WRAK968

I use Icom VHF radios at work all the time. Never had any issues with them and they are much older models. They outlasted the motorola radios by years.

As for the F6011, It likely has the same duty cycle as other heavy duty mobile radios, that being about 20% on high power. Icom does not outright come out and say this, but the cooling fins look to be about the same size as those on the Kenwood 8180's. One important note is that the Kenwoods are 30W radios and the icom is a 45W, which could reduce the duty cycle, but knowing Icom I would say 20% is reasonable to expect. Thats my input at least so you may wish to wait till a diehard Icom user or tech comes in.

Depending on the firmware, the KPG-49D should be what you need. There is a firmware that requires passport software. This can be determined by watching the screen as you turn on the radio. If you have firmware 1.5xxx chances are you have passport firmware. This is easily fixed by reflashing the newest firmware through Fpro which is included with the 49D software. As far as I am aware (And I may be wrong on this) the 880's are incompatible with CHiRP.

I think I got my 49D from hamfiles for free. If you have an account there you should be able to download the file there. If you need the firmware feel free to message me and I'll send it over.

Me too. I ordered new jumpers from MPD digital so they have a lifetime replacement thing should it fail. Made sure to replace both jumpers as well lol

So a few weeks ago I took my repeater offline due to transmitter issues. I run a RKR1225 (rack mount version of the GR1225) and of course this repeater is known for its issues with burned out finals in the PA. At the time the unit was putting out .1W of its 25W of power. I didn't have time to pull the unit from the rack and disassemble the shelf so for a bit, out of wanting to protect components, I just shut the repeater off.

Fearing a PA failure I was in no rush to dismantle anything until I knew I could get the parts or ship it out to a shop for repairs. When the time came earlier this week, I contacted a shop who said I needed to confirm the PA had not already been replaced as they couldn't repair an already repaired amp. So I pulled the shelf from the rack and began to dismantle it so I could remove the radio body, however when I removed the TX jumper from the radio, I found that the coax had failed, separating from the connector. From just looking at it you couldn't tell, but everything, the center pin and the shield, had come apart and simply slid out of the end of the connector and rest in my hand!!

Concerned the PA may have been damaged because of this, I found a crap jumper I had set aside when I was given the double shielded jumper. I ran it through the meter and into a dummy load and behold, TX power returned to 25W! A little more testing, including the duplexer showed everything was working fine. I figured I would test the coax separately with a test meter for coax and sure enough it showed high resistance and feedback in the little 1' jumper.
 
In the end I purchased 2 jumpers, a bit longer than the one I was replacing as I believe the older one could have been pulled on during install. I replaced both the RX and TX jumpers with LMR240 coax and the result is that not only did the TX power come back, but the range extended a little bit as well.
This is just a reminder that even the simplest of things such as a jumper can mimic larger more costly problems. I believed it was going to be nearly $150 to repair the repeater and I even considered just replacing the unit with one that could run 50W on a 100% duty cycle. All I really needed was a $15 jumper to replace the one that failed. For those of us diagnosing issues for repairs we need to keep in mind that its not always the common problem causing the issue, and we need to make sure we always check the simple stuff we often overlook such as jumpers which are not a common failure point.

 

So a few weeks ago I took my repeater offline due to transmitter issues. I run a RKR1225 (rack mount version of the GR1225) and of course this repeater is known for its issues with burned out finals in the PA. At the time the unit was putting out .1W of its 25W of power. I didn't have time to pull the unit from the rack and disassemble the shelf so for a bit, out of wanting to protect components, I just shut the repeater off.

Fearing a PA failure I was in no rush to dismantle anything until I knew I could get the parts or ship it out to a shop for repairs. When the time came earlier this week, I contacted a shop who said I needed to confirm the PA had not already been replaced as they couldn't repair an already repaired amp. So I pulled the shelf from the rack and began to dismantle it so I could remove the radio body, however when I removed the TX jumper from the radio, I found that the coax had failed, separating from the connector. From just looking at it you couldn't tell, but everything, the center pin and the shield, had come apart and simply slid out of the end of the connector and rest in my hand!!

