PB30X

Well, it's been not quite a month now since I received a partial refund* for a brand new BCR-40U I purchased back in February.

I received the unit in early March and it was bad out of the box.  I contacted Bridgecom who instructed me to 'open a ticket'.  In fact, they don't do anything until you go through the process of opening a ticket.  Then you wait anywhere from a day to a week for a response.

I had my suspicions as to where the problem lay and informed Bridgecom that I could, with their approval, crack the cover and diagnose the problem and, that I am not only qualified to do this, but have state of the art test equipment (if required). However, they basically insisted that I send it in to them (at my cost ~$90 USD) I sent it insured of course, but even if I hadn't, it would have been about $50 to ship it back.

It turns out, it was a bad duplexer (as I suspected), and so they sent it back and it worked fine, save for yet another issue (I'll get to that).  Less than a day later, it stopped working for no apparent reason.

This time I decided to at least look at the programming and found that the repair tech left in a test channel and, after I removed it with the software, the repeater started working again.

Now to the next problem...

One of the first things I found wrong with this repeater is that if you program in a user with DCS on RX, that is the only user you can have, included the sysop/control user.  Tone squelch users, you can have as many as you want up to the limit of 23 users/coded squelch per channel.  After reading the manual and all of the sales literature, which makes no mention of this limitation, I Contacted Bridgecom (again), and they basically became forthcoming and stated it was a limitation of one of the chips controlling coded squelch system.  It is also important to note, that per the instruction manual, the unit IS CAPABLE of multiple DCS users.  Indeed, I think it was me pointing out that fact they agree to refund my money.

After that last confession and 2 primary failures, I decided enough is enough.  You spend good money for a new repeater you expect better.  So I requested and received a refund, well, sort of.

The refund appears to have been short the tax I paid for the original purchase.  Compound that with the fact that I had to pay to return it twice (once for the repair and once for a refund) at a cost to me of just shy of $200, I am out of pocket about $250 just for 'trying' a (brand new) Bridgecom repeater.

I'm really sad to have to write this, but others should be warned. 

I very much wanted to support a small American vendor/manufacturer, but I've never been so disappointed with any vendor/manufacturer.  Between the failures, slow service, basically false advertising (the DCS issue) and, having to pay to return (again twice) a unit that was defective from day one, it was just too much.

I'm kicking myself today because what I should have done was purchase a used Motorola repeater for less than what I paid for the 'new' BCR-40U.  And I am not talking buying off eBay either, there are plenty of mainstream dealers where you can get a used MTR2000 or even a Quantar for less than the BCR-40U.

Bottom, line, I have to call the Bridgecom BCR-40U a 'Don't Buy'. 
Not just for the defective unit, but also their warranty policies which leaves a customer out of pocket.  I had to pay for their problems?  WTF??

Indeed, given their service/warranty policies, I don't think I'll ever buy anything from them again.

Just my own experience, FWIW!
 

Celwave RFS Motorola UHF Duplexer 0185417U05 440-470 Mhz Quantar MTR2000
from Used-Radios.Com

Motorola repackaged a nice Celwave bandpass/band reject duplexer with most MTR2000's, although that was not the only possible "MTR2000 duplexer" that might have existed.
If you have a link or more detailed description, it might help to figure out which one you're looking at.
EMR makes some decent equipment, but the model you have listed is a basic "flatpack" compact mobile duplexer which is a Notch style - not the greatest duplexer for use in a high quality repeater install.
Any duplexer requires tuning to operate on your exact frequency pairs. The Celwave MTR2000 duplexers sold by Sunny Communications (Used-Radios.com) for $525 include tuning. That duplexer is the real deal.

Dude... I didn't test on 2m.  I used two distinctly different watt meters to confirm the numbers are correct.  See?  I tested on two meters, not 2m.

Just in case anyone checks the forums before the main site... we have a new myGMRS!
After well over a year of fooling around with the new website, I have finally launched it. This is a big leap in technology since the original website was created in 2006 and only had a few incremental updates over the years. This new platform will allow us to put out quicker updates, brand-new features, and bonus features for Premium Members.
Premium Membership is an optional subscription where you can remove ads from the website, generate PDF reports of repeaters and licenses in any state, and create your own Club listing (part of the forums) so you don't need to create your own website! All of the existing features of myGMRS will remain free, of course.
A new mobile app is also in the works, although we're not close to a release date for that. The long-awaited iOS version will be part of the release, as well as a completely new Android app.
Since this is such a radically different website, I'm sure there will be some issues along the way. If anyone runs into bugs or problems of any kind, please don't hesitate to submit a bug report at this Google Forms URL rather than the forums or by email (as it'll be much easier to review):  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6XLmCW-UU0Bp9lN9zM3L9gO_TCkArIN2oY-hOLG9x01B3lg/viewform
Thank you everyone for the wonderful support and thank you to our Beta testers. You know who you are!
Have a Happy New Year!

