KBSherwood

I've got a question for you, I'm in a similar boat but with the antenna mounting. Drilling for an NMO mount is unacceptable, not only for myself but if I intend to stay married and in possession of all my body parts, there will be no holes. 90% of the body panels are alu, roof is all glass which is coated, and there isn't an acceptable spot for a lip mount so right now I'm stuck with a mag mount on the rear trunk lid. I've considered the idea of getting a carbon fiber trunk lid and drilling that but there are better ways I could light a few grand on fire.

Very much so, thank you. Both @markskjerve and yourself (with the digirig), have given me some good interface leads to follow up on! My wife will be thrilled...

Oh man... this might be the money right here. I'm going to have to reach out them and ask some questions but this is looking promising! Thank you very much for the recommendation. Any others, please keep them coming!

All good questions and ones I’m hoping those who have been around longer than I might know the answers to. I did look around and you are right I don’t think there are any published sdks or anything, at least not in the “non-commercial” segment. I'm pretty confident I can get things working if I can just figure out/visualize how I’d interface to the radio with more ability/privileges than just uploading new configs. I didn’t want to have to resort to a Rube Goldberg machine that physically presses the PTT and outputs the desired audio via a physical speaker or something.

Mr. Shannon I was hoping you might have some insight! I'm familiar enough with "dial a relay" boards for power control on devices at remote sites, but I'm also having trouble picking up what you're putting down in the grand scheme of my idea. Are you suggesting to get a DTMF board, hook that up to the PC/rasp. pi/arduino and then have the relay control the power supply to the radio? Right now I've got a Wouxun KG-20XS running off of a pyramid linear/regulated PSU that would be trivial to wire to the relay board (given it supports the max 12amp draw, but thats just choosing the right board) to power on/reboot the PSU thus powering/rebooting the radio? Now getting into the digital outs/GPIO's am I correct in the assuming that I would be using the PC/microcontroller with the radio's USB programming cable to run the radio in a "live" format? In my example above, regarding earthquake alerts, I'm assuming something like: PC is powered on, has the USB cable run to the radio, programming software is up/active and when my script detects whatever it would like to alert on it fires off a macro or similar to push through the alert code? This is really where I feel I am stuck, and likely just not thinking creatively enough, but how do I get from the "OK the controller has detected whatever triggers the action, now make noise out of the radio on the other end." Thank you very much!

Hello everyone, I’m hoping to pick your brains as to how to possibly accomplish some PC/API integration or otherwise perform some function triggering based on various inputs from a PC or other microcontroller (hell, even PLC’s would suffice.) I have been in high level IT for a couple decades and I have no problem prototyping my own boards or writing my own scripts, but I’m unfamiliar with the ways folks have found to interface with the radios. All of our (my) radios can receive an alarm or alert tone and that tone or sequence of tones can sound the alarm, disable the radio, re-enable the radio, etc. What I would like to do is use a PC or microcontroller to interface with the radio to automatically send alerts or alarms to our radios. Possibly expanding this out to use DTMF tones to change channels, reboot devices, etc. For example, I write a small script that runs on the attached PC to query the MyShake earthquake prediction network, when the API returns a possible earthquake is eminent, to blast the alarm to all of our radios on our preconfigured family channel. This would give us 30-60 seconds of notice before the shaking begins and enough time to get outside or under cover. I am NOT trying to link repeaters, OR to transmit over VOIP/POTS/etc but rather use a device (the PC) to physically key up the radio, send the alarm tone sequence or whatnot, then unkey the radio. In my opinion, this falls much more under “accessibility options” rather than “digital GMRS.” I could even try to have the system do a bit of audio analysis on the front end to ensure there is no traffic at the time. Another example, we’re talking simplex from the home base station to the mobile base station and I’m getting out of simplex range, I could use the DTMF tones to send a request for the attached PC to change to the repeater channel that’s most appropriate for where our mobile is currently located. There are a hundred different ways I could see this being used, while hopefully still staying “true” to the rules and regs, but y’all are much, much more knowledgeable than I am. What do you think?

I experience the same on channel 15/repeater 1 in my area, in multiple parts of town.

