Radioguy7268

The only "legit" place to get Motorola programming software is from Motorola themselves. You purchase a subscription from Motorola, set up an account, and then download the software. For an older CP200 analog radio, that would be Motorola P/N RVN4121. You will also need a proper cable to connect from the radio to the computer - and doing that can be a whole 'nother problem. The trouble you will have with the "factory" CPS software is that Motorola only has available the Narrowband 12.5 kHz version for download. You would need to either get a Wideband Entitlement (after you pass a online course that tells you why the FCC mandated Narrowband for most business frequencies - and you promise not to program Wideband on channels that should be Narrowband 12.5) - or you would need to 'crack' the software and remove the code that forces Narrowband before you can program a Wideband GMRS codeplug into the radio. If you're not stuck on the idea of buying software from Motorola, there are earlier versions of CPS (Something tells me the Narrowband got forced upon us somewhere around version 05.12.xx) and those earlier versions are available online for free from dubious sites - or you can purchase pirated software via Ebay or other online sources. There's a ton more info (that you probably should have investigated before you bought the radios) - but if you search up "CPS RVN4121" I think you'll begin to see what you're in for. Be prepared for another 10 varying opinions on what to do and how to do it when it comes to Motorola CPS and programming. A final option would be to just find a local Motorola dealer, let them know the frequencies you want to get programmed in, and have them do it for you. You'll spend a few bucks, but it might still be cheaper and less hassle than doing it on your own.

Pricing on most radio equipment has shot up in the past 2 years. I've seen 3 price increases in a year - on models that didn't have anything but price DECREASES over the previous 10 years. Be careful on the NX-1300 - there's a P1300 ProTalk model that comes pre-programmed with set frequencies - and then there's the (normally more expensive) 1300UK model that requires programming to your frequencies to be set up. You also need to specify DMR or NXDN protocol for the Digital option - if you're using DMR Digital on your CP200d's that might explain the $600 price point. I'd expect a comparable DMR NX-1300UK to come in around $400 +/- There are used & reconditioned options for the CP200d's if you're mainly looking for replacement units. Those units usually go for about half the price of new, but still carry some type of warranty & would match all your other units for chargers, batteries, audio accessories, etc. Good radios aren't cheap, but the price is pennies per day when they're in use. If having a radio can make a worker more efficient, then the cost of being without a working radio is going to be measured in dollars per day.

I would second the NX-1300 recommendation if you're looking for something decent that's a little less expensive, but if you want something rugged and durable - I'd stay away from anything with an RCA label stuck on it. The CP200 is a workhorse radio, what's the average lifespan you're getting out of a unit in your application? Are you having a particular problem with them? The biggest trouble with getting either the NX-1300 or the CP200d right now is supply. Both models have a long lead time for factory orders.

The good news is that if you call it a private system & try to control access to the codes, you will probably get some polite inquiries from people asking for information. Once people start to use it, you will quickly lose control of access, especially if it offers good coverage. Anyone with about $30 worth of equipment can scan for the repeater output tones. If you make it a split system (different input PL/DPL codes vs. the Repeater's output) you can keep a little more control over access. What do you want to accomplish? Who are your desired users? Do you have any undesired users in the area? Do you have local control capability? ie: can you pull the plug if people are using the repeater in a way you do not want them to? Do you want to be faced with that kind of decision?

Yeah, silver will tarnish (turn black) when exposed to air if they're using silver for their connections. Inside, the connections should still be nice & shiny. I can't understand why the guy would have gotten mad, unless you were somehow blaming him for the fact that he used actual silver for your connections. Good customer service shouldn't make people think you're getting mad at them. Were you able to make any performance measurements to see how it's holding up against the bench-marked spec's? That's what matters, much more than any appearance issues or tarnishing.

Motorola M1225 - less than $200, more than enough.

Not that I'm aware of, but it would be easy enough to cross-strap your own. The VXR-1000 just puts it all in a nice box, and adds some function lights and a switch for on/off.

