MSensei

On topic, but regarding licensing - if I were to build a repeater, would I acquire a separate license for the repeater or would I use my current GMRS license?

If you had a need to register an Antenna Structure, you would do so at http://wireless.fcc.gov/antenna/index.htm?job=home. But as zap said above, it depends upon how high up you're going. Here are the requirements from the FAA website: 14 CFR Part 77.9 states that any person/organization who intends to sponsor any of the following construction or alterations must notify the Administrator of the FAA: any construction or alteration exceeding 200 ft above ground levelany construction or alteration:within 20,000 ft of a public use or military airport which exceeds a 100:1 surface from any point on the runway of each airport with its longest runway more than 3,200 ftwithin 10,000 ft of a public use or military airport which exceeds a 50:1 surface from any point on the runway of each airport with its longest runway no more than 3,200 ftwithin 5,000 ft of a public use heliport which exceeds a 25:1 surfaceany highway, railroad or other traverse way whose prescribed adjusted height would exceed the above noted standardswhen requested by the FAAany construction or alteration located on a public use airport or heliport regardless of height or location.

§95.51 Antenna height. (a) Certain antenna structures used in a GMRS system and that are more than 60.96 m (200 ft) in height, or are located near or at a public-use airport must be notified to the FAA and registered with the Commission as required by part 17 of this chapter. (b )The antenna for a small base station or for a small control station must not be more than 6.1 meters (20 feet) above the ground or above the building or tree on which it is mounted. [63 FR 68975, Dec. 14, 1998] If I interpret the above correctly, your repeater would fall under §95.51(a) where you have up to 200 ft in which to mount the antenna without having to report the antenna to the FAA and FCC (even though it is good practice to do so anyway). Subsequently, to me small base station/small control station does not equal repeater. Even if it is, the statement is 20 ft above the structure OR ground, so if you were to mount in on the roof of your house, for example, you could mount up to 20 ft above your roof line. With regards to repeater setup, if you are going duplex, you would have duplex controller connected to 2 radios where one would be your receive at 467.XXX (where XXX is a number between 550 and 725 in increments of 25) and the other your transmitter at 462.XXX where the XXX is the same as your receive. There are several other factors to take into account such as any other possible repeaters nearby and the frequency they are using, what PL to use, and so on... There are several strings in this message board to follow on how to setup of which several are very helpful in understanding what factors to take into consideration. -David

I wonder what their children will be like when they start repeating....

Ok, so it's been about a year since I picked up the Beofeng UV-5RE Plus and, honestly, I've only had sporadic amounts of time to do any testing with it - until a few weeks ago. So thoughts: 1 - Physical Unit So, I have dropped, kicked, scraped and have had a 2, now 3 year old grab it, run off with it and throw it - and it still works! It's definately physically solid casing provides good protection. Scale of 1 to 5 - it gets a 5 for durability. 2 - Programming On a scale of 1 to 5 I give it a 3. Pros - After you download the correct software/drivers, programming (downloading/uploading data) the device is fairly easy - if you get failures in either direction, it is usually because the unit itself has low battery power. The software interface is fairly straightforward so long as you know what you are doing - there are no help files on what anything means. Cons - Programming using the handset is not as easy - but that may be the case for many hand helds. You can only program and/or update a channel from within Frequency mode - it cannot be done within channel mode. SOFTWARE - even though it is straight forward, every time you launch it, the language defaults to Chinese, so you have to know where to change it at for English (unless you know chinese) to utilize it. Subsequently, the USB Cable needs to be plugged in with the unit turned on prior to launching the application, otherwise, the software goes into an endless loop which you are forced to reboot computer in order to get out of it. 3 - Operations (Transmit & Receive/Antenna) So, the default antenna that comes with the unit is ok - I would say it is on-par or slightly better than the antennae that come with bubble-pack devices. In fact, it works very well with bubble pack devices for transmission and reception. To that point I purchased a Etekcity® Nagoya NA-771 SMA Female 2.15 dbi 10W Antenna for the radio - Noticible and significant difference in reception and transmission but was really only limited to testing it in my area - which can be a challenge given no real repeater availability and topography of the area - was able to transmit/receive with the bubble pack radios up to about 1 mile with my signal being stronger. Recently, I picked up a Original Nagoya Dual Band SMA UV Antenna for baofeng UV-5R which is a vehicle-mount antenna (magnetic). I can tell you I do get very good reception with the mounting, however, I am unclear if and/or how well transmissions are being received from my station, being mobile. This has been a source of frustration with me to the point that I was just about to give up - I don't know if it is me, or if there is just no one listening at the time I am transmitting. I travel the I-476 route from Lansdale to Philadelphia (up I-95 to PHL) - South in the morning between 7 and 8:30 AM and usually after 5 PM on the return home. Today, I think someone may have heard me on a 725 repeater near PHL and was trying to contact/confirm my transmission, but I'm not sure (I was also moble, as I always am, trying to make the contact). A little later in my trip, I picked up a station identification from repeater I believe to be in Holmes, PA from between Lansdale and Plymouth Meeting. Either way, the committee is out on how well this 4W/5W transmission is working. Until I can get some solid time/confirmation with someone either on a repeater (preferred) or directly on a frequency, I can't provide a meaningful rating for this aspect of it. If anyone is in the area of my daily travels and wants to volunteer to help out, please PM me. So that is my review to date. Hopefully, in the near future I can provide some sort of update on the operations (transmit/receive) while mobile. Thanks, David

