Linus

We get to do the move one more time this week. For this trip, I can get a few repeaters plugged into the radios. My programming cables are in our new location so the effort will be greater. We flew back today with our radios in carry on and in luggage. No questions on the mess of wires when we went through security.

My wife was super impressed. She might be ready for an amateur license some day. We had an interesting announcement about the state patrol. I thanked some people way ahead of me, but there was no way for me to exceed the limit. I did tell me to look at a mountain range off to the left and the view was amazing. Nice people along the way.

Yes. For sure. Skiing, biking, camping, and moving. We get a lot of good use out of them.

My wife and I are making an interstate move and it was great to have a radio in a Penske truck and one of our cars. In addition, we have two handheld radios. That made backing up the truck with a car carrier so much easier! She could direct me when I backed out of our original home. Along the way, she could pull behind me and let me know if there were any trailer stability issues at higher speeds. After a few hours, I had my wife drive the speed limit while I drove at a slower rate (trailer limit). We had some awesome range in Eastern Oregon. We had great range as she pulled away. Our radios have repeater capabilities but we kept them on a simplex channel. We said our goodbyes as she pulled away from the line of site. A few hours later, I caught up at the hotel. We have been long users of GMRS, and the service was awesome for the move. we hope that others get great use out of GMRS.

My wife and I use them for sport activities. We have a headset that we use for bicycling and skiing. GMRS has been invaluable for those reasons. I used a repeater once while on my bicycle with my wife when I was to get our car while she stayed behind waiting (big hill between us). It is easier than cell phones.

I have used the CTCSS and DCS codes I’ll skiing in biking so that I do not have to hear other people’s conversations. It is harder when you are skiing and biking to change your channel because your radio keeps breaking squelch caused by a far away user that is nothing but static. I would not go as far to call that a channel but I do like the term programmable slot. Calling It channel is leaning towards false advertising. I have seen radios like that in the past that are marketed as having thousands of channels which is not correct. What is nice about programmability is you can also change the channels for send and receive. In other words one channel is used to transmit and another channel is used to receive on one radio. The other radio has the opposite configuration. The idea behind this was to have at least 1/2 of a conversation is less likely to be interrupted by others. I wrote about it earlier in a previous post along time ago.

Did you pay with a credit card? If you tried in good faith to resolve the matter, that you did, you should open a credit card dispute. Refusal to return the sales tax is a reason to open the dispute.

You could use the Wouxun KG-805G. The newer model is the Wouxun KG-905G. The radio is repeater capable. It also is pretty easy to program. I like the fact that this radio has the capability of storing many different channels in its configuration. In the link below I have illustrated a unusual split tone split frequency used between two of these radios. https://greyscale.zone/split-frequency-and-tone-operation-on-gmrs.html I have used the Wouxun KG-805G during skiing trips and bike rides. They radio has a mic and headphone port that allows for hands free operation. For example, with skiing, you can use a motorcycle headset inside of your helmet, and have a push to talk button wrapped around a glove. We did that a few weeks ago, and it allowed us to talk to each other while skiing. We could tell each other which branch of a ski path to take if we were separated from each other while skiing. You can also find great use in hiking in areas where there is no cell service. The radio does not fit the price point that you mention, but it makes up for it with lots of options.

GMRS and Amateur radio are different. Amateur has lots of bands and open for experimentation. It is a hobby. For regular communication it may not be the best. I find it more challenging to encourage others to talk on the amateur bands about subjects other than radios. My experience is that radios are the main topic. Outside of that it is challenging to go into other topics with others. When you do get into a conversation outside of radios it can be rewarding. I have made some good friends on the air. GMRS to me is much better for those who wish to use it for its intended purpose of communication. When on the GMRS side, it is a tool. The focus is the person in the other end and the purpose of the conversation. I really enjoyed participating in ham studying sessions on the GMRS band. Yes, the topic is radio related, but the main focus is in education of others not how much power and antenna types with a 599 report. During covid those sessions brought a lot of people together.

I have been to the radio astronomy facility onsite in 1994. When I was there, we went from the office area to the radio telescopes is diesel buses. Diesel engines do not have spark plugs. There was a big sign prohibiting gasoline engines past a gate.

A few comments to address here. Previously I stated "I understand that there is no expectation of privacy in GMRS". Commercial Radios: Thank you for the comment above, commercial radios may offer that option, but I am not seeking privacy. The use case is a remediation method that makes it more difficult for malicious activity to reach two radio users during a conversation. I am not talking about kids using a bubble pack radio as a toy. I am referencing a radio user honing in on the context of the conversation and interrupting with creepy and objectionable comments. The use case (rarely needed) sets up predefined TX and RX pairs that can be switched a few times until the two radio users are in contact with each other via cell phone or in person. Think hiking or camping in an area without cell phone connectivity and a radio user out there is potentially a threat (preferably just an annoyance). Regarding the repeater input comment. Others may try that, but it is not permitted in the use case that I describe. I am referencing a simplex conversation. The repeater inputs are used for repeater contacts and part of a conversation to a wider audience.

Good Point! Three or more radios turns this idea upside-down. Any thoughts on scaling up to more users?

HYS makes a Bluetooth connector for Wouxun Radios. I have a set for the Wouxun KG-805G. They cost as much as the radio. Do not expect any support from HYS. I had to return one due to an issue with pairing. I use them for sporting applications. They are okay, but see my warning above on support -- it is non-existent. Hold onto the manual, it is not available online. Search for the following. HYS Bluetooth Headset with PTT Rechargeable Wireless Finger PTT and Ear Piece with Mic for Baofeng Kenwood 2Pin Connector Suitable for Cycling and Outdoor Sports

All, Has anyone set up their radios to operate on simplex using split frequency and tone operation? I wrote up a use case here: https://greyscale.zone/split-frequency-and-tone-operation-on-gmrs.html Basically, two radios are independently set up to transmit and receive on different channels and tones. The reasoning is to make it so that outside listeners hear only one side of the conversation, and it makes it harder for them to interfere with an ongoing conversation. I understand that there is no expectation of privacy in GMRS. A user can make it harder for outsiders to interfere with a conversation by removing context (one sided conversations) and the quick ability to scan tones and interfere. Assume in this use case that both channels are checked for the presence of others before starting a conversation. The example below illustrates the programming for two Wouxun KG-805G radios. Radio One Program Setup | Radio Slot | Radio Receive | Radio Decode | Radio Transmit | Radio Encode | | ---------- | ------------- | ------------ | -------------- | ------------ | | 39 | Channel 3 | DN174 | Channel 6 | DN205 | Radio Two Program Setup | Radio Slot | Radio Receive | Radio Decode | Radio Transmit | Radio Encode | | ---------- | ------------- | ------------ | -------------- | ------------ | | 39 | Channel 6 | DN205 | Channel 3 | DN174 |

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