pantherpaw9

Haha, that’s ok, I always try to throw a little humor in these threads for my own entertainment. I’m extremely grateful for everyone’s patience with my questions. I am not where I want to be in my understanding of this topic but thanks to you folks I am getting very close. I’ll keep studying on this.

Does “unmute” mean the same thing as “open up the squelch”. And if so I’m assuming both of these terms mean: “I can hear the other person speaking from the speaker of my radio”. Yes...I’m that dumb. Haha. I know that sounds like basic knowledge to most radio folk but all the radio jargon in these explanations leaves me confused. The good news is my radio is working so this is all about me wanting to truly understand how these radios and systems work.

Well I was able to reach Sassafras repeater to talk with a gentleman in Cleveland GA today on the 4 watt TERA TR-505 and I was in Gainesville so I was about 30 miles from Sassafras and 10 or 15 miles from Cleveland. I think the problem is exactly like you explained, I’m losing contact with the repeater when the 4 watt handheld is in areas without line if sight. That explains why the radio works sometimes and does not work sometimes. I also have to keep in mind that since the Sassafras repeater is not linked at the moment there are simply fewer people listening.
 
Anyways, my son is coming up tomorrow and he’s going to help me run some Simplex testing around the local Dahlonega area, so that should be even more educational.

Hi Pantherpaw9,
 
The 4Seasons repeater is not part of the North Georgia GMRS network so they would not be able to talk to you on the Sassafras Repeater.   If they can reach the Pine Log repeater from their location, you would be able to talk to each other since the repeaters are linked.  They may be able to reach Sassafras from there.  I can not say for certain, but I think I am able to reach Pine Log from I285 and Roswell road.  With out being in the area I can not remember, getting too old.   Looking at the NG GMRS membership list it appears that you also got the Zello link and they could use that with their smart phones.

I think MURS is 2 watts max.
 
ETA: It is 2 watts.
 
§95.2767   MURS transmitting power limit.Each MURS transmitter type must be designed such that the transmitter power output does not exceed 2 Watts under normal operating conditions.
 
Source: FCC

Not a problem at all, I was hoping one of you guys would rescue me on this, because since I am learning this process also, I was afraid I may not be giving the best instructions.  That is one of the main reasons I suggested he start a new thread so that the answers would not get confused with the items we had been discussing, but these topics are all so inter-related, that it is probably ok.  I know some forum sites are picky about the threads being posted in the correct categories.  Thanks for your help.

Wiki has a couple of great fact-filled articles on Squelch systems, CTCSS, and DCS.  It a good semi-technical read, if you are interested.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_Tone-Coded_Squelch_System
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squelch

Nice Work Hans. Thanks, I think I’m going to take a read on these sites as well.

No, actually I never used the incorrect 000 500 offset. I caught the error before programming it. So basically I went from no offset 000 000 to the correct offset of 005 000. So technically I was broadcasting my callsign on the repeaters output frequency so no FCC improprieties were executed on this very fine day...LOL. However; You make a good observation sir! So basically I was Simplexing with myself, which is kind of like talking to yourself with radios! As long as you don’t answer back, YOU’RE GOOD!

It wasn't the PL tones, but it turned out to be the + 005 000 offset that I was unaware of.  I thought the offsets only applied to HAM repeaters, and I failed to grasp that when I did the initial programming.  I used some settings for the offset that GaDalek sent me and PRESTO!  Now let's see what kind of trouble I can get into next (hahaha)...  Actually, I surprised myself, because the offset GaDelek sent me was 000 500 and I somehow managed to figure out it was 1 decimal point off and fixed that part on my own (which is a minor miracle).

Just made contact on the Sassafras Mountain repeater to a gentleman in Ellijay, GA so I would like to thank all of you for your assistance and patience with me in solving my startup issues.  I can't say enough positive things about this group and the organization.  I look forward to tuning in to the next NET meeting.

No, actually I never used the incorrect 000 500 offset. I caught the error before programming it. So basically I went from no offset 000 000 to the correct offset of 005 000. So technically I was broadcasting my callsign on the repeaters output frequency so no FCC improprieties were executed on this very fine day...LOL. However; You make a good observation sir! So basically I was Simplexing with myself, which is kind of like talking to yourself with radios! As long as you don’t answer back, YOU’RE GOOD!

Just made contact on the Sassafras Mountain repeater to a gentleman in Ellijay, GA so I would like to thank all of you for your assistance and patience with me in solving my startup issues.  I can't say enough positive things about this group and the organization.  I look forward to tuning in to the next NET meeting.

BTW, my avatar image is borrowed humor from a post I saw on here in the General Forum (I think) and I saw a discussion on radio testing and the comment was "test...test..." and it had a link to a video on youtube that showed a Baofeng being set on fire as a "test" and I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair.  So I made an image of the burnt radio from a screen capture image.  So I wanted to make sure to not take credit for thinking up that joke.  I hope that user doesn't mind...haha...

It wasn't the PL tones, but it turned out to be the + 005 000 offset that I was unaware of.  I thought the offsets only applied to HAM repeaters, and I failed to grasp that when I did the initial programming.  I used some settings for the offset that GaDalek sent me and PRESTO!  Now let's see what kind of trouble I can get into next (hahaha)...  Actually, I surprised myself, because the offset GaDelek sent me was 000 500 and I somehow managed to figure out it was 1 decimal point off and fixed that part on my own (which is a minor miracle).

Just made contact on the Sassafras Mountain repeater to a gentleman in Ellijay, GA so I would like to thank all of you for your assistance and patience with me in solving my startup issues.  I can't say enough positive things about this group and the organization.  I look forward to tuning in to the next NET meeting.

Bienvenido, no hablo español, pero estoy usando un software de traducción para darle la bienvenida al grupo.  
No puedo ayudarte porque estoy aquí para aprender a conectarme al repetidor tal como eres.
Si puede hablar inglés, puede obtener ayuda leyendo los consejos que los expertos me han dado aquí. De lo contrario, es posible que desee iniciar un nuevo hilo y buscar ayuda en español.
 
Welcome, I do not speak Spanish, but I'm using translation software to welcome you to the group.
I can not help you because I am here to learn to connect to the repeater as you are.
If you can speak english, you may get some help by reading the advice that the experts have given me here.  Otherwise, you may want to start a new thread and seek help in spanish.

Never had a problem, never even had to pull them out for inspection. this included HT's, antennas, headphones and scanners. I have even watched the screen when the bag crosses, looks fishy to me, but they never notice. Now my vape pen, that they want to inspect. lol

Well that's not surprising, everything is a scam these days when they advertise, so who really knows what they are buying until they get it and test it with a meter.  I suppose I meant to say, "are you using a radio with an advertised rating of 4 watts (2 watts)"  haha...anyway, I really appreciate the info, I have learned so much from you folks on this site.  While I am envious of the knowledge around these parts; I am still having a blast geeking out on these radios!!

How many is "multiple?" The KD C1 are available for as low as $18 single, $15/ea in a two-pack, or $14.99/ea in a ten-pack.
 
They are sixteen channel (UHF only), and are only PC programmable. This makes them "safe" to hand over to folks who cannot screw up the programming. I have had four of them now for nearly a year, and they are fantastic!
 
Since they have fixed antennas, and you can limit the power during programming, I set mine up with both FRS and GMRS 'channels.'
 
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_3?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wln+kd-c1&sprefix=wln%2Caps%2C150&crid=22LQWR26DFHXW