWR goes back to normal once temps get to 20 degrees or higher. So far the changes have not been so bad that the internal tuner on my IC-7300 can't handle. Most of the time I don't even need to use the internal tuner.

An N connector is sealed. Filling the recess completely with grease could create hydraulic pressure when screwing the connector halves together and that hydraulic pressure could prevent the connector from screwing together fully making the seal even worse. The video you posted of the “STUF” specifically mentions not to fill an N connector with it, but to use less to avoid this hydraulic pressure.

You can use dielectric grease. Just put a small amount on the outside of the female threads only.

Vaseline eh? I'm sure I can find that. Is there anything that is rated for this use? The stuff I used came in a tube and I doubt it was as simple as that. Ya, I know what I did (hangs head). It's SO239/PL239 for antenna and cable. The repeater has an N fitting that I had to get an adapter for. This was only a temp setup that is running long because of my failure when raising my tall mast. Decided to wait for warm weather to continue, plus work is very busy for me and I don't have time to "play".

@Imply4907 Is your radio unlocked?

935G plus is my go to radio. I highly recommend it based on countless tests against Baofeng and TID Radios that I have done. They are a more expensive radio than most but I have not been disappointed by it's overall performance and capabilities. The other thing for me, is I have tested power output on many radios. The 935G+ has been the most consistent in "advertised" power output (close to 5 watts and in some cases more). Other radios in the Baofeng and TID radio department are hit or miss on output. For me that is the difference from making contact in a unique location I visit to not making a contact. That little bit of extra juice makes the difference for me against other radios I have tested from same location.

I have owned the 935G and now have the 935G Plus and both like it and recommend it. It is my goto GMRS handheld and I have had many GMRS handhelds. I use the wide RX capabilities a lot. In my area the local Sheriff's department is still using VHF so I have my 935G+ programmed to be able to listen local law enforcement and fire departments. When I travel I program any repeaters I might be in range of along my planned route. I have also programmed in 186 railroad frequencies to scan on long trips to keep me entertained. I have all the HAM repeaters in my area programmed in so I can listen to those if I want. I have tested the 935G+ side by side with several different superheterodyne radios and RX/TX is just as good. The IP66 rating is good and I have used the radio in the rain and snow. It has also been dropped a couple of times with no damage. At first I didn't think I would care about the Channel Wizard but have come to appreciate it when programming the 935G+ by hand.

Horseshit. There’s nothing wrong with people getting together in a club (or perhaps even a forum) to discuss, learn about, and share enjoyment of GMRS.

WSEZ, if you are more concerned about a spelling error than the question itself and have nothing of value to offer a newcomer to the radio hobby, maybe you need to find a different hobby yourself instead of putting others down so you can feel superior.

1. It's needed for transmit. You can always leave the tone for receive blank. 2. You might hear a courtesy beep from the repeater right after you cease transmitting, or even an occasional ID. The best way is to ask someone for a radio check. Or give your second radio to someone and have them go a little ways away and listen. 3. Your presumption is correct. Welcome to the forum.

Look up the doctrine known as Chevron deference. SCOTUS had some things to say about it on On June 28, 2024.

I think Carr may resolve things going forward. But the shear mass of regulations already in place would be difficult to escape or change in any short period of time. Especially if there are resistant people in the chain. Many would feel that changes like that would be going backwards and feel a loss of power. But govt entities making regulation that have the effect of law shouldn't be able to happen. Law is made by congress and the president. Not sure how this can go forward because of the shear amount of time that would be sucked up by congress and they will claim they don't have the time for. There was never suppose to be a full time congress/senate in the first place.

I’m sure you’re asking in jest, but sure….. It’s not a specific rule, rather the overarching volume of regulations. There are also far too many regulations, many of which are ineffective, and often created by bureaucrats who don’t understand their implementation. Government is bloated in virtually every area. It needs to operate lean & efficiently - and in the best interests of the citizenry. Government employees should be held to high standards and removed if they don’t perform. It’s a privilege to work in government, serving the public. Government agencies, to include the FCC need to understand the recent Loper Bright SCOTUS decision and be guided accordingly. Unnecessary and/or ineffective regulations should be eliminated. Nee rules, if they carry the effect of law, should be created via the legislative process. I love this country, although we seem to have strayed from the founding principles. I won’t go into further detail as that would take us down a political rabbit hole.

A little late to these comments. Just got a couple DB-25G radios. They program OK with CHIRP. Channels 8-14 are present as RX only and cannot be changed. Programming not very intuitive. One nice (for me) feature over the DB-20 is the Quad-Watch, ability to monitor four channels at once. Having a bank or group function would be nice as I travel a lot and the ability to put additional repeaters in groups for different areas would be useful. The scan is kind of slow compared to most radios these days. The manual is just shy of worthless. After watching a couple YouTube videos I finally got it set up how I like it. The WX channels are way up at the end of the list (190-199) but are not marked to skip in scan by default, so you have to go in and mark them skip if you want to scan, which was a bit annoying. There is no resume delay when scanning, so if it stops on someone talking, it resumes as soon as they stop, if you have a lot of channels programmed, it will take a few seconds to get back to that channel so you will miss part of the reply. So far, so good. It meets my particular needs. Michael

In regards to programming a Radioddity GM30 handheld: Have the current programming software downloaded onto laptop using Windows 11 Have programming cable in usb port Device manager shows port is operating properly. (Com port 5) When I open the software to read from or write to the radio it says "Please check all connections and Communications port settings" When I select "Program" "Communications Port" and try to select a comm port from the options it does not allow me to select a comm port. I believe this is my issue. Any suggestions? Thanks!