Lscott
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Posts posted by Lscott
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58 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:
Also, they're not Laws, they're Rules and Regulations.
If you want to dispute an FCC fine you have to go before an "Administrative Law Judge". Lots of the bureaucratic government agencies have these.
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37 minutes ago, GreggInFL said:
I assume you are referring to offering products for sale. How about internal business operations; e.g. Walmart running its stores with GMRS (assuming the company would want to)?
There is nothing stopping, for example Walmart, from using GMRS EXCEPT users must each have their own license. The FCC will not issue GMRS licenses to business, only individual users. If a business was licensed before the rule changes in 2017, and maintained it active, they are grandfathered in and can continue to use GMRS for business operations. If they let it expire they're screwed. The FCC will NOT issue a GMRS license in the name of the business in that case.
As an example the local mall by me was licensed to use GMRS for their house keeping staff. However they let the license expire, A LONG TIME AGO. They never renewed it. They continue to use their radios and the limited range repeater. So far it seems the FCC isn't interested in taking any action.
I'm absolutely sure what is going on since I've been to the mall many times with my HT to walk around for exorcise. They are using channel 16. They are setup for a repeater because I have my radio programed that way, which means they must be operating under GMRS rules to access the repeater input frequencies. If people choose to hijack the repeater they have realistically no choice except to ignore it rather than complain, otherwise the FCC might be way more interested in their long unlicensed operation history.
ULS_License_-_General_Mobile_Radio__GMRS__License_-_KAB1523_-_LA-job_178.pdf
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7 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:
I agree with you especially in light of the "life or property" clause. I would hate to be on a GMRS radio, bleeding out, can hear hams talking, but not be able to ask them for help.
Most of my Ham radios have the "MARS/CAP" mod done for out of band operation. Is it legal to operate like that, no, but as you said when it's your life, or somebody else, who cares about a FCC fine. I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Some Hams have a major problem with people modifying their radios for out of band operation, and will refuse to use one. They forget you don't have to use it out of band. In fact not too long ago most radios had analog VFO's and could very easily go out of band. It 's the operator's responsibility to know the band limits and stay within them. Hams have gotten lazy and depend on the radio's firmware to keep operations within the band limits now days.
Now on the practical side of using modified Ham gear out of band. The radios will very likely have filters on the output designed for the "official" frequency range for Ham. That's to comply with the FCC's emission requirements. Once you try running outside of the filter range the power can drop off very rapidly. It all depends on how tight the filters are. In some cases it just isn't really worth it. For example the Icom IC706MKIIG the power output at 462MHz is already low. When you get to 467MHz it's basically useless, you get as much from an HT or more. Other radios models when modified might do better.
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I remember the old TV's with the "instant on" feature. The tube filaments were powered at reduced voltage when the TV was "OFF" then the full filament voltage was applied when it was turned on. Since the filaments were already near operating temperature it didn't take long for the TV to be ready. This also increased tube life due to the reduced thermal and mechanical shock between cold and hot filaments.
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21 minutes ago, Sshannon said:
There is one radio service that encrypts conversations, doesn’t require users to ID, and doesn’t require users to own a license.
It even has a worldwide network of repeaters.
What’s more, it fits in a person’s pocket. In fact most adults and a lot of kids already have these wondrous radios.
Also comes with a monthly bill.
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2 hours ago, WSAG543 said:
I also don't understand the need/requirement to use callsigns for private conversations
Simple. GMRS was not intended to be private. You need to use a call sign basically the same logic why you’re required to have a license plate on your car, registration number on boats, airplanes etc. Don’t want to use call signs there is always FRS.
- SteveShannon and WRXB215
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1 hour ago, tweiss3 said:
Funny, I went skiing Saturday, and the lift operators have brand new NX-1200/1300 radios. I was surprised how small they were.
Kenwood did a really good job keeping the size down. They aren't that heavy either. The prices are reasonable depending on where you look. Most of the NX1200/1300's are the cheaper non-display type. OK for business use where one tends to stay on one to a few channels. More than that you really need the display versions. Trying to remember a couple of hundred channels is rather tough to do otherwise.
https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/290-nx-1300duk5/?context=new
https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/302-nx-1300duk5-rssi-display/
Apparently they do front panel programming. It has to be the display model with at least the limited keypad. See attached file.
