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His stupidity and the stupid shit he says far outweighs the tiny nuggets of correctness that he randomly shits out.. and he has never said anything that 100 others here in the forum could not also tell you. ...just sayin...

You shouldn't post his callsign because now people can very easily go to this link: FCC License Lookup and find his full name and address via the publicly available FCC license information. But he probably doesn't mind if everyone looks up his full legal name and address because we know he read all the rules and regulations before he signed up for his license - because that's the number-one stupid thing he obsessively repeats in his posts to other people. So he obviously knows all of his information is free for anyone to look up.

I think the stuff that he gets right is either because he got lucky and said the right thing by mistake, or he researched the hell out of it and somewhat properly regurgitate what he read, but doesn't actually "know" what he is talking about. I think this, because right after he says something correct, he will follow-up with an explanation of why he right, but that explanation defies physics. Imagine if I said that during certain conditions, if we shoot a GMRS single dang near straight up in the air, it comes back to earth and covers hundreds of miles in every direction. But then, instead of saying that it happens because signals can bounce off of planes, meteor showers, the moon or (more often than not) random weather anomalies... I say it's because the radio signal is so heavy, it's like launching a watermelon out of a giant slingshot. Its kind of like that.

Would this work?

I can vouch.. 'Tumbleweed' Sucks.

the odds the FCC will go after people specifically for using non-certified radios is very very slim. One would have a better chance of winning 10 Lotteries. For those that program their non-compliant radios to the exact specs for a given frequency per fcc rules, it would be impossible for the FCC to even enforce it. Now to the idiots that prgram their radios to 40 watts in the FRS band. Go get em'

Best wishes as you go through ham licensing. HamStudy.org makes it easy and enjoyable and free if you like online learning. One of the things you might learn within a couple years of becoming a ham is that one radio isn’t enough. You might even find that the radios you have unlocked, thinking they could do it all, really aren’t enjoyable to use on those unlocked frequencies when compared to a radio certified for those frequencies.

You might also consider a GMRS radio with all the controls in the handset like the BTech GMRS-20V2, the Retevis RA86, or the Midland MXT275. A controls-in-the-handset unit is even more space-efficient than a detachable-faceplate radio and it's easy to find a place to hang the mic. The KT-9900 GMRS is the same radio as the BTech GMRS-20V2 and is the GMRS version of the Anysecu WP-9900 and the KT-9900. I have the WP-9900 and it's a decent unit.

The Anysecu WP-9900 (aka KT-9900) is such a radio. I have one, and I like it for what it is. It is an inexpensive Chinese radio, but it will do what it claims. Mine does a legit 25 watts on VHF and 20 watts on UHF/GMRS. The receive sensitivity is good and I've never had any complaints about the transmit audio. The audio of the speaker mic is so-so and adjusting the volume on the fly is a major PITA. Mine doesn't like a standard CB-type remote speaker; for some reason, the radio turns off when the speaker comes on, but even if it worked, you still have the issue of adjusting the volume. I added a pair of small USB-powered speakers with a volume knob, and it works great. One thing I learned the hard way is that you have to carefully check the SWR of your antenna. If you key up on an antenna with an SWR higher than about 3.5:1, you'll burn out the finals in a matter of seconds. Is it what I'd call a great radio? No. But it's good enough that when I burned one out, I bought another one. As far as I can determine, it's the only ham radio with that form factor, so for the price, I like it okay. I'd rather have one with the same form factor made by one of the Japanese manufacturers or at least by AnyTone or TYT, but there aren't any. There are a couple of options in that form factor for CB and GMRS radios, but the major manufacturers of ham radios seem completely uninterested. Given the space constraints of modern vehicles, I think they'd sell like hotcakes, but maybe I'm wrong. It does seem to me that a lot of (most?) hams like the aesthetic of a whole bunch of radios visible in the vehicle, so maybe it wouldn't be as popular as I think.

I am going to second the 778uv... got one to use as a mobile rig, and a week later grabbed a second for the base rig as well.... absolutely great radio for the money for sure....

I, too, shopped forever to find a small ~25W mobile radio with a fully integrated mic or a remote/detachable head. The 20V2 is about the only thing there is in that category, but I was off-put by the reviews and the 20W limit. I ended up with an AnyTone 778UVII 25W mobile radio. This thing is great! And I also recently discovered there are folks out there that have successfully detached the faceplate and ran a cable from it back to the radio unit. There’s an Aussie selling a kit for that on eBay. Might do that later, but for now I’m pretty happy with this thing.

