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SDK

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Posts posted by SDK

  1. On 8/10/2022 at 10:59 AM, DEE207 said:

    WRTJ790? WQYC747 / KC1LGL / Steve here in Mechanic Falls.The best repeater around is the Spruce 675 on Spruce Mountain in Woodstock owned by Jeffrey Hartford with help from David Libby. Attached is my latest list of Maine (and relevant New Hampshire) GMRS repeaters, most with propagation maps. I have talked with my sister in Benton, Maine from Mechanic Falls on the Spruce 675 She is 58.1 miles from Spruce Mountain. I have also attached lists of active GMRS licenses in Maine by Call Sign and by Name. Have you joined the Maine GMRS Facebook Group? That's a relatively small group right now with just 112 members. I think a GMRS meet-up would be a great idea.

     

     

    338538504_ActiveGMRSRepeatersInMaine-2022-08-10.pdf 2022-08-16 - Active Maine GMRS Licenses by Call Sign.pdf 2022-08-16 - Active Maine GMRS Licenses by Name.xlsx

  2. 16 hours ago, SQUIRE said:

    Hello across the board, I am in the third year of building off-grid camp and have a pretty good spot for a repeater. Also have 100' tower not erected at this time. Location is Lincoln / Lee  also have a neighbor interested in setting up / investing in this repeater not sure if others would like to get involved and share the load.

    WRPK891

    Squire, are you aware that we are not allowed to use GMRS channels 19 and 21 to the north or east of Line A? See attached document and this FCC website: 

    https://www.fcc.gov/engineering-technology/electromagnetic-compatibility-division/frequency-coordination-canada-below

     

     

    Line A in Maine.pdf

  3. Hi Mark,

    Yes, we have spoken on air. I am not on a lot right now, too many other things to do that make it difficult. I have BaoFeng BF-F8HP handhelds as my main radios. I have my original UV-5R in the car with an external antenna and a 12-volt power adapter. I also have it running through my car sound system for better clarity. I really like their expanded frequency range that makes them good for both Ham and GMRS as well as emergency services monitoring.

    Do you know of any Preppers in our area? My wife and I are part of a loose-knit group. Have been trying to get everyone outfitted, licensed, and trained on GMRS since none of them are inclined to get Ham licenses. I got my Ham license [KC1LGL] three years ago (one of my retirement projects).

    Steve / WQYC747

  4. Are there any Prepper-minded folks out here? SouthernPrepper1 has a video on YouTube to give us Mainers a chance to connect in his comments section. I have tried, but we Mainers are a skeptical bunch and aren't prone to "join in" easily. I have recently started trying to connect with Preppers on GMRS and Ham. No contact yet. GMRS, with the repeaters out there, is perfect for Preppers.

  5. On 3/7/2022 at 1:37 PM, DrBombay said:

    Hi all,

    I spend a lot of time each year up no'th in the great state of Maine, from Rangeley to Presque Isle exploring and getting my monies worth out of my hammock. Once one gets thru the gates of the NMW, other than Ham, there is nothing.  Would like to know of, and use, repeaters in the Jackman, Greenville, Brownsville, Ashland range.     TIA

    Even the Ham must be limited to HF. I don't think there are any linked VHF or UHF repeaters up there, are there? I have a friend with as camp in the Allagash and was looking for one he could use.

  6. Hi WROM399, welcome to the air! Sorry I didn't notice you sooner. I don't come here very often.

    There is a repeater on Spruce Mountain in Woodstock that is the best around. Can you program duplex for a repeater on your radio?

    It is set up on Channel 20 - 462.675 MHz with a +5 MHz offset and a 156.7 PL Tone on the input.

    It has the best range of all GMRS repeaters around. It is about 2,400' above sea level and has a 80-90 Watts ERP. I heard an operator calling from Dover-Foxcroft just the other day.

    WQYC747 - Steve in Mechanic Falls

     

  7.  

    Learning the hard way:

    1. Wanted radios that work better than FRS cheapies you find at Lowes/Home Depot. Bought 5 watt Midlands GXT1030. (fail)
    2. Knew I needed FCC license but didn't know to wait for 1/2 reduction in fees (fail)
    3. Happen to see a repeater in south Charlotte and thought "cool" I can use that with these radios (fail)

     

    I highly recommend the BauFeng BF-F8HP for handhelds. They are 8-watt transceivers with a wide range of VHF and UHF frequencies including two Ham bands (2m & 70cm), FRS/GMRS, MURS, and many local emergency services frequencies so you can use them as scanners. They are currently $62.89 each. I recommend getting the longer NA-771 antenna at $16.99 and a spare battery or two. Check them out at baofengtech.com. For a mobile rig the UV-25X2 or UV-50X2 are affordable options with the same capabilities and much higher power. Get the programming cable and use the free application CHIRP to program them. Been there, done that with the Midlands - never again. WQYC747

  8. Hi Gang,

    I just stumbled onto this "Central Maine" thread. I also have both GMRS and Ham General licenses. The GMRS is for the family blanket for travel or recreational use mostly. Not much, if any, traffic on GMRS these days. I listen to the Streaked Mountain repeater in Buckfield sometimes on Channel 20. I can talk simplex with family nearby. On a budget so I use BaoFeng handhelds and a 25-watt mobile in the car.

  9. I got my USB cable as part of the expansion pack when I bought my UV-5R from BTECH a year ago. I fought for hours trying to get it to work. The next morning I simply plugged the cable (no radio attached) into my laptop and it proceeded to download and install the driver automatically. No problems after that. The COM Port is tricky, but try them all until you find the one that works and then use that one. If you use more than one computer it will probably be different on each.

     

    I am trying to figure out how to connect through a local repeater here right now. I may be getting close.

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