Lscott

I've used WINE on Linux several times with various software, mostly CAD related. The results have been mostly works to complete failure. Personally I've been watching this project over the years. It's an open source clone of Windows. When it gets to the beta testing phase then things get interesting. https://reactos.org/ berkinet's suggestion is good, trying VirtualBox. I have two VM'm running on a Win 7 Pro machine with 16GB or RAM. One is OpenSuse Leap and a Win XP Pro one. Both work well and show up on the network as if they were real computers with their own IP addresses etc. I can access them locally or from another computer using Windows Remote Terminal app. https://www.virtualbox.org/ Also you should have the ability to install the native virtual machine subsystem included with just about every major Linux distro out there. Then install a copy of Windows. You can get a functioning version here. https://winworldpc.com/product/windows-nt-2000/final Windows 2000 should have no issues running the radio programming software.

I would assume they are not compatible with other manufacture's FHSS radios. If that's the case then one is locked into only buying Moto equipment. Not a good situation.

There are other interesting oddball radio services out there that people are not aware of. For example there are license free 900MHz radios. Some of those radios are not cheap either. Might be fun to play with a few but not at $300+ per unit. https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-DTR700-900MHZ-Licence-Digital/dp/B07PM684WN https://www.motorolasolutions.com/en_us/products/two-way-radios/commercial-business-two-way-radio-systems/on-site-business-radios/dtr-series/dtr700.html#tabproductinfo

I’m curious how many of these radios have shown up in the US by people coming for business or vacations. The PMR446 and dPMR446 radios would end up on the Ham 70cm band. The German FreeNet radios are just above the Ham 2M band. And the radios from Singapore operate between the Ham 1.25M band and the military frequencies around 300MHz. Traveling in the western part of Canada in the back woods using the VHF resource road frequencies seems mandatory. The frequencies are posted which ones to use on the roads. A comment in the article about modified VHF radios, I assume Ham gear, is typically used. https://radiofreeq.wordpress.com/2018/08/30/canada-vhf-ladd-channel-list/#more-1675 If those frequencies are used in Canada there is a chance they could be used in the US as well. I wonder if anybody had monitored communications on those frequencies that didn’t sound like business, public safety etc.

Other countries have their versions of VHF and UHF radio services. Anybody bump into them being used in the US or had experience using them? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMR446 https://radioaficion.com/news/new-channels-pmr446/ https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/245_MHz_VHF_CB https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Freenet https://radiofreeq.wordpress.com/2018/08/30/canada-vhf-ladd-channel-list/#more-1675

I've done the same thing a few times at another mall close to where I lived before I moved a few years ago. I heard all sorts of crap there from hookers hanging out by the coffee shop inside, one guy brought his gun in once, fights in the food court, mall security kicked out a guy driving through the lot with a license plate scanner looking for cars on a list to repo, a couple doing their "thing" in the back seat etc. I monitor that mall typically all day at work. I have the radio setup on top of the computer with a coax running to a simple 1/4 ground plane built out of a BNC PCB socket and some stiff bus wire. That's on top of my bookcase, better range and the rubber duck antennas the radios come with normally are poor performers. At least that's one thing those CCR's are good for, they make decent super cheap scanners if what you are monitoring is fairly close. Scan speed sucks, but I'm not scanning that many frequencies anyway so it's not too bad. I already had to replaced the battery pack on it because I cycled it to death using the radio 5 days a week scanning. The radio by the way is a BTECH tribander HT.

Interesting suggestion. I’ve talked to the admin for the repeater our local group uses. Yeah, he has heard the occasional chatter too but had no idea where it originated from. Now he knows. So far there really hasn’t been any co-channel interference to speak of. I’m not interested, and doubt anybody else is, being the “radio cop”. So until there is a problem will likely leave things as is. At least now IF a problem arises the admin has a good idea where to look. Anyway between the mall security and housekeeping monitoring their communications prove entertaining at times. When the weather is very cold, crummy out, bored or between normal gym visits I go to the mall and walk for an hour or two with the UHF radio inside the coat and a small D-Ring ear phone with a PTT lapel mic. I don’t want to make it obvious what I’m doing. It’s a large mall with two levels where you frequently see a significant number of people doing the same thing. If something is going on out of the ordinary I head that way to check it out.

Well I haven’t been that motivated to dig around in the FCC database looking for a possible grandfathered license holder for those frequencies yet. Your idea of putting another repeater on the same frequency with the same PL tone I’m sure would annoy them. So would simply high jacking it, after all it is on a legal GMRS repeater channel. If the user/owner doesn’t want anybody else on their machine they can contact all parties and inform them as such. When that happens the question becomes under whose operating authority, FCC license holder, can deny general public access. Of course if the repeater is illegally operating most likely it will simply shut down or move to a business frequency. I was walking around the mall tonight just for some exercise and noticed an HT sitting on top of the push trollies used by the housekeeping staff as I walked by. It looked like your typical basic black commercial Motorola radio. So they are not using some COTS GMRS radios. Those Motorola’s had to be specifically programmed for the frequencies used.

