Davichko5650

Hereabouts on group runs we've been using both CH. 7 and 16. But also, as you do, scan all the channels plus the repeaters within range.

Back when I got my Tech. license, morse wasn't for me a hold back point; I was taught to receive up to 8 wpm in my ASA days and had retained that into the early 90's. When I went for Tech+, it was about a week of sending practice to get my 5 wpm solid. Back side of the solar cycle, so 10m was still hopping, and I kludged along on CW down on the lower bands as well. Life intervened, as it does, and I was out of the hobby for a number of years. Got back into it 4 years ago and ended my 28 year run as a Tech+ (admin changed to Tech. when they dropped the code) by getting General then a year and a half later upgraded to AE. Elmer's goaded me as "all the really good DX is in the Extra Bands"... Used CB back in my army days and for a spell thereafter, but only mobile and really never worked any Skip. It was my love of HF listening on the SW and Ham Bands that finally hooked me for the ARS. Far more into the non phonne/cw modes like RTTY, PSK, Hellschreiber, VarAC, etc. (even, yes FT#) but do enjoy a good phone ragchew and a half-hearted contest run with the Mic.

In my case, originally, strictly and only to provide mobile and marine mobile (not maritime) to base communications in far northern MN where we had no cellphone service. Wife has never had any interest in amateur radio , so figured GMRS was the way to go. Thought about FRS, but then figured it wouldn't give us the range we'd need out on the lake. While Cell service has improved, it's still not 100% all over the lake. Later on, got to using it more back in town as have a few friends who, also being hams, are involved in one of the better GMRS repeaters in my area. As well as using it around our slightly larger than most city lots to talk to my wife and son when there or out mobile. Although I don't seek them out, if I hear a callsign being thrown out on one of the repeaters or GMRS simplex channels, I will reply and engage in conversation, even if it's just a short "radio check" type contact.

If you'd have stuff delivered to work, you'd be checking this out on your break/lunch....

Very nice! One club I'm in will be at their usual spot, a private airport and they run the full 24 hours, beams and dipoles and EFHW's galore, all modes. The other club I'm in does a City Park and they have to set up and tear down both days as the park is closed overnight!. Both pretty good groups, But if I get any time away to visit, it'll be at the airport - better food, and cold adult beverages allowed...

Pretty good album!

MIne got messed with a house fulla out of towner's, might have an hour or two only to run out to our club site, but otherwise, spare moments to try some 1-D at home...

And he did not disappoint us! VG video this morning with the Club President out NY way. Seems the e-mail to the repeater owner is legit, he and the FCC person who sent it have a "working relationship" but the Club Prez would not elaborate. And he did state the club would not be supplying any callsign information.

Edited my comment after your reply it seems. I did add drop the links. Hope the Notarubicon Center keeps us updated out there on YootOob

Well, I keep waiting on that big Powerball win! But I'm thinking for the moment, in the absence of any official notice here, I would keeps things running status quo, or at a minimum drop the links and not reply to the e-mail.

True. I'm thinking I'd wait for an actual Letter in the mail with an NAL.

I rather wonder about this as well. I don't know of any Government agency that would send an e-mail notice of this nature. In a similar way that the IRS must notify a taxpayer in writing, via US Mail (registered/Cerified if it get to that stage) for it to be considered an "Official Notice". They do not call or e-mail people, people call them. Unless the repeater owner was listening 24/7 and logging, there's not much chance they would know every callsign using the repeater, unless it was a closed system with limited, i.e. family & friends, usage. I think my first step would be to call the FCC and make a determination to the validity of the sender. If someone is spoofing the FCC, or using this as a scam bait, I would think they'd like to know about it.

When I first got the Midland LXT600 FRS/GMRS HT's for use up at the lake where there's zero cell service, My wife seemed to think she HAD to push the Call button before she could talk to me out on the boat from the cabin. I quickly explained to her she could just push the PTT and start talking... I imagine it might be useful in very high noise environments where you may not hear people calling you, and the piercing tone would alert you? Mostly when scanning the channels, if I hear these, it's kids playing radio. "It is about as useful as the 'Alarm' button on many radios." Or a Roger Beep! Sorry, couldn't resist!

I would, but I need $$$ for new guitars and guns....!

Good mix of users there! There's a clown on one of the local repeaters here who transmits, on weekends only so far, some sort of alarm protocol. "The loading dock doors are open." "The pool doors are unarmed." Etc. Another person likes to retransmit the local SPFD Computer dispatch info. Don't hear much feedback as there's not a lot of people using the repeaters. Have two nets we get here. The Family Fun Net, Saturday's at 6 pm local, and a couple nets on Sunday that trade off. Definately more activity on the simplex channels, and channels 1-7 at that. But since I got into GMRS to talk pretty much to my wife and son, I' don't much use it to reach out to others. The occasional conversation with a random stranger, but I've got the amateur bands for those, LOL...