Beautiful, thank you very much everyone. This is the wisdom I'm hoping to glean from the forums. 1. I've spoken with the MPDigital/USA Coax folks and at least their presales customer service seems great, given the fact that DXE is out of stock until late december I'm likely going to purchase the cable f4rom MPD. The base stations should arrive today so I want to mock up how I plan to mount the home radio then order up the cable. I'll let you know how it goes with MPD. 2 & 3. @PA141 I appreciate the advice/guidance! @Sshannon many thanks for the video. this was essentially my concern. my antenna isnt all that high gain and the run "longer" so I want to be conservative with my potential losses. I am very familiar with amphenol connectors from my telephony/carrier grade POTS work, but since I'm not making the cable/I'll be "supporting" it (rather than calling a vendor to roll a truck to replace a faulty cable) I think I'm going to suck it up and keep all of the connectors straight runs and skip the patch cable at the radio end. I want as few potential points of failure/loss as possible. Since it will be stationary I'm not too concerned about cable flexibility after the initial install. 4. I've talked with a few avionics folks who have sold me on crimped cables rather than soldered. My quasi-educated mind says soldered would be better but everyone I've spoken to has told me their experience is that crimped is more reliable. 5. I will be following the "water proofing" advice given above. Its going to be a PITA to get that antenna mounted where I want it, and I'm really not keen on the idea of having to do it a second time because I skimped somewhere the first go around. EDIT: I thought it might be worth while to add the MPD Digital warranty info on their cables: WARRANTY INFO: 60 DAY Return for Any Reason - 1 YEAR Exchange or Repair for Any Reason - 5 YEARS Repair of Connectors - 10 YEARS Replacement for failure of Cable Jacket or Conductor. If I can get this setup to last me 10 years I'll be happy. Thanks again all!

Oh, rough go man. Well hopefully its something simple like a fuse, otherwise hopefully a hardwired solution would be possible/not too difficult. At least the radio works.

It's a work in progress. Follow the "issue" request for this radio and you'll get all of the details. Last comments were about a week ago https://chirp.danplanet.com/issues/10648

Hello everyone, I've got a couple Wouxon KG-XS20g's coming and I'm planning on making one into a base station for the house. I'm going to mount a GMRS single band antenna to the peak of our two story house (IF I can get a second ladder that will straddle the lower peak...) and route that cable into the garage where the base station will live. I've measured and the run will be 43ft total, so I figured I'd get a nice round 50 footer. All of my research suggests the oft recommend LMR400 should be the go to, but I have a few questions I'm hoping you folks can put to rest for me. I likely wouldn't get times microwave but one of the house brands from DX engineering or USA Coax... 1. Has anyone here used USA Coax (MPD Digital) and can speak to their in house brand cable? I'm looking at the MPD400 ultraflex. DX engineerings website says they're 50ft wont be in stock until 12/28/23... 2. The antenna comes with an N female connector, the radio comes with an SO-239 (I believe that's the name), I can get MPD Digital to custom make me a cable with the correct ends (N male and PO-259) for a good price (I feel) BUT... should I go this route or get N male on both ends and use a small patch cable at the radio? My gut says the less connections/adapters the better, but lots of folks seem to like to use the patch cables at the radio side. 3. The way I'd like to route the cable would be best with a 90* plug coming off the antenna, however I have read on here to avoid 90's. Is this true for my situation or are we talking more along the lines of connecting 2x 50ft cables with a 90 adapter in the middle that's bad? 4. Solder or crimped ends? MPD offers both, I myself am in IT and have made and pulled literal miles of ethernet in my time, always crimped with great conductivity even up to 10Ghz, however I also do a lot of electronics repair/development work and will take a soldered connection over a crimped any day of the week. My guess would be that the individual making the cable at MPD would be capable of doing both. Is there a benefit to one over another if they had the tools and experience to do both correctly? I've seen comments on here that folks prefer crimped, I'm guessing that's if DIYing the cable? 5. I live in the PNW and it rains 6 months out of the year here. I know the N connector is "Water resistant" but I'm wondering about further water proofing, I have some decent shrink tubing that could put over the connector at the antenna, otherwise I could silicone the ish out of the exterior of the connector, I have some proper 33+ electrical tape I could wrap it in, but I wanted something a bit more permanent. Comments/opinions? Thank you very much!

