OffRoaderX

I agree 100%.. It just seems odd to me how "some people" go around telling fairy tales about what will happen if you even accidentally do anything out of compliance, and I have seen these myths and fairy-tailes get many n00bs overly-concerned or even fearful.

Public FCC records show 3 or 4 mean letters and two fines (that so far have not been paid) since 2012 for non-business infractions for CB, ham, and GMRS. Zero prison-time or shot-dogs. Not sayin that the FCC doesn't care... But......

Would he though?

What would happen if he accidentally transmitted out side of ham frequencies?

Probably - but the real question should be "HOW MUCH of a difference?". ~6 inches or so of metal all around the bottom of the antenna would be optimal, but as long as your SWR is below 3.0:1 or so you are good. You would likely never notice a difference between say 1.8:1 and 3:1 when using the radio talking around town/on the race course, but lower is better. Its always best to keep the cable as short as you can and adding more length and a coupler will affect the performance, but just like with the previous question, you should be asking "how much?" - As long as there are no issues with the connectors/couplers/extension, the answer is "probably not enough for any regular person to notice while using the radio" ... Dont make the mistake of over-complicating it and getting all wrapped up in tiny imperceivable drops in performance that "some people" obsess over as if they are trying to transmit a signal to the moon.

Cant you read? He wants a personal mentor! For consideration you are supposed to send your resume to bob@bpps.net.

Yes, you are overthinking it...

BECAUSE THEY CHANGED IT OR TURNED IT OFF!

I am sensing many confuckulations.

Only if you know what the new/correct frequency is. and you can do the same on the 575 by just selecting the correct repeater channel if its not already in use.

My personal best in my Jeep is 93 miles to hit a repeater (over 150 miles if you count the guy I was talking to that was also using the repeater).. I did it once, and used the airwaves for about 45 seconds to do so.. But I still use GMRS to talk with all of my friends/acquaintances using their GMRS and FRS radios, within a mile or so of me, while offroading.. Something that is impossible to do legally with a ham radio and ham radio license.

accepting you have a problem is the first step in not being part of the problem.

Nothing wrong with that, and we all do it, but that is very different from "rag chewing", aka talking for several minutes at a time without unkeying the mic, for hours on end, about nothing - basically, talking to hear themselves talk, or just to try and demonstrate to everyone how smart they think they are, how many fancy and expensive radios they own, how long they have been in "the business" (implying they cannot possibly be wrong about whatever they are talking about), and listing how many different jobs they've had working on complicated and technical things ... You know, just like the long-winded, overly-complicated, multi-paragraph off-topic posts that you you see in this forum every day..

According to the FCCs of these United States, GMRS is intended primarily as a short-range personal type service, however "some people" often feel the uncontrollable urge to do their long-talker 'rag-chew' shenanigans wherever they can - like a dog peeing to mark its territory. Just like the dog-pee, "some people" stink it up for everyone else. ..Can't wait to see "some people" reply here.. You will know them when you see them.

Huh? Maybe its the allergy medicine, but this makes zero sense to me. Lets try this again - Yes or NO: Are you transmitting on one of the pre-programmed repeater channels? Yes or NO: Are you transmitting on a simplex channel (15-22)?

Are you SURE you are on the correct "repeater channel", and not on the simplex (Ch15-22) channel? Are you SURE you have the correct TX tone? Are you SURE you are in range of the repeater? Just becuase you can hear it does not mean it can hear you

Because a lot of people on this site are looking to talk with strangers, and on Grindr there are lots of strangers just waiting to chat.

Congrats! I use that same antenna on my Jeep. But, are you sure there are "other operators" in your area? GMRS is generally a BYOB (Bring Your Own Buddy) service, and is not really intended primarily for reaching-out to other operators. For finding strangers to talk with ham radio or the Grindr app are probably better choices.

Looks good but you have the wrong channel! Everyone knows it should be CH19.. But, also, i think the "average" GMRS/FRS adventurer probably does not know what a "PL" is, and probably does not know how to set/change it. Of course, the radio-dorks do, but nobody wants to talk with them.

Up until 90 days ago, the fcc actually never did do anything to enforce the rules against simple violations by non-business users since 2012.

Double-check that there is no tone set, then try turning-down your squelch.. If you are still not hearing anything, then you're either doing it wrong (wrong frequency, not actually hitting the repeater, or any number of other things) or the radio is defective... and i doubt its defective.

My guess is that you have the wrong tone for receiving set in the radio. Remove the RX tone and try again.

I have seen several comments on youtube videos with people complaining about this, so it seems like a defect. I would suggest contacting the manufacturer for support or a replacement that works.

As Steve & @marcspaz mentioned, GMRS is a "Bring Your Own Contacts" type of service. Very utilitarian. If someone is looking for strangers to chat with, I always recommend using the Grindr app.

"Some People"...