I love this bar.

I'll check out Ham Study.org. Much appreciated.

but its the truth. Honestly, i'm surrounded by them.....

Well now you're just being mean!

That’s exactly right. I tried hard to give @Socalgmrs his due. I even upvoted a few of his posts after others piled on just because it was him, wanting him to settle in and realize he didn’t have to act like that, but after the past few years where he has steadily gotten worse rather than better I realized that nothing I did was going to change for the better. It helps to understand that he was a member here under the name wrxp381 (his call sign), then changed his username to SocalGMRS, quit the forums, had all of his identifiable posts changed to come from username “guest”, and then came back as socalgmrs again to act exactly the same way he did before or worse. As Randy said, others will provide whatever good information that he might have injected into a conversation. You’ll literally miss nothing by adding him to your ignore list.

MURS is limited (by FCC regulation) to 2w, and this radio's lowest power setting in the band that encompasses MURS frequencies is 5w. Therefore you cannot set this radio to a power level that is appropriate for MURS. It will work but it will be putting out too much power. The reason for the 2w limitation imposed by the FCC for the MURS band is that there are non-MURS frequency allocations for other services interlaced between the MURS frequencies, and higher power is more likely to interfere with those other services. As for GMRS, using CHIRP you can set up channels in the radio that are configured exactly as a regular mobile GMRS radio would be set up. Once it's set up properly, you would just turn the knob to the correct channel (or input the channel on your mic), and it will work as you would want a GMRS radio to work. As I mentioned earlier, this would not be in compliance with FCC type acceptance. But it could be configured to meet the technical specifications of GMRS. Remember that no mobile GMRS radio should transmit on channels 8-14, the FCC doesn't permit those channels for mobile transmission. Here, the reason is because 8-14 use frequencies directly between each of the repeater input frequencies. Transmitting on these interstitial frequencies at 5w or at wideband has a higher than acceptable possibility of interfering with repeaters. These channels are supposed to be a half watt only, narrowband only, and fixed antenna. But for channels 1-7 and 15-22 plus repeater inputs you can configure this radio to meet the technical limits of GMRS. Bear in mind that a type approved GMRS radio like the KG1000G+ will already be configured correctly, so you can't mess it up. And it will be type approved for GMRS.

I think you mean that you would like to be able to ignore specific “threads”. If you truly meant “threat” I would urge you to report any threats by clicking on the ellipsis in the upper right corner of the post that includes the threat. I would also like the ability to ignore threads.

He would fit right in with the rest of the losers and whacko's on 7.200 MHz

I thought we were friends but now I see that you hate me.

The downside to the Midland GMRS radios with everything in the hand mic is that you can only program them through the radio. There is no option to program them using a computer.

Thanks for that info!!! I will definitely take a closer look at the WP-9900 product. And for the modest $115 price tag it is probably worth getting one to test out in person! It really looks like the Btech 20V2. Maybe, it is made by same company with different branding. The Btech 20V2, which I like a lot, is also a "cheap chinese radio" so that really doesn't bother me. I think a lot of folks (read: "Radio Dorks") get totally wrapped around the axel on that stuff or see the brand name of their radio as some kind of freak'in status symbol, as if anyone in the real world gives a rat's ass. I will concede that the specs, when measured with test equipment can differ, and some radios may even be noticeably better than others, but the average dude, like me, using a radio just doesn't care. As long as I can communicate with others around me with reasonable clarity and reliability that's all that matters. When I hear someone else talking, I don't know, and I don't care, what kind of radio they are using. It's a moot point! It is interesting that you speak of the volume control being a PITA because that is for me the biggest negative in the basic operation of the Btech 20V2. The orange button on top of the mic that you use to turn the radio on/off is also used to open the squelch to put the radio in monitor mode. Long press vs short press and I always manage to hold the button for the wrong amount of time for what I'm wanting to do. Then while in monitor mode, you use the up and down arrow keys to adjust the volume. To me, this is a little clumsy, but it works, and I really don't have to adjust the volume that often, so it is a quirk I can easily live with. It is also funny that you mention how some hams might like the aesthetics of visible radios. HA!!! I think what you say is true. They like having all the knobs and meters etc. on display. Besides, if you can't see the physical radio box mounted proudly and prominently in front of you, how would you possibly be able to admire the expensive brand name? I recently went to a local ham radio club meeting for the first time. I was the new guy, and they knew nothing about me. Surprisingly, the very first question I was asked by one of the members; "What kind of equipment do you have?". My answer; "Oh, just cheap Chinese junk..." I understand the value of technical quality, but form factor and aesthetics is important for different reasons. I like being able to keep things clean, low profile, somewhat unnoticeable whenever I can. It is a matter of personal preference and for me these small form factor radios with controls on the mic seem to work pretty well in that regard. Anyway, thanks again for the lead on the WP-9900, I'll check it out....

