Logan5

doing power testing with the mini walkies, since the mini's have non detachable antennas. I connected a UHF antenna to the input of my meter, and hold the radio next to that antenna. I have noticed the tiny radio similar to the one in OP "mine has a simple display" has the highest reading of ALL of my HT's. not sure if this clean power or a splatter puss, but it sure is noticeable on a simple meter. I have a spectrum analyzer that I plan to run and view the output to learn more. Will update here.

How high is the antenna? Is the antenna resonant on the freq? What type of cable, how long is the cable run to the antenna, did you hook the duplexer up backwards?
 
I am guessing TX and RX on duplexer us backwards, try swapping your cables.
 
Corey

I have one of the new Bridgecom VHF repeaters, 2 of the older Bridgecom VHF repeaters, and 2 of the older UHF repeaters on the W0WWV Link System in Nebraska.  It is a Ham system, but the repeaters are the same, and I have had good service from them for years.  On the oldest ones, I did have to replace the power supply capacitors after about 5 years of 24/7 service. 
 
No, I don't have any financial interest in Bridgecom, but I do use them, and can recommend them.  They aren't Motorola, but you're not paying for that name either.  As near as I can tell, they use Maxon commercial internal components.
 
The company does have outstanding service, and the techs answer their own phone calls when you have questions.
 
I do not know who makes their duplexers.  I use Sinclair, dB Systems, and Phelps-Dodge duplexers.
 
-Bart

Yep, a very good radio for what it is. They also go under different names such as Zastone X6. AFAIK, Zastone is the manufacturer of all, including WLN KD-C1. I really wish that they would factory program them for FRS and get part 95 approval for that model (while leaving "dealer" programming capability). We have WLN KD-C1 radios that are still pulling daily duty, all day, for a couple of years now. Coincidentally, when I turned on one of these radios (my morning habit upon waking), I happened to think, "Wow, for CCRs, these are pulling industrial duty pretty well and still going. I had better buy some more backups for when these ever fail."

It is not illegal to sell these radios, It may be illegal, after you buy one to actually key it up. I have not seen a listing that claims part95 type acceptance. There is nothing e-bay can/should do. These radios are sought after by a particular type of radio user and therefore listings for said radios are not spam.

So nice of you. Thanks...

Happy Birthday, Logan5!

Happy Birthday shout out to Logan5

This is an old post, but we solved our problem like this:
It took days using Kenwood TM-V71a radios on reverse but we finally caught our offender. Looking in his car he had an old Maxtrac. We obtained his name from a neighbor. After that, anytime the crap would start, we would reply something nice and thank John Doe at 123 Cedar Street and say nothing more. He was furious and went into cuss fits, but after only 2 days we never heard him again.

My personal view is that there should be NO automatic data bursts for GPS tracking. I really don't see what constantly transmitting your location would be useful for. I would think that if you do want your GPS location to be transmitted, it could be sent like an ID burst upon pressing the PTT. I believe that by doing this it would not only keep the air clear from constant data chunks being sent, but also extend battery life as the radio wont be auto transmitting for two and a half minutes or receiving & decoding two and a half minutes per radio in use every hour. This allows users to update their location either through check-in or through general conversation and could even be used on a repeater as it only sends the data burst when the user is talking.

Here's my letter acknowledging the meeting with the FCC, per their request, to keep a record of the communication:
 
https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/1060628686973/FCC-Letter-2018-06-06.pdf
 
We'll be drafting a reply to the petition shortly.

For checking antennas, I use a Bird 43 THRULINE directional Watt meter with the frequency-correct insert slug for whatever band I am testing.  But then, I do this kind of work professionally.  These meters are very nice, but a bit out of price range for the typical radio enthusiast. a new Bird 43 will set you back about $350, and the slugs run from $100 to $300 a piece, depending on power level and frequency range.
 
...and they don't read SWR.  They read forward, and reflected power in Watts.  You then have to do the math to figure out the Standing Wave Ratio (SWR). (There's an APP for that)

To all GMRS licensees:
 
I have just spoken with the FCC regarding a Petition for Reconsideration filed by Motorola regarding automatic GPS and data transmissions on the GMRS band.
 
