Radioguy7268

If you can stick with CPS 16, then you're much better off to stick with using that. As for the CPS software's 3 year subscription - that allows you to access and download new versions of CPS for the next 3 years. Generally, there's a new update every 6 months or so - along with Firmware updates. CPS Software, once downloaded, is yours to use. There's no stop date built in, other than the fact that newer radios with newer software will not be able to be read/manipulated with your older, outdated software at the end of 3 years. The problem for subscriptions has more to do with Motorola's new SUM or Software Update Management - which is really more towards the Firmware side of things. New radios come from the Factory with a 5 year Essential Services/SUM included - so 5 years worth of Firmware updates are included along with the Warranty on brand new radios - which is kind of important if you're trying to keep an entire fleet operating with features like enhanced GPS, Cap Max trunking, or Indoor Location. After that initial 5 years of "free" is up, you would not be able to do Firmware updates to keep the radio current with the latest releases of features - unless you pony up to get a new SUM subscription - which will run in 3 year terms. Confused yet? Motorola's vision is that they're really a Software and Services company - and they're no longer satisfied to sell equipment which might last 5, 10, or 15 years - and only make a profit on that one-time sale of equipment. They want to generate a revenue stream that is continuous, and try to tie the operation of features and services to the equipment. I don't think most hobby folks are going to want to play in that arena, but I've been wrong before.

Never say Never - but for most practical purposes, yes. Once you use CPS 2.0 to write a codeplug into a radio - you're pretty much locked into it going forward, unless you're into hacking and cracking, and using illicitly obtained software that voids your warranty. For a hobby based user, there is no practical purpose to using CPS 2.0. If you're already using CPS 16 build 828 - stay there. Firmware R 02.09.0001 is the most recent version that will still work with CPS 16. Most of the newer CPS 2.0 Firmware updates require you to have an active SUM (Subscriber Update Management) - which generally means if your radio is more than 3 years old - you need to purchase a SUM License just to upgrade firmware. Not really worth it IMHO.

Ordering new equipment right now is an exercise in patience. Beyond the painfully slow interface of shop.motorolasolutions.com, you're entering into a time delayed backlog of immense proportions. You would also get a new unit that requires CPS 2.0 for programming. Do yourself a favor, grab a slightly used XPR7550e for half the price and half the hassles - and then you can use CPS 16 build 828 (which is the last CPS version before CPS 2.0 was introduced.)

You cannot use Chirp for programming an NX-1300. You need to use the Kenwood KPG-D6NK software, which should be a free download. However, you can't use the software until you purchase a $100+ License Key which will be specific to a single PC. Once you have purchased the Key, you will need to Authenticate the software on the exact PC that you plan to use. I have not yet used the Kenwood NX-1300 on GMRS, but I believe that the standard License will be Narrowband only. There's a process to go through in order to allow Wideband to be enabled. The NX-1300 is either Analog, Analog + DMR, or Analog + NXDN. Make sure you've got the correct radio firmware for what you're trying to do. You can enable different Digital modes by purchasing a License and enabling the correct firmware. Having a sample codeplug to work from should help you to figure out the Kenwood setup. It's a fairly simple frequency table setup for most of the Analog information. Digital becomes a bit more complicated. You will need to load any Voice Files into the radio before you can assign those to any channel locations or button functions. Kenwood offers some training videos online through their Kenwood University online. Those are Dealer Training videos on the MyTools site. Not sure if there's any access available to anyone who is not a dealer, but I'd start by asking the place where you bought the software to point you in the right direction. Good luck with it.

Just a clarification. Un-related parties would need to have separate licenses, but a family business could certainly operate all under one License/Call Sign if all parties are close relatives - ie: Father/son business, family farm, etc. I mention this because I know of a few relatives who operate a family farm and use GMRS for their operations. 100% legit with just one Licensed call sign. As mbrun mentioned above, the loss prevention team is likely operating FRS radios at 2 watts, which probably works for them, and they don't have a clue that anyone operating on GMRS could step all over them. If that isn't happening, it's kind of like the proverbial tree falling in the forest.

