Davichko5650

Very much liking it. Took a bit of tweaking to get the Mic audio sounding good, but was fun doing it. Easy set up for CAT control for digital modes with the built in soundcard. Have mouse and DVI monitor coming to hook up next. Not going to get rid of the FT-450 it replaces, that'll be a backup and one I can take out in the field for portable ops. But can't go wrong with any of the others there. Have used the 7300. "The People's Radio" and was very impressed with it. Haven't tried a Ftdx10, but it's Yaesu, so gots to be good!

Got the FT-710 a week ago Saturday...

More geared towards Broadcast Radio, but we'll take what we can get and be on the air when we can! 13 February is a date proclaimed by UNESCO to celebrate radio broadcast, improve international cooperation among radio broadcasters and encourage decision-makers to create and provide access to information through radio, including community radios.

Agree! I can count on half of one hand the number of times I've used the repeaters in my area. I got into GMRS in 2017 (cue the "I've been a H.A.M. for (years") and at the time was not active as an Amateur Operator, although licensed. I got it for using in Northern MN where, at the time, there was zero cell phone coverage. Used to talk from Cabin to boat and back, to talk mobile to cabin and around the resort area. Current usage is that, as well as on off road trips, solo or group, around the house (beats yelling) and with a small group of friends in the neighborhood to chat on occasion on simplex. On the amateur side of radio, got back into that in 2020 and about 99% of activity there is on HF, and most of that on digital modes. Talk all day at work on two-ways, so like to chat via keyboards to those random strangers Randy warned us all about! If you're getting into GMRS as a "gateway" or "Ham Lite", it's not really where it's at. OTOH, not my place to tell people what to do, so those that do, it's their choice.

I can see Randy writing in "Nunya" on the form!

I seem to find a lot of veterans with radio backgrounds, like myself, on the ham bands! I was a Voice Intercept Operator (98G) Arabic with Secondary MOS's as 05H and 05C for Morse and RTTY, as well as having the K3 designator indicating I was an ECM operator as well in the ASA/INSCOM back in the mid-late 70's. I was already a radio hobbyist in the AM broadcast DX and SWL world. Most my instructors for the radio stuff in the Army were Hams, and bugged all of us to get our tickets. Didn't get mine until 1992 as a No-Code Tech. Upgraded to Tech+ with the 5 wpm CW test in 1996. Was off the air for about 15 years what with Life intervening, but got back into it in October 2020 getting my General and then my Extra in Jan. of 2022. Got into GMRS in 2017 for comms up north where there is no or spotty Cell or internet service. Was WQUR589, but forgot to renew, so now I'm WRJG283 in that service.

Congrats and welcome to the Rabbit Hole that is Amateur Radio! Enjoy 10 meters while it's hot! Good luck on the General, opens up the world of HF to you! 73 de N0TXW

Pretty sure most modern Transceivers have it, both my FT-450D and the new FT-710 have a setting for it in the menus. Can monitor it any time, but not much I could really do for any callers...

Alaska also has the dedicated Emergency Frequency of 5167 kHz on HF. Have seen that being used here and there on TV shows, but never looked to see if any YooToob videos exist about it.

Sir, if you have a problem with Germs, I will connect you to EMS....

Hey, once you start down the rabbit hole that is RF, you never know where it'll lead ya!

I use Fldigi quite often, but only on HF and 6 meters. I use it for RTTY, PSK31 and a slug of the other digital modes, as well as copying Naxtex and SITOR transmissions around the HF dial. I do not use CAT control on the FT-450D, I've never gotten it to work correctly. Not an issue as I'm more of a hands on manual guy anyway. When operating from the truck (not while mobile) on my FT-891 it works very well, both the program for TX/RX as well as the CAT control working. I don't see it really having a GMRS application, per se, but I guess it could be configured for short digital messaging with an HT?

I have not seen this here in Minnesota as far as dimming with age or freezing. When it's well below zero they tend to take additional time to fully display, but they come on fully after at most 20-30 seconds at -20. This on Kenwood, Yaesu and Retivis rigs in the truck.

Welcome from this Army Security Agency/INSCOM Vet here in the Twin Cities! Depending where you are up there in the North, some decent coverage repeaters. I use a few of them that are strategically located near a couple of the OHV Parks I like to off road the Truck in. If you get down to the Cities, there's a decent group of us on Ch. 19 Simplex, as well as some good repeaters that sometimes have traffic on them. Otherwise, you will find that GMRS can be a bit of a "bring your own" radio service. My wife and I use it up north where cell phones are spotty, as well as around the spread at home so as to keep in touch without having to yell!. Enjoy going down the rabbit hole! 73 de WRJG283

Bear encounters: Black, Attack! Brown, Lie Down! Polar, you're lunch!

About as close as we get on the group of us that hang out on Ch 19 hereabouts is using our Firstname and then the numbers on our call signs, as in, "hey Joe 690 are you out there?" "Yo Dave 283, yeah, what's up?" After that we converse and then ID at the 15 and EOT as required by the regs. That way if there's more than one Joe or Dave out there (and there usually is) we can differentiate who we're looking for.

I have one and have used it on Baofengs at home and in the field and have had no issues with it. Odmaster is a bit stodgy compared to Chirp visually, but works fine when out in the wilds.

When I got back into Amateur Radio after being out of it for about 10-12 years (always renewed my license even when off the air), one of my friends from back in the day steered me to try DMR. Recommended the TYT 380UV as it had a good price point, so if I didn't like it, I'd only be out $100 or so. I do use it on occasion on DMR, but like you, I get good audio reports on the analog side, so use it more there than on digital.

Yes, far more Fars so far!

Very satisfied with mine. Far better than the DB20G it replaced, which in turn was better than the Midland that replaced!

My Retevis RA87 has a squelch knob concentric with thee Volume knob. It can be defeated through the Menu using auto squelch settings. I have that off so I can tweak it for intermod or other non signal things that open it. But does seem most mobiles just have the quto type that's adjustable in the menu somewheres.

Wizardry, magic, smoke & mirrors! or is that Wizardry, magic smoke and mirrors?

Did that when I put the RA87 in the truck and moved the DB20G into the shack. Sits right atop the Yaesu FT-450D just fine! Haven't look at Jailbreaking it yet, but monitors 2m/440 hams bands just fine for now and gets on on Simplex with the local ragchewers on Ch. 18 just fine.

$334.99 at Amazon and Bridgecom...