So it apparently can be done with Motorola radios, useful info. I have Kenwood. I haven't really looked that hard but none of the radio programming software I can get my hands on allows changing the serial number even with the so-called "engineers" or "dealer" keys. I have forced a radio to a different "market code" something the software says if you get wrong the first time can't be changed, well I did several times on the same radio using the "engineers" key. So much for that. The problem is Kenwood is disabling the engineers function in the software for the newer radios so even if you had the right key it won't allow you to change certain things. I had to track down a special version of the software for an analog/NXDN radio to unlock the read write password protection a few weeks back for recent radio I got. I was able to write a blank code plug to it thus disabling all password protection. The radio sold real cheap likely because even the dealer that sold it to me couldn't unlock it.

I've experienced the same thing. A local mall 4.7 miles line of sight from my house is apparently using GMRS repeater channel 16. The same channel as the repeater I use along with nearly 30 others. The repeater seems to be used by the "housekeeping" staff and uses a different PL tone from the one the local GMRS community uses. After weeks, hours at a time mainly in the evening, I've never heard anybody ID nor does the repeater ID. As suggested it might be an old grandfathered system but somehow I seriously doubt it. I know where the repeater is located due to a topic mentioned on the Mall's security frequency. Then a couple of seconds later I heard the exact same person calling the Mall's housekeeping staff on the GMRS repeater about the same issue. The security staff use Motorola radios, been there enough times and watched them. At this point I don't know if the "dispatch office", AKA security, has two radios, one for their use and the other for housekeeping or more likely one radio with both frequencies programmed in to them. So far I don't know what kind of radio is used by the Mall's housekeeping staff. Since its repeater capable it likely either a GMRS radio or a commercial radio programmed with GMRS frequencies setup for repeater operation. Of course somebody could have programmed some CCR's to save money and used them.

The first thing I do when I receive a used radio is read and save to original code plug. Just about every commercial Kenwood HT radio I've worked with has two areas for storing an internal message, one of which is password protected. Out of a dozen or so used HT's I got only one had that message blocked filled in. That radio came from a university located in New Jersey based on the name in the message. Also based on a name and phone number in the message it was setup to work in conjunction with a certain company's line of wireless two way emergency call boxes. I always put my Ham call sign and home address in the internal message block for any code plug I write to a commercial radio with that feature. Additionally if the radio has a LCD display, typical 16 channel radios don't have any, I have my Ham call sign displayed at power up as an added ID feature. One other feature the radios have is an electronic serial number which can't be erased or changed through any software I've been able to find. The radio programming software lets one read the model number, firmware version and serial number from the radio, even if its password locked. So far I haven't seen a radio where somebody attempted to remove the external serial number tag indicating the radio might be stolen.

I agree. I have a Ham Radio buddy that got permission, yes it's possible, several times to use his HT on a commercial jet flight. There was a bit of a pile up when you're talking 500 to 1000 miles radius from 30,000 feet on FM.

The TK-3170 is a nice radio. I own a few of them.

I know this thread is a bit old. I think a few people might find the following of interest. https://radiofreeq.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/militia-radio-frequencies/ Scroll down and look at the third photo in the main body of the article. Then read the caption under it. The FCC may have had good reason for the notice.

The post I responded to was: "No, just as a licensed amateur operator cannot legally communicate with an unlicensed person, neither can a licensed GMRS operator legally communicate with an unlicensed person." The nature of the "unlicensed person" was not specified in the post so I used the widest definition that is confined to FRS and GMRS services. It's obvious the FRS operators are not directly licensed by the FCC but communications between licensed GMRS operators and the "unlicensed person", A.K.A. FRS operator, is in fact permitted. That was the point. To add a finer point FRS operators who are using their radios are authorized as licensed by rule, so by some measure they are licensed. While the statement about the amateur operator is correct, everyone MUST have a valid call sign thus licensed, but when extending the analogy to GMRS/FRS, which shares the same simplex frequencies it breaks down. I think when statements like the quote above are made they should be more qualified. Too often new people get needlessly confused. That's the last thing needed here.

So a person using a legal FRS only radio and a licensed GMRS user using a Part 95 certified radio can’t communicate for example? That’s after the FCC changed the frequency assignments so simplex operation was facilitated between the two?

Take a look at this one. https://dpdproductions.com/products/dual-band-gmrs-murs-mobile-antenna

For the TK-8180 I think you need to download and install the programming software for the radio. It should be the KPG-89D located here. There are other locations to find the software. The latest version is V1.61 I believe. Older ones will likely work too. Just make sure you have the serial install key. Normally most of the packages include one in a text file. http://rsws.zapto.org/RadioSoftware/Kenwood/ You will also need a programming cable for it too. Commercial radios are great to use on GMRS but are impossible to setup, or nearly so, without the programming software. Any used commercial radio you are thinking about buying make sure you can get the correct programming software and cable for it FIRST. If you can't the radio will end up being an expensive paper weight.

Does anybody have info on the various Kenwood radios memory file structure? Some of the radios seem to encrypt the contents past the header. On a couple of those it appears a simple “XOR” of the bulk of the file was done. How and where the software figures out the key, looks like a single byte, is save in the file I’m assuming. It doesn’t seem to remain the same if the code plug changes on a given radio model. I’ve been principally looking at the combo analog/digital models TK-D340 (DMR) and the NX-340U (NXDN) models.