60 ft is difficult without a building/tower/structure to lean on - or some guy wires. I've done some 40 ft. utility poles with 10 ft. mast, and I can tell you they do sway and move in the breeze, even with just a simple fiberglass omni, but they work. Forget the fiberglass telescoping fishing poles. More than 10 ft. of unsupported pipe/mast is asking for trouble. You might get away with it for a week, a month, a year, but you won't last through the first decent storm. If you plan to use mostly portables - you will probably need to 'de-tune' the receive side sensitivity by a few dB in Radio Mobile to reflect real world conditions of fade, foliage, and poor portable positioning. I haven't seen too many hobby type repeater systems at 50 or 60 ft. that would receive a portable reliably at 30 miles. I usually figure portable coverage will be about 50 - 60% of what a high powered mobile would be. You might be able to key the system, but you'll always know when someone is working a portable at the fringes. I believe the standard receive side sensitivity for Radio Mobile is set @ .45 uV - which is right around -114 dBm. That's a weak signal, but most decent receivers can operate below that level, you just won't have full quieting. I'd want a Portable coverage map that represents something closer to -110dB for modeling on-street coverage, which would be @ .70 uV

The XPR8400 is decent, but it is nothing more than two XPR mobiles in a box. The transmit brick has an extra set of fins attached to aid in cooling, but I wouldn't call it 100% duty cycle at high power. I wouldn't even call it 100% duty cycle at 25 watts, but I wouldn't be scared to run one for GMRS at 25 watts for 2 or 3 hours of transmit time per day. If you're looking for something smaller that will truly run 100% duty cycle at high power with digital capabilities, check out the SLR5700. I have yet to replace one of those because it burned up. If you want something for GMRS that's similar in price to the XPR8400 and is truly 100% duty cycle - check out the analog MTR2000.

9dBi is really 6.5 dBd of actual gain. 6 dB is nothing to sneeze at - but for the "what am I going to get by moving up the antenna?" question - the best thing to do is model your system. Radio Mobile is the go-to for an online tool that's actual useful and doesn't take more than 30 minutes to figure out the basics. Radio Mobile online coverage map Once you've mapped out your proposed initial system, you can toy around with it to see what you're going to be able to cover given certain heights and gain. If you make the areas where you need it to work at 25 or 30 foot, and there's no appreciable coverage gained by moving to 50 ft, then you know it's probably not worth the trouble. If you're still not covering where you want at 50 ft - then start moving upward until you see the coverage you desire. Hint - 5 or 10 ft. height difference usually doesn't do that much. I've found their coverage predictions to be fairly accurate if you push the desired reliability to 99% and use realistic figures for your wattage & losses. The antenna height should usually be figured as half the total length for a vertical omni.

My understanding is that the DRX units use cabling between the two units for TX/RX isolation - not for coverage. They supply you with a 20 ft. cable - not a 200 ft. cable. They offer an optional 50 ft. cable if the 20 ft. cable doesn't allow enough separation. From the installation instructions: Theoretically, you could probably find a spot where the receiver location of the DRX would allow you to "get in" - but the TX back might not reach you. I'd think that those instances would be very rare in the real world.

My understanding of the newest wiz-bang AT&T provided FirstNet LTE is that there's simply NO provision for radio to radio simplex in the Voice over LTE protocol. All conversations must go through the network backbone. I believe their concept is that since they're building a "hardened" backbone, it's not supposed to go down. There are other Public Safety systems that want to force every conversation through a repeater because it makes central control and recording of all calls possible. It also means that a "lost" radio can't be used if it's killed/stunned on the network. If you allow the radios to run simplex, who knows where it might migrate to? Not how I would run a multi-million dollar public safety system, but then again, nobody is tossing me the keys and asking me to run one.

Look in the "Radio Wide Configuration" - Make sure that the CWID option is enabled in the General Option tab, then switch over to the: CWID Signaling tab Once you're in the CWID tab - make sure that CWID Operation is set to "Only with repeater activity" - then set your time interval (10 or 15 minutes) - and I'd recommend using PL strip along with the "Interruptible by PTT" setting. Good luck with it. R1225's are famous for burning up the PA if they're run on full/high power settings - even when you don't think you're close to the advertised 50% duty cycle. I'd recommend making sure that the fins and fan are clean & setting the unit to low power with 25 watts or less out of the repeater. Use an external amplifier if you really think that you NEED 50 watts out of the transmitter (you probably don't.)

