marcspaz

A good portion of the people debating these points had no idea GMRS existed during the last NPRM comment period. Its evident with the conversation here that for those who had a license at the time, a small number of them understood the implications of the rules surrounding network connectivity (or why the restrictions were even put in place) and struggle to realize that there are contradictory statements and definitions requiring clarification... so, places like FB, reddit and MyGMRS are the only remaining place to vent frustration. At least until the next comment period, assuming they realize that is even happening when it does.

@OffRoaderX fair enough. Sound logic, for sure.

How is that dude not on your ignore list. I stopped reading his retarded posts awhile ago.

This is what I was talking about earlier. If everyone is right and linking a repeater over the internet (or any other network) is a rule violation, then the only option to link repeaters with by with multiple radios, a.ka. RF linking. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is actually ZERO rules about RF linking in the Communication Act as amended by the Telecommunication Act, nor in any of the FCC Part 95 rules. There are also no restrictions or mandates on what repeater inputs have to be. Only that repeaters transmit on the 462 mains. So, using multiple radios to link repeaters over GMRS frequency is completely legal and within scope of the rules. The only limitation that I can think of (beyond the repeater transmit frequency) is that any linked repeaters would need to be in line of sight of each other to establish the link.

I don't know how my SETI team is going to feel about this. The FCC is reducing our processing capabilities by reducing the network size.

Bill Paxton has forever enshrined that line in movie history. Dana Carvey did a great job on a close second with the SNL parody.

@WRKC935, well written and I agree with a vast majority of what you wrote. Thank you for the thoughtful reply. @RayP I agree that the situations you describe are terrible for a service that has so few available frequencies. There should be some regulation. I am not against regulations. As a civilized society, we all agree to live by a certain set of rules. However, our nation is a Constitutional Republic designed to protect the Rights of the minority. There should be some allowances or concessions made, to some degree. For example, remote receivers for repeaters with a large footprint, to fill in receive gaps that impact mobile and portable stations. Or, restricting linked repeaters to only 2 machines per link and they must be on the same frequency (I'm just generalizing for example, of course). As I mentioned, mandating things you like and banning the things you don't is tyrannical behavior. The People collectively agreeing on rules to live by are not the same thing as the Government arbitrarily changing their mind on what is right or wrong when there has been zero law or rule change reviewed and approved by the people.

I appreciate the kind words... I do. And honestly, I don't have any skin in the game since I don't have a linked repeater system. However, I am on the side of freedom. I am also on the side of demanding rules be clear and make sense so the average person has the ability to operate within the rules.

Why would you say that. The purpose is to facilitate the needs of the licensee. Just because you don't like it, that doesn't mean it's not desired by others. The idea of mandating things you like and banning the things you don't is what tyrants do.

Those are advertised as a 1dB loss... pretty good. Mine are closer to 3dB... but they were a gift and I am thrilled to have them.

My unsolicited opinion, people who don't like linked repeaters now, are REALLY going to regret bitching about network linked repeaters in the near future, if the courts end up agreeing. I can't find a single entry in the Communication Act of 1934, as amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, that gives the FCC the authority or purpose to prohibit repeater linking. There are zero FCC rules that prohibit repeater linking. What there is, are some debates on if a repeater link that traverse a network AND provides some form of message relay both over the air and on the network, is allowed by the rules or not. This is because the rules are not clear due to contradicting entries, when reviewing the rules and the definitions as a whole. Updating a web page is not the same as updating rules or statutory code to be more clear. Now, the bad news for people who hate linked repeaters. Again, there are zero laws or rules prohibiting linking. Lets say this network issues goes all the way to the SCOTUS and the court sides with the Link haters and the FCC... you haters are going to be even worse off, because then, 100% of all repeater linking will be limited to using RF links. This is gonna suck for GMRS users (except for the linked repeater owners) because if we follow the rules of the PRS, we can only use in-service frequencies for relaying information. Let me explain... the rules say that repeaters can only transmit on the 462 main channels. There are exactly zero rules about what the repeater input frequency should be, outside of being one of the GMRS frequencies. That means while repeater outputs will stay the same, legal linking can and will start occurring with uplinks on every single GMRS frequency... not just the 467 mains... flooding the channels with linked audio. So, right or wrong, if you hate linked repeaters and are bitching about it here or to the FCC in hopes that if the networked repeaters go away, somehow your quiet RF utopia will somehow be restored, my forecast is that you are going to be very, very wrong. It's probably going to get much worse due to spreading to all channels.

It's possible to build a radio with an internal duplexer. If it meets the certification requirements, you could have the full 50w at the output. However, I an not aware of any such radio existing at the moment (built-in duplexer and 50w). That means you are going to be restricted to the 50w out of the radio and the ~25w out of the duplexer.

