Downs

I just got done driving from Dallas Texas to Montgomery Alabama and back, about 1200 miles round trip, and was monitoring 2m Call, 70cm Call and Scanning GMRS/FRS. I heard more GMRS/FRS activity, mostly people on the road, a few businesses here and there. This was on mobile radios not HTs. I didn't hear a single peep out of the VHF or UHF Calling frequencies during that trip. When I commute to work I monitor 2m call plus 2 repeaters and a GMRS repeater and rarely hear anything on the HAM side. The local GMRS repeater is pretty active though.

I'm too far away from that Sherman unit but if you ever make it out towards Greenville we have a fairly well active local repeater. https://mygmrs.com/view?id=1525

The GMRS version will be locked to xmit on GMRS frequencies only. The UV50X2 (at least the one i have) will go into the GMRS bands but is not legal to use there. You're not going to find anyone here that will straight up tell you yeah do it that way due to the legalities surrounding it but I will say it is possible. Will anything ever come of it? You probably have a better chance of being attacked by a shark on Mount Everest, than being hunted down and caught by the FCC, but its good to be advised and educated on the matter. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Are the existing radios able to do firmware updates? Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Wouxoun makes good stuff. Ive got one of their KGUV8D HTs thats a nice radio. Dual band, dual reciever, cross band repeater, color screen ect. Rx and tx are clear. It cost quite a bit more than a Baofeng but its a more capable and nicer radio to boot. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Yup missed that second sentence. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Look into the "MARS/CAP" mod for HAM radios. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Nearly every state or local cell phone ordinance exempts police/fire/ems from the law. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Yall are assuming the cops even know the ins and outs of these laws. Texas recently passed a cellphone law. Everyone still drives around with phones up in their faces and to their heads. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

4781 in Texas as of 20 Jan 2020 at 0017 local. .

I'll have to check a few more of them out. I dropped a voice message in the MYGMRS zello channel days ago and have heard nothing and haven't been approved.

On my 16 channel radios i usually setup all channels on low power and program a switch or button to put it in high power if I want. Then 1-7 wideband no tone I dont even bother programing 8-14 15-22 wideband no tone with exception of 16 and 20 which i program with the tones my local Jeep clubs uses. Channel 16 i program with my local GMRS repeater. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Shared with my Jeep club. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Just means they havent been updated in a while. We have a few "outdated" repeaters out here that are still ready to go. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Commercial radios are great. Built like tanks and typically have long battery life. Upshot of Kenwood gear is finding programing software is typically pretty easy compared to something like Motorola. Don't get scared off by the DOS programing. Its just some extra keystrokes. I program my HT1000s via DOS. Also +1 to above no need for trunking for your use so if theres a cheaper version without go for it. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk