Lscott

A bit off topic but the above section "C" is phrased in a peculiar way with regard to what frequency, or frequencies, are programmed into a radio. The specific argument has to do with having Ham 70cm frequencies in the radio while also having GMRS frequencies at the same time. There are people who claim it isn't legal. I disagree. First off I mentioned in a post a while back that the Ham 70cm band is not an exclusive allocation. Hams only have secondary privileges. The primary users, typically government stations, are. Those frequencies are licensed and the radios require certification, even if they fall within the Ham band. Due to the statement: "unless such transmitter is also certified for use in another radio service for which the frequency is authorized and for which certification is also required" Having a "Ham" 70cm frequency in the radio along with GMRS can be argued to comply with the above quote rule section and thus legal. Where you do run afoul of the rules is with the FPP, Front Panel Programming, that allows the user to enter an arbitrary frequency into the radio. I believe that's what doomed the first generation Baofeng radios. They had Part 90 certification, BUT that also required the radios can not allow arbitrary frequency entry under Part 90. In a quick move the radios where shipped with the frequency programming functionality disabled and either required it to be enabled through a menu setting or the use of the programming software to enable it. Some of the current model LMR, commercial, type radios also allow FPP. However it has to be specifically enabled through the radio's programming software. It can't be enabled by accessing any controls the user can manipulate. The programming software has warnings about making sure the "feature" is disabled before turning over the radio to the user for normal operation.

Don't expect much range. They are basically radiating dummy loads. IMHO they are a waste of money.

If you look at a site like "radioreference.com" you can find listing like the attached. Just have to check the area where you're located to see if there is anything.

Most of the comments are about the radio's electrical performance. The second factor is the mechanical durability. In particular the commercial radios have to survive a lot of accidental, and deliberate, abuse by users. One used radio I purchased off of eBay the user super-glued the channel selector knob so it wouldn't move! WTF? I had to use a small channel lock wrench to break it free. Reading the radio with the programming software it turned out the channel it was stuck on wasn't even programmed. Hummm... I guess someone had a bad day and was trying to make a point. The same would apply to the higher end consumer grade radios. I've seen commercial radios where the cases have been grossly destroyed, then after swapping the guts into a new case the radio still works. In contrast my cheap BTECH tri-band, I use at work for a quick and dirty scanner, I had in my shirt pocket at a local restaurant. It fell out and hit the concrete floor. No apparent external physical damage. However that drop was enough to screw up the audio, it was distorted. The radio was still under warranty so I sent it back for replacement. A high quality commercial radio the case might have gotten dinged up a bit or cracked but it would still work OK.

The attached document is a detailed and technical write up on the DCS system. DPL _ DCS Squelch System.pdf

Look at notes 6 and 7 on page 5 of 7 under the table in the attached document. CTCSS.pdf

I hope not while you’re driving.

All I know about that model is what I've read on the forums and the radio's brochures. I know the Kenwood TK-5210's program very differently than any of the other radios. I got the software to see what it can do but don't own any yet. It seems to use what is refereed to as "Personality" for each frequency. Then each is assigned to a zone in different combinations. I wonder if the Harris radio does something similar?

While you're at it give the Extra a try when you finish the General exam at the test session. You might get lucky.

More like it will be expensive I'm guessing as well.

There are materials you can very easily purchase at the drug, hardware and grocery stores to make "stuff." Some of it is VERY friction sensitive when mixed. For obvious reasons I won't mention what those are and the end results can be catastrophic. I leaned that the hard way from experience.

I know all about that! When I was in middle school and high school I played around with chemistry as a hobby. My younger brother was into model rockets. Those "D" series motors were expensive as a kid to buy. He asked me if I could "refill" them to save some money. Well I came up with a mixture to try out, no it wasn't home made gun powder. All I can say is the rocket "launched" in pieces, bits of cardboard tube, balsa wood and plastic all over the ground. He wasn't happy and NEVER asked me to try to refill one of his used motors again. I had no problem with that either.

GMRS. ^^^^^ $35 and no test. When you figure out where the antenna screws into the back of the mobile radio and what the red and black wire means you're ready to take the Tech Class License exam. It's not that hard.

That was well over 20 years ago. Later when the CW requirement was dropped I sat for the General and Extra exams at the same test session. I passed both on the first try. The wrinkled old VE examiner had a really sour look on his face when he told me the results as I was leaving. I guess he just didn't like people getting getting their Extra ticket without having to pass the hazing CW test anymore. Oh well, that was his problem.

