RCM

I have searched the FCC NAL listings going back many years and I have never seen an NAL for either type certification or for linking via any means. Honestly, the only NAL's I found were for corporate businesses blatantly using GMRS or that Bundy guy in California who happens to be a GMRS licensee jamming Part 90 users. GMRS has a pretty good record with the FCC.

I agree with RCM.
 
As I explained elsewhere on this site, too much gain is not a good thing on UHF.  You will wind up with such a narrow beam-width that you wont be able to hit the repeater when you are in close to it.
 
Antenna height is king.  You will get better results from a 3dB antenna at 100 feet than you would with a 12dB antenna at 50 feet... especially in hilly or mountainous terrain.

“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”
― Bruce Lee

Hi, It would appear that the FCC is a force of nature. By that I mean that it will follow the path of least resistance. It will comply with what ever makes the problem go away.

I wish there was a 100 likes button for that comment, RCM. I think it was spot on; especially the last sentence.

Good points.
I doubt the FCC will be revisiting GMRS rules anytime soon. They actually did a lot of good with their 2017 updates, and it has given the service a much needed infusion of new blood by easing some of the previous restrictions as well as making the license itself more affordable.
And yes, they did make a couple of rule changes that make little sense and pretty much (theoretically at least) kill the market for good quality new radios. But, then they compensated by making that statement about being aware of (and apparently not too concerned about) GMRS ops using Part 90 radios.
Which supports the points you made above.  I figure if they give a hoot about FPP-capable Part 95 radios (which they obviously don't on radios made before 2017, or they would not have granted type acceptance), they have thousands of users with non-type-accepted Baofengs to wade through before turning their attention to it.
 
I also figure anyone who contacts them to ask about it will get whatever answer they figure is most likely to make the questioner go away and leave them alone.

Good points.
I doubt the FCC will be revisiting GMRS rules anytime soon. They actually did a lot of good with their 2017 updates, and it has given the service a much needed infusion of new blood by easing some of the previous restrictions as well as making the license itself more affordable.
And yes, they did make a couple of rule changes that make little sense and pretty much (theoretically at least) kill the market for good quality new radios. But, then they compensated by making that statement about being aware of (and apparently not too concerned about) GMRS ops using Part 90 radios.
Which supports the points you made above.  I figure if they give a hoot about FPP-capable Part 95 radios (which they obviously don't on radios made before 2017, or they would not have granted type acceptance), they have thousands of users with non-type-accepted Baofengs to wade through before turning their attention to it.
 
I also figure anyone who contacts them to ask about it will get whatever answer they figure is most likely to make the questioner go away and leave them alone.

Good points.
I doubt the FCC will be revisiting GMRS rules anytime soon. They actually did a lot of good with their 2017 updates, and it has given the service a much needed infusion of new blood by easing some of the previous restrictions as well as making the license itself more affordable.
And yes, they did make a couple of rule changes that make little sense and pretty much (theoretically at least) kill the market for good quality new radios. But, then they compensated by making that statement about being aware of (and apparently not too concerned about) GMRS ops using Part 90 radios.
Which supports the points you made above.  I figure if they give a hoot about FPP-capable Part 95 radios (which they obviously don't on radios made before 2017, or they would not have granted type acceptance), they have thousands of users with non-type-accepted Baofengs to wade through before turning their attention to it.
 
I also figure anyone who contacts them to ask about it will get whatever answer they figure is most likely to make the questioner go away and leave them alone.

What is the purpose/intent of the FCC Part 95 rules? It appears that the FCC aims to create a uniform standard for transmitter emissions. Following the "spirit" of the rules regarding frequencies, power output, bandwith, deviations, etc. seems to be the important aspect that allows GMRS users to have a reasonably functional band. Why does it matter how you configure or construct your transmitter if it comports with the emission standards? To a reasonable person, the "letter" of the rule would seem less important than the "spirit". Obviously, the FCC missed the common sense boat during their last rule-making session. Since I am new to GMRS, does anyone know how often they consider making changes?

Hey Elk Hunter, Here's a little more information for you, for when you get your ham license...
 
The standard offset for UHF repeaters is +5 MHz from the receive frequency.  That goes for ham, GMRS, and commercial. NOTE: The standard is not always followed, but for the most part, it is.
 
On VHF, there is no standard for offsets on commercial repeaters, and they seem to be all over the road. The standard offset for VHF (2-Meter) ham repeaters is 600KHz, or 0.6MHz.
Another tidbit: The standard (again not always followed, but mostly) is that ham repeaters above 147 MHz use a positive offset, and those below 147MHz use a negative offset. Thus, you will see repeaters like 146.820- (in which your transmit frequency would be 146.220) or 147.060+ (which you would transmit into at 147.660).
 
I hope this is useful information for you. -73

Thank you, "recieve frequency " brings it together.

