wayoverthere

Good point. I do wonder how long it will take manufacturers to jump on new capability....who will be first to take the plunge? That said though, I wonder how far off some of the stuff they're selling on Amazon as 10 and 12 meter ham radios actually is from meeting the new standard...could it be just a few software/firmware tweaks to get the power level and frequency range in line?

Those that really want something license free, but better sound quality than cb? Maybe they'll find a niche with truckers to talk to the crews at Walmart when they make their drops?

I don't know what's out there specifically for the FJ, but I've seen the clamp style phone holders used semi regularly to hold a HT. Lido makes a variety of mounts aimed at amateur radio, that may be a good bet : https://m.lidomounts.com/hamradiomounts.html

There's a lot of factors that affect the answer, so it isn't quite an easy yes or no. With no obstructions, a lot further is possible, but gmrs (and UHF as a whole) is very much line of sight. Getting a good antenna up where obstructions are minimal will help, as will power to some extent (especially with the foliage part of the equation). Big hills may be problematic, though, and some areas are more restricted than others about setting up antennas. In relatively clear air (antenna in my attic) and 50 watts, I can reach a repeater a little over 60 miles out (that sits around 3000 ft up in the foothills) and another 30 or so miles the opposite direction at 5000 ft. The ratings shown on a lot of the "bubble pack" radios represent ideal conditions, which is why they include "up to" in the small print when they talk in miles of reach.

That sounds like you have everything in line settings wise; how is your antenna setup? The small antenna that comes with isn't the best, but it should be okay for a few miles. Given it's size, having a little bit of metal around it (which acts as part of the antenna, or the ground plane) is semi important for a good signal. As @mbrun mentions, what the repeater has on its end (both in terms of antenna and height) is often a big unknown. I'm fortunate to have a couple high level ones in the foothills around the valley I'm in. Aside from that, it's a distinct possibility that activity is minimal (in which case you may at least hear a quick transmit back after you unkey), and just no one listening at the time to come back to you, or it may be an out of date listing for a machine that isn't currently active; there are some of those out there, where it may be down for one reason or another, but they owner didn't bother updating/removing it from the list.

The 924 was what I used in the truck (with an adapter cable and mag mount) for 70cm, until i picked up the 824 (which is similar, but not as tall)...think I need to adjust the mic gain on the 924 or something, though, as I tended to get reports of low audio, even with the noise reduction mode turned off. Not sure which one you're looking at with that split; mine is a 400-470 MHz split (g6) version of this one: https://www.twowaydirect.com/vertex-standard-vx-924-radio-512-channels-uhf-vx-924-g7-pkg1/ Finally have something in the truck with a little more pep than an HT though.... got a deal on another vx4207 (which is 95a/90, 400-470 band split)...did the programming during the week, and installed it today. double checked swr on the browning mag mount today, dead on 1:1 on 445 MHz, and 1.04-1.05:1 in gmrs. Still tempted for some more p25 stuff though. There's some Midland stuff that comes and goes, both vhf and uhf versions, and a nice vhf vx-p829, but spendy. I've toyed with the idea of either d-star or system fusion in the truck, but there doesn't seem to be any repeaters with either in my area, strictly dmr with a little uhf p25.

Hi Marcus, It would help to know what radio you're working with (I may have missed it if it was discussed in another thread). That said, DPL is also known as DCS (while PL is equivalent to CTCSS), so look for where to find the DCS menu item for your radio; midland groups both codes under one menu item, and all but the newest models (and the older mxt400's, with programming) set the same code for both transmit and receive. The latest model Midlands, and most radios above the off shelf "bubble pack" type (such as Btech and Wouxun) support different transmit and receive codes. One other thing to check(if you haven't already) is the channel you're on; midlands generally come out of the box with repeater channels disabled, which means enabling them in the menu. on other models, they may be labeled 19R or Rept19. These channels will have the required transmit offset (+5mHz) for repeater usage.

