WQYC236

I am happy to live in a voluntary HOA, We still employed an attorney for out 55' tower install. Turns out federal law protects any one that lives in an HOA,  Access to effective communications is protected by the FCC. You can not be forced to buy cable if you wish to access satellite TV signals or use an old timer TV antenna. A reasonable accommodation must be made.  Federal law protects standard TV antennas, Radio FM antennas, HAM radio and 2way radio antennas. as well as satellite antennas. As I read the law, some HOA's have offered your choice over per-existing coax to prevent members from installing said antennas. The last condo I lived in, offered, MAST TV, direct and dish as well as ATT u-verse. I still installed my UHF yagi on a cinder-block on my balcony for my radio. Many property managers are not aware of these laws and even when they are, they lie and tell home owners that it does not apply to them because they signed the contract. That is totally false.

Billboard next to a Kansas City, KS  used car lot -
 
"Miracle Motors" - If you buy a car from us and make it home - it's a Miracle.

Speaking of the unlicensed, I'd like to expand that term to the "Don't Know, Don't Care Group"  (DKDCG)! I spoke to one of these on Saturday while I was in a small town of about 30,000 people near me.
 
I had the radio on scan when I heard that annoying warbling sound produced by somebody hitting the "Call Button" on a walkie talkie. If that wasn't annoying enough, the scanner was following him up through the channels, one, two, three, four, etc. After listening to him move through all the channels twice, I thought maybe someone was actually in trouble and trying to find help on any possible channel. I identified myself and asked if someone needed assistance. The response was "No, I'm just trying to see if this radio works". 
 
To make a long story short we talked for maybe 3 or 4 minutes while I explained to him (obviously an adult male) about licensing and the power and channel restrictions. I encouraged him to stay on the FRS only channels if he wasn't going to get a license and to especially avoid the Repeater channels, explaining that he could be interfering with legitimate communications. He responded with short, unintelligent answers. I finally signed off and went back to scanning mode, only to hear him back on the repeater channels warbling through every frequency, just as if nothing happened!

 
 
​The famous turn of the century evangelist Billy Sunday once said, "Anybody can get born again, but stupid is forever"!

Speaking of the unlicensed, I'd like to expand that term to the "Don't Know, Don't Care Group"  (DKDCG)! I spoke to one of these on Saturday while I was in a small town of about 30,000 people near me.
 
I had the radio on scan when I heard that annoying warbling sound produced by somebody hitting the "Call Button" on a walkie talkie. If that wasn't annoying enough, the scanner was following him up through the channels, one, two, three, four, etc. After listening to him move through all the channels twice, I thought maybe someone was actually in trouble and trying to find help on any possible channel. I identified myself and asked if someone needed assistance. The response was "No, I'm just trying to see if this radio works". 
 
To make a long story short we talked for maybe 3 or 4 minutes while I explained to him (obviously an adult male) about licensing and the power and channel restrictions. I encouraged him to stay on the FRS only channels if he wasn't going to get a license and to especially avoid the Repeater channels, explaining that he could be interfering with legitimate communications. He responded with short, unintelligent answers. I finally signed off and went back to scanning mode, only to hear him back on the repeater channels warbling through every frequency, just as if nothing happened!

 
 
​The famous turn of the century evangelist Billy Sunday once said, "Anybody can get born again, but stupid is forever"!

Along that line, something that I've thought about was to have a small recording device to catch the call signs for later use.

I've never considered it but it might make sense if the radio(s) were used in any organized capacity. Public watch or safety, sever weather situations etc.

In my area we had an issue with a major chain Hotel using 462.725 (one of our repeater pairs) for their business comms on commercial radios.   After we researched and verified that there was no possibility of them having an ancient license for Non-Individual on GMRS,  I politely contacted them on their frequency in an attempt to explain the situation.   The Manager got on the radio telling me she was going to "Call the Cops" because I was not allowed to use their "channel".    So I stopped at the hotel and again,  politely, attempted to show them the FCC regulations and offer them a solution when the manager freaked out and called the police.   Because I was on their property I simply left shaking my head.    Needless to say I made sure they got a letter from our northwest FCC Representative Binh Mtuyem out of the Portland, Oregon area. 

We've had a few other businesses pop up on GMRS and most are polite and will move to FRS once it's politely explained to them,  but there are still geniuses at gas stations and hotels that love to wander into GMRS then cuss and threaten anyone who tries to help them follow the law.   Oh well!  

On a trip through Sisters, Oregon we had a Hotel/Resort employee on a MURS frequency we were using for travel comms tell us they "Owned" this channel and we needed to immediately get off of "his" channel or he was going to call the "FBI".   That was a fun conversation!  LOL

 

I really wish more manufactures would offer a 5/2 watt, GMRS/MURS simple radio at a reasonable price. I'm using my two Tera 505's and they seem to have most of what we are all looking for but could be a little less expensive although the build quality is good.
 