There is no additional entitlement license to get this feature from what I can see in the available options. For Ham use this is a perk.
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1 hour ago, Sshannon said:
But there’s still a lot of really good Japanese made rigs out there and not all hams are cheap.
Somebody is buying those Ham only Icom and Yeasu $10K plus HF rigs just for contesting.
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1 hour ago, tweiss3 said:
if you want DMR, the price point on the NX1200/1300 is better than the D75.
That's why I have three of them, NX-1300DUK5's effectively. Just for completeness I wouldn't mind picking up a NX-1200 for VHF DMR. Although there isn't much VHF DMR activity by me.
I have my eye on an auction for a TK-D200GE radio out of the UK. If the bids don't get to crazy I'll throw in a bid on it. That would give me two, I have one now, to go along with the two UHF model TK-D300E's I have
However the D74A and D75A will do digital on 1.25M. The only other radio I have that will do digital on that band it is the D578. The D578 does DMR at least, not D-Star.
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I'm not shelling out the price I see being quoted of $750 to $770 each. The D75A is a nice radio but it doesn't seem to offer enough in major functionality to justify spending the money. If nothing else I wanted to see AT LEAST split band programming. Also a DMR version would have been the deal maker. At best it's just a slight update/refresh of the D74A. Oh, the battery life on the D74 sucks.
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40 minutes ago, fremont said:
Purely anecdotal, but I and a friend have tried MURS vs GMRS in high desert country (no buildings or big mountains, etc), and MURS wins at 2w vs GMRS at 5w. He lives there year-around and had no idea what MURS was until I loaned him my Wouxun KG-805M (and a Smiley OEM antenna). He said "Thanks, I'm buying two of them."
You buy what works for you. GMRS isn't the solution in all cases.
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11 minutes ago, WRYS709 said:
Nice to see that Kenwood TH-79A there, too!
I have a box full of 2 TH-22s, a 79a that works and one that doesn't, the base charger, a collection of rechargeable battery packs of various sizes, voltages and amps, and the original headset with VOX
Brings back memories of the 90s!
I got a super good deal on the TH-79A at a swap. Couldn't pass it up.
https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/253-th-79ajpg/?context=new
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34 minutes ago, PACNWComms said:
Bought an old Hallicrafters SX-24 with matching speaker. Doesn't look like much but still works
Yeah, now you have to look for some NOS, new old stock, tubes to keep it going. Likely cost you more for those than what you paid for the radio.
- AdmiralCochrane and WRXB215
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I was at a local Ham swap a couple of years ago. One of those radios was on a table. I picked it up to look at it. The guy said I could have it. Didn't even want any money for it. Just take it away. I did have to spend a few bucks to get a charger base for it since the one in the box was missing.
I programmed it up. It seemed to work OK and that's about the end of my experience with it. It's packed away on a shelf along with a bunch of other radios.
I have the documentation for it, brochures, FCC Grant, user manual and service manual with schematics.
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On 2/3/2024 at 12:58 AM, Sshannon said:
Radioddity is not a vendor that I would suspect of that.
A vendor wouldn't have to do it deliberately. The battery packs are likely sourced from an outside vendor and they just slap their label on it. Unless they do some in-house quality control check they might notice notice until the complaints roll in.
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My radios are used mostly for scanning the local Ham, GMRS and business frequencies. Occasionally I'll get motivated and talk to somebody. When I'm not at the gym working out I head for the local mall to go walking for some low intensity exorcise. In the later case I take my UHF HT with a D-Ring ear hanger for something to monitor. You would be surprised what some store employees talk about over an open channel. Shame on them, R-Rate material.