The + or - is from the receive frequency, not transmit. On GMRS the transmit is + 5 MHz from the receive frequency. That is also common usage on 70cm ham radio, but some repeaters do not use that standard.

Just cause I'm curious, How high are your antennas, and are you on the peak of a hill? Thats range sounds awesome for being on a house

How about instead of your wording "if the radio has been modified" which will get you an answer based on an untruth, be upfront about it and ask "if the radio is operated as delivered from the factory" since you are using the TK-805D as your example.
 
Actually, since you persist in using the term "modification" to describe a factory option set, perhaps you should say, "Did the FCC mistakenly grant Part 95 type acceptance to the TK-805D, or is the type acceptance valid only after the radio has been modified to remove the factory option set?"
 
Because according to the factory service manual, the TK-805D is delivered with the jumper in the FPP position. If moving the jumper constitutes a modification, the radio has FPP unless and until it is modified to remove that feature. I don't recall seeing a notice in the FCC ID lookup to the effect of such modification being a condition of its type acceptance.

One of the reasons I preferred GMRS over amateur radio was that GMRS often tends to be a little more relaxed as a community. As long as someone isn't violating technical standards and baseline operating decorum, you rarely hear someone contacting the FCC. Granted, most I've spoken to would rather not let it go the way of 11 meter but they also wouldn't like to lose the comfortable, neighborly nature of GMRS. Most of those operators are also licensed amateur radio operators.
 
A good way to kill off GMRS participation would be to add an extreme "radio police" nature to the service. As it is, growing a healthy on-air GMRS community can be difficult enough. If it turned too frosty, the airwaves would go dead silent and then perhaps be filled with only unlicensed 11 meter operator types of yesteryear. I know that if our local community got that way, I would probably either go private with our repeater or shut it down and let the license lapse. I'm not alone in that opinion here locally.
 
When you contact the FCC, please make sure that you get the full part 95 citation for their opinion. Otherwise, it holds almost zero water.

And once again, I'll repeat this: "such that operation of the modified transmitter results in a violation of the rules in this part."
If it doesn't result in a violation, there's no problem.
 
And the rule about frequency determining circuitry is the current rule for radios newly submitted for Part 95 classification. It does not mention any revocation of existing classification on existing radios. If you read very many FCC rules you will find that they are not afraid of the word revocation; if that's what they meant they would spell it out.
 
A couple more points. First, I think it's incorrect to (at least in the case of the Kenwood radios) refer to enabling FPP as a "modification." It is described in the factory service manual. Therefore it is an option selection; not a modification. Especially in the case of the TK-805D. There are other options that are enabled in a similar manner. The original purchaser could have bought the radio with those options already selected; and in fact the TK-805D was indeed normally supplied with FPP enabled.
 
Last point: this wording "All frequency determining circuitry (including crystals) and programming controls in each GMRS transmitter must be internal to the transmitter and must not be accessible from the exterior of the transmitter operating panel or from the exterior of the transmitter enclosure."
By a strict definition, this precludes programming via computer. Perhaps this is why new radios from Alinco, Icom, Kenwood, Vertex, Motorola etc. do not carry Part 95 acceptance: they require external programming via computer. 
So, perhaps indeed the only legal new radios are those el cheapo (in construction, not necessarily purchase price) HTs and mobiles that come with GMRS frequencies permanently programmed and cannot be changed. That's true in practice; maybe it's true by design. Whatever. But I still don't see anything about revocation of type acceptance on pre-existing radios.
 
Bottom line: from the actual rules, if you do something to the radio and then break the rules with it, its former type acceptance is no longer in effect. If the operator knows what he is doing and doesn't break the rules, it's all good.
If you use your computer and programming software to add in some public service frequencies and subsequently transmit on them sans authorization, you have voided the type acceptance of your radio and in fact your license to transmit on any radio frequency.
 
Contrary to what some here seem to be claiming ("GMRS is not for the hobbyist or experimenter!"), GMRS is not exclusively for those who know nothing about radios and have no idea how to program them. If that were the case, repeaters and fixed stations would not be allowed. They're not allowed on CB, MURS or FRS.

Once again you are misreading the rules in an attempt to support your position. First, there is no 95.1755 rule.
I'm pretty sure you meant 95.1761 ( c ) which states:
 
© No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with a frequency capability not listed in §95.1763, 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. No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with the capabilities to operate in services that do not require equipment certification, such as the Amateur Radio Service. All frequency determining circuitry (including crystals) and programming controls in each GMRS transmitter must be internal to the transmitter and must not be accessible from the exterior of the transmitter operating panel or from the exterior of the transmitter enclosure.
(d) Effective December 27, 2017, the Commission will no longer issue a grant of equipment authorization for hand-held portable unit transmitter types under both this subpart (GMRS) and subpart B of this part (FRS).
(e) Effective December 27, 2017, the Commission will no longer issue a grant of equipment authorization under this subpart (GMRS) for hand-held portable units if such units meet the requirements to be certified under subpart B of this part (FRS).
 
