WRXB215

Some times there is some interesting stuff, even on the Ham repeaters. One night I was out walking after dark while monitoring a distant Ham 70cm repeater. Two guys chatted away for about 45 minutes to an hour about model railroading. It was refreshing to hear something not radio related in any way. I've heard topics from hunting, fishing to firearms at times as more examples. These are topics even non technical people can jump in and take part without feeling they are the outcasts. Maybe we need more of it, talking about every day stuff where the radio is just another means to facilitate the communications.

This is the nature of most of what I hear and take part in where I live. Both GMRS and ham. There are technical discussions about radios, but that seems to be about 30-40% of the time.

You can export your data from one radio in a format like CSV and then import to the other radio using that format. Copy and paste works but if you have a lot of data, I use import and export functions. BTW I use both of these radios.

This is the nature of most of what I hear and take part in where I live. Both GMRS and ham. There are technical discussions about radios, but that seems to be about 30-40% of the time.

This is the nature of most of what I hear and take part in where I live. Both GMRS and ham. There are technical discussions about radios, but that seems to be about 30-40% of the time.

This is the nature of most of what I hear and take part in where I live. Both GMRS and ham. There are technical discussions about radios, but that seems to be about 30-40% of the time.

I was just looking at an "untested for parts or repair" RFC 4-110 UHF amp on eBay. It's 10 watts in and 100 watts out. I have one now and was looking at maybe picking up another one I could use with a UHF power splitter/combiner to get 200 watts. I would need two identical amps to equalize the phase delay on each path for the power splitter/combiner to work effectively.

A repeater will take whatever signal it is receiving that opens squelch on an input frequency, and will retransmit it 5MHz lower on an output frequency. 467.7000 would retransmit on 462.7000 for example. It turns out that 462.7000 is also a simplex frequency (a regular channel), so when you hear a conversation on 462.7000 but they can't hear you, it's because that repeater is listening on 467.7000, not on 462.7000. And it's using tones that you probably don't have programmed into your radio. You can hear them, but you're neither transmitting on the correct frequency, nor with the proper tone to make them hear you.
 
I don't know what you mean by only two people being able to use them at a time. Group conversations happen all the time. People just have to be patient and take their turn. Only one person can be talking at any moment in time, or there will be some strange interference.

1. Make sure they’re turned on and on the same channel.
2. Clear out any tones from all of the radios.  You might have to read the manual for this. 
3. Give one radio to a friend or sweetheart. Have them go to the other end of your house or yard.
4. Push the largest button (usually the top) on the left side of one of the radios. 
5. Start talking. 
6. Your friend or sweetheart should hear your voice. 
7. If not, come back with some details about the radios. 

You are wrong. Free means you don’t pay. 
Open access means you don’t have to ask permission. 

QRP does add an interesting twist to things....what we learned in doing QRP CW for 5 or 6 years in row was this.  Between 11PM and 6AM...it seemed like all the groups put their rookie CW ops on the air, and man if they could hear you a little bit, they worked you.  We made 65-70% of our contacts from about 3-4 hours after FD started until the next day when it ended.  At the beginning everyone is working the loudest low hanging fruit...at 30-40 WPM in many cases....that's when we'd start our fire and cook our dinner.  Hahaha. 
We'd also run a 6m SSB station (MFJ something or other rig) that was low power, and it did a good job contacting FD stations within 75-200 miles. 

And the humidity was through the roof early when we started putting up antennas. We were all drenched is sweat by the time we were done. As the sun burned off the excess humidity and the breeze started, it got much more comfortable. Still hot but bearable.

I watched Randy's video last night. What strikes me as odd is that the FCC "agent" gave the repeater "custodian" a heads-up, and then asked for the call signs. I mean, is this an official action, or isn't it?
If it's not, then I'm afraid I don't know who has used the repeater.
If it is, then we're having an entirely different conversation, and likely through attorneys.

While I don’t dispute this happened, the issue of asking for call signs is a bridge too far. The owner should not need to produce any such info, but even if they do I doubt anything would come of it.

The government always tends to overreach and it’s up to the citizens to push back and keep them in check.

For anyone advocating for the use of AllStar or similar Linked repeaters, I've got just one question that sidesteps all the issues regarding networking and "wireline" definitions:
How are you monitoring all those remote links for local non-linked traffic prior to keying up all repeaters in your network?  What are you doing to avoid stepping on active local conversations that are not happening on your linked network, but are already taking place on non-linked repeaters?
Monitoring for traffic prior to transmitting is one of those bedrock assumptions in the shared service frequencies - at least in any conversation I've had with FCC types.
If your linked network routinely tramples on someone else's active conversation, I don't think the FCC would care if you're using microwave, Internet, or the Public Switched Telephone Network for wireline links.

You are in perfect land if I recall.  Wide open at the top of a hill in barren county.  I on the other hand live in the land of trees and hills.  I live near a river so I am in a low location.  At about 1/2 mile or so you can get static and crackles because of all the different obstacles in the path of the signal.  I am talking about 5 watt HTs.

Ultimately only you can answer that question.

Ultimately only you can answer that question.

Ultimately only you can answer that question.

The default program to open .KG files was somehow set to Notebook. That’s an easy thing to fix but it doesn’t mean that your radio will be damaged.
Right click on a kg file, click on open with, choose the name of the Wouxun CPS, and click on “Always use this program “. 

Use The Force Kenny. 😆

Use The Force Kenny. 😆

Ultimately only you can answer that question.

Use The Force Kenny. 😆

This!
If a person only goes where there’s guaranteed cell service (that’s not overlanding!), and only wants to talk to one person at a time (possibly two) and doesn’t want the convenience of pushing one button, and doesn’t need to monitor others in the party, then cell phones are fine.