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GMRS is another tool in the toolbox. Where some people might not have a ham license, the Gmrs license is good alternative. Even MURS is a good choice for people without Any license.

Caca de toro - or BS to those not understanding Tex-Mex. You can't make such a wild assertion without empirical truth to back up your WAG. Hams in my area are actively reaching out to GMRS users to the point where they have collocated GMRS repeaters at their stations. The clubs I belong to are talking to GMRS users and preppers actively helping them make the best use of the equipment they have.

How about we steer very clear of politics?

Well, it's take a few weeks getting all the bits and bobs to complete my mobile radio setup. This involves (for the present) one radio, Radioddity DB20-G, cup holder mount, four antennas, one mag mount, an NMO mount (permanently installed on one vehicle), a AC to DC power pack and an old unused Max Expedition Fat Boy pack. My primary vehicle is a Toyota Tacoma. So, the NMO mount is permanently installed on the rear of the truck. The other two vehicles '82 Jeep CJ and '78 Ford LTD II Sports Touring Edition will use the mag mount as will the "base station". Four antennas because I couldn't find a satisfactory way to carry one, so those live in each vehicle and my den. Although I likely will install some sort of permanent antenna at the house. With this setup I can simple grab the bag and have everything I need to be up and transmitting in just a couple of minutes. I'm in the programming phase with the radio. Currently using factory software. Frankly the programming is a heck of a lot simpler than what I used to do with process control equipment, just repetitious as all get out. But, I have tested tested all of the installations and my SWR ranges from 1.01 to 1.03.

The Hat!!!! With a sad face like that, I feel even worse for him than I did before. Cheer up SoCal. All you have to do is turn your radio around. Now you won't have to throw it in the trash.

I have no idea if it’s related, but BTECH posted this notice: Monday, April 7, 2025 ARLINGTON, SD – If you own a GMRS-PRO or UV-PRO from BTECH, the new 0.8.3 firmware update is worth your attention and comes packed with fixes and improvements. One of the biggest highlights is the UV-PRO’s refreshed display, which is much easier to read in direct sunlight. Both radios also get a fix for a stubborn receive problem that showed up when NOAA alerts were enabled. This bug sometimes caused weaker reception and odd scanning behavior. It’s finally gone, and the radios now handle NOAA alerts the way they were always meant to. Below, you’ll find a full breakdown of what’s changed and why it matters.

Most of the hams I know are also GMRS users. It’s about fifty fifty on which license they got first. Some like me got their GMRS, got the bug and decided to expand. Others had their ham and I think saw value being inclusive for people in their own family, friends and community that aren’t interested in getting an amateur radio license. It isn’t two teams, it’s two tools.

I have to agree with what @BoxCar, @SteveShannon, and @AdmiralCochrane said. My local club is quite friendly to GMRS users. We have our GMRS repeater setup at the same site as our 2m repeater and main 70cm repeater. We also encourage GMRS users that are not club members to use the repeater. We had a few naysayers when we started discussing GMRS. We sold the idea to them by letting them know that GMRS is another tool in the toolbox for emergency communications if/when needed. The other main reason we used is that GMRS is an easy way to get into two communications and some GMRS users might use it as a stepping stone to get their amateur license. And we don't have any problem if people that have their GMRS license never get their amateur license. A lot of the naysayers ended up getting their GMRS licenses after we put the GMRS repeater on the air. And they enjoy and use the GMRS repeater on a regular basis.

Hams in my area are completely friendly to GMRS. Maybe a reciprocity problem some places.

This is my experience as well. Most hams are welcoming GMRS users. I’m sure some of that is motivated by a hope that people will want to expand into amateur radio.

I think the concept is that the parts are less valuable than the assembled item. They'd still have to pay a tariff, but it wouldn't be as much as if they shipped a completed item.

