tweiss3
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Posts posted by tweiss3
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The FT3DR doesn't really she you the coordinates or gris square, the D74 does, but isn't "waterproof". Both do APRS adequately.
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I'm just interested in more information, there really isn't much out there at all. A buddy that works for the local power company mentioned he loves it cause you just toss it in there and still have coms car to car (they get stuck using talk around cause in many of their convoys get out of the state trunked systems range).
I'm just trying to understand the option, its limitations and see if its worth looking into down the road.
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11 minutes ago, MichaelLAX said:
Comments about this HT on Amazon indicates that it is not waterproof.
FT3DR, VX-7R & VX-8DR are IPX5, 3' submerged for 30 minutes. How much waterproof do you need?
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4 minutes ago, pcradio said:
Thank you for the recommendation. However, I'm hoping to get a high-end radio. Unless I'm mistaken, the Yaesu FT3DR does meet all my requirement?
Modified, yes, it will meet all your requirements.
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I will say, you are going to have one heck of a time finding that, and its not going to be new. Keeping on that we all know this isn't going to be type accepted, the amateur radio market seems to be where you should look. The professional radios don't do both VHF/UHF in portable, though a handful do VHF or UHF with 700/800MHz. I have a FT3DR, and its a good option, battery life is pretty decent, and it has APRS built in, but you have to do the hardware modification to get GMRS & MURS. Yaesu VX-7R can do a software mod to get those, but it hasn't been in production for quite some time, and doesn't have GPS. I just picked one up not very long ago, and really really like the radio. VX-8GR had the GPS on top of VX-7R features, but I'm unsure about the software modifications.
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In order to keep the Part 95 certification, VFO transmit has to be disabled for anything other than the GMRS frequencies, my guess is its easier to disable VFO transmit all together, which appears what they did.
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To tag onto you Moto guys, anyone with any experience with the APX Vehicular dock? The one that turns the portable into a mobile with external antenna.
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The midlands are narrowband (11k vs wideband 20k), you need to turn the GM-30 to narrowband.
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5 minutes ago, MichaelLAX said:
That lead me to believe that transmitting DMR through an existing GMRS repeater would work, even if not allowed by FCC rules. But upon reflection after your reply; of course that could not be the case. I was misreading the anecdote.
It is now clearer to me that the example posted by tweiss3 must be an illegal DMR repeater set up in his area in the NE, and I agree that it is interesting that the FCC has not had the resources, yet, to shut it down.
Yea, I'm about 100 miles NE of his tower. I was only noting I found another DMR repeater on GMRS, separate from the ones he has found.
This does bring up an interesting point. I did just see a post about an ID5100 that will pass P25 traffic through the cross-band repeat feature. Would any other normal repeater with CSQ pass DMR/NXDN or any other digital mode as well, if it just needs a carrier? There isn't anything significantly different than passing packet or any AFSK mode through a repeater.
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This is what I use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BD6DRI6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
with these label cartridges https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074JZ6NWV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I label each HT behind the battery, and each battery gets numbered. Cables get it either on the plug, or right next to the plug on the cord, and wrapped in packing tape.
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First: Btech GMRS-V1 (Still have it, hasn't been turned on in over a year.
Current: VX-800u, 2 - VX-427, VX-417
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16 hours ago, WRKC935 said:
That's interesting that they don't seem to care.
I ain't gonna lie. If I could run DMR on GMRS, I certainly would. Well actually I would prefer to run P25 on GMRS and AES encryption. But the rules say no... so No.
The official response was pretty generic
QuoteYour complaint provides valuable information and is shared among FCC bureaus and offices to spot trends and practices that warrant investigation and enforcement action. If the FCC needs more information about your complaint, we will contact you directly.
Each year, the Enforcement Bureau takes hundreds of actions on behalf of consumers that result in tens of millions of dollars in penalties. These actions encourage companies and individuals to abide by the law and reduce future misconduct.
Thank you for your help in furthering the FCC’s mission on behalf of consumers. -
1 hour ago, WRKC935 said:
I haven't made any attempt to decode it with a scanner or service monitor and get the CC or Group Call ID numbers to see what it is for sure.
I would hope that it was clear. But figuring that it's DMR on GMRS which as you pointed out is illegal, going the extra mile and encrypting it wouldn't be a surprise.
I can't remember if I am hearing it on 625 or 575 but I think it's 575. I may throw my Whistler scanner in the van and see what I come up with at some point.
The other thing I would like to figure out is if it's a repeater or just a subscriber. I would guess it's a repeater because I hear it from Columbus all the way to Mt Vernon.
There is one up here too in the NE. Most users are 4 digit IDs, but two hams that are on the system use their ham ID and have never had a GMRS license in their life. I have a name, FRN, home address, recordings and everything and the FCC brushed it off.