Concerned the PA may have been damaged because of this, I found a crap jumper I had set aside when I was given the double shielded jumper. I ran it through the meter and into a dummy load and behold, TX power returned to 25W! A little more testing, including the duplexer showed everything was working fine. I figured I would test the coax separately with a test meter for coax and sure enough it showed high resistance and feedback in the little 1' jumper.
 
In the end I purchased 2 jumpers, a bit longer than the one I was replacing as I believe the older one could have been pulled on during install. I replaced both the RX and TX jumpers with LMR240 coax and the result is that not only did the TX power come back, but the range extended a little bit as well.
This is just a reminder that even the simplest of things such as a jumper can mimic larger more costly problems. I believed it was going to be nearly $150 to repair the repeater and I even considered just replacing the unit with one that could run 50W on a 100% duty cycle. All I really needed was a $15 jumper to replace the one that failed. For those of us diagnosing issues for repairs we need to keep in mind that its not always the common problem causing the issue, and we need to make sure we always check the simple stuff we often overlook such as jumpers which are not a common failure point.

 

So a few weeks ago I took my repeater offline due to transmitter issues. I run a RKR1225 (rack mount version of the GR1225) and of course this repeater is known for its issues with burned out finals in the PA. At the time the unit was putting out .1W of its 25W of power. I didn't have time to pull the unit from the rack and disassemble the shelf so for a bit, out of wanting to protect components, I just shut the repeater off.

Fearing a PA failure I was in no rush to dismantle anything until I knew I could get the parts or ship it out to a shop for repairs. When the time came earlier this week, I contacted a shop who said I needed to confirm the PA had not already been replaced as they couldn't repair an already repaired amp. So I pulled the shelf from the rack and began to dismantle it so I could remove the radio body, however when I removed the TX jumper from the radio, I found that the coax had failed, separating from the connector. From just looking at it you couldn't tell, but everything, the center pin and the shield, had come apart and simply slid out of the end of the connector and rest in my hand!!

Concerned the PA may have been damaged because of this, I found a crap jumper I had set aside when I was given the double shielded jumper. I ran it through the meter and into a dummy load and behold, TX power returned to 25W! A little more testing, including the duplexer showed everything was working fine. I figured I would test the coax separately with a test meter for coax and sure enough it showed high resistance and feedback in the little 1' jumper.
 
In the end I purchased 2 jumpers, a bit longer than the one I was replacing as I believe the older one could have been pulled on during install. I replaced both the RX and TX jumpers with LMR240 coax and the result is that not only did the TX power come back, but the range extended a little bit as well.
This is just a reminder that even the simplest of things such as a jumper can mimic larger more costly problems. I believed it was going to be nearly $150 to repair the repeater and I even considered just replacing the unit with one that could run 50W on a 100% duty cycle. All I really needed was a $15 jumper to replace the one that failed. For those of us diagnosing issues for repairs we need to keep in mind that its not always the common problem causing the issue, and we need to make sure we always check the simple stuff we often overlook such as jumpers which are not a common failure point.

 

Welcome Mr New Guy
 
Not all radios will let you do split codes. I believe Midland radios fall into this where I dont believe you can run both codes at once.

There are radios you can use, for instance my Kenwood allows split tones through the programing software, however Im not sure the FPP would let me input split codes.

Hello and Welcome to MyGMRS.

GMRS repeaters are typically duplex, thus you would transmit on 467.xxxx and receive on 462.xxxx.

NTT is 141.3 if I recall.

Not sure how you would set up your radio. I guess the easiest way to set it up is to program it by computer, (which you should be doing to keep compliance of part 95) Each radio, even within the same brand, can have very different programming steps.

You wont always hear the repeater when you key up unless you are listening with a second radio. Again, this varys by repeater model and the settings that were programmed. My repeater lets you hear a beep when you unkey, some have a tail, others just shut off as soon as you unkey

Couple things to check in the software. First, under "scan information" make sure you check the box that says "off-hook scan" This allows the radio to scan despite your mic not having an off hook detector, or if your using a base, it'll scan even though the mic isn't in a clip. Also make sure "Revert Channel Display" is UNCHECKED.