Yikes, so it isn't just vertex; maybe i should do the spreadsheet thing too. Half the reason I grabbed the p25 I did (vx-p824) is it was cheaper due to lacking battery, antenna and charger, but it takes the same battery, charger, and programming cable I already had for a vx-924. Had already been planning to grab an Antenna for one of the evx's anyway, so what's one more? I do want to get at least one more of each of the two battery types though. One other nice bonus is discovering the 12v plug I bought for the wouxun base is the same polarity and voltage as the base for my yaesu ht takes edit: here's the screenshot: https://imgur.com/ey3uf4K

I think I remember a hex/Dec setting in one of the cps, though I forget which of the four or 5 it was... my one gripe with vertex is almost every model of radio requires a different version of the cps, and some versions won't install if others are present ? most of it is on a stick of, but the p25 version had to be somewhere else, so it's on the laptop.

I suspect this depends how the repeater is set up; the couple I've used didn't require a unique ID, though one would prefer you request one from them, and provides you a list of other users on the network when they give you one. The two I've used, it was pretty much just setting the frequencies, mode (both are mixed mode) and NAC, as far as I remember...I'll try to post a screenshot of the CPS later today when I can jump on the laptop. (One, the network had a better-sited analog machine for use from my home location, so I tend toward that one...the other, the repeater is pretty dead most of the time).

I know it's slightly different tuning, but I grabbed a 701c (before they came out with the -g versions), and didnt really notice a difference vs the stock antenna (other than its flexibility).

This one I definitely have too, though it shows up on 2m. Noise level is definitely lower at night, though the inverter box is on the other side of the house. Getting that antenna up and outside should help some, at least. If it's at that level of annoyance, I'd say time to just set a Rx code on channel 3 to block it out till you have the patience to start chasing it again. I'm still trying to think what else could fall in that range that'd be continuous and regular.

There have been instances of people buying those imported baby monitors and issues resulting..could being slightly off frequency cause it to manifest as interference?

Is it intermittent or continuous? Older tech, but I know when I had Cingular as my cell provider, I'd pick up some buzzing him occasionally via headphones or my telephone headset at work if the cord was too close to the phone...don't know if that's still a thing moving onto 4 and 5g now. The on and off on a multiple-month cycle makes me think it may be something seasonal, though the fact That it's there both at home and mobile kind of leads me to think it's something you're bringing along, but outside of a cell phone I'm not sure what.

The bit I found intriguing is that the mxt275 mic appears to have an input for their headsets, but getting the better half on board with the intercoms was a stretch in itself.

The only radio specific helmet headset I know of off the top of my head is Midland, though I don't believe their plugs/wiring fit the Kenwood standard. The snowmobile or off-road arenas may have something though. Outside of radio, we have used the cardo intercom sets (g4, q3) a fair amount, with reasonable short range comms and decent sound..not concert quality but fine for voice. The noise cancelling Is good enough for a call while underway with the person on the other end unable to tell I was on the bike (even with aftermarket pipes). Freeway speeds are generally doable with reasonably clear copy. That said, I don't know a way to have it get along with a radio; Our cardo do have a 3.5mm input for mp3 player use, but that doesn't sort the mic & ptt issue.

Check for nearby noise sources, first. I know my wouxun picks up static on 3 and 6 if I set it too close to my Samsung lcd monitor. Turn off as much as possible and see if it goes away, or move around/outside to see if there's an obvious source (my solar system has some noise on 2m also) If you absolutely can't track it down, and you aren't planning to listen on 3 anyway, set a receive ctcss or dcs code on that channel, and that should keep it from stopping on that channel.

Closest I see on here is down near Prescott, roughly 60 miles...not impossible, but very dependent on antennas on both ends and where on the hill the repeater antenna is sited...a full 40/50 watts won't hurt to get there either. Another site (usa gmrs association) shows one on .675 with a pl/ctcss of 100.0, a bit north of kingman. Only 25 watts and 20ft up, apparently. Again, no high hopes, but worth a try. Outside of that, keep the scan going and listen for an autoid to give away an unlisted one..not a perfect method if there's one there that doesn't id, but there isn't much else if it isn't in any of the listings (since they aren't required to be listed). Good luck!