I would agree. Allowing any type of automated GPS updates will kill channel capacity even if you've got just 5 or 10 high power units reporting GPS location every 30 seconds. I haven't looked deeply enough at the rules - but is the FCC requiring units to monitor the channel prior to transmitting their "brief" data burst? Automated location updates on repeater channels would be a disaster. I can see a point to allowing units to update automatically once every 10 to 15 minutes - or alternatively, tagging on to the beginning or end of a voice transmission like a PTT ID.

I do most of my CDM programming nowadays with a cheap USB cable. I've got the RIB box, but it's really only necessary when you're trying to do a Flash update for firmware. There are plenty of other "gotcha's" involved with programming though - and I'll agree that a real RIB with a genuine Serial port is your safest starting point. The audio quality on the CDM's is good - but I like them much more for wideband than narrow. The 12.5 narrowband always seemed to be lacking for volume - even if you jacked around with the gain control, audio compression and compandering. The newer XPR units seem to have better 12.5 analog audio - right out of the box.

A CDM radio is not Part 95 Type Certified. The CDM radios (and the matching HT portable series) are Part 90 Commercial. I'm of the mindset that Part 90 meets and exceeds all standards for Part 95, and it appears that the FCC agrees: https://transition.fcc.gov/oet/ea/presentations/files/nov17/54-Part-95-Misc-Eqpt-Filing-r1-TH.pdf So if you don't want to use Part 90 equipment, that's up to you. You're never going to find an example of the FCC fining someone for using Part 90 equipment, and you've got their own words above that basically say that their intent is NOT to prohibit users from operating with Part 90 equipment on GMRS. I'd use a CDM radio for a base - but like Steve says above, you want to get the "mid power" version if you want to operate at lower power levels. There's a ton of information on the CDM series over at repeater-builder.com . Beware of Ebay refugees if you're looking at CDM radios. There's a bunch of hacks that people used to take the LS trunking models and flash them into Conventional configurations. Done right, there's nothing wrong with using one of those - but done wrong, you're just buying a headache.

Except the person you're talking to on 462.xxx simplex is still going to hear you if you're using a repeater to talk to someone else when transmitting on the high side of 467.xxx (PL mask or not, you're still on that repeater's output frequency.) There's no "extra" channel capacity - unless you're on the very fringe of a repeater's coverage area, and counting on the FM Capture effect of your stronger local Simplex signal over-riding the weaker signal of the distant repeater. Even then, any other user in your local area is going to be either listening to you, or waiting for you to be done before they can effectively use the channel for their conversation. You might segment people into talkgroups via PL based fleets or subfleets, but you don't gain any channel capacity. In short, I agree with the 22 channel comment.

Turn the radio over (smirk). But seriously, yes. That's what you do - but then you unscrew the front control head - turn the display right side up, and screw it back on. It was designed to do that. Alternatively, you can hook up an external speaker & put that anywhere that's convenient.

Yeah, the big advantage is having one radio that acts like 2 (portable on the belt, mobile once you're clicked into the MVA dock). When the radios are "subscriber" based, meaning that there's a fee associated with having an ID on the system - or if certain radios get enabled with certain features/talkgroups - that's when it's a lot easier to just have Trooper A plug his portable into Vehicle X when he's driving that. Or do the same when he switches over to Vehicle Z. That way, no matter what he's driving - when he keys up, he's still showing as Trooper A on everyone else's radio.

I don't have any personal experience with using one. I've seen a few. Pricing for new runs north of $1000 - and you still need to get it installed. What are you looking to do with one? For GMRS use - I'd tell you that you can buy a decent 40 watt mobile for a bunch less than buying a new MVA docking station. They also take up more dash/console space than a remote mount mobile.

