mbrun

FPP allows use of the standard +5MHz offset only. No other option available. You would need the software to do non-standard stuff. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

That really is a great story. Thanks for sharing that. Around me there is one particular amateur repeater with great Tx coverage, but it has been shared many times that it’s ears are bigger than its mouth. There are times it seems it should not by all rights pick up some distant HTs, but it does so with seemly no effort. I understand the setup has been online for decades, its filters are first rate and it is meticulously maintained. Regards, Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Yes it can. @Papatree has identified the three scan choices on the 935. These choices, and there behavior, have been the same on every Wouxun radio I have ever used. One choice ends scanning the moment it detects a signal, one choice pauses for 5 seconds when it detects a signal and then automatically resumes, one choice pauses to permit you to hear a conversion and then continues after a period of inactivity on the channel. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

These color settings do not affect the screen color like they do on the 805. They are truly just affecting the color of the single front panel LED that is located next to the channel indicator. If I understood correctly, the OP wants to tone down the screen brightness at night. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Ok, you got me laughing really good. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

A few of the Wouxun GMRS models (and some of their amateur models as well) do have an emergency alert feature. The alert can be set off by sending the radio an ANI-ID followed by DTMF code ‘110’. This can be triggered manually to experience it yourself by doing the following. Using a radio with a DTMF keypad enter ‘999#110’. 999 represents an ANI-ID value, # is used to terminate the end the ANI-ID, and 110 is the actual alarm code. I have confirmed this works on the following models in my possession: 905G, 935G, KG-UV8H, KG-UV9P, KG-T56. Activation is a true annoying emergency alert siren. It seems to reproduce on the receiving radio until the radio detects a carrier on the originating frequency again, at which time it stops. This function appears completely separate from the calling function that exists in some of the radios. The 905G is a very poor performer. While it can be set off, the DTMF decoder is so poor, that it is completely hit and mis as to whether it will sound or not. All the other models activate nearly 100% of the time when tested at short range. The 905G, 935G, KG-1000G, KG-UV8H, KG-UV9P do have a calling feature which, if the radios are configured appropriately, will cause the radio to ring when they receive an ANI-ID followed by either the ANI-ID of the receiving radio, one of the supported wildcard key combinations (*#, [digit]**). The later wildcard represents the first digit of the receiving radio’s ANI-ID. The KG-805G has an official alarm button. When the button is pressed it sends out its ANI-ID followed by the 110 alarm code. However, the radio fails to terminate its ANI-ID with a # sign when it transmits it, consequently, the act of pressing the alarm button fails to actually notify anyone that the user is in distress. Instead, the alarm goes off locally. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Edit - This post has been edited since it was originally posted to remedy incorrect information originally posted. My original recollection regarding the 805G was incorrect. Have checked my notes and retesting, I have opted to revise the post with the latest information since it had not be quoted.

Chiming in on the cables. I purchased the RT Systems cables when I purchased their software. I am able to use their cables with the Wouxun software and the RT Systems software. I have cables with the Kenwood-compatible connector for the HTs, and one with the RJ45 for use with the KG-1000G. So now the Wouxun cable stay in storage and I am only using the RT Systems cables. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Glad you are off to a good start. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

In the GMRS service, when in use, repeaters are required to ID every 15 minutes when used by any party(s) other than the license holder. If they are sitting idle, they are not required to ID, but many do so every 15 minutes 24 hours a day. It is not at all uncommon for repeaters to ID without sending a CTCSS or DCS code. One benefit of this is that persons who choose to use a a CTCSS or DCS Rx code on their radios is that they do not have to listen to the ID every 15 minutes. Callsigns do get recycled. The pattern for callsigns has evolved over the years for various radio services. If a old callsign does not fit the current pattern for a service, it is my understanding it would be recycled only within the service for it follows the current pattern. I cannot answer the question on whether GMRS every had 6 characters only. I do believe you have identified that the service for which it was previously assigned was “AS”. This is a service I am not presently familiar with. Also, the rules for repeater identification do vary with service. For example, the amateur radio service requires a 10 minute interval when the repeater is in use. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

That symptom can be an indication you are right on the very edge of coverage. Enough to trigger that repeater, but insufficient to deliver usable audio. I recommend getting much closer to the repeater and trying again. If you still have the same issue there is something else going on. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Welcome myGMRS. There are a lot of good and knowledgable people here. Enjoy the forum. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Here is a general video on the subject within the context of ham radio. You may find it informative. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Assuming the meter is working correctly, and installed in circuit correctly then there is a problem with your antenna system (feed-line, adapters and antenna). Now begins the process of elimination. You may wish to try your measurements again using the shortest possible cable length and different adapters as you have them available to see if results change. I am not a fan of cut-by-chart trimming of antennas. When an antenna is known to be long for its intended purpose, I prefer to trim a little and measure, then repeat as necessary so as to sneak up on the target value. Doing so helps you know where you are getting close (because SWR gets better with each snip) but also when you have gone too far (because SWR starts to rise). Be aware that at high frequencies, minute length changes can cause big changes. It is possible that you may already snipped it too much, but also that you have not snipped it enough. Further, If you are testing using repeater input frequencies (467 MHz range) and the antenna is actually tuned for 462 MHz range, then the 467 numbers will appear higher than the 462 numbers. Snipping of course should only be done on a basic antenna, or one that is, by design, intended for sniping and/or you have advanced knowledge antenna designs. I don’t own your specific antenna, so I cannot cannot from experience comment if it is designed for cutting or not. For what is is worth, there no such thing as an SWR of less than 1. The first number is always 1 or greater, and the second number is always 1. Collectively they would appear as follows: 1.5:1, 1:1, 1.15:1, 4.7:1, etc. So .8:1, 0.5:1, 1.25:2 are all examples of invalid SWR values. Hope there is a little nugget of assistance in there. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