With the radio likely plugged into the cell phone to access the GPS info. If not that then the extra expense of adding in the GPS RX into the radio. To save cost the GPS can be external. Some of the commercial radios have external accessible serial ports that allow such a connection. The ones I've seen the GPS RX is built in to the external speaker microphone, and those aren't cheap!!! https://www.ebay.com/itm/155825555327?hash=item2447ed477f:g:z~kAAOSwxxdlKEkf&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwIkCHDaeNe%2Fh%2FRcoGuerCnQe3rUMV7MdYj4Cfpaa%2Bj8Pq2US4jQ4EH%2Bxcq%2BIRl7xRC3NtGYt4naNXWFAdiPHoH0ZOe0ADAn3JxujrwUhhfiKP6NnXQS%2FQm60n64jYURsCKJNB2sejsOY6cwGztfIU9NnM%2Frx%2Fznv2YybxJWcja9vP%2B0haJyWtzX%2BQzLbTgNESSx2gTyQx6YRqHrdo3rWGpdx%2BS4NeLIjw1saNZknmmQVxYzq%2Fcax0TneBcO4TYJjKg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_zqobTxYg KMC-47-48GPS.pdf

Exactly. I'm puzzled why more people don't get their Tech Class license. My brother took me to a Ham swap that had testing. I never went to one before and was interested to see what they had for sale. Then he just said, out of the blue, I'll pay the testing fee if you just try it. I said OK and winged it. Walked out with a passing grade, no studying. That's how I got started in Ham Radio. It seems more and more people want to add things to GMRS, that deviates further from the FCC's stated purpose for GMRS, as you put it trying to turn it in to a Ham-Lite type service. I think it just comes down to being lazy with excuses why they can't take a few minutes several times a week to study and take the test. They just want to pay the $35 fee, then go out and buy a cheap Chinese radio.

”What Happens If You Transmit Without An Antenna?” With near 100% certainty nobody will hear you.

You have any NXDN radios?

That’s a major point for Ham. There are very few digital mode repeaters on VHF. I have radios in my collection for both VHF and UHF, with far more units of the UHF band type for the above reason.

Ham radios don’t have a certification specific for Part 97, the Amateur Radio Service. What you do see is the typical Part 15, which is to ensure the radio can’t receive cell phone frequencies. As others mentioned you can’t have a radio that has GMRS, and certified for Part 95, and Ham frequencies in it at the same time I don’t agree with that opinion. The reason is the Ham 70cm band is NOT an exclusive allocation for Ham Radio. In fact Hams are officially secondary users while various government users are primary where a license is required and the radios require certification. Rereading the GMRS rules regarding radio certification an argument can be made having 70cm band frequencies in the radio along with GMRS doesn’t necessarily mean the rules are violated IMHO.

I have to get my wattmeter out and check mine.

If you look for the big names, Motorola-Kenwood-Icom, for example you can find a lot of used equipment. Myself I prefer Kenwood due to ease of finding the programming software, cables and documentation. When looking at used radios on any auction site, eBay, NEVER rely on the seller to post accurate info. I always look for the manufacturer’s brochures to see exactly what features the radio has. After that I look for the model number, and most importantly, the FCC ID number on the back of the radio. The brochures will list the radio models, on UHF, there are different frequency ranges, by their FCC ID. Now you know exactly what you’re looking at. If do buy a radio be sure the seller has a return policy. It’s possible to get a bad radio no matter how careful you check. I’ve got a few myself in a junk box. Also with the FCC ID you can look up the radio’s certification grants on the FCC database to see what services it’s licensed to be used under. Note newer radios likely will not have a Part 95(A)(E) certification, just Part 90. So far the FCC hasn’t bothered people using Part 90 certified radios on GMRS, but that’s no guarantee, so just consider it. While not Part 95 certified it is a current production radio. At the moment there are a number for sale on eBay. It will cost you a bit of money but you won’t be disappointed. I have several of them. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/290-nx-1300duk5/?context=new

You could save a bit of money on radios if you can find a used commercial UHF one certified for Part 95A. The certification is still good under the new rules, Part 95E. These radios you can program in Ham 70cm frequencies and GMRS too. Then you only have one radio to carry around. A few of the old commercial radios, with Part 95A, can even do digital modes. However you of course can’t use the digital part on GMRS. Being able to do a favorite digital mode might be attractive on Ham while using the FM only mode on GMRS is a hard combination to beat.

Lead Acid batteries can still be unbalanced. The way the batteries, and cells in each one, are balanced is by over charging so the cells gas. That’s fine with liquid filled types. However you can’t do that with sealed types since you can’t add distilled water to bring the electrolyte level back up. If you let the sealed types gas they will eventually be destroyed. Also the charge voltage has to change with temperature. Good LA battery chargers have a temperature sensor you attach to the out side. https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-403-charging-lead-acid If you look at the data sheets for the sealed types you find there is a maximum charge rate specified which keeps the cells from gassing during charging. I’ve seen more than once people selling solar power generators at swaps with a 7 amp-hour gell cell, max charge current is typically 2 amps, in the box being charged by a 100 watt panel that outputs around 8 amps. Those batteries won’t last long.

The problem with series connected batteries is “balancing” them. Slightly different battery voltages can indicate a difference in the state of charge. Good battery systems use a “BMS” to keep all of the batteries well balanced during charging. The article at this link goes into much more detail about the various issues. https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/technical-articles/introduction-to-battery-management-systems/