marcspaz

I have several acquaintances who own GMRS repeaters. They are personal property, not owned by a club or group, installed at their homes and were put in place for use by them and their family. I have never seen/heard of anyone licensed being turned down. However, as a property owner, it seems reasonable to have someone ask for permission to use my stuff and to want to know who is using my stuff. I had a 2m repeater at my house for years and never stopped anyone from legally using it. Eventually I got tired of maintaining it and took it down. Now I only use it for emergency work in the field. Sometimes literally in a field. LoL

To help answer the OP's questions... as mentioned above, it is very capable, but not legal. It is not legal because it is an Amateur Radio device, not a Part 95 certified device. To address some of the other points, and to compliment other replies, I provided a quick overview of the rules below. These are per the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. It looks like the ultimate responsibility is on the operator, as to where/how you use devices. However, there are some manufacturer restrictions as well. https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=dca18f1c644b6bf400c3ed6ea5163df4&mc=true&node=pt47.5.95&rgn=div5 Operator Specific - §95.343 states that the station operator is responsible whenever the station is transmitting. The operator of a Personal Radio Services station is responsible for proper operation of the station in compliance with all applicable rules in this part. §95.335 states that operation of non-certified transmitters prohibited. Specifically, that 'no person shall operate a transmitter in any Personal Radio Service unless it is a certified transmitter'. §95.337 states that operation of modified equipment is also prohibited. It say that 'no person shall modify any Personal Radio Service transmitter in a way that changes or affects the technical functioning of that transmitter'. The rule says any modification voids the certified status of the modified transmitter, then making it an unauthorized device for use in the Personal Radio Services. It also says that no person shall operate any Personal Radio Service transmitter that has been so modified. Manufacturer Specific - As far as the manufacturer is concerned, There are over 38 notations in the rules, but I find these to be the most relevant to this topic... §95.391, which states that the manufacturing, importation, and sales of non-certified equipment is prohibited. It says that 'no person shall manufacture, import, sell or offer for sale non-certified equipment for the Personal Radio Services.' So, the manufacturer is really only held responsible if the equipment is intentionally manufactured, imported or sold specifically targeting (advertised as) the Personal Radio Services and its not a Part 95 certified device or if the certification has expired, been revoked or nullified buy modifications. Also, §95.587(4)(e) says no person shall manufacture or import hand-held portable radio equipment capable of operating under both FRS and other licensed or licensed-by-rule services. It does have an exemption for Part 15 unlicensed equipment, where they are permitted if the hardware is consistent with part 15 rules. The other I found interesting is §95.1791 says that the sales of GMRS/FRS combination radios are prohibited. It says 'no person shall be permitted to manufacture or import, sell or offer for sale any radio equipment capable of operating under both this subpart (GMRS) and subpart B (FRS) of this chapter.' If you read the rules about the restrictions of FRS radios, this actually makes a lot of sense. What I find really interesting is that every amateur radio I have ever owned (which is several dozen +), that works on UHV (440MHz-470MHz), also worked on FRS and GMRS frequencies. Like... all of them. I am assuming there is some type of exemption in the laws/regulatory code that permits it, otherwise every major amateur radio equipment manufacturer would be in violation of the law. I have to admit... that does not seem like a very friendly response. Not sure why, when this is a discussion board and we are supposed to be helping each other through these things.

OMG... HAHAHAHA!!!

Great write-up! I love seeing real world results. There is a tremendous value to info like this. That fact that you shared the locations helps, too. We can topology mapping to see what the terrain looks like, which will paint a very clear picture. I'm with you on this. I have had terrible luck with Baofeng mobiles, but my BF-F8HP is a fantastic, inexpensive ham radio. I love wheeling and I don't want to trash any of my radios, but if i am going to make a mistake with my HT, I'd rather have it be my $28 radio instead of my $400+ Yaesu. Especially when having the more expensive radio brings zero benefits to the table while offroading.

