marcspaz

Dido...

Agreed. It would be a smart move for Midland and a win for entry level operators.

This thread was DOA thanks to the OP. Not sure it matters what we discuss now. LoL

As far as I can tell, the only flaw in your thought process is, the manufacture did not make the unit programmable by the end-user. It kind of reminds me of a set of visor lights I bought for my E-Comm vehicle. They were listed as "universal fit", but I had to radically modify the design of the light fixture and my vehicle to get the lights to fit. I complained to my son about the misleading description of "universal fit" and he said "Anything is 'universal fit' if you try hard enough and know what to do to make it work." Well, all modern IC based radios are 'programmable' to some degree, if you are smart enough and can get the right tools. Not all of them are intended to be programmable by the end-user. If what you are saying is true, the whole point of having manufactures get their equipment certified would be 100% pointless and thus not needed. Midland does not specifically sell hardware or software to allow end-user programing of the MXT400. Someone either leaked the software, reverse engineered it or otherwise produced software for availability to the public. The ability for the owner to enter into a programing mode of the radio was not included in the design concept, the type acceptance nor is it a retail product or service offered by the manufacture. Again, just my interpretation of the law/rules.

So, back to the question, I found two things... "§95.335 Operation of non-certified transmitters prohibited. Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, no person shall operate a transmitter in any Personal Radio Service unless it is a certified transmitter;..." Part a allows for LMR radio use. But the part C says only thr manufacturers can legally modify their equipment. "Grantee permissible modifications. Only the grantee of the equipment certification may modify the design of a certified Personal Radio Service..." So, between part c above, and this next rule, this leads me to believe any change in performance or operation (not to be confused with manipulating a UI feature) means the radio loses it certified status. §95.337 Operation of impermissibly modified equipment prohibited. No person shall modify any Personal Radio Service transmitter in a way that changes or affects the technical functioning of that transmitter such that operation of the modified transmitter results in a violation of the rules in this part. This includes any modification to provide for additional transmit frequencies, increased modulation level, a different form of modulation, or increased transmitter output power (either mean power or peak envelope power or both). Any such modification voids the certified status of the modified transmitter and renders it unauthorized for use in the Personal Radio Services. Also, no person shall operate any Personal Radio Service transmitter that has been so modified.

As mentioned previously (and noted above by Tom)... metal is fine, but requires much more (proper) grounding and lightning protection. You are significantly increasing your risk of a strike.

Many Amateur Radio suppliers sell them. The best two that I have used are the MFJ-1908HD and the MFJ-1906HD.

Hahaha... yes, Sir! I'm going to get a little sleep. I'll catch up with you soon.

I'm pretty sure, based on the way the rules are written. I'm working right now, and need to get to bed soon. A bit later today I can post a snippet of the rules I am referring to.

Man you all are up early. I'm still working...yuck. The Luiton LT-590 is not certified for any service, so there is nothing preventing you from legally reprogramming it to suit your needs.

LOL... I know the feeling. I mean, if you are going to do a proper mast with full lightning arrestors, properly bolted and very deep grounding rods and lines, etc, then that would be a different story. Otherwise, you're risking burning the house down. At my house, not only is everything fiberglass with grounding and arrestors on the line, between the mast and house the transmission line is buried underground about 3 feet deep and over 50 feet. If I take a direct hit, I'm likely still screwed, but close-by and partials will be 100% fine. Here on this forum, there are some great discussions and several links about commercial grade grounding at home.

That is a very bad idea. Your antenna is at risk on its own, but now you are building a giant lightning rod. Also, its heavy. All of my masts or fiberglass.

True, but getting on the internet talking about how you plan on and/or are breaking the law is the invitation for the "bigger problems" to walk through the door. Maybe that is the real convo to have... hihi

It reads like you are not familiar with how the certification stuff works, but the second you flash the radio to anything but 100% stock... it's certification is null and now a non-compliant radio. In fact, per §95.335, you modifying your radio yourself is also illegal. So, you are actually violating 2 federal rules by modifying and transmitting on a modified, formally certified GMRS radio. There is no such thing as programing it, but keeping it's certification.

I know this has been said before, but why pay twice as much for a Type Approved/Certified radio, just to reprogram it, nullifying the certification, making the radio non-compliant/illegal? I don't endorse it, but if you're going to run an illegal radio, there are way better and more affordable radios out there.

Fantastic... Three new members! Welcome WRJI929, Dusty1 and EMKuhn!

For personal Ham radio and low-budget pro, DX Engineering and Ham Radio Outlet are the two resellers I use the most for miscellaneous supplies. I stay away from the pro/commercial distributors unless I am working a contract for a customer. Commercial distributors typically have really high single item prices or won't sell at all unless you are a reseller buying in bulk. Like, half a tractor trailer, minimum, kind of bulk.

For N type, I like CXP and ABR. There are not a lot of high-end brands, but these mid-range brands are great performers at a fraction of the price. You will get 20 years out of them if you set it up correctly.

The connectors I use are screw on. The bead of solder on the ground is to help prevent the connector from backing or pulling off... not an electrical ground. The screw on type has a full 360 shield with perfect pressure application all the way around. I haven't used a true solder on connector since 1988 or 1989. N type is really the best way to go. Worth the few extra bucks, all day.

I wish I could like a post more than once.

I won't use crimp connectors on soft line. I would buy any major brand silver teflon screw on PL-259 Male UHF connector. HRO, DXE, DAS are all good. They thread over the outer housing. You fold the ground braid down, around the outer housing, screw the connector all the way down, drop a bead of solder on the ground braid through the access hole and solder the tip. Its super strong and you won't have to worry about a poor ground connection. Edit... Most of the time, the layers are thin enough to cook off while soldering, but sometimes you need to use a file to clear some of the silver teflon off a small area for the solder to take.

Are you running hard line or LMR400?

The 205 is a discontinued antenna that has a very narrow bandwidth and has to be tuned to the center frequency you want to use it on. The x300 has almost double the bandwidth without having to tune it. He is probably stuck with old inventory, which is the only reason I can think of that a shop would suggest a discontinued antenna that doesn't perform as well as a no-tune required, current production model.

If I want/need security, I sure as heck won't be on GMRS. LOL. I'm just looking for ways of keeping lazy people from busting chops.

Nothing at all. It's an old, unofficial concept. There was a nationwide group of owners that started something called the Open Repeater Initiative. They decided among themselves that 141.3 would be the universal tone for repeaters that were open to travelers, for safety and general communications needs. The idea was, you could put your radio on repeater pair 462/467.675 (rCh 20), set the tone of 141.3 and just drive wherever you needed to. If there was an OPI repeater near by, you could use it. Over time, OPI died off as a group, but many owners still honor the travel tone concept. Though, on all channels. Not just the original pair.