WSGL775

Your words, not ours!

And then.......DMR bites you in the ass and takes you down a different rabbit hole. Same airwaves, but a whole different concept! Good Luck with your hobby!

As far as a counterpoise or what you're calling a "Tiger Tail" goes, in theoretical instances, it seems to make sense. However, what I haven't seen is absolute proof that it indeed works. With that being said, whatever works for you, keep using it. All I know, or perhaps even care about, is that when I push the PTT button, I'm able to establish communications with people and I'm able to understand them in return. All the rest I could give a rats ass about. But that's just me!

Thanks Steve! I find your input to always be the voice of logic and reason! No sense chasing phantoms that don't exist!

So, I'm confused (imagine that!) From what's being said here about SWR, trying to measure SWR on a HT is useless and a waste of time because it's just not accurate because of too many varibles. Am i reading this correctly?

I don't believe it!

Okay. Didn't think it would, but just a shot in the dark. However, I believe if I fire up my PRC 77, I'll get traffic.....

So I tuned it to that frequency. Haven't heard anything, nothing, bupkis! That's how it worked out!

So if I tune my UV-5R to 122.750 and there are helos nearby talking to each other on this frequency, I should be able to hear them? And theoretically speaking, could I talk to them? I wouldn't do this but I'm trying to understand if that's possible?

I don't know. That's something that I can't answer. Text messages are short and the burst is very short.

This sounds like a text message being sent via rattlegram from a phone through the radio. We do it all the time when we are in a tactical mode, but encrypt the transmission with AES 256 so we know no one can break the code without the master key. Just an observation.....

Yea. that's pretty weird!

Future Sad Ham

I use the Abbree 42.5" folding tactical antenna. I have one permenately attached to my radio back pack with a 3ft jumper cable SMA to BNC for quick changes in the field. At home I use the same antenna attached to a tripod rising 8ft in the air. Same setup SMA to BNC. I use the Baofeng UV-5R 8W as my go to radio's and those antenna's work exceptionally well for me.

Her you go. This should peak your interest! Being weird is okay. We're all weird in our own way! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H8CM4F1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Stir the Pot!

Outstanding!

You know, I didn't know that having a GMRS license would get this convoluted! Wow!

With that in mind, and there is no law, just regulations, how does the FCC justify issuing fines and levies? And moreover, how is that legal then?

Well, not everyone! You have a few that would like to silence you!

I agree with your thought process Randy. I guess the point that I'm try to make is that when the "Rule of Law" is out the window, you must look into your personal preferences to determine what's right and wrong. Governments cannot dictate this any any way shape or form. We must do so. By the way - I love your video's!

Honestly, not many people care about doing the right thing nowadays. I view this stance about like religion. Everybody knows what's right but don't care until they have to answer to the almighty. Then and only then do they ask for forgiveness. Well, not everybody follows the FCC GUIDELINES until they show up at your door, (if they even show up), wanting their pound of flesh. It's only then we ask for forgiveness. We all know what the right thing is. Whether we choose do do the right thing is a matter of personal preference. The same applies to government. Stay above it!

I bought a Microsoft surface that handles this. It works well with chirp and fairly inexpensive. I use for other things as well but mainly radio programming.

This is way over my paygrade! Right now I'm just learning about radio waves, antennas, and how things work. That being said, I'm not adverse to getting a tech license in the ham radio world. However, I have so much more to learn before I open that can of worms!

Thank You Steve for saving me going down a rabbit hole! It looked complicated and I was thinking that maybe it could be using for sharing text messages when the grid goes down. I haven't spent a whole lot of time looking at it, just watched some video's that peaked my curiosity. I don't even know what CAT layer control is. Just a fleeting thought..... Thanks for keeping me grounded and realize it's not what I thought!