WRXB215

It's me, isn't it?  You can just say it's me. I mean, I already know it's true, but I like a good "that a boy" every now and then.

You really aren’t.  You’re lecturing people and whining about what you perceive as a problem caused by “old hams”. Get off your butt and petition the FCC.  

Well, this thread went exactly as I predicted.
A very sincere thank you to everyone that posted helpful tips to get licensed, actually answered the question and stayed on topic - you guys give us all hope that ham has a future.
But thank you even more for "some people" doing to this thread, which simply asked for some tips, exactly what "some people" do best.. Proving yet another of the things that I say so often, that "some people" keep declaring is not true/I make it up.  
 

Wait.  I just looked up the call sign you posted.  He has a repeater listed IN Kaufman.  The PL isn't listed so I don't know if it matches what you have listed here.
That repeater is NOT 70 miles away from Kaufman, It's in Kaufman.  I don't see any other repeater in a 70 mile radius on 625, so I am gonna guess you aren't listed.
Gonna guess you don't have a lot of footprint either. 
Not sure what to tell you on this.  If he dropped a repeater in place on the freq you are using, running the PL YOU were using, and it has that sort of footprint I am seeing on the map on here.  I would turn your repeater off and start using his instead.  When he questions it, tell him you were there first and he started interfering and your just turned your stuff off.  But you were operating on the freq with that PL in that area before he showed up. 
He can like it or reprogram his equipment and change his PL. 
 
But I can't find your listing.  While there is no requirement to have your repeater listed.  If you don't list it, then no one else is gonna know it's there when they are in process of putting up other equipment on the frequency.
 

DMR has some attractive features.
1. Being a TDMA, time division multiple access, mode the transmitter is only working half the time. For a handheld radio that works out to a significant increase in operating time on a battery pack. That's a huge consideration for those who want the radio to last all day while out hiking the tails.
2. DMR, along with other digital voice modes, provide clear noiseless audio out to near the limit of the range typical of an analog only radio. Where the analog radio starts breaking up and getting very difficult to copy the digital signal is still clear.
3. With the proper radios that can auto negotiate the slot timing among themselves, that's the main caveat, you get two voice paths on a single channel. 
4. Finally there are radios that can operate in SFR mode, single frequency repeater, without the duplexer requirement typically necessary for an analog repeater. The SFR, as the name suggests, allows the equivalent of a full duplex analog repeater but using ONLY one frequency, no offsets required.
The trick is allowing the use of ANY digital voice mode on GMRS. Some of the objections voiced by several other posters are legitimate. I would suggest you look at this post and read the attached file that goes into the issues a bit more. It's meant as nothing more than to get some ideas out there.
https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/5720-new-repeater-channels-for-gmrs-in-2024/page/2/#comment-57605
 

Mine lets me program all channels, so I'm not sure why yours would all be greyed out, but I only ever need/use one channel so if mine were greyed out i would have never noticed.
Running the program in "Dealer Mode" will give you access to more options and features.  To run in Dealer mode, add "-d" (without the quotation marks) to the end of the program name/path in the Target box of the shortcut that you use to run the program.
 

Last time I saw a Sad Ham was when the vegetarian in a local social club volunteered to cook Christmas Dinner.

First thing I recommend is to stay away from the answer books that just give the questions and answers to memorize.  While those will get you licensed, they aren't really in the 'spirit' of ham radio.  You should want to learn something about the inner workings of radio as part of what motivates you to get a ham license.
If you already have a strong background in radio, then closely study the rules of ham radio SPECIFICALLY for the license class you are testing for. 
Depending on the license class, the frequency allocations are different.  And that's a LOT of what you are tested on.  So know that stuff.  Having that stuff down cold will help if you run into technical stuff that has complicated formulas and math to work out and get wrong.  The test is not broken up in such a way that you have to pass each part.  You just have to answer enough questions in the overall test.
As others have mentioned.... do the online study practice tests.  Take several and make sure the ones you are using randomize the questions each time.  Taking the exact same test over and over will only teach you the answers to  THOSE questions.  If they don't ask those questions on the test, you are screwed and will probably fail.
 
When testing, consider each answer.  At least one will be totally wrong, but two will at least seem correct.  So think on those two answers.  Only one is right unless it asks for more than one answer
Good luck.  The tests are not super difficult.  I am sure you will get through it and can become a Sad Ham too. 
 
 

I deleted that account; looks like someone tried to use your callsign to register. You should be able to register for an account now.

These folks can help you get started.

I agree about those links being down, but that’s just a portion of ham radio. Most of the newer digital modes are alternative means of communicating that are specifically designed to be available in the event that the internet is gone. They support email (sans internet) and sending files. 
And of course the traditional CW and phone communications have no dependencies on the internet. 
You know better. 

I have a shell script that you might enjoy.  I am just putting my Node / Repeater in service.  This was originally written for ham nodes.  If you operate or debug using a console session (SHH, PUTTY, etc.) and you want to send the repeater a DTMF command you can pick up a radio or type a somewhat long command.  Script "rpt" from the console makes it easy.
Simulates sending DTMF command  *3111     >  rpt  *3111  
Simulates sending DTMF command *3222 generating the "*" for you   > rpt  3222
Not a big deal but I use it all the time.
rpt.txt