In the "Channel Information" window, ensure the channels you wish to scan have "Scan add" set to Add. Note, the TK880 will only scan channels in the same group by default. If you wish to scan all channels regardless of the group, change the "Group scan" setting to multi (Found in scan information)

I think that'll clear the "E" and instead just say "Scan" Note this is for the 49D software, if your using other software you may have different procedures to do.



 

I dont know much about the MXT 400, I do know there are other reviews on the site, some good, some not so much. I can say the Kenwood 880 is a strong commercial and emergency service radio that was used for years. They were designed for abuse and can take it. I also found the kenwoods are a little less cost wise if you do your research correctly. I purchased all of the mobiles at about $40 per radio, one for each vehicle, one base camp radio, and 2 for a portable repeater project I am doing. The portables were about $55 each since I had to buy new batteries and antennas. Still less than the MXT400's price of $250.
 
Kenwood 880H (the 40 watt model) usually go for around 75-100, but even those you can get deals on.

The nice thing about the 880/380's is that there are extra features on them. One feature we use is the texting feature. I've programmed 14-15 status messages using fleetsync and we can use them to text one another or the entire group. Fleetsync also allowed for Radio ID, which allows me to see who's calling even if they don't talk on the radio.

One last thing, if I recall, the MXT does not allow you to store repeater information on the radio. You'll need to change the settings for each repeater you may use, or each time you change the channel. The Kenwood stores the frequencies into channels so you can have 5 different repeaters on one frequency using 5 different codes, and all you do is press up or down to change between them which is nice when your driving and cant watch the radio and the road at the same time. Im sure there are some pros to the MXT400 radio, but I couldnt tell ya any off the top of my head.

Well, older equipment might be the way, or part 90 cheapo radios (Not sure if the Baofeng 777 is part 90 cert anymore)

I use Kenwood 380's. You can usually find them on Ebay. I think I got mine for around 30 per radio, (3 radios, 2 chargers) Software is available for free on hamfiles. Simple programming and strong radios.

I dont know much about the MXT 400, I do know there are other reviews on the site, some good, some not so much. I can say the Kenwood 880 is a strong commercial and emergency service radio that was used for years. They were designed for abuse and can take it. I also found the kenwoods are a little less cost wise if you do your research correctly. I purchased all of the mobiles at about $40 per radio, one for each vehicle, one base camp radio, and 2 for a portable repeater project I am doing. The portables were about $55 each since I had to buy new batteries and antennas. Still less than the MXT400's price of $250.
 
Kenwood 880H (the 40 watt model) usually go for around 75-100, but even those you can get deals on.

The nice thing about the 880/380's is that there are extra features on them. One feature we use is the texting feature. I've programmed 14-15 status messages using fleetsync and we can use them to text one another or the entire group. Fleetsync also allowed for Radio ID, which allows me to see who's calling even if they don't talk on the radio.

One last thing, if I recall, the MXT does not allow you to store repeater information on the radio. You'll need to change the settings for each repeater you may use, or each time you change the channel. The Kenwood stores the frequencies into channels so you can have 5 different repeaters on one frequency using 5 different codes, and all you do is press up or down to change between them which is nice when your driving and cant watch the radio and the road at the same time. Im sure there are some pros to the MXT400 radio, but I couldnt tell ya any off the top of my head.

Admittedly I know little about tuners other than they fix the impedance mismatch. It will NOT fix SWR due to antenna mismatch, and can still cause issues with equipment. This is why we must still roughly cut antennas to a particular band before using it. Easiest way to explain it is to watch an elmer talk about tuners. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibAIDNcPKh8
 

I don't believe so, and even if they were there is a rule about altering internal components.

Welcome to MyGMRS

To start out with, The Amps rating on the radio should always be lower than that of the power supply. The Kenwood 880H (nice choice as this is the only radio I run BTW) uses 12.8Amps when transmitting on high power. Using a 15 amp or higher power supply that delivers 12.5-13.5 volts should be fine. I use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EWG6YT8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 this power supply for the house "base" radio. I do get a slight hum when the fan turns on, but for the most part it works without an issue. The whine should go away if I use a choke on the power wires but I was too lazy to order them.

