WRXB215

Not likely. This has been discussed ad-nauseum in a different thread. There are some for and some against but it seams the majority are against. The FCC isn't likely to give the issue any attention.

There was a guy just a few months ago who was sited for using non-GMRS equipment on a GMRS repeater. That was not the primary focus of him getting in trouble. He was jamming a repeater and that is why they went after him. During their investigation they discovered he was using a non-GMRS radio and so they just threw that on the pile. I think it was the forth violation out of four violations sited.

It's my understanding that "Dealer Mode" is for companies that rent radios to program them and then lock them from being changed by the users. I think BCI does this with the radios they rent. Edit: Actually, I think they do this for radios they sell as well. Makes sure the end user stays inside the bounds of their privileges.

@WSAA652 Welcome. Lots of fun and resources here.

I agree with you especially in light of the "life or property" clause. I would hate to be on a GMRS radio, bleeding out, can hear hams talking, but not be able to ask them for help.

I can remember, as a kid, impatiently waiting for the TV (black & white) to warm up so I could watch my favorite shows.

Yep. This is a pet peeve of mine. There is a device that costs about $150 you can use to add it.

Where can I find one?

Saving it to buy a better radio.

@WSAN783 did you understand all the things @WRUU653 said?

Yeah, it seems the FCC has better things to do than go after the average citizen who is just doing what seems reasonable. And even when they do send out a letter, if you just respond to them with a plan of appropriate corrective action, that's the end of it.

LOL! I just tried transmitting on channel 15 on my UV-5R GMRS for apparently the first time ever and it would not transmit. 14 and 16 work just fine.

@Sshannon, @Tidycat, is it possible that the other antenna wasn't screwed down tight and was moving slightly?

Welcome @Billieco. GMRS is a great radio service. Useful and fun.

I understand your concern. So far, I have not seen or heard of any of these CCR batteries or any other radio batteries providing too much voltage. The Ah rating just gives you an idea of how long the battery should last.

Think about it like this: all 308 casings are the same size not all are loaded with the same amount of propellent.

Sounds like you got a good deal.

Yep, and zinc and aluminum are a bad mix. I've seen star washers turn into dust. Stainless bolts into aluminum and you get gauling if you don't use some kind of anti-sieze.

Welcome. Here is some documentation on CHIRP you should read. Here is a video on CHIRP that will help you get the most out of it. It isn't for your specific radio but you will get the idea. When you have more specific question, don't hesitate to ask.

@WSAG845 Matt: Carson do you copy? Carson: Read you loud and clear. Of coarse use your call sign as well. You can also ask for a 5 count or something like that.

@WSAG845 My apologies, I misread your question. Yes, same repeater channel for both or same simplex channel for both.

I'm quite new to ham but so far my experience has been very good. The South Coast Reflector is very active. I don't have much experience with the East Coast Reflector (South links to East sometimes for nets) but the one net I took part in seemed like there were plenty of active users over there. I sympathize with everyone who has a bad experience with sad hams, sad GMRS, or sad anything but don't let those jerks take anything from you. I like GMRS and HAM and no jerk is going to turn me away from either.

@WSAA635 I prefer *nix systems myself but I have to use Windoze for work. The plus side of using Windoze is that you can run pretty much any radio programming software on it. Just get a cheap, Win 10 laptop and you'll be set.

No programming required to do that. Just select the same simplex channel (1-22) for both radios and talk. Of course they need to be some distance apart to prevent that old desense thing from happening.