Lscott

Who cares? I don't.

Oh, I also save ALL my prior code plug versions for a particular radio series by model type and date. Example: NX-1300DUK5_BAS15_ARC4__20241118.dat If I totally bugger up the code plug I at least have the prior one saved I can use to recover from. Normally there are only minor changes from the previous version.

That's when one learns their lesson to save their work every 5 minutes. It sucks when you spend hours building a big code plug just to have it go POOF in the blink of an eye.

Here is some additional info on those VHF LADD frequencies I have book marked. There is a specific protocol, and the roads they are used on, when traveling on the "radio resource controlled roads" in some of the provinces. https://radiofreeq.wordpress.com/2018/08/30/canada-vhf-ladd-channel-list/ If you scroll down you'll see a list of frequencies. The very first one has the name "LGRANT1". The frequency listed is "143.4150" MHz which of course is just below the Ham 2M band. Humm...

I've read about that. But the frequencies are incompatible with services in the US. I can picture people trying to use those frequencies, radios, here and the "interesting" results that will cause.

A side question here. Has there been any further action to authorize a MURS like service in Canada? I know around 2014 there was talk about it but due to a lack of interest and a number of users still on the frequencies the idea was dropped.

That could be the case.

I do some monitoring by me. It's basically dead, and I have a Wallmart maybe about 1.5 miles away.

Likely the local Walmart uses it. That's perfectly legal for them to do so. I think they use a Motorola radio specifically made for them to use on MURS. I think its an RDM2070D https://www.twowayradiocenter.com/motorola-rdm2070d-walmart-two-way-radio/?srsltid=AfmBOooM22JTaiiVs6p14OGd-I6fUSuFApLIvnLQlinXImdapa0ChQhX

We can start an on line group. Hi, my name is Mr. Kenwood, and I can't resist buying more HT's.

Just keep thinking about creative ways to justify spending the money. You'll give in sooner or later. Me, I won't give up until I run out of plastic storage boxes to put them in. Then I'll wait for the Dollar store to get more in then buy another 20 to 30. That'll hold me for a while.

You close by?

It's definitely cheap enough. And if they don't like it the money invested wasn't much. Better than spending a few hundred to learn the same thing.

I'm sure it doesn't since it just recently went on sale. No time to reverse engineer the hardware. I also haven't tracked down any schematics/service documentation even for the older D868/878 radios either.

For some it could be a good radio. While $200 isn't cheap the radio has features that are useful, and it does DMR as well, which is a favorite digital voice mode at the moment. Some of the favorite GMRS specific locked down radios, which are of Chinese manufacture too, are pushing the price point close to the D168. https://www.wimo.com/media/akeneo_connector/media_files/D/1/D168UV_brochure_240827_13fd.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoqv_ogmUf-Zccf4ya9l5vfGJnja8FYzUWz1MLKvLYIhxGyJ3hLr

You get a big round table going it's not unusual to time out the repeater if somebody doesn't let it drop out periodically. Also when running a net too.

I use my radios a lot for scanning. Having multiple zones organizes the memory channels neatly. The radios I have allow me to activate each zone, and select which memory channel in the zone for scanning. When operating DMR you really use up memory channels like crazy. The usual practice I use is one zone per DMR repeater, and one memory channel per talkgroup and slot number. If you travel around to different areas you end up with a huge collection of zones for each repeater loaded up with memory channels for the supported talkgroups. Other digital modes, like P25 and NXDN, end up being programmed in a similar fashion. Most of my radios are commercial types with no front panel programming, or VCO. So, to simulate a VCO I use one zone and enter sequential memory channels like 446.000, 446.025, 446.050 etc. for the simplex section of the band. The memory name mirrors the programmed frequency. Thus when turning the channel selector knob you see a sequence of memory names which looks like you're just adjusting the VCO with a 25KHz step size. You need a lot of memory channels to do this since the UHF simplex band sections might require around 80 channels each, and there are multiple sections. Doing the above on VHF isn't so easy due to various states use either a 20KHz or 15KHz channel spacing. In that case I did a spread sheet starting at the simplex section band edge and calculated a sequences of frequencies using both channel step sizes, then eliminated the duplicate frequencies. Still ended up with a lot of memory channels to program.