I included ( d ) and ( e ) for clarification.
If what you claim were true, there would be no such thing as a radio with dual 90 and 95 certification. It's not true though, because of the wording "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."
 
Also note that there is no use of the word "revoked" in the rule. If there were, existing radios that carried Part 95 classification and included FRS would no longer be legal to use on GMRS. That's not the case, though: those can no longer be produced as new radios, but if you have one or more they are still legal to use.
 
If your reasoning were correct, those Midland Micromobiles would be the only mobile radios that are legal to use on GMRS. Wait a minute... do you work for Midland?

Actually some Part 95 radios do have FPP. TK-880 is one of them. It must be activated via software and deletion of a zero ohm resistor, but it is described in the factory service manual. TK-805D (also Part 95) is even easier; just pop the top cover and move a jumper. Some other type 95 Kenwoods (and some Motorolas, I've heard) also have this capability.
 
In my opinion, here is why this is ok: you can't program while in operation mode. You have to power down the radio and power it back up with a certain key sequence to get it into programming mode. While in programming mode, the radio is inoperable. When you're finished programming you must power the rig down, then power back up into operating mode. That's the difference: you cannot directly choose the frequency while in operating mode.

Yes, it's legal.  Pre-programmed GMRS radios didn't exist in years past.  Everyone used Part 90 radios.  YOU, the end user are responsible for knowing your license and programming what you're licensed for.  FCC tested radio techs are long gone i.e GROL. 1st or 2nd class radio telephone etc.  Qualified is a very broad term.  Most LMR techs and engineers don't hold the legacy technical licenses. As for FPP, the difference between end user and someone with the qualified technical ability is slight these days, going right back to my statement. 

Note: More power out the antenna equals more drain on the battery. So, even though a radio like the GMRS-V1 might only output 3 watts, if that is all you need for your uses then it is fine. Bigger is not necessarily better. In particular, if you are using a local repeater, less power is often a plus.

Large 900Mhz linked system via Allstar in Southern AZ.  Works flawlessly..mountain top Quantars, MTS2000, XTL5000, XTS2500 subscriber side.

Orion, first welcome to the group and congrats on becoming a GMRS license holder.

So, first thing everyone tries is a cheap system and trying to get up high. I know, I did it with poor results. I now have a RKR1225 and a good duplexer and antenna. When I started I actually used a flat pack duplexer, and a cheap antenna. I had about 4-5 blocks range. I changed the antenna to a diamond 200u when extended my rage to about 1 and a half miles, and when I upgraded the duplexer to a band pass I think it is, I now have 4 miles range at 15' high and 25W out. For now Im ok with that as really the repeater is used to boost our portable coverage and allows us to talk from portable to mobile.

What I'm getting at is, depending on what your needs are, consider setting up at your house first especially if your in a 2+ story residence. a 2 story building could easily get an antenna up 25-30 feet, and once your above the tree line your range will increase drastically. The nice thing is you can work out any problems or glitches with your setup right away without needing to wait for site access. Once everything is running and you know it all works and what your expectations are, then make plans for a tower location.

RCM, If you need, I do have firmware (Cant remember which one off the top of my head but it does update the radio options for version 2 units) for the 880, I can also explain how to enable FPP, but in all honesty its a bit difficult (I could never figure out how to do it.) All I use are 880/380's so if you need anything give me a shout.

That's a stretch. Part of your claim might be valid if the transmitter has front-panel selectable power output and the combination of amplifier and the highest front panel selectable power setting results in output power that is over the legal limit.
But, here's the thing: the amp the OP is asking about is only rated to 40 watts max, which is within the legal limit. Also my TK-805D is internally adjustable (as are many radios) to 5 watts output.
 
Let's take that in another direction, though. Using the TK-805D as an example again, the factory output setting is 25 watts. It is no problem at all to program the 462 MHz and 467 MHz interstitial frequencies into it. The 462 interstitial freqs have a 5 watt limit. The 467 interstitial freqs have a 0.5 watt limit. So how is this radio Part 95 type classified, since it is easy to break the law with it?
 
The answer is, it is legal as long as it is set up so inadvertent violations cannot occur via pressing the wrong buttons during operation.
 
Now, that does mean the GMRS-V1 specifically might not be legal with the amp, since it has the interstitial freqs programmed into it. That would be exactly the same as programming those frequencies into a mobile radio, even without the addition of an amplifier.
But to say that it is a violation to use an amplifier on GMRS is a gross and incorrect oversimplification. 

To clarify, in case anyone missed it: a "fixed station" is a specific type of station that is set up to communicate with another fixed station. The term does not apply to base stations nor repeaters.