The difference is one gets paid for their work, the other is a volunteer that does not get paid. The whole idea of open source software is that the community chips in. Anyone that has the skills and interest can chip in to bring closure to the driver. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

I applaud your effort in making the measurements. Isn’t experimentation fun? The duty cycle rating of a piece of equipment is going to vary based on some given set of ambient conditions and target performance and longevity criteria. Looking at the RT97 specs, the manufacture rates ambient operating temperature range of -30 to 60C (-22 to 140F). Theoretically the product should perform within spec when operated within this temperature range. However, the manufacturer does not specify how long the product can sustain operation at the higher temperatures. It could be 30 seconds, minutes, hours, days, months or years. And they do not spec longevity at any other temperature either. What we all know is that one of electronics worst enemy is heat, but we also know that all electronics produce heat and operate at temperatures greater than ambient. It is the rating of the individual components that ultimate determine the capability of the product. Most all common electronics work incredibly well and live incredibly long lives when operating temperatures are held near room temperature (20C, 68F). But is not uncommon for component operating temperatures to reach 70C (158F) and selectively well beyond in some cases. In the case of a repeater, the duty cycle of the product is ultimately the percentage of time it can transmit continuously at some given power level without exceeding some target operating temperature and performance variance. In a more practical sense, the duty cycle is the percentage of time it can transmit continuously at some given power level and do so reliably for years and years without heat-induced failure. Absent detailed knowledge of all the components used in the design all we can do is speculate and/or measure longevity ourselves. If I were doing an at-home duty cycle experiment myself, I believe I would start by determining what percentage of time I could transmit and limit operating temperature of the output components at the heat-sink connection to a rise of no more 20F. 20F being selected arbitrarily because it is a modest amount, and 20F above 68F is a temperature that electronics can run at reliably for decades. Beyond that, further knowledge of the specific components would be required. I hope these additional insights are helpful. Regards, Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

The UV8H driver must be downloaded and installed manually, as it is still under development. Check out this page for information. https://chirp.danplanet.com/issues/8803 Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Edit: Removed period from the end of the chirp URL.