You forgot that BEFORE that, in almost all (99%?) cases they first send a nasty letter asking you to stop. You also left out that his current NAL details his previous 1999 NAL ("fine") and states that he has still never paid that one.

Will you notice a difference in the antennas? At normal effective GMRS fars, probably not. Going for super extended mountain top to mountain top with antennas out of polarization angle agreement, yes.

Either works, but CHIRP is much simpler. In Extra Settings->Frequency Limits match the TX to the RX and .... you have a full SHTF radio, including MURS & GMRS among others, but as others mention, it's now up to you to be compliant with the rules/power limits etc.

If you're looking for a trunk lip mount this is the best one on the market and comes with everything you need. And the Midland antenna will work perfectly with the Comet mount. https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-cp-5nmo

I keep a log of all my contacts on 6m and HF bands. I don't bother keeping a log for 2m or 70cm. And the only time I keep a long for GMRS is for our monthly net that gets turned in.

My information may be outdated. Though last time I checked there are not any 70cm repeaters allowed around certain air bases in California.

Lot of radio in one package. Your right up makes it tempting .. Thanks

I've never believed the FCC never takes action, but I think it's pretty clear you have to pretty much be "asking for it" to catch a significant enforcement action. When I see someone fined or jailed for nothing except using an unapproved radio on GMRS, then I'll start worrying. I'm pretty much a stickler for the rules regarding power and bandwidth, because ignoring them can create problems for other users, and I try to be a decent human, but I'm not going to get my undies in a wad over someone using a ham radio on GMRS frequencies. I'm 99.999% certain nobody will know what radio I'm using unless I tell them, and I'm 99.99999% certain the FCC has better things to do than try to figure it out. Don't interfere with other users, especially business and government agencies, and you'll be fine.

i wonder if this guy is the onion caper ??? https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jayme-john-leon-mcfury-onion_n_1914789

I don't want to block any users... but I sure wish the site let you mark a THREAD as something you don't want to see come up in your "Unread topics" anymore regardless of how many new posts get added to it!

You can still see what that guys posts? Man, you gotta jump on the "block that moron" train!

I've never logged an amateur radio or GMRS contact, but I can see why some people would want to. It could be fun to look back and see how far you had reached or remember some interesting person you had talked to. I have made a "log" of sorts of people who are active on the repeaters I use. I write down their call sign, name, and a couple of tidbits about them ("WK5DKD Bob likes to go to Boom-a-rang restaurant for fish Friday." "K3OSU John travels out of town a lot for work.") It makes it more interesting to converse with them on the air. There isn't enough consistent activity on the GMRS repeaters I can reach to make it worth doing that, but that could change.

Every jerk and a--hole I know defends him/herself by saying, "I'm just honest." So, here's some honesty for you -- If you find yourself saying that...you're an a--hole.

That's not true. I don't hate anyone. Although, I definitely do not have any love for Pandaland radios and radio products or other related inferior products.

*Shakes fist in the air

As if Randy needs an evil alternate account. As much as I love Randy and sometimes making him reply on YT videos by making absolutely ridiculous statements (it's a hobby), he certainly doesn't need an evil alt. Randy is just evil enough to get by.

You should make a step-by-step How-To for blocking/ignoring someone.. with screenshots and arrows and everything.. That way we can all link to it whenever necessary. In the screenshots be sure to use an appropriate user as the example.

Right, and that's what I did. It was a little harder than I would have preferred because the masthead doesn't provide its own good ground plane, the forestay, backstay, and upper shrouds can actually influence the apparent ground plane in weird ways, too. A mobile antenna such as the Comet CA2X4SR would have been broad-band enough, but not compatible with the wonky ground plane 30 feet up the mast. I ended up with a base-station broad band dual-band antenna that provided acceptable SWR from 2m through GMRS, including Marine VHF. I don't remember the model I went with, but at this point it works nicely. I prefer keeping a dedicated Marine VHF radio, as they offer marine-specific features not found in amateur radios. So that rig will always be a Marine VHF / GMRS dual radio setup.

This is true. It is also true you have the on-line personality of soiled bedpan.