ke0eyh

I believe your conclusion to be correct. This topic has been discussed and debated many times before, and I do believe someone on this forum, perhaps even within the last 60-90 days, provided some very useful information that provides clarification.
 
My takeaway for years has been that there is a relative rare case in GMRS where a need can exist to establish a permanent point-to-point link between two transceivers that will always and forever only communicate between themselves for as long as they exist. (Think two microwave-like dishes pointed at one-another on towers 50 miles apart). When such condition exists the links are then limited to 15w.
 
My currently understanding is that the terminology stems from terminology that exists (or did exist) in the land mobile radio service from which GMRS evolved. And since there are grandfathered licenses out there that date way back in time, the language remains and continues to add confusion to modern-day GMRS licensees. The circular reference in the Fixed Station definition reference grossly adds to the confusion.
 
As always, I am willing to be educated. Yet after near twenty years I have yet to learn anything more credible than that.
 
Do a search on Wikipedia for the terminology and you will end of with a few more nuggets of both clarity and confusion.
 
 
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

Oh, the Surecom shill... seriously, get a NanoVNA v2 with a 4.3 screen to measure SWR. Tune your antennas to 50 ohms, not to the lowest SWR (return loss).
 
G.
 

I heard some kids playing with FRS, likely bubblepacks, that they received for birthday. I knew it was a birthday gift because they said it was. I just listened until they faded away in a few days. Batteries probably dried out and now their little WT’s are thrown into a drawer where they will be soon forgotten. There are probably millions of these buubepack WT’s sitting in drawers, collecting dust. They are good for car convoying, as long as the cars stay close..

On behalf of Rich, William and myself, we would like to thank everyone who has registered here and is participating in the new format Forum.  Your interaction with others and your technical discussions have been noticed by several major international search engines and this forum is now inching it's way up the popularity charts. A big thank you from the staff.
 
We hope that everyone will have a fun, but safe holiday weekend. We would also ask that everyone please be observant and if you are traveling or out in public and see anything that could be interpreted as a criminal or terrorist scenario, report it immediately to authorities. Bad guys use holidays as an excuse to do their deeds, so please enjoy the days ahead, but don't let your guard down.
 
Not only as a Moderator, but as a Christian Pastor, let me just say - Blessings to all and Be Safe.
 
 

You might try an Arrow beam made for the 70cm/440 ham band. 
They make some very high gain antennas.
 
I have the moon bounce portable beam that I bought for my 2m/440 ham rig.
You may find other models are better suited to your situation.
 
I'm sure there are other makes as well.
I guess the main point is that there is a lot more available for Ham 440MHz than GMRS and the match is probably good enough or tunable.
 
My 440 mag mount antennas match pretty good on GMRS but I'm not sure if the beams are more critical.
So do a little home work first.
 
Vince

Here in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento regions we have started hearing a "baby monitor" type devices using GMRS 462 and 467 MHz primary repeater frequencies, in nursing home settings (given the message content).  We are aware of about twenty incidents of this over the past three months, but the rate of occurrence is rising.  The most recent was strong enough to interfere with a CERT/Fire Council repeater out here. 
 
These typically operate during daylight periods, and appear to be continuously keyed for up to 12-16 hours at a time, although background noise, such as televisions, could be keeping them transmitting if set for VOX.  They do not have time-out timers enabled.  These change channels occasionally, but usually end up on 462.625, 462.725, 467.625 and 467.725 MHz.   They use a D754 or a D734 DCS code.
 
This kind of device was explicitly mentioned in past FCC GMRS rulings as it was feared that manufacturer's might use these channels for such things.
 
Given most repeaters here in California are on 1500-4000 ft. mountains, continuous destructive interference will occur to our repeater inputs.   
 
I tried to DF the source of one of these last week, but it was found to be in San Francisco and we ran out of time.  SF is a particularly difficult place to do this due to the density, hills and other sources.  Thankfully these are constantly keyed.  The device I was looking for was horizontally polarized, making it about 10-20 dB weaker when received on a vertical vehicle antenna.   A Yagi in horizontal worked best.  
 
My goal was not to go after the user (they don't know better), but instead get a picture of the device, determine its manufacturer and model number, and establish who is selling it.  As these may be used in nursing care facilities, they will likely have to bring the device out to us to be safe. 
 