I keep the radio under the coat, or when it's warm outside under an oversized shirt on the belt so it doesn't show. Route the ear piece wire up through the shirt. I don't need people staring at me thinking I'm some kind of under cover cop or mall security dude. Yes, I've had that happen when leaving the men's restroom at the mall one Christmas season. I had the radio pulled out of the coat to make some setting adjustment. Some guy saw me and the look I got was pure surprise from him. I also don't need some paranoid person thinking I'm a terrorist and get mall security involved, maybe even asked to leave.
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1 hour ago, WSAN780 said:
It's called "retail therapy"... Or at least that's what I tell my wife when she happens to snag a package before I do...
I get it.
The wife goes shopping. Sees an item that costs $2 but it's on sale for $1. So she buys it.
You go shopping. See the same item on sale. But you decide you don't need it.
Later you both can legitimately claim you "saved" a $1. The difference is you still have yours.
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9 minutes ago, wrci350 said:
I do not believe that's the case. I've never seen anything in Part 95 that suggests GMRS has priority over FRS.
I'm curious how you even knew they were on the frequency. Did the repeater not have a transmit tone?
The FCC generally gives preference to the licensed service. After all they paid money to use the spectrum.
I generally never use RX tones. I want to hear all the traffic on the frequency.
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1 hour ago, wrci350 said:
Do you yell at them to stay off your lawn, too?
Why would I do that?
When I need to use the repeater, or another station, it’s not like the repeater can just flip a knob and change channels. At the time it was the ONLY operational repeater in the area. The kids just had to move.
GMRS is a licensed service, FRS isn’t, and that’s what the kids were using, no call signs were ever used. My understanding is the licensed service has priority.
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3 hours ago, WRYS709 said:
Doesn't that destroy YouTube's business model?
Not my problem.
- WRWE456 and SteveShannon
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14 hours ago, WRYS709 said:
What do you use specifically to turn off ads?
I run Firefox. One of the ad-ons is AdBlocker for YouTube.
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3 hours ago, WRXP381 said:
The reality is as long as it is the proper 7.4 volts it really doesn’t matter how many amp hours it is.
But it does! It’s call FRAUD. I had a buddy tell me he had opened up some cheap suspect Chinese battery backs. He found a chunk of steel in them to add weight to cover up the lower weight from the smaller low capacity cells that were used.
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3 hours ago, PACNWComms said:
Have been fighting some sites buying these batteries, to include the Motorola APX/XPR knockoff through Grainger......and wondering why the chargers (Motorola IMPRES) and Cadex condition charging profiles do not work with them. either the batteries get very hot and charging stops, or they all have the same chip/serial number and fail the IMPRES charge/condition charge cycles.
Have forced many to do what they should have in the first place, buy from reputable vendors (one's who at least refund you if they sold fakes, or ones that do not meet sales specs). mAh capacities seem to vary a lot, and you can feel it in weight in many cases.
I purchased two new Chinese clones of a Kenwood Lithium Ion battery back. They absolutely refused to charge in the official charger base. I even tried some of my spares I had of the exact same model, no good.
Turns out the packs were missing an internal connection to a resistor that identifies the type of pack to the charger base. The charger base can do multiple battery chemistries so it has to know which one.
I had the charger base service manual with the various battery pack internals documented. I discovered a missing connection between an external charger connection and one side of the resistor. Making the connection externally using some fine gage wire the battery pack then charged up just fine.
I contacted the eBay seller to get a refund on the two packs. They said the problem was my charger base. Well I sent them the documentation to prove otherwise. They still argued so I got eBay involved and got my refund. I also left some very negative feedback about the seller too. They later begged me to change the negative comments. I told them NO.
What likely happened is the Chinese battery pack manufacturer had a quality problem where the packs got built without that one wire connection. So, instead of scraping them out sold them to a reseller, likely for a really good discount. They in turn figured they would turn a quick buck by selling them to unsuspecting customers who don’t know any better. Well, I was one who did. Anybody who complained got the charge base excuse. I’m very sure they knew the packs were no good. They had a healthy supply of them and I can’t be the only one who complained.
- WRXB215 and PACNWComms
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Wouxun KG-UVD1P is just what I've been looking for.
in Equipment Reviews
Posted
Really?