I do not know much about Ed Fong antennas to really give you much advice on them. They seem to be custom home built antennas, which could be hit or miss. There are commercially available antennas for the 460-470 mhz range that may work better. I originally used a diamond 200U with good results, Now I use a comet 712EFC which has higher gain and is working great. One thing to note about mounting however. Keep in mind the primary use of a fire escape. You will need to run your feedline and mount the antenna in a way that would not interfere with an emergency evacuation should it ever occur. You would not believe how many times I've seen ham radio operators and CB'rs just throw the feedline across the fire escape completely blocking it should people need to evacuate. Or they mount Yagi antennas (a directional antenna) that block the escape. When I talk to some of them it seems their concern was that they could escape and the hell with the rest. They just don't realize they could be charged if someone is hurt or killed should a fire break out. So be sure to take great care with that for everyones safety!


 

I think what Dean means is that GMRS repeaters are not Required to ID, only the users are. That said, many will ID as a form a courtesy should there be an issue with the repeater itself or if there is interference with another repeater. By having the repeater ID the owners callsign, its easy to notify the owner when there's something wrong, or just to ask for permission to use the repeater. It also cuts down the possibility of someone who doesn't own the repeater trying to charge for access (Had someone do that. When they demanded I pay for my own repeater, I simply disabled the repeater for a few minutes until they got the idea who really ran the system.

Good explanation Corey. Its also important to note that even repeaters have some form of duty cycle and that the duty cycle can change depending on output power. A great example is the motorola 1225 series repeater. At full power, 45 watts, the repeater is limited to a 50% duty cycle. In low power, 25 watts, they are 100% cycle.

Luckily, good repeaters have protection in the form of a Time Out Timer (TOT) and usually a ReSet Timer (RST) When set up correctly, the TOT should cut off the TX BEFORE the duty cycle is reached, and the RST should prevent transmissions until the appropriate rest period has passed. This helps extend the life of the repeater even when your not there to monitor it.

Almost ALL radios now-a-days have a TOT as well. Typically I set mine for 2 minutes which is more than I need to transmit for, but is less than the duty cycle permits thus protecting the transistors.  I've had people tell me its dumb to do as no idiot would want to talk non-stop unless they are in a net or special operation. That's when I give them this story:
 
A while back when I was on the first aid squad, I was getting ready to go to sleep. Turned out the lights, laid my head on the pillow, then came the sound of a soft moan from a woman. Now, this would have been great, if there had been a woman in bed with me. The moaning continued and a bit confused I began looking for the source. Didn't take long to find my squad radio was receiving, and after turning it up a little, yep you guessed it. Turns out, the LT's portable radio had fallen between the bed and the night stand and as they and their lover were going at it, it was all transmitted quite clearly to the repeater, then retransmitted for the ENTIRE COUNTY to listen to. To make matters worse, the radios all had ID numbers so we knew whos radio was transmitting, and even worse, the LT had shut their phone off, so calling them to tell them their private session was public was not doable. Finally, the radios did not have TOT's at the time and so for a good while (I just shut my radio off but a friend at the county said they heard every minute of the 15+ minute incident. When the portable finally cut out, either from overheating or a dead battery or from falling loose of the PTT button, there wee quite a few catcalls to let them know everything was public including a few repeats of nick-names used during the session.

So folks, learn two things from this story. A: TOT's work, especially when a mistake is made or you don't realize the transmit button is pushed, it will work and save your radio from damage and possibly you from some embarrassment. B: Someone is always listening, so keep in mind what you say or do on the radio, especially if you work for a public safety organization because if you say the wrong things you could find yourself in quite a bit of trouble.

You can find commercial antennas tuned for 460-470 with so239 connectors (this is the end the antenna should have as your feedline will have PL259 connectors which mate to them)

If you do get an antenna with an N connector, simply look up a so239 to N connector. This will allow you to adapt an "N" socket to a PL259 plug.

Oi, your really new here lol
 
Repeater frequencies will require you to transmit on 467.#### and receive on 462.####. Open repeaters may still use a PL code. (This is used to filter out other conversations as there are only 8 channels for repeaters) Those codes are generally posted on the MyGMRS site as long as the repeater is listed there. Private repeaters require you to get permission to use the machine. Some require membership dues to help fund the repeater. To access those repeaters you will need to contact the repeaters owner or administrator for permission. when permission is given they will typically then tell you the codes to access the system. To use the repeater you will always need to use duplex mode (Transmit on one frequency, receive on another)

fldigi can, itll use the computers mic to listen. just set it for cw

thats about all you can do, unlike ham radio which is self policing, FRS/GMRS is only enforced by the FCC.