Please let us know here if you hear these as we are trying to keep a list of the channels and codes in use so we can identify the specific radio model. 
 
This is clearly in violation of §95.1733(a)(10) and §95.1763© for GMRS, and §95.587(3) for FRS.  It also appears to violate §95.533.  

No. It has everything to do with the equipment you are using. If the equipment you are using is certified for FRS then you do not need to apply for a license. If you are using equipment certified for GMRS, you must have a license.
 
Previously the rules were interpreted like you describe by many users. In 2017 the FCC eliminated that ambiguity. They now make it clear that to use FRS and GMRS frequencies you must use type certified equipment to be legal. That also translates to also mean that if you are using GMRS equipment, you must have a license. As part of their ruling, pre-existing equipment with power less than 2 watts were legally reclassified as FRS. Anything with more was reclassified as GMRS. There are no longer any more legal “hybrid” FRS and GMRS radios. They are either one or the other, not both.
 
Yes, max power for FRS is 2 watt on channels 1-7 and 15-22. Channels 8-15 are 1/2 watt for both FRS and GRMS.
 
Regards,
 
 
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

That won't go over so well is absolutely right.
 
The Ham bands are ALWAYS being looked at by various groups to use. Hams already lost part of the 1.25 meter band due to UPS wanting it.
 
At the site below look under the section heading "U.S. reallocation" for a brief history lesson.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1.25-meter_band
 
Hams have to constantly watch their bands for illegal CB'ers on the 12M and 10M bands, local TV stations on the old analog channel 2 made 6M almost unusable in those areas, fishing boats - high power Chinese cordless phones among other junk operating illegally on 2M, and on 70cm there is a low power commercial allocation at 433MHz, right in the middle of the band.
 
Hams also had to deal with some companies using parts of 70cm for police drones etc. not to mention the band is shared with the US military. The later was an issue with the military Pave-Paws radars.
 
http://www.arrl.org/news/air-force-pledges-continued-cooperation-with-radio-amateurs-during-cape-cod-radar-upgrades
 

I am not programming Kenwoods, but I use Chirp in native Ubuntu. I had a similar error and it was a 2-step fix.
 
1. Instead of using a TTY com port, I scrolled down to the bottom and selected USB0.
 
2. I had to add my userid to the dialout group.
    sudo usermod -aG dialout username (replace username with your own)
 
I try to stay away from Windows, even Wine, as much as possible.

I've known Randy for quite awhile now, having been an active member of the NSEA for the past six years. Randy also put up the very first GMRS repeater in the nation, and was very instrumental in promoting GMRS and helping others across the country to get their repeaters on-line.
 
Yes, Randy has the distinction of having -- of not the oldest -- then one of the oldest licenses: KAA8142. Interesting factoid, this format is identical to the old Class D CB license, such as mine from the early sixties: KQI2403.
 
If anyone is truly interested, here is Randy's letter to the FCC. There is a lot of history revealed within it. 
https://www.nsea.com/fcc/Comments%20MD%2020-270.pdf
 
http://www.nsea.com is the website for the NSEA.

Well gee I wonder if they will be sending back half the money for folks that got their licenses in the last 12 months.

Correct. Here is an example. If you are programming for what many would call a ‘550’ repeater. Your radio would be tuned to 462.5500 MHz (this is the the frequency you listen on). Your radio would be configured to transmit +5 MHz higher on 467.5500 MHz. This is called a 5 MHz positive offset.
 
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM
 
 
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The output is the frequency that the repeater transmits on; the same frequency that you listen to. The input frequency is the frequency that the repeater listens on; the same frequency that you transmit on.
 
In the GMRS world, when using repeaters, the repeaters always listen to frequencies in the 467 MHz band, and always transmit on frequencies in the 462 MHz band. Convention has it that there is always 5 MHz difference between the transmit and receive frequencies.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM
 
 
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I don't thank that it will work like you want it ?
Could be wrong?
less you now how to find the ptt   cos   and so on!
 I use 2 tk880     for my repeater i made!

Hi Joe,
 
As long as those radios have an accessory connector that provides PTT, COR, and RX/TX audio you should be able to interface it with a URIxB from DMK Engineering. We sell linking bundles that give you the Raspberry Pi and the URIxB, you just need to add your own cable to connect to the radios. Depending on the type of interface required, we can make custom cables for $40-50.
 