Pretty sure that enabling VFO mode disables the FCC Part 95 cert. Unless they got one of the overseas labs to "certify" it with that feature enabled. Wouldn't be the first wonky Type Cert that I've seen. Same as enabling Wideband with a firmware patch on a radio that only got Type Accepted/Certified for Narrowband. What a can of worms, eh?

If your primary transmit function is GMRS - then skip the dual band stuff and go for straight up UHF GMRS that's focused on 450-470 MHz. Dual band stuff is tuned for 2M VHF (@ 145 MHz) and UHF amateur (@ 440 MHz). Your 467.xxx GMRS transmit isn't going to like a dual band antenna when you go to measure VSWR. You will still receive local VHF/UHF signals if you want to scan other stuff for receive on your GMRS antenna. If I was trying to transmit out of a canyon, I'd use a Yagi every day of the week for hitting a distant repeater from a tough spot. Even if your favorite Ham tells you to get a dual bander. Especially if you want it to work.

If you want to be heard clearly - get an actual 50 watt radio that can do wideband with 5 kHz deviation. You'll transmit 50 watts on frequency, instead of amplifying spurious noise all over the band while still deviating less than you need. You will probably find that with a good radio on a Yagi you can actually turn the power down to 20 or 25 watts once you've got things set up.

Heddy envisioned using a player piano roll with pre-programmed punchouts that would determine the cycle of hops. A pseudo random code at best. Heddy assumed that any interference on a given frequency would be overcome by hopping to the next channel. She wasn't trying to avoid creating interference, she was trying to deal with interference by getting the most information through, and providing a moving frequency target for the enemy jammers. Transmitting your ID on the last channel transmitted on does not meet the FCC rules as I read them. You would need to transmit ID on each and every channel you transmitted on during the prior 15 minutes. Without hopping during said ID.

Just because the FCC rules do not specifically prohibit an intended use, does not mean that the rules allow that use. Please tell me how you expect to monitor the frequency to determine if it is clear to transmit on - before your radio automatically "hops" to the next channel? Do you just assume that the entire GMRS band is clear and available for your sole use in the area of your operation? Or does the radio go ahead and transmit over top of any current users, with the idea that since you'll be hopping to another channel in just a moment, the brief interference is annoying but acceptable? If your fancy frequency hopping radio actually does monitor prior to transmit - how does the radio you're talking to know what frequency it should be moving to in the event that the intended channel it was supposed to hop to is now occupied? Also, once you're done your conversation, are you going to manually go back and clearly identify by callsign on each one of the channels which your radio just transmitted on? Or, does your fancy Wouxun/Radioditty/Pofung take care of identifying for you? If you can't answer those questions, I don't see how you could say that the FCC allows that use. The radio may carry a "Type 95 Certification" label, but that doesn't mean that the FCC actually tested the feature in question and approved it for GMRS use.

Yes, that's a weak point on some used/older XPR6550 radios. That, along with a PTT side button that becomes kind of picky about exactly where you squeeze to transmit. The fix for the side button is to replace the entire housing (Motorola doesn't sell the microswitch & flex assembly separately to my knowledge) - or to just use a Remote Speaker Mic to supply PTT. The volume pot is a difficult repair for a hobbyist, but if you've got skills, it can be done. Before I'd pay someone else to do it, I'd probably look for another radio. That volume pot problem is rare enough that you don't always see it on older units, and even a "soft" pot still has some life left in it if you're not turning it on/off up/down 10 times a day.

Just to keep things More Moto-confusing, there's another software pkg out there called "Tuner". You better know what you're doing before you mess around with Tuner blindly & just "try some stuff" to see what it does. Save your Tuner files before you do ANYTHING you might regret. You also need to match up the firmware package on the radio with the version of Tuner you plan to use. Newer versions of Tuner pretty much assume that you've got the radio hooked up to a high end Aeroflex service monitor to do "Autotune" which is a nice feature if you're going through 100 or 1000 radios, but not so great for the hobby user. Anyway - the Tuner software is where you can actually adjust the squelch settings. From the factory, the standard Normal squelch is fairly close to threshold, and Tight usually brings it up 3-5 dB.