Well, first are you interested in only new radios or would taking a chance on buying a used one? The answer to that would narrow down the recommendations a bit. There are a few new models while there is a forest of used commercial grade radios available. Some of those are Part 95 certified so are legal to use. Some people only want FCC part 95 certified equipment. Others are OK with the Part 90, the typical certification for commercial radios. There are by the way some commercial radios certified for both Part 90 and 95. So far the FCC seems to ignore people using Part 90 only certified radios, but one should not assume that will continue to be the case.

If you're really interested in this radio I would research it a lot more. Rugged Radios has been known to take cheaper Chinese radios, rebranded the radio and sold them at inflated prices. Somebody here will likely recognize the original manufacture, if the radio was rebranded, and where you could buy one much cheaper.

Do not use RG-58 cable at these frequencies for anything other than short runs. You are much better off using RG-8, LMR-400, Beldin 9913 or some type of heliax, typically 1/2 inch or larger, for the run. Also it is strongly advised to use "N" type connectors. You may need an "N" type to a PL-239 adapter for the end going into the back of the radio unless you make a cable with it on the end. You can check here for coax cables. They may custom manufacture a cable for you. https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=344&sort=20a http://www.cablexperts.com/cfdocs/index.cfm

Very good question! I meet with a group of guys at the Rams Horn Thursday night around 6:30 PM on Middle Belt Road south of Joy Road for coffee, at least when the governor let the restaurants open. We're all at least Ham Radio people. Whenever I'm out that way I try that GMRS repeater. So far nothing. The Troy 575 machine, close to I-75 and 16 mile road, works and there are around 30 some people who have requested access to it so far. A regular net meeting is being organized for Sunday nights at 7 PM https://mygmrs.com/repeater/3562 Also there is what I believe to be a GMRS repeater illegally being used by the housekeeping staff at the Lakeside Mall. This might be an old system grandfathered in by the FCC, but I haven't found any license to verify this. For a while now I’ve been picking up sporadic communications on the Troy Repeater’s output frequency from some maintenance staff, at the time the source was unknown. I’m sure this is the Lakeside Mall's housekeeping staff since I heard a call about a hand sanitizer station that needed a battery replacement on the mall’s security frequency. Tthen a second or so later I heard the same exact guy calling the mall’s maintenance staff on FRS/GMRS channel 16, the same channel the Troy repeater uses. I've never heard anybody ID nor a repeater ID. I found the PL toned used is 186.2 Hz. This is a different tone from the one used by the Troy 575 repeater.

I general VHF works better under the conditions you describe. The radio service that works on VHF is MURS. It is a license free radio service. The limitation you will find are the radios are restricted to no more than 2 watts of power. http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/murs.htm https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/multi-use-radio-service-murs Some typical MURS radios. https://baofengtech.com/product/murs-v1/ https://bettersaferadio.com/shop/two-way-radios/tera-tr-505-dual-band-gmrs-murs-handheld/ A note about the FRS radios. If they are more than a few years old they were likely manufactured to work under the old rules which limits the power to 1/2 watt. The newer radios are allowed up to 2 watts on (most) of channels. Under GMRS rules you can generally run higher power, which may not be that great of an advantage at the higher frequencies used. The following link shows the channels, bandwidth and power allowed by either FRS or GMRS radios. GMRS by the way requires a license while FRS does not. New FRS radio do not have the means to access the additional frequencies for repeater access per the FCC rules. Only GMRS radios are allowed to use those frequencies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Mobile_Radio_Service If you have GMRS repeaters in the area you can access where you plan to operate then GMRS would be a better choice in that case.

Well first there are no "Ham Radios" that are also certified for GMRS in spit of what you may read on various web sites. There are many Part 90 commercial radios, and some even include Part 95 certification, that are designed and tested for outdoors operation so are weather proof, rain - dust etc. Many of those radios can be programmed to operate over part or the full Ham 70cm band. I have the following models from Kenwood. There are others from Motorola along with other major manufactures. TK-370G https://fccid.io/ALH29473110 https://mra-raycom.com/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/Specifications/portables/TK-270G-370G-Product-Brochure.pdf TK-3170 https://fccid.io/ALH34713110 http://www.swscomm.com/kenwood/TK-2170_3170.pdf TK-3140 https://fccid.io/ALH32263110 https://www.ameradio.com/doc/Kenwood_TK2140_3140.pdf Be careful of the model type. Look at the specifications because the UHF radios come in several frequency ranges. For GMRS you want to cover at least the 460 MHz to 470 MHz range. A few models will cover 400 MHz to 470 MHz which is perfect for Ham and GMRS. I have successfully programmed the above models down to about 440 MHz which covers the repeater and most of the simplex section of the Ham 70cm band per the ARRL published band plans. The software will put up a warning window about the out of band frequency but will accept it anyway when you click OK. https://www.icomamerica.com/en/amateur/amateurtools/US-Amateur-Band-Plan-10-2017.pdf