Welcome to MyGMRS. You won't hear call signs being used unless you are active on a repeater. Many users just don't use their call signs on single channel (Also known as simplex) operations because so many unlicensed users are on those channels. This is due to the legalization of "Combo" bubble pack radios. The biggest issue with this is that nobody reads the manual, which is why you end up hearing businesses using the "Family radio service" frequencies. They find it cheaper and easier to use such radios than it is to pay the FCC for a license and then purchasing proper part 90 radio equipment.

After running a search of your callsign I only found two repeaters close to your city of residence, Lakeshore and Rock. Lakeshore is open to all users, while asking for permission is always a good idea, the first paragraph of the repeaters listing reads "Repeater is 100% Duty cycle...free to use it as you need it. 45 watt Machine located  12 miles south of Bandera in a neighborhood called Whartons Dock/ Lake Medina Shores, open repeater for all Licensed GMRS users and their Family,  Please feel free to throw a call out to see if anyone is around, I'm always looking for radio checks from different locations to see what coverage I can get." I take this as you do not need permission and may call on the system anytime. The Rock on the other paw does require permission to use and the repeater owner should be in contact with more information about permissible uses. Please keep an eye on your spam folder as I have found that sometimes e-mails through MyGMRS have gone there. If you have not heard back from the owner after a month, you can try reaching out to them a second time for permission (Sometimes e-mails are overlooked when we are busy, or perhaps the owner was away on vacation and has not checked their e-mail.)

On a last note I would like to point out that both repeaters are a distance from you. The Lakeshore repeater is the closer of the two, is about 20 miles away with a range listed as 13 miles. Rock is much further away and only has a range of 20 miles. You may have difficulty reaching either of those repeaters when mobile.
 

FRS was originally designed for "Family" use, and if I recall up till the last rules change, business operations weren't allowed on FRS/GMRS frequencies. However since this rule, as well as the licensing rules, were ignored, the FCC removed the rules. This is why it is now legal to TX simplex on the repeater output frequencies as long as you don't TX over 2 watts and your radios antenna isn't removable. Businesses can also use the frequencies, which unfortunately leads to the "Hey your bothering my business with your GMRS crap, get off the channel or I'll _____" conversation. I've had it a few times in NJ, mostly with flaggers who think I am on their frequency when I'm not. I even received a letter from a boat repairs place claiming my repeater was causing disruption to their operations channel of 462.6750 and if I refuse to use a different channel they would seek legal action. I just told them to go screw themselves because no sole user has that type of control over the frequency. So while it isn't illegal as per fcc rules, it does become a headache and for the unknowing user, they may think that businesses have priority over all other users on the channel.

I don't know if having a GMRS license gives me priority over a FRS user on a frequency. I simply returned a letter with a copy of FCC rules explaining that FRS/GMRS channels cannot be claimed by or restricted to any one user or group. They simply moved channels and I haven't heard from them again.

FRS was originally designed for "Family" use, and if I recall up till the last rules change, business operations weren't allowed on FRS/GMRS frequencies. However since this rule, as well as the licensing rules, were ignored, the FCC removed the rules. This is why it is now legal to TX simplex on the repeater output frequencies as long as you don't TX over 2 watts and your radios antenna isn't removable. Businesses can also use the frequencies, which unfortunately leads to the "Hey your bothering my business with your GMRS crap, get off the channel or I'll _____" conversation. I've had it a few times in NJ, mostly with flaggers who think I am on their frequency when I'm not. I even received a letter from a boat repairs place claiming my repeater was causing disruption to their operations channel of 462.6750 and if I refuse to use a different channel they would seek legal action. I just told them to go screw themselves because no sole user has that type of control over the frequency. So while it isn't illegal as per fcc rules, it does become a headache and for the unknowing user, they may think that businesses have priority over all other users on the channel.