Commercial wise, many Motorola Trbo XPR5xxxe/7xxxe series and APX7/8xxx APX series radios have voice announcements for more than just channel selections. APX radios made for law enforcement use have ViQi (Vicki), to assist in settings and changes. However, I am not aware of a specific mobile or base-station that would have this. However, when connecting an Icom PCR-1000 receiver to an old Windows XP computer, the settings for the visually impaired included some features that worked well with that black box receiver. Might be a way to go, using the computer for the interface and voice instead of the radio.

Sure can, there are several ways to do this.

1) The linking bundle provided by myGMRS.com (https://shop.mygmrs.com/collections/repeaters-and-accessories/products/repeater-linking-bundle ) is quite capable of this with a few modifications to rpt.conf and iax.conf you’ll be on your way.

2) Allstarlink has a download page using the ASL image for the RaspberryPi. In your situation I would consider the v1.01, and follow instructions from the ASL website links etc.

3) I would suggest the myGMRS route due to the complexity of Linux, and Rich went through great lengths to keep it clean, and LEGAL!

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/radio
Yes, you can carry it on your carry-on bag. Make sure you carry a copy of your FCC License (GMRS/HA). Also know the restrictions on batteries you can take, and the maximum amp-hours you are permitted to carry (including the total in your phone, power bank, radio batteries, etc.).

The XPR8400 is decent, but it is nothing more than two XPR mobiles in a box. The transmit brick has an extra set of fins attached to aid in cooling, but I wouldn't call it 100% duty cycle at high power.  I wouldn't even call it 100% duty cycle at 25 watts, but I wouldn't be scared to run one for GMRS at 25 watts for 2 or 3 hours of transmit time per day.
If you're looking for something smaller that will truly run 100% duty cycle at high power with  digital capabilities, check out the SLR5700. I have yet to replace one of those because it burned up. 
If you want something for GMRS that's similar in price to the XPR8400 and is truly 100% duty cycle - check out the analog MTR2000. 

The Repeater will dictate what frequency and tone examples to be used.

REPEATER: Transmit radio TX 462.675 with an “encode tone” of 141.3 will be your handheld, mobile or base radio receive RX “decode tone” 462.675 tone 141.3.

REPEATER: Receive radio RX 467.675 with a “decode tone” of 141.3 will be your handheld, mobile or base radio transmit TX “encode tone” 467.675 tone 141.3.

Breakdown Repeater Settings:

Transmit Frequency: TX: 462.675 MHz
Transmit Encode Tone: TX: 141.3 Hz

Receive Frequency: 467.675 MHz
Receive Decode Tone: 141.3 Hz
_____________________________________

Base, Mobile and/or Handheld Settings:

Transmit Frequency: 467.675 MHz
Transmit Encode Tone: 141.3 Hz

Receive Frequency: 462.675 MHz
Receive Decode Tone: 141.3 Hz

***DCS/DCSS etc follow the same examples.

For both radios to operate through the repeater they will both need to be on the same repeater channel and have the correct tones for RX/TX as per the repeater set up.
Sean

I believe it's called the ping-pong effect when one repeater starts keying another and they bounce back and forth. Other than different codes or powering down there isn't a way to stop it. Cell companies had the problem when private repeater nodes started appearing. Thet could shut the feed down to an antenna and then send the FCC to cite the repeater operator for an illegal transmitter.

No. One input frequency and one output frequency (aka “Repeater Pair”) at at time. And despite the ability to change frequencies on the radio, expect performance to suffer if you set the radio’s frequency to something other than what the internal duplexer has been optimized for.

Hope that helps.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

I would rather be obsessive about maximizing reject notch as T-R isolation is the main goal of a duplexer. If you can keep the insertion loss in spec and not excessive, fine, but insertion loss is an expected feature of a duplexer. There is no free lunch.

My understanding is that there is a MyGMRS app, (I have it on my phone) however it is basic as Rich is the only one working on it, not to mention he is maintaining the site, a linked server, weekly nets, as well as a full time job and his family. Rich is doing a lot and so some projects will take some time.

I was just going to mention this. I'll check with Net Control on Sunday. Perhaps they can make a mention and see what comes up, though it will likely be regional. I believe if we did a nation wide QSO it would likely be a long wait to get in.

Try this link https://shop.mygmrs.com/collections/repeaters-and-accessories/products/repeater-linking-bundle

backwards.  Radio simplex is transmit and receive on 462.  When in repeater mode, the radio transmit is 467, still receives on 462.  The repeater listens on 467, and transmits on 462.
 
...and don't forget to set a CTCSS tone on both transmit and receive of your repeater that is compatible with your Midlands, and also set up your repeater for narrow-band operation for best compatibility with narrow band Midland radios.