Wasn't trying to be snarky, btw, my fingers managed to hit the "send" button before the below comments: No issue, just surmising their higher ups got them some cheapo FRS bubble Packers. easy to replace when (not if) they bust them. They're getting about 1 - 2 miles of range from where I'm hearing them, as the Bus Co's and the schools are at known locations. That and the lack of callsigns being used. Haven't bothered to do a ULS search to see if any of the users have a grandfathered Business license. Don't really care, just interesting to hear what's out there besides my own small group. Actually had a decent conversation on one of the local repeaters this morning. Guy called out his callsign and "radio check", so I replied and we chatted for about 10 minutes. We tried Simplex, but he was on an HT with a mag-mount and about 20 miles out, so no joy.

Around here we call it "The People's Radio"!!! Have used a couple out in the field on occasion. Good radio, but not sure it's enough for a long time Yaesu guy to look at adding one to the stable.

Know these already, thanks!

Actually driving by one over the weekend had a few WallyWorlder's on the lower channels, but that was a drive by, so not included... My son's work uses MURS but I generally don't listen there much.

On the three recent radios I picked up for GMRS, only the Retevis RA-87 was preprogramed with CTCSS and DCS Tones. Both the DB20-G and the GM-30 from Radioddity came with no tones!. Quick work with the laptop fixed the RA87. Deleted the tones on the shared channels, except the ones wifeypoo and I use, and corrected the repeater tones for the 6 local repeaters hereabouts....

Attention grabbing Title, lifted from Tolkien! But driving around town with the new RA-87, I have it set to scan the FRS/GMRS channels. Making occasional contacts on a couple repeaters and via simplex with a few friends as well as the Wife and Son. But mostly I'm hearing a few stations on the same channels during weekdays with some regularity. Located in St. Paul, MN for those who care. Here's where and what I hear very often. Ch 1 - local kids teaching each other "radio etiquette" and otherwise chatting ("You have to remember to say over, over...") Ch 2. - Dispatch and mobile for a DT hotel shuttle bus service Ch 3 - Local restaurant, mostly in Hmong, with occasional bursts of English. Ch 4 - Charter School, bus lady looking for buses and other such traffic. Also an occasional group of construction workers in the DT area. Ch 5 - Local School bus yard office to yard workers. Ch 7 - Factory workers of some sort. Foreman barking out orders with more than occasional profanity. Ch 14 - Flagger Crew for the many street construction projects. As you can see, most of the traffic is in the shared channels 1-7, but I seriously doubt these people are using GMRS radios! What kind of consistent radio chatter are y'all hearing, assuming you're scanning around the channels?

Balance this against the definition of "network connection found in 95.303: "Network connection. Connection of a Personal Radio Services station to the public switched network, so that operators of other stations in that service are able to make (and optionally to receive) telephone calls through the connected station." Nowhere in Part 95 could I find a definition of "other network", so the grayline continues???? The prohibition in 95.349 seems to be slanted towards not allowing autopatch or other types of phone patches to PRS radios. The regs of course predating the explosion of the internet. What is really needed here is a test court case, or a NAL being issued and the response thereto to maybe clear things up in the muddy waters we now have...

You did say "beginner in the Thread title, but any HF rig can be used by a beginner or an expert! But to look at basic, no frills rigs, one still in production is the Icom 718. Has DSP, but no many bells and whistles. Lacks 6 meters. Can't recall off hand if it does FM for 10 meters. Have seen a few at our monthly (non POTA) Hams in the Park gatherings here in the Twin Cities, and am impressed in the RX and TX from this solid rig. Used, you'll be looking at things like the Yaesu FT-450D. Very excellent rigs for beginner and expert alike. It's the mainstay of my Shack and even were I to upgrade, it's never leaving! Internal Tuner, DSP, 6 meters, all modes. A soldier on digital modes. Other used, late model rigs to look for are the Icom 706G MkII. If you're looking to operate mobile, my hands down recommend is the Yaesu FT-891. Have had mine in the truck just over a year now, and it's a solid performer. Lacks an internal tuner (moot point as I run the ATAS-120A tunable antenna) and is a bit menu driven, but the rx/tx results are very good. Older rigs in the mobile area will be things like The Icom 7100 (still in production?, I'm not a Icom guy) or Yaesu FT 857 - 897 - 818 - 818. Hope this helps, Dave WRJG283/ N0TXW

It looks to be listed in the Baofeng area on the Odmaster App. I found the best $22 I've spent of late was the TIDRadio bluetooth dongle, makes field programming of Baofengs a breeze with the Odmaster app! Waiting for them to get the Beta for the Radioddity GM30 worked out to try that as well, although the CPS software from them was a snap to use. Basic difference between Chirp and using Odmaster is that Chirp displays all the data where with Odmaster, you have to open each channel's info one by one. But not having to lug around a laptop makes up for that.

I did go ahead and get the Retevis RA87 - works pretty well, okay Chinglish manual, but pretty intuitive to program on the radio. Much easier with the software on the laptop. Might go ahead and pull the trigger on the DB40 to compare the 2 since ORX hasn't seen fit to do a comparo for us on YootOob yet. If I do, which ever one I prefer or performs better will go in the mobile, the other will be put in the shack for base use. So far, better RX and TX than the DB20 the RA87 replaced, a function on TX side of more power? But seems to have a better receiver than the DB20 I drive around with 3 friends it seems then, having the MXTA26 and a Comet 2m/70cm and a Yaesu ATAS120A on the truck. MXTA is on a mag mount, the other two on diamond K400 mounts.