Motorola would like to allow automatic transmissions on the 462 MHz frequencies which includes repeater outputs (Channel 15-22) and the interstitial 462 MHz channels (Channels 1-7). The repeater inputs are not presently mentioned, however we will articulate our position to the Commission that these input frequencies should be prohibited due to the potential of interference to repeaters.
 
myGMRS.com (and it's parent company RepeaterFinder, LLC) will be filing an ex parte response in the docket with the following requests:
 
A Busy Channel Lockout (BCL) feature be mandated for any radios which are to operate in an automatic fashion. The devices must inhibit transmission if there is co-channel activity to prevent interference to other users of the shared frequencies. Blind periodic transmissions are going to be very problematic and will almost certainly cause interference.
  Limit automatic transmission to the 462 MHz GMRS channels only. Repeater inputs must be excluded to mitigate potential interference.
  Duty cycle limits of the bursts must be set by the FCC. I believe Uniden America proposed no more than once every 2 minutes and no more than 5 seconds per transmission. This sounds reasonable to cover longer text messages and location updates without constantly trashing the band.  
The FCC plans to respond to Motorola and issue a decision in the next couple of weeks, so anyone who would like to submit comments to the record is encouraged to do so as soon as possible. No exact deadline was given, but they expressed a desire to have this hammered out within the next week or two.
 
I will provide further details later today.
 
Original Petition for Reconsideration from September 2017:  https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10928247080350/Ready%20For%20Filing_Motorola%20Part%2095%20Petition%20for%20Recon.pdf
Further Comments from Motorola from January 2018: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/101081822912433/Motorola_Part%2095%20Recon_Further%20Comments.pdf
Letter from Motorola Detailing their Discussion with Members of the FCC from April 2018: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10420845023222/April%202018_GMRS_FRS_ex%20parte%20notification.docx
 

Any tunable antenna should have come with a cutting chart that shows how long the whip should be for a given frequency.  Check the chart, measure it, and cut it off to the correct length.  If you do not plan on using repeaters, then set the antenna length for 462.600 MHz.  If you plan on using repeaters also, then you might want to split the difference, and set the antenna tuning for 465.000 MHz.  That should give you good coverage for the GMRS band.
 
If you want to get picky, and actually check and set the SWR, then the first thing you need is an SWR meter that will work on UHF frequencies. The typical cheap CB type SWR meter will not work at UHF.  To get an accurate reading, you must also use a 1/2 wavelength cable going into your SWR meter.  This is frequency dependent, will vary depending a cable velocity factor, and IS critical.
 
NOW... All that being said, With your UT-72, I believe you have a fixed, non-tunable antenna.  It doesn't look like you can set the SWR on it.  It is just a quarter-wave whip on 2 Meters, and will function as a 3/4 or 5/8 wave on 440.  Either way you look at it, it isn't going to be much good on GMRS, as from what I can see, it is a Ham-band antenna.

AFAIK, companders only work with other compatible companders. If the person is communicating with another MXT or radio with a compatible compander then they are golden. Otherwise, not so much.

A few days after I returned from my annual visit to the "Holy Shrine of Hamdom" (Dayton Hamvention) I received a mysterious email notifying that a package was being sent from Ohio via FedEx. I was a bit suspicious since I knew I hadn't ordered anything. Then I thought maybe DARA (Dayton Amateur Radio Club) was sending me a polo or tee-shirt as a thank you for my weekend of volunteer work as a shuttle driver.
 
But then, I noticed that the package weighed 2.5 pounds, and a signature was required, so just what was it?
 
When it was delivered a few days later, I briefly noticed that the edge of the box had "JCVKenwood" printed. Now my curiosity was truly aroused!
 
It turns out that unbeknownst to me, I had won one of the major show prizes in the hourly ticket drawing! It was a brand new, shiny Kenwood TH-D74 Tri-Band HT!  Shoot, the thing will also receive AM, FM, SSB and CW. Every thing pretty much from DC to Daylight no less. MSRP for this HT is $585 USD, and the currently lowest price is $506 at Amazon.com
 
While it was indeed a very pleasant surprise, having played with it a bit, read the manual, and watched quite a few YouHooTube videos, I'm come to the conclusion that it has several drawbacks, at least from my point of view.
It's way too complicated with nearly 1,000 menu options. Its programming software is more complex than any DMR radio I've ever seen, and that includes Motorola. It's digital mode is D-Star, not DMR. As there are only two D-Stars in Chicago, they are way out of range of an HT in Northwest Indiana. It is completely useless for GMRS since it will only Rx on those frequencies, Tx is inhibit and cannot be modified, except for the traditional MARS/CAP expansion! I first thought I'd sell it, but by the time PayPal and eBay extorted their share of the proceeds, I would probably only net around $400 or so...
 