I'll see if I can find the thread, but I seem to remember a couple good lists around of dual certified radios, off the top of my head I think Kenwood is the best bet there, both for mobiles or handhelds, Motorola may have some too (some of the brand enthusiasts can say better than I can on those). If shopping ebay, you can try searching FCC IDs; note that search engines tend to turn up fcc.io, which isn't the actual FCC and has some glitches in their data. https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/GenericSearch.cfm is the authoritative source. You can also search for 90 and 95a grants, and the listings will usually (always?) have the operating ranges. If you are okay with the grey area of part 90 only, there are a few more options. Here is one list on radio reference: https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/part-95-gmrs-radio-list.275040/

I saw similar with the dual band gp1 I have for the ham side, 2.1 ish in 462 and above 3 to 1 on 467. Similarly less than optimal results with the Midland 5/8 wave gmrs antenna for 70cm. That said, my mobile is a 5/8 over 5/8 wave browning uhf antenna, rated for 410-490mhz, rather than a gmrs specific antenna...when I checked that one recently related to another topic, it showed 1.1 in 462 (462.5625, 462.725), and 1.12 on 467.725

That's mag mounted on my truck, while the repeaters are around 4000 ft up in the foothills.

While are there intricacies that can get in the way (cable loss, ht putting out less power than advertised, etc), it's definitely possible. My local repeaters (gmrs and 70cm) are around the 30 mile mark, and I can get in just fine on a 5 watt ht (varied brands) through a mag mounted antenna (Midland mount, browning 5/8 over 5/8 wave whip).

I'd love a confirmation from someone that's used the 905g, but given how it's above the 805 in features in pretty much every aspect, I can't see it being a problem. I know it can be done on the 805g via the software, as I have mine set with the base 30, 2 repeaters on .575 (ch 16), 1 on .625 (ch 18), and another set of repeater presets to use for travel.

Personally, I have a strong suspicion one big driving force is 'protecting the untested gmrs users from their own ignorance', with no though or knowledge that maybe some of those gmrs users are also licensed hams with a clue. I see both sides on that 779uv... the fcc wanting to keep the gmrs users in bounds without needing to know what they're doing, but I also see the dual licensed user wanting both services, and the only real point it doesn't meet unlocked is that rule about not being able to access services that don't require certification (ham)...with that in mind, I don't see the big issue for someone licensed in both services, as I agree the signal it puts out in gmrs bands is no different unlocked, but I'm also not the fcc. FCC has long left the part 90 issue as a grey area. Some people insist that those previously dual certified (90/95a) radios are now uncertified because they can access 70cm, though the actual wording in the regs just got amended to state they won't currently certify them, not that previous certifications are invalidated (and the 95e/90 door seems to still be open, on 450-512 splits, anyway, though most public safety has moved out of 70cm). Others opine that pushing past the 'out of band' warning in Kenwood software to use a dual cert radio in ham bands qualifies as a modification that negates the 95 certification. Lots of opinions, but grey areas in the regs. Overall, I'll do my best to encourage people to stick to the rules as they stand, as best I can understand them and be open to learning if I've misunderstood them. Past that, we all make our on choices on how much we're willing to push the lines.

Yeah, like most forums, the point does tend to wander after the initial couple posts or so. I think the first posts and the linked FCC doc provide the gist of the info to be had there, which is pretty much just an example of FCC actually taking some action on unapproved radios sold under another authorization, and a "manufacturer" selling radios programmed to operate outside the limitations they were approved under. Not an exact fit, since it was a manufacture provided setting rather than an end user change, and not any kind of "proof" that your position is incorrect, just a little more perspective.