ROFL I ordered one from the "prime day" (which is what once every 6mos now?) and it showed up essentially DOA. Turned on ONCE, received its programming, I turned it off, went inside for a few hours, came back out and dead... Tried on two different vehicles and 3 different 12v sockets. Already submitted my return. Likely going with a Wouxun KG-XS20G

As someone somewhat young by this hobby's standards (35) with an elementary school aged kid who can do a better radio check (callsign included) than many others I've heard over the air, I think I can talk a bit about this topic: I send emails via a computer, not letters written on a typewriter. - what does that have to do with anything? Well part of the issue is that "radio" doesn't offer anything different than cell phones, voip, instant message, hell even the POTS network, does. Just like I will likely never bang out a physical letter on a typewriter (unless we experience "the end of the world as we know it currently") again, there is very little need for most younger people to spend the time and money to get into GMRS/HAM/RF... So given there isn't a need there will have to be some other sort of "hook" to get people to pay attention. How do you get people to give up their time and focus on something in the era of the "attention economy"? Make it interesting and worth the time investment. But... GMRS isn't really supposed to be interesting... True, I get it. Without repeaters and good line of sight you'll probably hear... nothing. I know most everyone here "gets it" that GMRS is a bring your own contacts type service, so just sitting around and waiting for someone to speak up/talk to isn't an option for most (especially new) users. So in my opinion we have to go to them but I don't mean physically. GAME-IFICATION. 1. Something similar to geocaching or a scavenger hunt where the radio user has to go find the source of a signal, has to find a log book of others who have done the same hunt or gets to find one of those "take a trinket/leave a trinket" type bounties. Multiple repeater owners/users can provide different clues, etc. 2. A passport or some sort of competition to see how many repeaters you can hit. For example there may be a west coast passport that will have repeaters from Bellingham WA down to San diego CA and as people are out and about/traveling they see how many they can mark off. 3. "game shows" such as a trivia night/jeopardy/family feud or some other voice based game where there is a set time and any participants can listen in/contribute if they choose. IMO that's one piece of the puzzle, but there are who other segments of young people that are "low hanging" fruit to target, those are the "nu age hippies/modern homesteading" crowd. Just about everyone I know in the 30-40yr old age range is tired of the rat race, tired of consumerism, pollution, plastic and overcrowding and wants to get back to a more simple life of both growing their own produce, raising their own poultry but also having access to amazon and heading to the whiskey bar on saturdays. Maybe it's just here in the PNW, but we really, really value our outdoor environment and every single person I know hikes, many times in more remote areas where not all cell carriers have adequate reception. I have never once seen anyone carrying a GMRS radio on the trails. Cyclists, dirtbikers, disc golfers, metal detectorists, there are so many other hobbies that can be complemented with radios, there needs to be some two-way outreach from folks on the radio side of the aisle but also folks already involved in those activities getting into radio so they can take the ideas/enthusiasm back to their respective peer groups. "Preppers/Survivalists" - this one should go without saying but there is a segment of the population primed and ready to get into radio if they only knew about GMRS, and that's those of us who want to be more independent/self sufficient, if covid has thought my age cohort anything its "you cant rely on <insert grocery store> to have XYZ on a seconds notice forever." I know plenty of "kids" who got caught off-guard by covid lockdowns and only had ketchup and ramen in their apartments. I know A LOT more people who are keeping deep pantries, who are making sure to have extra bags of dog food on hand just in case, etc. There are already some GMRS evangelists in most prepper circles, but more knowledgeable folks helping to guide the newbies AND catch them before they become disaffected that their FRS radios only went .5miles and throw them in a box in the garage. Take a look on the prepper subreddit. Finally... politics and radio preachers... I get it, everyone has their own reasons for getting into radios, but I had to drive a total of about 8 hours earlier this week and 80% of what I heard while scanning/listening was some old as dirt sounding fire and brimstone preacher, some foul mouthed "drivers" (truckers) and some racists having a conversation (who the hell knows why, I came in midstream) about whether "Barry White was one of the good ones" if you can read between the lines there. All of those conversations I listened in on were off-putting for one or more reasons, and if that's all someone thinks of when thinking GMRS its only going to appeal to folks already in those mindsets. I don't know exactly what the alternative looks like, but maybe its a "people of color radio users net" or an "LGBT friendly radio net" or even trying to arrange nets for sporting events, TV/streaming show releases, etc. At the end of the day "content is king" and the attention economy is what it is, if there is some reason for people to pay attention to and thusly get involved with GMRS, they will. A "build it and they will come" type situation. At the end of the day I think its outreach, outreach outreach with some excitement and a reason join in and take part.

@WRXB215 Beautiful, thanks for confirming/the concise answers. I'm going to take one of the HT's up on the roof this weekend (should get me closer to 30' up) and I may even try the UT-72G on a baking sheet. I'll check out that video above, thanks for the link, I'm sure they're close enough I can fumble through it. BTW, anyone else convinced NotA's a Grindr shareholder?!

I am, yes sir/ma'am. In my HT's they are a "seperate section" RP1-8 (I believe) so no accidental transmissions on 16-22 or however they line up with the repeater channels, haven't gotten it all committed to memory!