Citizen

I see antennas advertised as “scanner” antennas. Does this mean that scanner antennas can only be used for RX only, or can any antenna be used for both RX and TX? Why do I ask? I bought an antenna specifically for my old RS VHF/UHF scanner. Obviously the scanner is multi band, so I’m assuming the antenna is too. I can receive some bands ok, like 70cm ham (like 444 and 453 Mhz), and 2m ham (like 146 Mhz), and business radio (like 464 Mhz). I even get Marine band ok (156 Mhz). But for some reason other frequencies in the middle of those are horrible, like GMRS (462) and FRS (467). I’m hoping someone with some antenna expertise can answer these question: Can I use a scanner antenna for TX on what-ever band? Why is a multi-band scanner antenna good for 464 Mhz, but lousy for 462 and 467 Thanks in advance. ...

Would you please say which particular Comet tri-band antenna you are using? Seems there are several. Thanks. ...

That defies the odds big time, hitting something that far away without seeing it first. Probably time to make an appointment with your optometrist, or just be more careful driving next time! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) ...

Step-1. First go to the myGMRS repeater page here. Filter for repeaters in your state/city/area. Note the repeaters range, antenna height, and PL tones, if posted. Step-2. Then go to the RF Line Of Site calculation page (scroll down). Adjust the pointer pins, one on your location, the other on the repeaters location (find this by using map in step-1 above). Adjust approximate height of both antennas (yours and the repeaters). This will tell you if you should be able to hit a particular repeater, based on the repeaters range (found in step-1) by showing you the distance away from the repeater in question, and natural and some man-made obstructions that may be present. With a good radio (15+ watts), a well tuned GMRS antenna with good height, and clear LOS (line-of-sight), you should be able to hit a repeater 20-50 miles away. Let us know how you fare and good luck. ...

You have found a bug I missed. Thank you for that. I went to my RT76P original program file and saw the error right there just as you said, so it must be coming pre-programmed new from Retevis with that frequency error on ch-8. Thought it would be easily fixed. Took me about 1 minute to run the programming software, load up my previously saved configuration file, change ch-8 TX and RX to correct the correct frequency (467.5625) and no tones, then save the file to disk, then write back to the radio. But in testing, I got the same results you did, Midland to Retevis on ch-8 works, but Retevis to Midland on ch-8 does not. Hmmm. You may want to view this thread right here on myGMRS with more information on RT76P programming, it's a great thread that helped me a lot: https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/2305-retevis-rt76p-programming/ Good luck! ...

The RT76P firmware and instructions can be found here: https://www.retevis.com/Retevis-RT76P-GMRS-Radio-Portable-Walkie-Talkies/#A9180BX1-C9034AX1 . Then click "Support", then click "Firmware/Software". Once I did this firmware upgrade, programming was easy using a Windows PC. I was able to set wideband, high/low power, and fix the Channel 8 bug as found by atnbirdie. Before you give up on the radio, try this. It's pretty decent once things are ironed out. ...

Question before I find out the hard way: I sometimes carry a GMRS HT exposed on my hip (with a belt clip, or sometimes in a durable/closeable holster made for that HT). If I go to the airport and go through security screening, is my HT worn on my belt going to be confiscated, as if it’s some sort of weapon or contraband? If the HT is confiscated at security, is there a way to get it back later after return? Or, if I refuse confiscation and therefore cannot get on the airplane, and/or cannot get back to my parked car to store it there (or if my drop-off ride has left already) so to pass security, what would you do? …

https://www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/rf-line-of-sight/ ...

Agree. And I'd bet the file that Rich is getting from the FCC is one of those that has free-form fields (Rich can correct if wrong). A simple string scan/change should do the trick, probably don't even need to assemble the other fields (should already be assembled properly). I would propose a one-time write of a simple script to do the string-change according to what Rich described above. That same simple script could be run each time he receives the file from the FCC. And if ever needed, it could easily be modified to accommodate any new string errors that may subsequently appear. ...

