berkinet

I think he may be referring to the Wouxun ad at the top of the page.

No, you got the right idea. The problem is I do not run anything on Windows except in a VM to program radios as-needed. Otherwise, I use MacOS and Linux. BTW, The third package you noted is no longer being distributed. However, I sort have made progress... I installed Svxlink on a r-Pi and can connect top it using EchoLink software on my phone and desktop. I don't have a sound-card yet (next week) so audio is one-way. But, it works. And, I know how to use the GPIO to trigger the PTT and get COS from the Audio-out of a radio. But, the whole thing comes to a crashing halt because EchoLink expressly prohibits anything but Ham uses. I am looking at PulseAudio, some people have gotten that to work for APRS, and maybe I should look at Asterisk... though I am hoping someone knowledgable on Asterisk can confirm whether it could work.

it depends which handhelds you mean. the GMRS-V1, yes, since it's certified for GMRS use. ... Technically, the GMRS-V1 is not a Baofeng. Although manufactured by Baofeng, it has customized firmware and is sold under the BTECH brand name and it Is BTECH who have certified the radio with the FCC. AFAIK, no Baofeng branded radios are GMRS certified. The sole requirement for legal use on GMRS is FCC Part95-E Certification (Previously Part95-A). 47 CFR § 95.1761 - GMRS transmitter certification. (a) Each GMRS transmitter (a transmitter that operates or is intended to operate in the GMRS) must be certified in accordance with this subpart and part 2 of this chapter. (b A grant of equipment certification for the GMRS will not be issued for any GMRS transmitter type that fails to comply with the applicable rules in this subpart. [... ...]

The Anytone looks good, but is probably more than I need. I am looking for something pretty low-end. The radio will be used to talk over a repeater located on the roof of the location where the radio is to be installed. So, power, receiver quality, etc. are all pretty irrelevant.

Thanks... I was thinking about wiring a relay across the PTT switch. Also, some radios that accept a remote mic already have those contacts exposed in the mic connector. Bluetooth would be interesting, But I don't have a BT compatible radio in my pile of CCRs.

I am looking for a means to control a handheld radio (probably a CCR) over the Internet. Requirements are basic: two-way audio and PTT control. There is no need to change channel/frequency, etc. Most commercial solutions are built for ham low-band rigs and cost an arm and a leg. I would prefer a turn-key setup since, while I will operate the radio, it will be located a great distance from me and I won't be there to install it. However, I could build something (Raspberry-Pi?) where I am and then mail it to the person who will maintain it. I was also wondering if a repeater network interface might be adaptable for this. Any, all ideas welcome?

It is not the masses' opinion that you need to worry about. It is the opinion of the public health officials that IS something to worry about. Also, I'd say, based on the rest of the world's experience so far, that while scary, this is far more than a "scare." What does frighten me about the masses is the actions of those who seem to treat this whole thing as something akin to a bad cold and that won't affect them. I'd say such cavalier attitudes are pretty frightening especially considering the demographics of many users on this forum.

I have no idea... try: google factory reset vx-2200

Ah, well that is probably significant information. Have you tried to do a full factory reset?

To be clear, and I probably wasn’t, my guess was the initial power management circuitry in the radio. Though, the power supply could well also be the cause of the problem.

Wild guess is it is a power supply issue. But, regardless of the cause some flag bit is set when it fails and that bit is checked on startup. Powering completely down resets the bit.

Take a look at this page. It talks about a felon applying for a ham license, but I think the same situation would apply. Scroll down to the section An Opportunity for Felons? Bottom line... there is no blanket provision prohibiting issuing a license to a felon. However, each case is evaluated individually.

There are probably as many opinions of the ARRL as there are ham licenses. But, I will just say that for me, they are worse than useless. I joined when I got my ticket (a long time ago) and cancelled at the end of the first year and never regretted it.