Ok, thank you! This was was where I think I ended up, leaving the DTCS/Tone off on receive. I'll try to confirm I'm good later today. It's been suggested to me to just get a different radio, but I liked the idea of having the dual band, GPS, etc. as a mobile unit. Thanks again, everyone, for the help.

They have 1035 transmitters. Currently 20 transmitters are down.

I've looked in the ID-5100 basic and full manual and didn't see anything mentioned about split DTCS tones. Maybe there was a change in a firmware update. Sometimes Icon will release a short amended/add on manual just for new changes. But I have not found one for the ID-5100. I know there is an extra EXMENU manual for the IC-2730 that covers things not found in the basic or full manuals. My brother runs a MARS modded ID-5100 but none of the repeaters in our area use DTCS tones.

Resonant antennas are always going to be more efficient and work better. The G90 can easily tune all kinds of metal objects such as shopping carts, metal bleachers, chainlink fence, etc. But I would rather not have to even use the tuner if I don't have to. Using resonant and efficient antennas are more important when running QRP at 5 to 10 watts and is a big help even when running 20 watts. I have worked stations with my G90 and a resonant antenna where others using 100 watts and an external tuner could not.

I don’t see why not. The NOAA stations TX 24/7 using wide band FM so any radio that can receive the frequency should work. Also you really don’t need a squelch setting if you’re close enough. Plus you shouldn’t be using any kind of tone either.

Stop with the negativity. We all know that you are just a hateful rude person with no friends. You really need to pull your head out of your forth point of contact and then see a doctor so that your headspace and timing can be reset. And to answer why someone would want to listen to the NOAA channels, the internet might go out during a bad storm or the person might be somewhere that there is no internet or cell service.

You’re exactly right. I asked a while back (slightly tongue in cheek) “What if my hobby is talking to people on the radio?” Unfortunately there’s always someone who thinks they’re qualified to dictate how someone else enjoys their life.

Okay, here's a silly question. Why can't the collection and use of gmrs radios be a hobby? Folks will say they're for use as an adjunct to other "hobbies" such are hiking, off roading, fishing, hunting, etc. But I'd bet more that a few folks here have considerably more radios than they actually need for these activities. The whole programming thing seems to be an area that sounds hobbish. Then you get into setting up and maintaining repeaters. Other than for your personal use that sounds very much like a hobby. GMRS clubs, well that's definitely in hobby territory. Personally, I'm looking at it as just another hobby for my retirement years. Another new field to study and learn. And actually for the most part cheaper than some of my other hobbies.

It's the same hand!

Keep after Retevis! I have had positive results with Retevis Support in China AFTER they understood what I needed them to do for me. I became convinced over time that the agent, that I was working with, was having a Major Failure to translate/understand my written points/claims/needs. The Agent was always businesslike in written form but clearly did not understand English very well. This Agent was not advising me of any action they planned to take and it was mostly just unknown if they planned to do anything for me. Ample emails were sent every few days including numerous "proof" pictures ---that I thought they could use to ensure I was being honest with them. Each time I worded my email a little differently trying harder to get my points across -- and so that someone over there might understand and pass this need up the chain for a command decision. After several more emails were sent to China ( thread style with all replies copied in) I finally received a message from a different person asking me to explain the problem / what I needed. I believe he was probably a Supervisor with more English comprehension and authority. I sent him the email thread and my pictures. The result was a fast response and immediate action was taken. The issue was resolved. WOW! That took time and effort but I was made whole once I got to the right person. Best Regards!

I missed the hat. That’s a classic!!!

I'm almost certain the tariff is on the value of the item at the point at which it enters the US. Most of the retail price is incurred after the item is in the US, so it wouldn't make either logical or economic sense to place a tariff on it at the point of sale.

All I know - I only have the H3 Plus (beta) - is this is for the FW released today for that specific model, FW 1.19.

I believe the new encryption and radio inoperability requirements for Federally and some States funded systems may be the reason why most agencies are migrating to P25 Phase 2 Sysitems

That sounds more like a language barrier. Is it still under warranty?