It's funny, the ATF had the same attitude about bump stocks, arm braces and forced reset triggers, all the way up until the SCOTUS told them to sit down and stop talking. Not to mention, the entire premise is flawed. First, the page says that linking repeaters violates 95.1733(a)(8) and 95.1749 and possibly other rules. There is exactly ZERO rules saying you can't link repeaters for communications outside the coverage area of a handheld or mobile. That is a a flat-out lie. There are restrictions about how and when networks can be used, but no prohibition on linking, itself. Also, the page says that "linking increases the potential for interference" and "uses up a limited spectrum". That's funny. So, let me get this straight... all of the repeaters are there and in use, but it only has a potential for interference and only takes up spectrum when they are linked? That is just dumb. If a repeater is in place, the potential for interference and the spectrum it uses is 100% unaffected by having it link to another repeater. Im not sure who writes this stuff, but they need to be fired.

So, I have a similar issue at my house and it is 100% due to terrain and surrounding objects. I have my base antenna at 35+ feet and it's 10 feet tall, running a 60 foot piece of LMR400. There are only a handful of places I can mount my antenna on the roof. If I move the antenna a few feet in any direction, the recieve gets significantly better or worse depending on the other stations I'm trying to reach. The thing is, I can move my car to a sweet spot and just park it. That really isn't an option for my base antenna. Sometimes I just sit in the car and use the radio, depending on the station I want to talk to.

I suspect you are teasing me about the Jeep, but just in case... Yep... full-sized vehicles. No ATVs/UTVs/etc. are allowed in my group. Buggies, Jeeps, Blazers, Broncos, short-bed F150s and 1500s, etc. should all be fine. 250/2500 class and larger will probably be too big for the trails we will be on. There are other groups at the event that are geared toward ATVs/UTVs/etc..

I know many folks in this group like to go offroading with your full-size vehicles. GMRS is one of the tools we use to enhance our experience while enjoying outdoor hobbies. This ride is in 2 months and a bunch of openings are available. My son and I are guiding a Blue/Black group for Krawling 4 K9’s at Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area, in PA, on October 19th. This is a fundraiser for a good cause and a good excuse to go wheeling. If you would like to join us, go to the link below to sign-up. Select “Full Size Vehicle Registration”, choose your full-size vehicle group type of "Blue/Black", and then pick the group trail guide named OCD Offroad Shop – Group 9. https://brushfire.com/protection4paws/krawlingfork9s/564418/register?fbclid=IwY2xjawEVOHlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHS0S1ef1v03wnrB9mpDFxg-U7CNC0rpG2lsv47DBqro1adclVyYAFMcLPQ_aem_xPGnhbnaBmkFotJRGc1TIg We only have 4 slots left for this group at the time I am sharing this info. If you are looking for a little more or a little less of a challenge, there are plenty of other groups available. Hope to see you there! There are going to be some aggressive trails for our group. Please be sure your rig is built for the type of wheeling we will be doing. If you have questions, let me know. Protection4Paws FB Event Link - https://www.facebook.com/events/649665953824067

What radio is it? I'm not sure you can 'upload' tones, you just select them. Need more details to help.

Now that Randy has officially accepted blame (thank you, Sir), its safe for me to start some trouble.... As Steve posted above, 95.1705(f)(2) says "The licensee must maintain access to and control over all stations authorized under its license." Being 4 hours away is definitely not maintaining "access to and control over" the licensee's station. While we don't know the actual intent of the rule, based on the way the paragraph is written, I am inclined to agree with @WRXB215 interpretation of the rule.

@OffRoaderX... Im blaming you for this one. My hands are clean. :‐D

I leave my dual watch disabled unless I'm running splits, like relaying my transmit through a crossband repeater, but listening directly. Then, I just lock the keypad once it's set up.

Sometimes I'll mess with people I know while they are on the repeater... they will ask me where I am and I'll reply "Departure, this is Viper zero one passing two thousand for two zero thousand."

@tweiss3 I can see all that. I wish I had a recommendation for you. I just set it and whatever it's at is where it stays until Iget where I'm going. I was able to work around the offset issue by running splits instead. But that was the only creative solution I came up with.

I would have to ask what you mean by better? It's not feature-rich, but I have confirmed contacts in 104 countries while mobile (actually in motion) with the 891. It performs better on receive and SSB better than any other radio I have ever owned or operated. This is the list of countries (DX Entities), with the memorable being Alaska, Australia, Japan, Hawaii and South Africa. Alaska Andorra Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Azores Bahamas Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bermuda Bonaire Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Canada Canary Islands Cape Verde Cayman Islands Ceuta and Melilla Chile Clipperton Island Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador England Estonia Finland France French Guiana Germany Greece Guadeloupe Guyana Haiti Hawaii Honduras Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Kaliningrad Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Madeira Island Malta Martinique Mexico Montserrat Morocco Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Northern Ireland Panama Paraguay Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Romania Russia San Marino Sardinia Scotland Serbia Slovak Republic Slovenia South Africa South Cook Islands Spain St Helena Island St Kitts and Nevis St Lucia St Martin St. Maarten Suriname Svalbard Sweden Switzerland Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands Ukraine United States Uruguay US Virgin Islands Venezuela Wales

Oh yeah, I do that now with all kinds of LED lights. My wife has a string of LED lights wrapped around the back french doors and when I am on HF, once I get to around 500w or more, even when unplugged, the LED's stay lit when I'm talking. When I am over 800w, the lights in the garage turn on, too.