Huh? An SWR reading is the measurement of 'standing waves' along the transmission line. How can you get a true SWR reading with no transmission line? You should NOT be tuning an antenna for the best SWR, but rather for optimum resonance on a specific/target frequency. Then you balance the entire load to reduce the standing waves, reduce reflected power and therefore improve forward radiated energy for maximum efficiency and maximum power output. The load includes the antenna, balun, transmission lines, your grounding system (for home/base stations), etc. This is why you see many high end amateur radio antennas and many commercial antennas advertised SWR ratings while connected to 100' or 200' of X type of coax. Sometimes they even say a 4:1 balun or 9:1 balun, and antenna tuner are required to balance the system. Plus, if you have a good analyzer, you should be able to read the antenna's impact on the SWR separately from the other components with ease.

I must have missed the "largest" part of the question. LOL Why do you want the largest antenna? Wouldn't you want to best performing antenna for your needs, regardless of the size?

I have seen that thread and some like it. I have two issues. One is, I don't know anyone who has actually done this... so I am hesitant to mention it. Also, the MXT400 is only certified for narrow band and is not intended to be user configured for wideband. Once you modify the the radio, it is no longer a certified radio, thus not legal. If you are going to do that, you may as well just go buy a ham radio or commercial radio and use it. There are way better radios for the same price or less.

If you have property and are in a prime location, an option may be to work out a deal with a tower company. I have a friend of mine who has a lease agreement with a tower owner. They put a 200' tower on his land in exchange for free use of the tower and a percentage of the tower revenue. He has 5 amateur radio repeaters on the tower, a GMRS repeater, and the revenues were enough for him to retire early. Something to think about if it's an option.

Don't feel too disenfranchised because of the MXT400. While the antenna is kind of cheap... the radio itself is (in my humble opinion) the best new, over the counter, out of the box, purpose built radio on the market right now. There are some shortcomings that can be overcome by using Part 90 radios, but frankly, I dont think that is a good start if you are getting into radio with no previous experience in commercial or Amateur Radio. Get your feet wet, enjoythe hobby and learn.

If I am just testing my link, I usually key up and say "This is <call_sign > testing. No response needed." Sometimes people will give me a signal report anyway. As far as the shift... if you are only trying to talk to someone without the repeater in the process, you need to disable the shift/offset so the other station will be able to hear you.

Just reaffirming what was mentioned above by Mr. Scott... they didn't say no. They want to have a discussion. I would think you may be able to get what you are looking for. As to why they would recommend a different tone... to prevent interference, of course. We have two repeater systems here that share 2m pairs with other networks about 100 miles away. Both have flipped in/out compared to the systems near me. Often, during the warmer months I can hear mobile operators on the fringe of those repeaters, on the output frequencies of my local systems. I mention this because, you may have a repeater system nearby that is using the same pairs and PL tone you would like to use. Even if it seems improbable to have interference, that risk may still exist. That is why we use the coordinators. They are (typically) in the know.

I have had great luck with the Diamond X50a and X200. The IMAX is an HF antenna and won't work for GMRS. It has also been discontinued for a very long time. You likely won't find one new.

It's not perfect, but 100% a step in the right direction. Like I said earlier... In a situation of a GMRS user, I doubt many law enforcement officers would waste their time to see if you have a license or what service you are using. It would defeat the spirit of the law. Of course, that is just my opinion. Also, the law states that licensed hams are exempt. It does not say they are exempt only on ham bands/gear. So Hams can legally use their GMRS gear. It's really easy to get an amateur radio license. My wife was a Code Tech at 11, and I have talked to several kids that are 9 to 11 that have their Extra class license. If it is a desire, someone can simply get a GMRS and Amateur license and then it's not an issue. Amateur radio does have better lobbying power... but Amateur Radio operators and the community at large has been, and continues to help the US, State and local governments since the late 1800's. They are a widely recognized part of the emergency response community in this country, and many others. So it make sense that State governments have exemptions that would normally only extend to law enforcement and emergency responders. A great example of that is, in Virginia, Amateur radio operators can have and use emergency strobe lights in their vehicles. We have to use amber and/or white... but that exemption was made.