Stuff like the VXR-1000 and the Pyramid SVR vehicular repeaters effectively make your portable talk through your mobile radio. The trouble with using them for GMRS is that they're cross-band repeaters, meaning you would be using a VHF portable to key up your GMRS high powered mobile. That's outside the rules for GMRS - you can't crossband with another service - and there are no VHF frequencies for GMRS. You could try to do something like a portable repeater, and have a few key personnel set up the repeater on-site with some type of collapsible antenna that might allow you to get an antenna 20 or 30 ft. in the air. That would increase the range of your portables, but would it be enough? If you've got the funds, you could set up some type of a trailer with a crank up tower, and that would probably get you 75 to 100 ft. up in the air. Also, you might want to look at some type of a "mic extender" product like the X10DR from Wireless Pacific, which gives you a wireless microphone - allowing you to get a few hundred feet from your vehicle, but still key up on the mobile radio. It's sort of like the vehicular repeaters, but without the cross-banding problem.

I'm still trying to translate what they mean by "Forwarding sensitivity decreases" under the last "Duplex" heading. I'm thinking that they actually measured receiver desense - and they're spec'ing it at 3dB. But then I'm thinking, no - they wouldn't advertise that. Or, would they? For the rookies - a 3dB desense (reduced receiver performance when the transmitter is keyed) is somewhere close to unforgiveable. Not to mention unworkable. You basically took every 4 watt portable & made it perform as well as a 2 watt portable.

Someone has discovered the joy of using ChatGPT to pose wordy ramblings. Congrats.

That's kind of my point. There's no FCC published official version of what their proposed 10 code shorthand might mean, so it's up to interpretation. Whose interpretation?

The NX-3000 series went MIA shortly after the AKM fire for almost 18 months, and Kenwood was giving dealers a discount on the NX-5000 base series - just to allow them to upsell customers who had wanted to buy an NX-3000 - and move them up to the NX-5000 series at a similar price. Supposedly, the plant that caught fire was the ONLY source they had for the NX3000 chipsets. I'm not sure if they found another source, or just re-designed the chassis to work with another (more available) chipset. I agree that the NX-1300 is a good value, and it seems to be well built. The fact that they still support the KNB-45L battery lineup (which has been in use for probably 15+ years now) and the KSC-35 charger platform means that customers did not have to do a wholesale changeover to move into a Digital capable platform.

Even before Covid hit, Kenwood had an issue because one of their major chip suppliers (AKM in Japan) had a huge fire that destroyed most of their factory. Then, once Covid hit, Southeast Asia went on lockdown, and most of the chip making factories locatd there were stretched pretty thin. Last batch of the NX-1300 series radios I ordered took almost 4 months to get in. They are a nice radio. I like the audio on those, especially compared to the similar priced Motorola CP100d.

I believe simplex users on a base (462.xxx) output are secondary users who operate at their own peril. Yes - I monitor prior to pressing the PTT, but I can't be responsible for operations I can't hear. I'm a bit more concerned for current repeater co-channel operations in a given area on a limited set of frequencies. Linked repeaters tend to act as though their traffic owns the airwaves. I'm not aware of anyone who is remotely monitoring the sites they link to prior to pushing traffic out to that Linked site.

Do you plan to make your linked repeaters monitor the frequency for activity in their local coverage area before actually linking from a distant user? Do you plan to make the repeaters monitor their input or output frequency prior to putting out it's ID every 15 minutes? Automatic linking and Auto ID are rarely implemented with any consideration that someone else may actually be keyed up and active as a co-channel user on the frequency already. Just curious, cause the Rule Police don't often talk about those concepts.

... and, prior Certification under Part 95 = current acceptance. ie: Grandfathered.

Add in the Vertex VX-231 or VX-261 (newer style version) as 4.5 watt (advertising lies when it says 5 watts) options. Either one can be set up with a single channel and are decent compact semi-rugged radios. You can also find the higher end EVX-531 online at prices under $100 complete with charger. Vertex software is available online for free if you look hard enough, or for $35 if you pick the first Google result that pops up.