I'd be interested on the PL for that 725 repeater in Philly. I've heard several repeaters in the area but no real chatter on any of them. :-( Maybe I'm listening at the wrong time (most likely)... Thanks, David

I believe, the UV-5RE Plus (which I have) is part 95 certified as well as the UV-5R. I remeber looking this up to make sure it was part 95 at one point in time but I don't have the website bookmarked (FCC). I will search again to make sure I have the cert info...

I just picked up one of these (recieved it via Amazon) yesterday...it feels like a pretty solid unit. Going to work on programming it over the next few days and give it a good test run in my area. I've tried hitting a couple of repeaters in my area with my father-in-law's woxum hand-held (he has his ham license) but not was not able to detect the repeater. I'll follow up this post with what happens... :-) -David

Hi Adam, I too am relatively new to GMRS (but am familiar with HAM and will eventually get my HAM license). I just picked up a Baofeng UV-5RE Plus (literally came yesterday) and am in the process of setting it up. I'd be interested in seeing how your ICOM works out for you... -David

So, just from browsing the conversations here on the forums, I know this topic is going to open a can of worms... :-) So, why did the FCC grant the ability for companies to manufacture, package, and sell combination FRS/GMRS radios - especially given the limitations of the broadcast wattage, fixed antenna, etc... From my perspective, all the grant allows is for said companies to make money off of misinformation regarding their product. It is completely true that if the devices are used in a completely clear and open space with no obstructions that you could potentially broadcast at the maximum range possible, however, there is no documentation that is provided to the "reality" of the actual operating parameters and expected range of the devices. I'm not looking to make $ here, but isn't the advertising of products (such as the Uniden ones I have purchased) misleading which could be considered false advertising and as such warrant legal correction? Not to mention the fact that the advertising also does not indicate that GMRS licensing is required for utilization of the GMRS frequencies and the sale of of such devices simply propegates the "illegal use" of such frequencies without a license? Of course, you have to throw into play here the 2010 proposal to license GMRS by rule, which essentially negates all of the above, but it has been 3 years with no action on such proposal. Then what? Say they accept the proposal next year to license by rule, do I get a partial refund of my license fee? Highly doubt it. I guess I would lose my call sign as, there would be no need for them any longer. If licensed by rule would repeaters still be allowed, or would those require a license? Thoughts?

Hi all! Thanks for the great and warm responses everyone! I have not yet tested out the full range of these devices, but I am not expecting much from them. The specific Uniden devices I purchased are Uniden GMR 30 Mile 22 Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios with Charging Kit (3040). As far as using repeaters, these devices are only going to work with a Simplex repeater - they do not have the programming capability to support Duplex. Any future device I get for personal use will need to support 2 meter and 440 (which should GMRS as they usually run 400-480Mhz). These 2 little things I will either keep for the purpose I originally acquired them for (FRS communications for coordinating people and family comm.) or there is always eBay! Probably the former. As far as that signal I received the other day 20-25 miles away - it was actually coming from the north-northwest. I am a little further up in elevation (not near the deep valley) and have a better chance of picking up some signals. Any thoughts on BaoFeng hand-helds?

Maybe you could consider the simplex repeaters as "starter" repeaters for those who are just getting into GMRS? I assume they are rather low maintenance....

Hello all! Just received my GMRS license yesterday for compliance purposes in using my FRS/GMRS Uniden Radios which I am very quickly finding out are good for radio-to-radio comm, but not really for use with repeaters. I am familiar with HAM radio operations but just haven't bitten the bullet to take the test. My father-in-law is a HAM and has been for several years. Anyway, trying to get a friend intersted in GMRS (as a stepping stone to HAM), recommendation on some good handheld units for a decent price? -David NOTE: I did receive a signal from about 20-25 miles away on my radio, but am not sure if my broadcast was received - the documentation for the radios I have does not describe the broadcast output for the device.