Someone with more recent experience can correct me... However, I believe the GMRS V1, at least the early versions, only provides 8 repeater capable "channels" (actually memory locations). So, you could program the same frequency into 2 of those locations, each one with a different PL. Then you would just switch "channels" as you traveled.

Hi wqyr510 here, is there anyone out there who’d like to talk?

How far off frequency is it? If it is 5mHz off, you programmed the channel as a repeater.

I am not sure I would agree with that. The video mentions that costs ranged from $250 to $600 per family. For significantly less, they could have organized a group purchase of used, commercial quality, equipment. Of course, that would require someone, or a small group, to buy, program and test and distribute the radios. This approach also gives the end-user a plug-and-play solution, but with better quality equipment. BTW, that is exactly what we have done in our local CERT effort and we now have over 50 participants using mostly Motorola equipment. Also, while it won't make a huge difference, using wide-band would also improve their audio quality and range.

In the video, though maybe only the longer version, they quickly mention a weekly net control to learn how to use the radios. Given the support they had in setting this system up, I would hope they are also learning good net communications practices.

Personally, I like this idea. However, I suspect it will be controversial. May I suggest that rather than adding this to the official repeater listing, you could create a thread in the Private Discussion topic to report member discoveries. In that case, other members with more information, like the owner does not want it used by others, or it is officially open, etc. could also contribute.

I would wait on replacing the RG8x. Unless the coax is running right alongside a local noise source, it is unlikely the source of the noise problem. It is far more likely, as Jones suggested, the source of the noise is on your end. But, to get a better idea, can you, again as Jones suggested, describe the noise. It is like static, whining, steady pitch or varying pitch. etc. If you can record it and post it somewhere, that would be even better. BTW, one other test. If you can hear too?any other stations, do you hear noise when listening to them? Or, if you don't hear anyone else, just open the squelch all the way until you hear open static - is the noise still there

In fact, as far as the rules go, you were 100% correct. Period. There is no requirement to call another station by their call-sign. Yes, that is common practice, but, it is not required. Although also common practice, it is not even a requirement to identify your station at the start of a transmission. So, you could have just keyed the mic and said "hey david, you there?" Should Bryan ever hassle you again here is chapter and verse. CFR Title 47: §97.119 Station identification. (a) Each amateur station, except a space station or telecommand station, must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication, for the purpose of clearly making the source of the transmissions from the station known to those receiving the transmissions... On the other hand, the club may have its own operating policies and rules and those may address identification on their repeater. Though, even if you were in "violation" of their rules, that doesn't condone the manner in which you were spoken to. You might ask if there is such a set of rules. But, since you probably have no further interest in their repeater, it doesn't matter anyway.

There is your problem RAR is a file compression and archiving format. The file you have needs to be un rared. I think this free one from the MS store will do the trick. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/unrar-windows/9wzdncrfj2zh?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Technically you can talk on any ham frequency you want to as long as you are not interfering with other stations. There are no private frequencies. However, that does not give you permission to turn on the proper PL/DPL and use a repeater without permission. And, if you were to talk simplex on the input frequency you might be accused of deliberate interference. As to "private" repeaters. No, there cannot be a charge simply to use a repeater. However, access to a repeater may be limited to club or group members, and paying dues may be a requirement for membership. So, in that sense, as in GMRS, there are Open and Closed repeaters and they are usually identified as such in repeater listings. However, my best advice to you is that there are a$$holes all over the world, in every field, endeavor and hobby and they are best left undisturbed. This guy you ran into is not representative of the vast majority of hams world-wide. Enjoy the hobby and go find a group/repeater/frequency where there are people interested in talking to you.

In addition... what is the exact name of the file you are trying to open. Include the name and the extension: example foo.exe, tk550.zip, etc. And, what operating system and version are you using: Windows-XP, Windows-7, Windows-10, etc. Note that according to the Hamfiles download page the software you want only works on Windows-XP/32-bit and Windows-7/32-bit. Although, some users reported success on Windows-8 and Windows-10.

FYI. Nobody in California ever says “Cali”