I guess I believe that un-enforced rules are more like Suggestions. Given the history of the FCC retro-actively re-writing the rules to allow what people were doing anyway (everything from unlicensed CB to unlicensed MURS), I think it's just a matter of time until the FCC catches up to reality.

I just picked up some UHF M1225's and P1225's (Genuine Part 95 Motorola gear!) on a trade-in, so I'll probably be getting one of my kids to start up a small GMRS resale business here on the classifieds. About 40 portables, chargers, 6 mobiles, and a base/control station package.

Meh. You can talk in "code" all day long. If I say I'm 10-365 WTH does that mean? Am I legal because I used a 10 code? Even 10-100 has different meanings to different people. Personally, I think I'm 10-733. A majority of my GMRS voice communication is done in a non-English language, and even when we do speak English, there's enough accents and non-English words thrown in that most folks would still not understand what we are talking about. I happen to like it that way. Now, get off my Lawn & quit using my repeater to speak dat for-ain language.

More Power does not necessarily = Better. Frequency stability, hum, distortion, audio fidelity, deviation envelope - those things matter too. To paraphrase an old timer - if you sound like an angry Donald Duck trapped inside a tin outhouse - does it really matter how many watts you're pumping out?

For less than the cost of 1 Wouxun radio, you could strap 2 CDM750 (or 1250) mobiles back-to-back and get 3 times better results.

I have never read anything about giving an existing GMRS repeater "priority" for the channel. I have read that you should monitor prior to transmission and definitely avoid creating willful or destructive interference, and I'd agree that is good practice. I would also agree that it's a good idea to do some due diligence and avoid putting two repeaters in the same area on the same frequency pair - especially if there are other un-used channels available. I've got a nephew over in Owens County. From my time spent there, there was very little in the way of GMRS repeater traffic. There was a fair amount of simplex going on with farmers, and it did seem that some of it was higher powered mobiles on the repeater inputs. I'd be wary of relying on just monitoring the 462.xxx side of the pair for repeater outputs. Better to put an antenna up high were you might plan to put your repeater, and spend some time listening to the 467.xxx inputs before you make any equipment purchasing decisions.

Count me as one of the guys who uses LMR-400 (the actual Times Microwave stuff) on a regular basis. I'll use it all day long for rooftop sites with a coax cable run under 50 ft. I'll use it for both UHF and VHF. I won't even blink at using it when price (bidding) is a consideration. If money doesn't matter, and the folks are willing to pay for Heliax (CommScope LDF-x50A) then buckle up & let's build something that's going to last 40 years. Otherwise, I'm going with a likely 10-15 year job and paying attention to waterproofing the connections. If you're running 100 foot of cable, or going up on an actual Tower site, then the math starts to work in favor of springing for the good stuff. Oh, and for all the hammy's out there that scream about using LMR-400 - it's probably those UHF PL-259 connectors that you keep soldering on that ruins the job, not the cable. I can easily count the number of jobs I've ever had to go back to due to a high noise floor from failed LMR-400. The answer is Zero. I've been doing this for close to 30 years now. People let theories of perfection get in the way too often. Crap like tin plated connectors and poor workmanship are more likely the cause of cable problems. You can look for value - just quit buying junk connectors that are 25 cents less than the next lowest price you can find online.

It's funny that you're using the wording to create a rule that applies to "family" when the rule in question does not use the word "family". Perhaps you think that is what the rule should say? It also does not say "individual's license". If it did have that apostrophe, then it might actually mean a License that belongs to a particular individual. I still read it as saying that if the individual operator(s) of the repeater use their FCC Station License Call Sign, the repeater itself does not need to identify. You may disagree - and that's OK. What anyone here thinks doesn't matter. What the FCC thinks is what matters, but I think they don't really care.