So if I’m understanding you correctly this is tripping a GFCI receptacle and not a GFCI breaker. That narrows down the tripping to a ground fault and not an overload of the circuit. A GFCI operates by monitoring the current on the hot side vs the neutral side. At about 5 milliamperes difference it trips due to the current not returning on the neutral. Thus the current is going somewhere else, a ground fault. (Side note, Even if the receptacle isn’t grounded it will still trip).  So it sounds like you have a ground fault in your device that you are plugging in. A GFCI breaker will also trip from over current. To much load. Another factor at play if you have a newer home is an Arc fault breaker and or receptacle. They work differently than a GFCI. This can be confused as a GFCI and some arc faults are both. Here is where it gets fun… some arc faults have been known to trip from RF. That’s a whole other rabbit hole.
Try plugging into another known GFCI circuit in your home. If it’s tripping it probably has a fault. If not you may need to have an electrician check the garage GFCI but since you mentioned everything else works in the garage my guess is it’s not the issue. 
One last thought here, @Lscott mentioned capacitive input filters on the power supply. Which could be at play. I don’t want to go down more of a rabbit hole than I already have but I would be interested in what the manufacturer of the power supply had to say regarding the tripping. 
There can be many factors involved here. Disclaimer I do recommend electrical work be done by qualified electrician. 
I hope this helps and good luck. 

Many of the switching power supplies use simple capacitive input filters. When switched on the high inrush current to charge them up can pop fuses and circuit breakers. The better power supplies have a “soft start” circuit that slowly charges the input filter capacitors over a few seconds.
If your power supply has a soft-start circuit it might not be working.

We might be able to talk you through it. What frequency are you transmitting on? Are you sure you programmed the correct code for transmitting?
Also, I recommend leaving the receiver tone empty, at least until you know for sure that you’re getting into the repeater. If you leave the tone off of the receiver you’ll hear everything so you’ll have a better idea of whether you’re getting into the repeater. 

My admittedly poor attitude is that if a repeater owner doesn’t respond in a timely manner to access requests they probably won’t notice that you’re accessing their repeater unless you do something wrong. Do as Randy says and scan for the input tone. If they object to you accessing their repeater they can always say so. 

There may be other ways to get the repeater information such as the local ham/GMRS group or by scanning the input frequency with a radio that can scan for the tone, then connecting to the repeater and calling out/asking for permission, or just using it until someone tells you to not use it.

I bet that was "Auto Repair Randy" in Salton City!  He's always monitoring that repeater.. We chat every time i go 4X4ing anywhere in the area.

While I was traveling back from a car club driving tour outing up in the San Jacinto Mountains to the Resort where my car club is holding a week long National Convention, I came upon a multi-car traffic collision with the road almost completely blocked in a blinding curve, on State Route 74, between Palm Desert and Idyllwild, and I noticed several people trying to use their cellular telephone probably trying to report the collision. I assumed they were not having any success because we were in a cellular dead zone which was several miles long.
I did not stop to check on injuries because there was no safe place to pullover since it was a narrow mountain road with essentially no shoulders. I continued on hoping to see some bars on my cell phone.
Fortunately, I had both my portable and mobile GMRS units with me and I attempted to make contact with another station that could relay the incident to the California Highway Patrol. I knew there were two repeaters in the area so I tried Coachella Valley Repeater and called out in the blind asking if any station would relay the incident to the CHP.
A station in the Salton City Area answered up and relayed the incident and came back to tell me he was successful in making contact with the CHP. I signed off and continued my drive back to La Quinta
It pays to have a GMRS Radio as an additional means of communications to report emergencies to public safety agencies. Also, it pays to be prepared and know the GMRS system in the area you are traveling in and have your radio units programmed accordingly just in case. This was the “just in case”.

You're not licensed to use it.
You know that for a fact?
Did you go there and ask them to be sure?
This is how it usually starts. The typical excuses:
"I'm not hurting anyone"
"I'm not interfering with anything"
"Nobody uses the frequency anyway"
"The FCC doesn't care"
and so it goes. Why bother with rules when people ignore them anyway? That's how the CB 11M band ended up the mess it became in the late 70's and early 80's. And that's not talking about the freebanders above 27.405MHz. Hams can tell you all about the illegals operating on the lower end of the CW section of the 10M band.

Static on receive is typically caused by one of two things.  First is signal levels from the transmitter (repeater) you are listening to isn't sufficent to fully capture the receiver you are using to monitor the transmitter. 
Second possibility is that something is loose in your antenna system and not making 100% contact all the way from the antenna to the radio.  This could be a bad coax, loose antenna or part in the antenna, or even a loose RF connector on the radio. 
Go through the system, verify the cable isn't pinched or damaged in any way and that all connections are tight.
 

I buy mainly commercial Kenwood HT’s. If I find a radio model I don’t currently own but thinking about buying I’ll research it first. Get the brochure, which is good for a summary of features for the specific sub-model types.  

The second is getting the programming software. If I can’t get it then I just don’t bother with getting the radio. Usually without the manufacturer’s software to program it then it’s just an expensive brick.
Also want to make sure that items like battery packs and chargers are easily available too. Some people have purchased nice radios but the battery packs are almost nonexistent.

Great, as if the Queen's ego wasn't big enough already... 🤣

That guy is a clown..and a shill for all the cheap Chinese radio companies that tell him what to say, and he doesn't know what he's talking about because he doesn't have a H.A.M. license.. I know all this because he lives rent-free in so many people's heads here at MyGMRS that keep watching and then complaining about his videos even though they hate him so much... So all that stuff must be true.
 

I've got a Argent simplex repeater I use every now and then on my base station. I use it for testing radios and antenna's by myself in the field. It makes testing nice not having to rely on somebody manning the base station or annoying folks on the local repeaters with a radio check every 30 seconds when swapping antenna's or range check.
Also keep it around if somebody wants to hear what they sound like on a normal repeater. Plug in the unit into the mic jack real quick and repeat the repeater back to the repeater. Say that 10 times fast. Neat little trick I've used a few times.
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