The issue of harmonics isn't as simple as it seems. Harmonics at the wrong frequency can mix with a wanted signal to generate a signal frequency which will appear in the radio's IF stage. This unwanted signal generation can even take place in the radio's front end amplifier stages before the mixer. That's why better radios have tunable front end filters before the RF amplifier stages. They can be adjusted on the fly to limit the bandwidth of the signal to just the range the radio is designed to receive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_response I've attached a section of a schematic for a very basic Kenwood TK-3360 16 channel analog only commercial radio. The signal path from the antenna to the first IF amp is the heavy black line. The electronically tuned band pass filter is in the red box. Many cheaper radios don't have this, particularly the CCR's. This is why many people prefer to use the more expensive commercial radios.

In looking through my ID-5100 options (as well as the Icom software) I don't think split DTCS tones are supported. The dang radio supports almost all other combos like DTCS/Nomal tone as well as split Tone/Tone Squelch like what you want to do with DTCS (in the menu as "Tone(T)/TSQL(R)") but no option for DTCS to do the same thing. I don't see a way to do it in the Icom software either. Just leave DTCS/Tone off on receive and you should be fine. I suppose if you really want to test it with both transmit and receive DTCS, you could setup the radio with the repeater setup in two memory channels. One for TX with the TX DTCS tone, the other for RX configured with the RX DTCS tone. Load up one channel in one VFO and the other on the 2nd VFO. Unless you are getting traffic other than the repeater bugging you, RX DTCS isn't needed but at least you can test it both directions. FYI: Here's a snip of the tone settings in the Icom software. Notice there is a option (and column) to split repeater tones but not DTCS (doesn't even have a column to show the possibility). And the tone options:

Not quite sure where that last comment came from. I was trying to determine if I was on the right track or not, and hoping someone that had experience with a 5100 could help point me in the right direction. As I said, I'm new to this and tried to do my research before posting here. To determine if I was actually getting out, I was going to take the radio off the bench and go to a high point to be sure what I was actually hearing was in fact the repeater, and to see if I could get a response to confirm my settings. I live in a valley, so reception here is sketchy at best. Thanks for the help guys, and have a good one.

I’m not too concerned as I believe the plan will work as intended. That said, it’s never a bad time to buy new gear so I picked up a couple more Icom’s today; 2730 Black Edition and an ID-52 Plus.

So is the tariff levy on the wholesale or retail value? If it’s the wholesale value for sure then the price for just about all imported consumer goods might not go up nowhere near where the fear peddling media wants the public to believe.

Is that what you kids call it these days?

Although GMRS regulations constrain us to transmitting on one of 30 designated frequencies, some GMRS radios allow us to program those frequencies into empty memory channels in our radios so we have more memory channels than just the 30 frequencies. In that sense they truly are DIY. Fortunately we no longer need to polish our own crystals.

Just leave the receive tone out, or set the squelch mode to tone or whatever it requires to disregard the repeater output tone.

This is a common problem when you don't set your time zone to your location and leave it set to Beijing.

One is dyslexic.

Try the other 6 NOAA frequencies? Without knowing where you are, we don't have any way to know what NOAA channel you SHOULD be hearing them on.

Well I can tell you that not all have switched over to digital modes. The Montgomery County Missouri Sheriff department and Mexico, Missouri Public Safety (fire and police) most definitely are still using analog. And again a lot of the rural/small town volunteer fire departments around me are still using analog. Now the MCSD is currently in the process of switching over the state wide trunked P25 system. But they are still currently using analog at this time. And even the Mo Highway Patrol still have analog radios in their vehicles so that they can still communicate with agencies such as the MCSD that are still using analog. We were listening to a car chase on Interstate 70 in Montgomery County just yesterday afternoon. MCSD and MoHP were using analog radios the entire time. MCSD is on 158.730 analog and Mexico Mo PS is on 155.925 analog.