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33 minutes ago, haneysa said:
I am looking at the "Line A and Line C" restrictions in part 95E rules. They cite a treaty for the reason for those restrictions. They provide a link to the treaty agreements with Canada. No where in any of the agreements shown on that page do I find an agreement regarding GMRS or FRS frequencies. I know that the Line A and Line C are still shown on the license, but perhaps the actual agreement lapsed or was rescinded, and someone forgot to update the license language? The closest frequencies to GMRS that I found listed were 454-459Mhz and 470-806Mhz. Line A begins 5 miles north of my house, hence the interest. So are these restrictions still in effect?
6 minutes ago, axorlov said:I'm far from Lane A and Line C, but my take on it, if license states the restriction, and this restriction was never specifically rescinded, it is still active. Just two channels lost, should be no biggie.
Line A, B, C detailed description (you're likely aware of it): https://www.fcc.gov/engineering-technology/electromagnetic-compatibility-division/frequency-coordination-canada-below
For GMRS, my license updated in 2020 still states the restrictions: no transmission on 462.650, 462.700, 467.650, 467.700. There is no mentioning about this restriction in Part 95.
For ham, no transmission in 420-430MHz segment, 97.303(m): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-97#p-97.303(m)
Agreed, it is still in effect, especially since it is listed on your license. I'm 1000' north of the line, so it does affect me.
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Cord came in, tested it, works great, but only in one ear. I'll live with it, it at least got me operational without taking my ear protection off.
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I'll give that a shot, I also bought a mono version. Will report, but I'm not going out in the field without a radio anymore. Some places I go don't have cell reception.
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2 hours ago, DownEastNC said:
As I dig into this further the more confused I get. It's an Internet thing I reckon. Some are saying that this particular antenna is not a J-Pole but some deviation thereof. Some folks are saying that Ed Fong is selling snake oil.
Regardless of those debates I have found some useful information.
The Ed Fong is a great antenna, and reasonably priced. I have one in 220 and one of the dual bands. The 220 might get used again soon, but the dual band is now a scanner antenna. Its biggest downfall is there are some Tram verticals that out perform it for the same price.
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I remember a local club did a dual band J-Pole project. Presentation/directions: https://w8wky.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Building-Simple-J-Pole.pdf Plans: https://w8wky.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Dual-Band-J-Pole.pdf
For GMRS, shorten the "middle" rod in small increments until the SWR bottoms out.
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It's not too bad. You need a radio (power supply, antenna, coax), I used Direwolf on a Raspberry Pi4, you need an audio card, and a way to hit PTT, or use VOX on the radio. This is the writeup I did about my iGate: https://www.ke8owx.com/projects/aprs. Mine is a 2-way, but has digipeating turned off.
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Ed Fong has documented how to build a dual band J-Pole here: https://edsantennas.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/3/5/29358461/dbj-1_qst.pdf
That should get you started in the correct direction, but it's going to be a build and test, tweak, update, test again.
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I'm starting to gear up for this winter's outdoor activities. I currently use Howard Leight electronic hearing protection. I enjoy my hearing and would like to keep it, but it's nice to hear what is going on around me. They currently cut out with my phone on speaker if I answer it, which is annoying, so a radio would likely have the same issue. They do have a stereo 3.5mm input, which I think would be perfect for a lapel/surveillance type radio input (instead of the earbud), and would allow me to clip the lapel mic/ptt in a good place while moving around. The problem is, I can't seem to locate that type of headset/external connection. Where should I be looking?
I suppose I could do an external speaker mic, then connect a headphone connector from the mic to the ear protection, but I would think someone makes a plug and play kit. -
Sounds like any option is going to be an experience. The real question for you is, what are you expecting to get out of a digital mode? More traffic? Talking around the world? Something to tinker with? I'm afraid you will be disappointed if you expect to have a significant more amount of traffic. Many of the "north america" or "america link" groups don't ragchew, its 90 seconds on, make the contact, move on for someone else. If you want to talk to someone in another country, its great for that. Heck, there is a local multimode reflector (DMR, DStar & YSF all linked together) and there is less traffic on that then the analog repeaters. Just manage your expectations. You should also reach out to the local repeater owners and see what is available, many of the YSF are stuck on a single room, and the DMR repeaters have a pre-set of allowable groups/timeslots permitted.
As for your next radio, any of the main brands will be perfect for you. And for anything that is NOT DMR, I highly recommend spending the $25 for RT Systems programming software, its much much better than any other software in my experience.
Don't sleep on 6 meters either, you have full permissions there as well, though getting below 2 meters does get expensive quickly. I would suggest reaching out to the local radio groups as well, see where the activity is, maybe get a weekly rotation of nets to join.
Looking for the ultimate Hiking Radio with support for 2m,70cm,GMRS,MURS
in General Discussion
Posted
I missed that the D74 is IP54 water resistant. I do consider it the best radio overall for GPS/APRS/Packet and use it for 220 all the time, but it's battery life is atrocious. Also, performing the MARS/CAP mod on it to work in MURS & GMRS is significantly more difficult, and you can't get it new anymore.
I do think it's durability is significantly less than other options, my keypad lost a key somehow, and I was still babying it.