^^^ That's awesome!

Would that be technically classified as texting? LOL

I also wanted to add that the ARRL does have some minor resources about this subject, under their Regulatory and Advocacy section of their website. http://www.arrl.org/local-regulations And this is a really cool article to read about Montana legislation. Its a little dated, but relevant. http://www.arrl.org/news/montana-governor-signs-legislation-to-protect-mobile-amateur-radio-operations-from-distracted-drivin

So we don't completely derail this thread... https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/2068-state-laws-operation-of-mobile-two-way-radios/

Nothing in this thread is considered legal advice. All information is strictly to use at your own risk. If you have serious legal questions, I highly recommend consulting an attorney. This subject came up in another thread. I didn't want to derail that thread and it did seem like an interesting topic to discuss. So, I figured I would start a new discussion about it. I live in Virginia, and there are a couple of laws that I found pretty interesting. This law is about "personal communications devices". § 46.2-1078.1. (Repealed effective January 1, 2021) Use of handheld personal communications devices in certain motor vehicles; exceptions; penalty. It not only makes it illegal to send or read text messages, it makes it illegal to even hold a device capable of sending or receiving text/email messages in your hand. There is no exemption for PRS or Amateur Radio operations. However, most PRS and Ham radios cannot send or receive text messages. This law had a 10 year sunset date. It was not reconfirmed and will be automatically repealed in a few months, Jan 1, 2021. The replacement law for the one above... § 46.2-818.2. (Effective January 1, 2021) Use of handheld personal communications devices in certain motor vehicles; exceptions; penalty. Section B4 says the provisions of this section shall not apply to "...The use of an amateur or a citizens band radio..." Unfortunately, there is no reference to PRS or commercial radio. I have an opinion that many law enforcement officers won't be able to tell what radio service you are using and likely wouldn't care due to the spirit of the law. Below is another law that is supportive of the radio community and does a better job of defining devices as "handheld mobile telephones". It also limits the law to apply only to commercial vehicles. So, for folks who drive a commercial vehicle for a living are also exempt. § 46.2-341.20:5. Prohibition on texting and use of handheld mobile telephone; penalties. This law states " 'Mobile telephone' does not include two-way or citizens band radio services." So, are you aware of any laws in your state that revolve around distracted driving that either specifically include or specifically exclude the operation of two-way radios while operating a motor vehicle? Share below!

Yep. I am in VA and distracted driver laws do not apply to two-way radios at all. Licensed or not.

Fantastic! Sounds like you are learning a lot and having fun doing it. An yes, I LOL'ed about the Moses reference. That was funny!

Who wrote the software?

I had 3 of the MXTA26 antennas on 3 different vehicles/radios. They worked well when they worked, but they didn't last long. The all mechanically broke. One was horribly bent from driving and the wind. Another, the based shattered from the sun heating it and having the base expand faster than the plastic. The last one, the upper element was stripped when it was manufactured, and they just glued the upper element in place and shipped it to me. That was pretty disappointing. I switch to Diamond, Comet, and Tram/Browning antennas. They are all better performing and have been very durable.

LMR is okay... better than many. 9913 has the same performance stats, if you ever have trouble finding the LMR400.

I'm glad I have been a positive and helpful voice... but are you sure you are thinking of the correct site? You are not a moderator or admin so you can't delete posts or threads and this site doesn't have a "block" feature. The most you can do is hide someone else's posts from your view. Even if you hide someone else's posts, everyone else can still see the posts and you can still select to see any individual posts you want, by clicking on a link where their post placeholder is. Just trying to help and find out what's up.

Did I miss something? Seems like civil responses here.