A coworker in my department is seriously considering getting his Ham license this spring or summer. He's Canadian so that's where he needs to get licensed. He lives in Windsor, across the river from Detroit, and crosses back and forth everyday. He asked for my opinion on what a good radio to get for hiking and camping. I recommended the D168UV. His budget limit was $200. This should work fine for him, and he can use it for Ham when he gets licensed later. For his wife and kids I suggested the cheapo Baofengs. If one gets trashed or lost he won't cry over the cost. Plus if they aren't used frequently he won't have a lot of money tied up in them sitting on a closet shelf. I have a couple of the original D878UV's myself. One I got at a swap in like new condition with battery pack, charger base and antenna for $35. The radios are OK. The $300 plus for the new D878 models I don't think are worth it. I suspect the new D168's will replace the older D878's at some point. The best feature on the radio is the digital monitor mode. Lets one zero in on the exact DMR settings without needing a computer and an SDR dongle.

I really hate people who fast key up on the repeater without leaving at least a few seconds for somebody to break in and ask to use it, or join in the conversation.

The little I've used the D74A I'm not real impressed with the battery life, and that's just mostly doing scan monitoring. Most Hams that have the radio hold a similar opinion. A favorite topic among D74A owners is looking for a larger capacity battery pack. You'll notice in the photos, from the project site, the radio is using an external 12VDC power adapter. That's about the only way to power the radio for more than maybe 5 to 6 hours at light duty without having to swap battery packs. The guy who designed the desktop stand included a section on the back specifically as a spare battery pack storage area. One flaw with the D74A is if you have the wall wart charger plugged into the radio and key it up it tends to blow out a chip in the charging circuit. That sucks. People report using the high power 12VDC power cord that doesn't happen. I don't know if this was fixed on the D75A version. I have to get it out and charge the battery pack up on mine and start playing with it. It's been on a shelf for a long while. It's a complex radio to learn to use in the beginning, lots of menu layers to work through. If you're going to use it frequently likely not so bad. For somebody like me who might touch it every few months it's easy to forget where to go for various settings. Its not a radio for occasional use. I have a document library I have loaded on my cell phone with all of the brochures, FCC grants, service manuals and user guides, in PDF format, for my radio collection. That way if I need to consult the manual(s) they are readily available.

Can't take the money with me so might as well spend it on something fun. I might splurge and get the new TH-D75A and take the D74A to work and use it on the desktop as a scanner. It has the MARS/CAP mod. I have to see how much the price drops and look for a deal at the Hamvention this May in Ohio. HRO sells them and will do the mod for about $60 and will still warranty the radio. I'm not a big fan of D-Star but I do like the fact it's a full power, 5 watts, tri-band radio, like the older D74A is. https://www.kenwood.com/usa/com/support/pdf/TH-D75A_US_Catalog.pdf If Kenwood offered this radio in a DMR version I'll bet they couldn't keep the thing in stock. The Kenwood sales rep I spoke to there, when the radio was announced, said he had a lot of Hams say, including me, they would rather have a DMR version of the radio.

HT’s are fun since you just pick them up, turn them on and you’re ready to go. They fit in a pocket or briefcase easily too. With mobile radios you need to install them somewhere and require external power and antenna to use. I stumbled on the files for a 3D printed desktop stand for a Kenwood TH-D74A. My sister has a 3D printer and made one for me using the project files. She said according to Slicer it only cost $1.24 to make. Now I have to drive across town to pick it up soon. This is the link for the project files in case someone wants them. https://forums.mygmrs.com/discover/unread/?&stream_date_type=relative&stream_read=all&stream_date_relative_days[val]=365&stream_date_relative_days[unit]=d&view=condensed

I’m working on it. I would like to find another IC-F3162DT with the dPMR firmware and a few reasonably priced NX-1200DV’s with display and limited keypad.

What do you think? https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/249-my-radio-collection/?context=new

I'll keep an eye out for one, and if it's cheap enough I might go for it. I'm primarily a Kenwood guy. I do have a few Chinese radios, a few Motorola's and Icom's. I just dropped $120 on a used Kenwood NX-320 off eBay. Got it yesterday. This one had the 400-470 band split. I have one already but it's the higher split range and won't run below about 443MHz. I wanted a version of that model that covers the Ham band. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/418-nx-320jpeg/?context=new I have a bunch of DMR radios as it is now. In fact I have WAY too many radios. The ones I have cover D-Star, dPMR, DMR, NXDN and P25 Phase 1 so far. Nothing for System Fusion yet.