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

Ive got some of Bluemax's Motorola programing cables. Very well put together And ive never had a cable related issue with them. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Seems that the CCR companies did a lot of Kenwood copying haha. The Btech UV series radios use a very Kenwood handmic for instance.

Any commerical spec gear is going to blow the MXT115 away. It's a pretty limited radio and priced quite high for what it is. But it's a turn key solution for those who don't want to meddle with radios at all.

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I believe that was guerilla communications on youtube. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Not sure what's attached. I'll take it for 25. Let me know paypal address or how you want to get paid and I'll get money out ASAP.

There's some zello handmics that bluetooth to your phone. So the phone becomes the "radio" and you use the handmic like a standard 2 way radio. Bluetooth PTT Microphone PTT Button Zello mic Zello ptt button speaker Android https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBB7DU0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_or9cEbS2QXDDD Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

I may be interested. UHF or VHF? Channels?

Used commercial gear is a boon for a lot of us. You get the reliability and quality of the big brands for dirt cheap. I've got into a HT1000 and 2 MTS2000s for less than 150 dollars with chargers, batteries, and antennas and got a Motorola PM400 mobile for 120 dollars. That's not much more than some of the Chinese radios out there. Downside is you loose a lot of the flexibility of something like a dual band ham radio but programing them via laptop is easy enough.

They have a ton of business band frequencies that arent even theirs on there. And unless you corner them they try to skirt answering any questions about licensing. Theyre a shady underhanded company but they have a good marketing team and sponsor the crap out of the off road and racing community. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk