WRAF213

I'd be wary of anyone refusing to identify, they probably have a reason for not giving a callsign (like not having one, or not being who they say they are). Instead, try contacting whoever is listed as the repeater owner on MyGMRS, either over-the-air or by email.

For archival purposes, check web.archive.org to see if any copies have been saved.

I bet they dropped the output power to 2W so they can use the same hardware as the MURS-V1 and maintain type acceptance. An interesting choice to make; the 2W finals must have also saved a fair bit of money in production in order for the GMRS-V1 to see the same change.

That kind of setup can be built for much less than $1000. My build is looking to be around $400-500.

Two radios, some kind of control circuitry (a repeater controller) to have the transmitter start sending audio from the receiver when the receiver hears something, and enough isolation between the transmitter and the receiver to prevent the repeater from interfering with itself, intermod/desensitization or otherwise. The transmitter can't just be anything lying around, it has to be able to handle the duty cycle of a repeater's potentially continuous transmissions. There's some build threads around here on the forums, and I've got a personal project of one based on CDM750s in the drafting stages. For a portable repeater in a low-RF environment, a mobile duplexer is inexpensive and gets the job done, but it has to be properly tuned and the seller doesn't always do that correctly.

All duplexers require tuning; the range just says where the notch and/or pass frequency can be set within. The pass is tuned to your repeater's receive frequency (467.xxx), and the notch is tuned to the transmit frequency (462.xxx). The pass filter attenuates out-of-band signals; the notch attenuates the repeater's own transmission. Both characteristics are frequency-dependeny, and since the duplexer filters both the received signal and the repeater's transmitted signal, there's two different frequencies to take into account. I wouldn't run any receive preamp without bandpass cavities in front of it; it'd be very sensitive to desensitization and intermod otherwise.

If you slap up a good antenna (about 10dBi) at 30 feet or so, you should have good coverage of your city to full-power handhelds. 40W transmit power should keep your signal readable against the varying noise floors of portable environments. More height above ground will help the most, but your terrain isn't too bad. I put together a rough coverage map with Radio Mobile, feeding it with data from your callsign and desired radio configuration. It's a KML file, Google Earth Pro should open it splendidly. In hindsight I failed to ensure the map had a >10 mile range (this one covers a 7.8 mile radius vertically); I'll re-run the coverage maps if it isn't sufficient. I can also run maps for repeater scenarios, PM me details (location, height, power, and antenna gain (If known)) and I'll get back when the maps finish generating. I'd generally advise against using LMR400 for any repeater stuff, it can generate passive intermodulation interference from the aluminum foil shielding contacting the tinned copper braid; use hardline instead. Since you're not in an RF-busy area like a communications site, it's not going to be an issue unless you encounter some very specific interference.

Remember that identification requirements apply to transmissions on the repeater's input frequency too; the repeater's identification is for its transmission on the output frequency. Multiple stations under a single callsign must identify individually; each controlled radio is considered a station.

Also, check to make sure the coax is good. Damaged coax (eg. water ingress) can show a low SWR but still cause high losses. See if SWR stays low where you'd expect it to be higher, such as outside the antenna's resonant band.

I'll assume that by V-1 you have a GMRS-V1. How old is it? It's possible a new firmware broke CHIRP compatibility.

Part 90 and 95 equipment require different type acceptances, and the requirements (if strictly adhered to) make them mutually exlusive. Since Part 90 has more stringent emission regulations than 95, it is generally accepted that using Part 90 equipment as Part 95 equipment is fine so long as all other Part 95 rules are followed to the fullest of the Part 90 radio's capabilities (such as transmit power and deviation). I suspect the FCC considered formalizing this under 95.1735 (see 95.335) but ultimately did not. Since the rule does not exists, the FCC will say no if you ask them to use a Part 90 radio on GMRS. Regardless, such a radio would never be allowed on FRS due to antenna restrictions intended to increase channel capacity by limiting range -- the FCC exercises control over these restrictions with Part 95 type acceptance.

Just leave them on default. Miklor has a good explanation of the menus here and here.

It's Part 90 certified (somehow), which is better than no certification. CHIRP is the programming software to use. Regardless of whatever service you're operating on, you will want to turn off STE, RP-STE, and ROGER, and leave PTT-ID disabled, AL-MOD on SITE, and RPT-RL on OFF. Within CHIRP, you can disable transmit on a memory channel by setting its offset to "off", and that should be done for anything you don't have authorization to use (such as out-of-band frequencies and private repeaters). All GMRS repeater channels have an offset of +5.0000 MHz, and a receive frequency between 462.550 and 462.725 MHz. Any other offset other than 0.0000 (simplex) or +5.0000 (repeater) can take you out-of-band, so it's important that you double-check your frequency entries on Part 90 radios. Once you know which repeaters you want to add, check both their transmit and receive CTCSS/DCS settings. If transmit CTCSS/DCS is wrong, the repeater won't hear you; if receive CTCSS/DCS is wrong, you may be hitting the repeater but you won't hear it (the green light on top will still light up, but audio won't play unless you hit the monitor button). If you've got it all loaded and you want to check if it's working, you can hop on a repeater, give your callsign, and ask for a radio check. Anyone else out listening will usually tell you how well they can hear you, and at a minimum you should hear the repeater's tail.

It's illegal to operate them on FRS/GMRS, and the seller is claiming suitability for FRS/GMRS. That's against their ToS.

I don't think those are Part 90, either. I'm on mobile so I can't check, but I know the 8-watt HTs are Part 15 only.

Yeah, pretty much any of those off-brand eBay export radios won't have any type acceptance whatsoever. Whoever is selling it is keyword spamming. Stuff like that should be reported to eBay; aside from keyword spamming you could say they're encouraging buyers to commit a federal crime.

The amplifiers are Part 90 certified, but not Part 95; it wouldn't be legal to operate, but it does operate in the GMRS band with GMRS emissions. The FCC has been rather unclear with the use of Part 90 certified equipment by referencing a non-existent section 95.1735, but they are more clear about wanting to keep amplifiers off of Part 95 equipment. It falls under the type-certification gray area, but can generally be considered a "no, don't do this" type of setup. Since it sounds like you have a fixed station instead of a mobile station, that's a few more points towards "no, don't do this."

Furthermore, when PL/DPL squelch is used, the radio is still listening -- channel-busy indicators (such as the Baofeng's green LED) will indicate to prevent interference to other users; it's just not going to play the audio until it detects the correct receive PL/DPL. CSQ (no PL/DPL receive, just carrier only) completely ignores any PL/DPL received, and plays audio whenever the channel is busy. Since the channel is busy when PL/DPL users are on-channel, CSQ users will hear all activity on a channel, but will only be able to reply to CSQ receivers. Users with PL/DPL receive will be under the impression that the channel is less busy than it actually is, and can easily interfere with other users without being aware that they are causing interference. Additionally, they will (usually) be unaware that they are being interfered with.

Virtually everything you hear on the interstitials is blister-pack radios, and particularly with the younger users there's a (false) expectation of privacy. I mentioned it somewhere else in the forums, but most people (not just children) I've talked to on the interstitials didn't know other people could communicate with them. The kids often get spooked when they hear other people around, even if they're on channel 1 with no tone. I think they expect the range to be a few hundred feet, like the old 49 MHz radios, regardless of how many miles the box claims for range. It's just best to leave them be, unless they're interfering with you (or others), or are in distress. FRS is definitely more active than CB, but the usage is mostly far different than CB. 462.5625 is the best place to look for any activity, but people are usually looking for someone else they know rather than open conversation. GMRS concentrates on repeaters and acts much like ham.

Welcome aboard!

If you can make contact with the repeater users again over the output, ask them for the repeater's tone and location. If it's a private system, they may not give it out. Alternatively, if the repeater sends a callsign, it may already be in the database under that callsign.

That's not what TCB means. TCB Information describes what class of product (following Part 15 scope) the tester is testing; testing procedure is different for differing product classes. The actual type acceptance certification is not granted by the TCB. The FCC grants this. At the very bottom of that page, the only type acceptance granted is for Part 90.

The BF-888S isn't horrific -- there's a mod to fix the audio problem, and it managed to get Part 90 acceptance (though I'm highly suspicious of the exact testing done since it earned a 3K81 bandwidth). You do, however, need to make sure they're staying on frequency. Less than half the units I have seen on the air have maintained < 4ppm error, and some were approaching 20ppm. Harmonics radiation is a problem mostly on the dual-band models, where the third harmonic on VHF lands within an allowable VFO frequency on UHF. I measured 7mW out on UHF while transmitting on VHF. Lowpass filtering makes this less of an issue for the 900 MHz second harmonic while transmitting on UHF. I don't know exactly how bad the BF-888S is with this, as I don't yet have one; I would imagine performance (or lack thereof) is comparable to the UV-5R and UV-82. Do bear in mind that the BF-888S desensitizes rather easily -- it doesn't play nice with other transmitters nearby.

There's additional requirements laid out in Part 95 on transmitter characteristics; radios for other services are not required to (and usually do not) meet those requirements. 11 meters is regulated in the same way as GMRS on this: if it doesn't have Part 95 approval, it's not legal to operate on that band. The UV-5R has no type acceptance whatsoever (not even Part 90 commercial use); it only has the required Part 15 certification needed for sale in the US, and is intended for use as a ham radio. How they were able to get widespread sale approved with the extended transmit range, who knows...

Each person operating a GMRS radio would need to identify with a callsign, as each operated radio is considered a station and all stations need to identify. The FCC permits including a unit identifier after the callsign. If you're on blister-pack radios, they may have been recategorized as FRS radios in the September rule change. I can't find any info on Uniden's radios, so while the FCC re-examines type acceptance it's safe to assume they are still GMRS.