For these reasons I've decided to donate this to my local ham radio club to be used as a Grand Prize in a future raffle. At least this way the club will benefit, and we can use the proceeds for our STEM projects to encourage youth in their education, and perhaps gain a few new youngsters into becoming amateur operators.
 
 
 

I have been lurking in background for a while, finally joined today. I have read that my family can use my liscence. Does this mean household or son that has his own home.
 
I enjoy reading the info

My name is Pat, callsign WRAR990. I became a licensed GMRS Operator on February 13th, 2018. I am part of a local auto recovery team, all volunteers, who pull vehicles out of snowbanks & ditches for free of charge, and some of us are licensed GMRS operators. I'm also a volunteer firefighter here in Western NY.

always good to have a reference
cable sweep of the SCOP antenna after the March storm.
distance to fault. distance vs SWR
http://i65.tinypic.com/258mmwg.jpg
return loss
http://i67.tinypic.com/wi50lu.jpg
distance to fault return loss
http://i65.tinypic.com/t9ytyo.jpg
 
 

Hey everyone,
 
So, I recently picked up a Kenwood TK880. I've heard quite a few good things about these radios, however when I powered it up for the first time, it displayed Ver: 1.5209, beeped, then showed yyyyyyy

From research, I learned this is likely a firmware issue in that it should be Ver2.xxxx as per the sticker, but was flashed to Ver 1.5xxx for passport use. Does anyone know how to obtain the FPro software and Ver2 firmware?

I have to say, the Tera is possible to be programmed to Emergency services too. I currently have one channel on my Tera 505 programmed to receive my local police radio. I programmed the transmit to a GMRS frequency to be safe though. 

It's Part 90 certified (somehow), which is better than no certification. CHIRP is the programming software to use. Regardless of whatever service you're operating on, you will want to turn off STE, RP-STE, and ROGER, and leave PTT-ID disabled, AL-MOD on SITE, and RPT-RL on OFF. Within CHIRP, you can disable transmit on a memory channel by setting its offset to "off", and that should be done for anything you don't have authorization to use (such as out-of-band frequencies and private repeaters).
 
All GMRS repeater channels have an offset of +5.0000 MHz, and a receive frequency between 462.550 and 462.725 MHz. Any other offset other than 0.0000 (simplex) or +5.0000 (repeater) can take you out-of-band, so it's important that you double-check your frequency entries on Part 90 radios.
 
Once you know which repeaters you want to add, check both their transmit and receive CTCSS/DCS settings. If transmit CTCSS/DCS is wrong, the repeater won't hear you; if receive CTCSS/DCS is wrong, you may be hitting the repeater but you won't hear it (the green light on top will still light up, but audio won't play unless you hit the monitor button).
 
If you've got it all loaded and you want to check if it's working, you can hop on a repeater, give your callsign, and ask for a radio check. Anyone else out listening will usually tell you how well they can hear you, and at a minimum you should hear the repeater's tail.

Using a properly mounted NMO places the antenna over a ground plane surface at a proper resonant distance and has a DC ground.  If a mag mount is used, the bottom of the antenna itself is above the ground plane surface by at least an inch and the resonant length of the antenna may be off.   It also has no DC ground connected to the vehicle body at that point because of paint layers, etc.

From personal experience - If an NMO body mounted antenna is cut to a resonant length for lowest possible SWR, and that same cut antenna is then placed on a mag mount, the SWR will be a bit higher.  If the antenna on a mag mount is then re-cut to compensate for the additional height of the mag mount above the vehicle body, the antenna will then be non resonant if placed back on a body mount NMO.

I have also found that most (but not all) NMO mag mounts have factory supplied coaxial cable and PL259 that are somewhat inferior to what might be used with an NMO body mount from a frequency sensitive and loss per foot aspect.  

I was looking online to see what I needed to listen to my local police. I use an Android scanner app that has some area police, but not mine. So I wanted to see what equipment I would need.
 
I found they are using 155.43. I realized that should be in the TR-505 range.   I decided to see if I could program that frequency into the Tera, and it accepted it along with the PL code. It picked up traffic just fine. I then went back and programed the transmit on that channel to a GMRS frequency to be safe in case someone keyed the mic. It is working great. Not the intended use for it, but it is nice to having to buy new equipment. 
 

Link for Details: 
 
 
http://fox2now.com/2018/04/19/worker-killed-when-missouri-public-tv-tower-collapses/