Maybe there's a business opportunity for someone to buy up a bunch of refurbished Motorola hand held's and set them up with the GMRS frequencies at a reasonable price.
 
Just a thought.

Very interesting.
 
Questions:
 
1) How did you find the repeater?
2) How do you know you are hitting it?
3) Have you ever talked to anybody on it?
4) What kind of traffic do you hear if any?
 
Since that frequency is definitely MURS I really wonder what's up?  

I have 128 of the 200 channels programmed into my radio: HAM, GMRS, MURS, FRS, Fire & Rescue, Police, School Systems, Hospitals, EMT's, Business bands, Marine Band, and anything else I can think of or learn about. I want to be able to have the best possible chance for communication with someone during an emergency. I also plot the location, height, frequency, and power of every transmission that I listen to on a daily basis (except the pirate radios). What use are empty channels in a radio? 

Sorry I meant 15 inches

That's because the State Forestry Division is trying to conceal all the Bigfoot sightings!

That's because the State Forestry Division is trying to conceal all the Bigfoot sightings!

I love my Tera TR-505's! They really talk and have all the options one could want. They just feel good in the hand, sort of like a high end business radio, and I can't say enough about the 15 inch optional antennae, those guys really extend the range.
 
I programmed the last 5 channels with (1-5) MURS frequencies, 1-10 GMRS simplex, and 11-12 for two local repeaters. Works quite well for me. I have talked 17 miles to a Cobra walkie from a mountain ridge and talked between Tera's about 7 miles over average terrain with the 15 inch antennas. 

Now imagine an EMP and 10-15 years without power and your neighbors eating you.

That's a neat tree installation. I'm playing metal games myself trying to figure how to safely get to the top of a 100 ft tree that sits on a 10 foot hill about 50 ft from my house. I'd like to put a 16.5' antenna attached to a ten foot pole in the top of that tree. My neighbor has a bucket truck but may not be able to get in or operate out of my uneven back yard. Another option is to buy the climbing gear and try it on my own. I think I also may need to build a small platform about twenty feet from the top of the tree in case I decide to mount a repeater up there. The antenna is 11.5 db and should give me some reasonable range at that altitude.

If either of you guys want to try communicating on (462.675, 141.3) I can be on the air anytime listening. I usually have no problem hitting that repeater from my driveway, although with all this rain it's been a little iffy lately at 51 miles out.

If either of you guys want to try communicating on (462.675, 141.3) I can be on the air anytime listening. I usually have no problem hitting that repeater from my driveway, although with all this rain it's been a little iffy lately at 51 miles out.

I just discovered a repeater located near the intersection of Hwy's 50 & 7 near DC. It's not listed anywhere (that I can find) and is on the same frequency and codes as "675Baltimore"  (462.675, 467.675 and 141.3, 141.3). I recently had a nice conversation with a seasoned HAM and GMRS operator on that system. I was mobile in Warrenton,VA at the time which is about 31 air miles SW of the location. I was in between two buildings and hitting the repeater off the side of the car and still a good signal. He said it was a REACT repeater but I was perfectly welcome to use it as long as I had a licence.
 
I have been monitoring that frequency since last Saturday and haven't heard a soul. Unfortunately I didn't ask a lot of details like how high and power out, etc. I will next time I talk to some one on it. My personal range testing by listening for the carrier tone, has been out to 56 miles so far with out any problems. I even went out side last night about 1:30 AM and hit it with my Tera TR-505 hand held using the 15" antenna (5 watts). My house is about 51 miles SW from the repeater. 
 
I'm hoping I'll be able to connect with people in the area through this system and I also am hopeful that I will be able to talk to my wife and son who both work within a few miles of the tower. The are doing the 60 plus mile commute thing and it would be especially useful in bad weather.

Natural selection at work?

About 2:00 AM one morning I over heard two guys planning a break in several miles away using their bubble pack radios. I started answering their transmissions, which produced stunned silence, followed by the statement "Go to the secret channel".  I turned on the scanner and found the "secret" channel in about 10 seconds. I then pretended to be a hidden observer who would "keep them in sight" until the police arrived. Panic ensued and the nefarious activities were abandoned for the evening.

Wouldn't it be nice if the FCC put MURS under GMRS and offered licencees those frequencies at GMRS power levels.   

Look at the FCC Certification for the TR-505. Part 95A for GMRS, Part 95J for MURS:
 
https://fccid.io/2ACK8TR505D
 
http://puu.sh/qOn35.png

That would be a simple matter of looking up the fcc id of the radio on the fcc website. 
AntiSquid disclaimer: All information provided is personal opinion only and may or may not resemble actual fact.

To answer my own question since I've been experimenting, I've been able to talk loud and clear to mobiles in and around the Charlottesville, VA area from Warrenton, VA (61.5 miles) using my mobile transceiver with a mag mount. I can also talk from Culpeper (42 miles) but not as clear. I guess location is everything. 61.5 miles is a personal range record for me on GMRS.