Me personally, I think the restrictions of type certified radios for free/public (not business or government) is completely stupid. I feel like most people don't know what is what and can easily end up breaking the rules by mistake.
 
The truth is, I believe that while most ham radios are pretty cheap in quality, they are way better than any new part 95 product on the market today. Many of them are more than capable of performing inside the restrictions of GMRS. People should be allow to use them.
 
That said, if someone is using one for GMRS, I couldn't care less, but I wouldn't go on the internet putting in writing that you are doing it and if someone asks me for advice in the forum, there's going to be a "by the book" response from me.

We have several projects planned that are in various stages of development, but I'm trying to figure out priorities based upon what the members want (and some things that I haven't thought of yet).
 
I think we can all agree that Problem #1 is outdated listings that never got removed but are no longer on the air for one reason or another. We have plans to address that, but it requires a major redevelopment of the site. In the meantime we have the toggle switches on the map that allow you to hide anything that hasn't been updated in the last year, as it could be stale.
 
So, what do you think myGMRS needs? What do you personally wish we had that we don't?
 
Here's some projects that are being considered or are already in the works:
Finish working on the mobile apps. We have a beta version of the iOS app that has some issues before it can be released to everyone. That effort needs to be revived soon. The Android version has been released but there are new features that we want to add (and will also be in iOS).
  A complete site redevelopment. Much of the code powering myGMRS is over 10 years old. It's the main reason new features aren't being added -- we need a fresh modern platform to work with. Some early experimentation has been done and we think we have the right combination of technology, but need to build it. Then we can begin adding new features once we have covered all the current functionality.
  Launch of our store and securing reseller arrangements with various suppliers. This has been a small success already that we're hoping will grow with time. Most of my energy has been spent here lately, trying to get products that our members are likely to want to purchase. We're always looking for suggestions on products we should add, so please let us know.
  Expand our repeater linking project. We have had success with adding systems to our myGMRS Network over the past few years but we haven't pushed to expand very hard. Interested parties have come to us asking to join and we have approved them on a case-by-case basis. It's time, I think, to ramp up the project and try to get more high-quality repeaters on board across the country. There is a lot of work involved in making this something that can scale up without taking huge amounts of my time, however. 
  Upgrade the forums. We're using an older version of the IP.Board software, and I want to migrate to the latest version soon. We'll have to migrate all the accounts and topics over, but hopefully it won't be such a tough process. I also have a really cool project in mind that I'm going to remain tight-lipped about. It would be an app which would be of interest to the entire two-way radio community, not just GMRS and Amateur operators. I'm working on a proof of concept that could expand into a whole side business if successful.
 
So again, what do you think this site is missing? What kinds of features do you think would be worth paying a small subscription for? The core features of the site will remain free. Since incorporating, we have had to look for ways to monetize the site so it pays its own bills and can grow with time. One example might be an ad-free experience for paid subscribers. Another could be advanced tools for helping to compile a list of repeaters along a trip or commute. Dream up some ideas and hopefully we can launch them all!

We have some big news regarding our new online store! myGMRS is now an Authorized Reseller for Midland Radios!
 
This means you can be certain you're purchasing original product properly sourced from the manufacturer and they will stand behind their warranty should there be any issues with the product. With many manufacturers, if you don't buy from official channels they will not honor their warranty, which puts the consumer in a very tough spot when they have a problem.
 
We now carry the MicroMobile series (which are repeater capable) and some of the X-TALKER series handheld radios! These are Part 95 certified so you will be 100% legal on GMRS.
 
To celebrate, we're offering 20% off all Midland products from now until February 1st! Just enter the discount code MIDLANDLAUNCH at checkout to get the discount. No limit on number of items!
 
Midland MicroMobile MXT400 40W Radio
 
Midland MicroMobile MXT400VP3 40W Radio Value Pack
 
Midland MicroMobile MXT275 15W Radio (Remote Head)
 
Midland MicroMobile MXT115 15W Radio
 
Midland X-TALKER T290VP4 Radios (2-Pack)
 
Midland X-TALKER T295VP4 Radios (2-Pack)
 
Midland MXTA12 Antenna Mag Mount Base
 
Thanks for supporting myGMRS.com!

To All, Have a Safe, Happy, and Prosperous New Year!
 
WQXP640

To All, Have a Safe, Happy, and Prosperous New Year!
 
WQXP640

With so many good quality used radios from Kenwood, Motorola, Vertex, Icom and others, most Part90 and many Part95 certified, and selling for more-or-less the same price, I don’t really see the point in bothering with The RT76. Also the quality brand radios usually have a huge number of branded and 3rd party accessories available as well: speaker/mics, antennas, batteries, group charging stands, etc.