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Very good question. I am utterly amazed there has not been more talk about this topic. While I am not an expert on the subject I will share what I do know. - There is no official need for DTMF in GMRS. It is a feature that can be used when you have a special need for it. - DTMF codes are commonly used to remotely control repeaters and to control other electronics that might be monitoring the frequency. - In some radio circles (outside GMRS) some repeaters and other radios might require both a tone burst to trigger a remote receiver to open up. This is a feature that equipment that long pre-dated CTCSS and DCS sometimes needed for operation. I know of no cases in GMRS where is applicable today. Perhaps someone else will have a current day example where it is being used. - Sidetones refers to the feature of your radio that allows you, the operator, to hear the tones that your radio is sending out. This could be your radio’s ANI-ID, manual DTMF from button presses, or even select-call calling tones. The term ‘Sidetone’ comes from telephony and refers to the sound emitted from the ear piece portion of the phone. If you press a button on the phone’s keypad you will hear the tones from the ear piece. In your radio, when sidetones are not active you could very well be sending out DTMF tones and have no idea that you are. If you are using DTMF for anything, turn sidetones on so you know when and what you are sending. - The ANI-ID on your radio is a number that you establish that identifies your radio. You have six digits available and values must be greater than 101. - If you have ANI-ID turned on, when you press and/or release your PTT, your ANI-ID is sent out. The BOT, EOT and BOTH values you see in one of you radio’s function menus determines if your ANI-ID is sent out when you press PTT, release PTT or press and release. - If a receiving radio has a DTMF decoder within it, your ANI-ID will appear on their display suggesting to them which radio is transmitting. - The ‘Ring’ feature is one that, when properly enabled, allows other radios in your group to cause your radio to ring to attract your attention. For this to occur, the transmitting radio must have a valid ANI-ID value configured, the receiving radio must have an ANI-ID configured, and the transmitting radio also needs to have the receiving radio’s ANI-ID entered into the Call Group it is using. So, for example, if you have two radios, one with an ANI-ID 101 and another with an ANI-ID 102, radio 101 can cause radio 102 to ring, and radio 102 can cause radio 101 to ring. The Call Group fields are where you enter the ANI-ID of the various radios you want to be able to call/ring. Think of them like speed-dial memories. For radio 101 to call 102, radio 101 would have 102 in one of its Call Group cells. - When you have one of your PF buttons configured to make a Call, that button causes two things to be sent out in rapid succession: your ANI-ID and the receiving radio’s ANI-ID. Using the 101 and 102 radio example above, this takes the form of ‘101#102’. - Some wildcards are supported in Call Groups. Instead of entering ‘101’ in a Call Group, you could enter ‘1**’. The later would case all radios whose ANI-ID begins with ‘1’ to ring. - Ringing is not enabled by default on Wouxun radios. One must expressly enable it. - One way to enable ringing is to set the current channels SP-Mute mode to “QT*DT” or ‘QT*DTMF”. Since SP-MUTE is a channel-by-channel setting you can have some memory channels configured to ring when called and others that do not. - ANI-ID needs to be programmed, but it does not need to be turned on to always send out to use the Select call feature. I have found zero Wouxun documentation or videos that covers this. Admittedly I struggled for sometime trying to piece it together. Thanks to [mention=5881]IanM[/mention] who provided some enlightenment to help me bring it all into focus. I have found some BF stuff that covers the subject a little, but terminology is slightly different. These features have, in my view, practical use in large organized group and family outings. They have also had merit, and perhaps still do, in some LMR circles. I recently have been configuring all my radios to have unique ANI-ID, and setting up Calling Groups. I have yet to work to work out the specific details of the SP-Mute mode called ‘QT+DT’ or QT+DTMF. But my current understanding is that the radio will not break squelch until it hears an ANI-ID in DTMF form and then when it does there is some other unique behavior. I will soon be exploring that and documenting its behavior. Hope this helps. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Edit: If you to do some experimenting and to see things work with little complication do this: 1) Configure multiple Wouxun radios. Give each a unique ANI-ID starting a 101 and going up. Use 101 in your KG-935G. 2) Set each radio to GMRS channel 01 (462.5625), low power. 3) Make sure all radios are using the same CTCSS. Say 67.0 Tx and Rx. 4) Set the SP-MUTE mode for channel 01 on all radios to QT*DT. 5) On your KG-935G radio, enable sending out of the ANI-ID each time the PTT is pressed. 6) Turn all radios on. 7) Press PTT on the KG-935G and immediately press 102# and watch what happens. Then repeat using the ANI-ID for all other radios. This simulates a select call. 8) Press PTT on the KG-935G and immediately press 1** and watch what happens. 9) Press PTT on the KG-935G and immediately press *# and watch what happens. When you have made it this far and have seen ANI-ID show up on the radio displays and you have successfully experienced ringing, then move to programming your call groups in the radios if you decide you want to use them. You may also wish to explore the different behaviors you get if some radios are in the 100 series, some in 200 series and some in the 300 series of ANI-ID values. BTW, Despite PTT-ID being a menu option on the 805G, the ID is never sent out of that radio, nor will the radio ever display one if it receives one.

Whole heartedly agree on the static build up. Proper grounding helps to bleed off static caused by wind and as well as the spikes caused by environmental electrical disturbances nearby. While grounding will not save you in the event of a direct hit, if done correctly, it will save you from injury and property damage from more likely and frequent causes of shock, equipment damage and some noise. Bonding is a key step in the grounding process that too many people ignore because they don’t understand its purpose. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Immediately before the feed-line enters the house. You should locate the ground rod in close proximity and connected to the arrestor. Further, you should interconnect your new ground rod to your existing electrical service entrance ground rod directly by way of a bonding conductor (e.g. #6 bare copper). This bonding conductor is expressly covered in the National Electric Code. It serves to further minimize voltage potential between the shield of the feed-line and the electrical grounding conductors in your home. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Add repeater input frequencies into your scan lists as a way to learn who is talking on repeaters that may be within simplex range of you. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

That is what I remember from my early years in CB too. Enjoyed the friendship, REACT and the community service side of it. Dropped it completely however in the early 80’s. Held on to the equipment for years (I don’t know why) and finally donated it to Good Will just a few years ago. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

There is not an official driver for the 8H for Chirp, but there is one in development reported as 70% done as of 30 days ago. A gentleman in Cuba is developing it. If you are a gambling man and can find it on their website you too can download and experiment. I have downloaded and played with it briefly but not extensively. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

The power bug I reported was fixed today. I communicated with the tech support folks and they took care of it very quickly and sent me an email that told me to check for updates from the help menu. Updated painlessly and I can confirm it is fixed. Yesterday I discovered that their software is missing the capability of setting each channels SP-MUTE mode, and it is also missing the ability to enter the call codes and names. This too has been reported. If others report it missing too they might expedite completion of this missing work. I admit I might have overlooked this items if I had not been actively involved in programming those very values into my radios. I have RT Systems license for many models of radios I own, including the KG-1000G and KG-935G. While you have to launch separate apps for each, I was able to open the 1000G’s image file in the 935G’s app so that its channel settings could be used immediately and directly by the 935 without reentry. The settings I needed to change were the power settings on a few channels. It could not have been easier. Good to hear from you. Regards, Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Norton 360 found no virus in the package on initial scan, nor did it balk when trying to install. So this old version appears clean. 73 Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM