Socalgmrs

Again all the other questions. Remember the repeater is most likely up on a hill with 50w and a big antenna. How far away are you? Do you have line of sight? Just because you can hear the repeater well does not me you can reach it with any radio let alone a hand held.

Are you close enough with the little uv5 to hit the repeaters? Do you hear any one in the repeater’s? Do you have line of sight? What antena are you running? How far from the repeaters are you?

Aaaand they still won’t care. The fcc just doesn’t care. It can’t care. There is a repeater out in the world that interrupts every single other user on all .700 stations both 462 and 467. And all tones both analog and digital. This person transmits all kinds of stuff tel telemundo to radio stations to old westerns to some very nasty content. This repeater (person) has over 300 individual complaints to the fcc. The people affected by this repeater/person have 100s of hours of recordings, many many people have independently fox hunted this person down and used a kraken. The affected people have contacted local state and federal law enforcement, fcc, and congressman. Guess what. The fcc still has done nothing for over 12 months. I highly doubt they will go after some one using a uv5r and not a uv5g.

“They” can’t tell the difference at all. It’s a matter of you wanting to stay “legal” or in accordance with the rules or not. Many many people all over the country use ham radios for gmrs. Many many do not and only use gmrs certified radios.

An issue with a h3? . I’ve never once wanted to or needed to update firmware. It’s just a radio. you may be able to re download the new firmware. Or try the old firmware. Or it might just be a brick.

Might be. Might be coax still. With out an antenna analyzer it will be hard to tell. Can you test both sides of the center pin and make sure you have continuity that way first? you say you dint have rx. Do you have tx?

The point was no radio with all other things equal have any better or worse distance or transmit ability than any other. No amount of money is going to make 460 MHz go through things or bend around things or bounce off things. Gmrs frequencies rely solely on line of sight. A 5w ht can and has hit the space station. Gmrs should not be a primary means if rescue. That is what other ham frequencies are for. They just work better.

No one here can tell you what your home or any part of your home will support. all my antennas are put up on old satellite dish mounts. My tallest antenna is 17’ tall and stands just under 40’ off the ground. the other 2 are 10’ tall. We have 80miles mph winds. I’ve had no problem at all and I get talk simplex over 200 miles away so I don’t feel I need to be taller. But that’s just my experience.

Are you sure it’s a gmrs repeater and not a public safety repeater?

Yea its either a settings thing or a Quality control issue. Line of sight even with a rubber duck stock antenna should be 10miles or more. Yes the inside of the car will have some effect but a mile or more should be no issue at all. My uv5r radios do about 5 miles inside cars when I’m traveling in rentals or other peoples cars that dont have mobiles. And the 771 15” antennas usually double the distance of the stock antenna. But even in cars traveling the 2” stubby usually works fine.

Wow that’s an expensive one. My 80amp only costs $98. It’s been powering 3 radios and led lights for years. And it’s perfectly clean power

Any antenna? What a joke.

The general rule fallowed by people that don’t like to have minimal amps is 15amp for a 20w radio and 30amps for a 40-50w radio. The advertised amps is always over exaggerated by the manufacturers. but again don’t skimp on the antenna and coax. It’s the most important thing. My first home set up with an 80amp power supply, $130 20w radio lmr400 and a 712efc antenna will do 200miles. And costs less than $400 all in. My neighbor dropped $450 on a 50w radio and skimped on the co-ax and antenna and doesn’t get 10miles down the road.

Many people have done that yes. You need at min a 30amp power supply for a 50w radio as a general rule so 20amp or more for a 20w radio will be fine. All or most radios people use as base station radios are mobile radios. also keep in mind the antenna and coax are where the money should be spent. The radio is the least part of the equation. Personally I’d leave the radio in the car/truck and get the house set up with a good antenna and coax and just adapt it to an HT untill you can purchase a radio for the house. A 5w radio with good coax and antenna can send out around 70watts. With out the hassle of swapping the radio in and out of the car/truck.

The range is exactly the same as every other 5w radio with equivalent antennas. Any where from 1/2 mile to 50plus miles. It doesn’t matter if it’s a $20 radio or a $2000 radio. All 5ish watt HT radios with the same basic antennas will transmit exact the same distance and no one will have any clue what radio you’re using. as for the other features…. Those are the only differences and are completely personal preference