This very thing happened to me. I have a radio with a cigarette lighter power cord, in-line fuse very visible and easily accessible. But it also had another fuse I did not know about, which was inside the black plastic case that is the actual plug that plugs into the power source. Once when I thought my radio was dead (thought maybe lightning had hit it), it was actually that first hidden fuse had blown (the second visible fuse was still good). Luckily, I didn’t trash my radio. Found the hidden fuse using a VOM, replaced it, and radio worked fine. One more note on replacing power source fuses. Pay attention to the fuse ratings. Replace with exactly same rated fuses only, no more, no less. On the radio I cited above, I first replaced the fuse with a lower rated fuse. Radio worked fine on low power (99% of the time), but then blew days later the few times I used a channel programmed for medium or high power. Again, thought the radio was bad, but finally figured out the fuse I was putting in had a too low rating for the radio to operate at med or high power, so it would blow every time (went through 4-5 fuses trying to figure it out). But also and more importantly, don’t ever put in a higher rated fuse than what came with the radio, or what the manual calls for. Better to blow a few 25 cent fuses than a $150+ radio with a now voided warranty. I hope my lesson(s) learned can help someone else. Thomas ... EDIT: Corrected voltage ratings mentioned (thanks Lscott for pointing that out).

Of course, makes sense to wait a bit for them to fix it. ...

Rich, Would you be able to (temporarily, until fixed by the FCC) pre-scan the pipe-delimited file(s) looking for the Owner|Operator string? You could use a batch mode WHS or VBA script (or many such other tools) to first scan, then if found, change the string to Owner\|Operator , before inputting into the call-sign database. This is something I have done numerous times in my former job as an applications systems analyst. I can offer help if needed, or possibly write it for you. Thomas

Quick related story: I am 10 months new to GMRS and love it. I didn’t know anybody but have made friends in my area. Got into it first because I retired and so had the time, and because it was so easy. But I also got interested in Ham, and so I studied and about 2 weeks ago I took my Ham technician test and got my ticket. When I was at the testing site, there was a place on the test application form for a current call sign (if you have one, like if you’re going from tech to general or extra). I left it blank. When I handed my form into the VE, he asked me what my call sign was. I said “well, I don’t have one”, and making a dumb joke, I added “unless you want my GMRS call sign” (I was proud to have it). The VE scoffed as if it wasn’t funny at all and said “no”. He probably didn’t really mean anything demeaning, but with voice inflection, the way it sounded to me he did. I hope it was just me imagining things. So I am a Ham now. I pledge to never be one of those "sad-Hams" or knowingly be arrogant. Like I said, GMRS is my first [radio] love (Ham second, CB third…yep, still like CB). : ) ... Edit after thinking about this after posting: To be fair, absolutely everybody on Ham has been extremely nice/cordial to me on the air, so much that I am somewhat taken aback. There is not one exception. I so very much appreciate that, and am truly moved that they welcomed me aboard. So don't think for a minute that most Hams are sad-Hams. That said, I also think it's humorous that on GMRS, the guys and gals kind of "ham-it-up" some, by which I mean trade banter, poking fun, taking jabs, bustin'-chops, whatever you want to call it. Both Ham and GRMS are fun, and that's one of the two reasons I got into them, and I'm glad and proud to be apart of both!

So I was thinking about getting the Midland DBR2500 dual-band (70cm and 2m) radio. It is 25w, 144-148MHz VHF and 420-450MHz UHF. I was thinking about getting a Tram 1470 pre-tuned dual-band antenna to go with it (144-148 and 430-460), and some 36' of RG-8X cable. Does anyone have any experience with this or a similar setup? Thanks.

Yes, ICAO and NATO phonetics are effectively the same, but not the same as APCO (used by LE, I believe). And most of what has been said above is true...no need to use phonetics on GMRS unless clarification is needed due to low modulation, static or requested by the receiving station, or something like that. As far as being old, well yes that is true. But ICAO is currently used not only by NATO, but also by the US military, the UN, the FAA, the FCC (as Hams should know, it is "encouraged"). The term ICAO is most notable here...it means these phonetics are used internationally (e.g. world-wide) for aviation, even by countries who's native language is not English. English and ICAO phonetics are required by the FAA for international flights to fly into and out of the United States. I often hear people butcher the phonetic alphabet, but I never correct them (even though I'm a private pilot AND an old-timer US military radio man).

Is there such a thing as a legal Ham radio? I contacted Midland about their DBR2500 dual-band Amateur radio to see if it was Part 90 certified, and they said no, but offered no information about any other type of certification. I bought Midland GMRS radios because i believed them to be certified for GMRS. Is there no such animal for Ham? Thanks. ...

I am interested in this, but don’t yet have my Ham ticket (am scheduled to take the Technician test on April 10th). I do already have an analog UHF radio (have been listening only, of course). To join tgif.network, I would need both my Technician ticket, and a digital radio, right? I am still pretty new to all of this, and I don’t even know what type of radio to look for. And I'm not sure how Talk Groups work exactly. I found “DMR for dummies” web site and have been looking through that and elsewhere. Probably will research more later, but at the moment I'm still making studying for my Ham ticket my priority. …

I've got a similar situation/setup (want to purchase a separate 2m Ham radio/antenna). So I have two questions: 1 - What radio/antenna would you suggest for the 2m Ham setup (am somewhat price conscious)? 2 - Existing 70cm antenna is tuned for GMRS, not Ham. How does the combo 70cm Ham and GRMS antenna work out? Thanks for any advice. ...

Then, it seems safe to say: 1) A good electrical connection is not required for a UHF mag-mount. 2) NMO will always be better than a mag-mount (at least on a typical vehicle). ...

I believe this to be true, but also this is something that has confused me for a while now. I've asked before, but no one has answered directly yet. Seems appropriate to ask again here, so here goes: Most mag-mounts are for vehicle roof tops, which start as bare metal, but then are primed, painted and then clear-coated (sometimes more than one layer of each). And in fact, sometimes the magnet itself is painted or sealed. If the mag-mount antenna needs a good electrical connection to the ground-plane, then doesn't all this primer/paint/clear-coat/sealant prevent a good electrical connection? I realize of course that RF transcends the layers of paint et.al., but still, there is no direct electrical connection unless the vehicle roof-top is bare metal and the magnet is not coated. Where am I going wrong? For an NMO mount where a hole in the roof-top must be drilled, then I can see that bare metal is exposed (as a result of the drilling process) and a direct electrical connection can be achieved, as long as no rubber grommets or washers are used. Thanks. ...

How does one know which type/size/number of Ferrite Beads to use, and where along the coax and power cable to place them? For example, I have 36' of LMR400 from my UHF/GMRS radio to the antenna. The power cord is whatever came with the mobile radio (standard cigar-lighter plug type), I think maybe 14g wire, probably 3' in length. Thanks. ...

Now that's what I'm talkin' about. Gives me a better idea about how things could be mounted. Thx. ...

Friendly suggestion please: It would be cool if you guys with Jeeps with GRMS/CB rigs could post a picture of both your rig and antenna mounts, so us wanna-be Jeep owners could see what your talking about, and how a possible GMRS solution might influence a future Jeep purchase. Also, could someone explain the different Jeep model acronyms used in this thread (TJ, JKU, XJ, ZJ, JT, JK)? i know what a CJ5/CJ7 is, and of course a Wrangler and a Cherokee, but that's about it. PS. I'm not totally new to Jeeps: My brother owns a '78 CJ5, which I've driven a number of times, and my wife owns a '15 Cherokee 4x4 (ok ok, I know the Cherokee doesn't really count, it's just a family SUV). Thanks, Thomas

In screen shot 2, what is the Step column for at 2.5k ? (Reason for asking, I saw another example similar to this, but the "out-of-the-box" default was 25k). Thanks, ...

In my neighborhood, the most annoying thing by kids using Christmas present, bubble pack radios, given to them by their not-in-the-know parents, is the roger beep. The kids can't seem to hold down the PTT. So a single sentence (or sub-sentence) typically has 3-5 roger beeps. And this can go on for an hour. But fortunately, just as the children don't know how to turn off the beep, they also don't seem to know how to change the channel, and thus ALL the children in my neighborhood are on channel 1, which is the factory default it seems. The few businesses I've picked up are on channels 2,3 and 7, all with PLs. They probably moved off Ch-1 just for this reason. My solution? I almost always avoid channel 1. Just my 2 cents. ...