My limited understanding is when “activating” a park it’s just letting people know that you are in so and so park and you have so many contacts 10? I think then your station is active. It may go like this. “this is www123 has 10? Contacts activating Yellowstone national park.” but it’s been a while so I may be wrong.

They are activating a park. If they receive a certain number of contacts (10) while operating from that park they have activated it. It’s all spelled out on POTA.app. https://docs.pota.app A successful activation requires a minimum of 10 QSOs from a park in the designated list within a single UTC day (Zulu day). Courteous activators will still submit logs for unsuccessful activations to ensure their hunters get credit for the QSOs. Multiple activities at the same park in the same state/province/entity and the same UTC day count as a single activation, provided that the ten or more QSOs combined were made.

Just about every electronic device that is not specifically covered by some other part of the FCC rules is licensed under Part 15, which has extensive requirements for interference levels etc. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-15 Here is an interesting thread on the issue of interference to Part 15 devices. Just about every consumer is ignorant of this particular part. It's hard to convince somebody where their expensive flat screen TV malfunctioning, when you key up your radio, isn't your fault. The notice of Part 15 is either on the device some place and or mentioned in the included documentation, of course nobody reads that fine print. https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/35189/fcc-part-15-must-accept-interference-from-other-sources-what-does-this-mean

Agreed, But to me, seriously debating which one of the cheapest budget radios is far superior to others is like trying to figure out which is better between the Ford Pinto or the Chevy Vega. LoL. You are going to get what you pay for. But when it comes down to it, inexpensive radios allowed many people get into GMRS who otherwise could never afford it and help build the user base. As long as people understand the possible limitations in quality, and how to return them, in my opinion they remain a great jumping off point into GMRS.

Hypothetically, yes, but any RF radiation has the same potential, not just the "spurious" ones. In-band transmissions have the same possibility of creating electromagnetic interference as spurious ones. Microwave ovens can cause problems because they leak considerable RF energy if not properly shielded, but they operate on around 600-1,200 watts, which is a bit more than the 5 watts of an HT. Most of the electronic devices around you are shielded to prevent leakage which can interfere with other electronics, but two-way radios are by definition not shielded. As soon as you press the PTT, unshielded RF energy is created (intentionally), and it matters not to the pacemaker whether it's on 462.550 or some harmonic, although some of them could be (hypothetically) more sensitive to one band than another. So, there's a non-zero chance that your radio could affect a pacemaker, but as far as we know, it's never actually happened, and it's not confined to just the "spurious" emissions, but includes the intentional ones as well.

that was not me, not sure my h3 could reach gallatin from spring hill but i will see about tuning in and see if maybe i will pick something up or if need be get some thing with a bit more powerr

Welcome, and glad you're putting that license to use! I recommend (and use) the tid radio h3 and h8. You'll definitely want a few extra batteries if you go that HT route.

Well,, #47 just might make your day after all.. Good luck, i hope your are become wealthy and successful.

Correct. Usually. That is not the case with this update. After failing, you cannot get into DFU mode (PTT+1+Power). The keypad lights up and nothing happens. The expected behavior would include the two LEDs on the top turning green. No joy. 100% of the 21 people I know (there's an FB group for this beta radio) have the identical result. It fails with a checksum error about 75% in. It attempts a repair 4 times, then it gives a fatal error. And fatal is accurate at this time.

Firmware 1.19 is bricking radios. So far 100% of people applying the new FW have a dead unit. If you have one, do NOT do the FW to 1.19. TID is aware of the issue. No resolution has been communicated yet.

Omg 6HOURS without noaa? if we only had any other way to hear about the weather!!!! Maybe someone should invent a World Wide Web and put weather info on it!!!! Some times noaa goes down. Sometimes for hours sometimes for days. It happens. We just have to learn about the weather like people did 50, 100, 200…… years ago.