Asterisk nodes aren't exactly plug-and-play, but the ones we sell are pretty close. We configure the software for you so once you plug in the Raspberry Pi it'll already be "on the network", but you'll still need to tune your audio settings to get the volume levels correct and make sure the PTT polarity is correct, for example. Many people buy these kits because they get you 90% of the way there and only a little fine tuning is required which is going to vary with each person's individual needs and hardware, so that's why it can't be 100% plug-and-play.
 
For those who are interested in a DIY setup, we have the software image available or you can buy an SD card with the software preconfigured with your node information for a nominal charge.
 
All of these can be found on the myGMRS Shop:
 
https://shop.mygmrs.com/collections/repeaters-and-accessories/products/repeater-linking-bundle
 
https://shop.mygmrs.com/collections/repeaters-and-accessories/products/sandisk-8gb-microsd-card-mygmrs-link
 
https://shop.mygmrs.com/products/custom-repeater-cable-25-pin

First off, Welcome to GMRS. All of us here hope you have a good experience.
 
All licensees are obligated under the terms of their license to know, understand and follow the rules. In case you have not studied them, here are some links that are immediately relevant.
 
https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-17-57A1.pdf
 
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/part-95
 
The first link contains a PDF version of the rules that you can download, keep and reference.
 
As you read through the rules you will learn a lot about GMRS and the other Personal Radio Services. You will also learn that in 2017 the rules evolved to require that only radios that are type certified (95e and earlier 95a grandfathered). The rules clarify that new products will be not be certified for GMRS unless they comply with technical requirements of 95e, they clarify that it is the licensee’s obligation to use only compliant equipment and they clarify by specific example that non-certified equipment (such as amateur radio equipment) cannot and will not be certified for use in GMRS. The UV5R is not a certified radio, thus it can only legally be operated by a licensed amateur radio operator on amateur radio frequencies only.
 
Admittedly, you will eventually learn that some folks on this and other forums do not comply with the rules. They do this at their own risk. But is is also safe to say that the majority of folks here want to be good stewards of the GMRS service and we hope you will too.
 
Once you have read the rules through a couple of times, feel free to ask whatever questions you have. There are a lot of knowledgable folks here. Probably best to start separate thread with you questions so as not to hide them under the current “Local Repeater and Chirp” topic.
 
Once again,
 
Welcome to GMRS.
 
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

It is fixed now...  Thank Rich... Easy fix...

Looks like the issue is fixed now. There was an issue with server resources that were running low.

Thanks for the heads up. I see the issue and working on the fix now. 

I have the same issue on https://mygmrs.com/, but not on https://forums.mygmrs.com/ (i.e. the forums work, but the main site doesn't).

Add me to this observation...  I was looking up repeaters and had to log in after each click...  Was not like that before, but I can see a good reason for doing that if a robot attack.
 

you should be able to reset your password on the main mygmrs site. https://mygmrs.com/password Using this tool will require access to the registered email address of your account. Follow the instructions in the E-mail and you'll be set.

I agree with a dedicated section. Get all the issues and resolutions into ONE PLACE. There is no tutorial so this would be most helpful in easing the learning curve. Its not just repeater technical its more the IT side of it.
I consider myself a "Power User" at IT and still found myself scratching my head at times.
I am probably the one behind "all the new post on Linking" I tried to keep them all in the Private section.
Rick H...
WQHJ382 / W2RGH

I think that would be a great idea. I also believe that with MyGMRS selling node controllers that perhaps there could be a tutorial on the main site explaining some of the set-up steps and reminders of some of the codes and files that can be customized. I was thinking about contacting Rich and seeing if we could get that all going.

I have built more than one repeater from a couple of Motorola Radius or Maxtrac mobiles. The best cables I have found are from MRE1032 on ebay. The simple one has audio level control and optional delay. I have made my own cable also, it's easy. 
 
I actually used a couple of Maxtrac's and a cable I made up in 10 minutes back about 20 years ago when I was working for M and our local city service departments' GE VHF repeater went kaboom on a summer day. Hooked the mobiles up to their duplexer, and made them a temporary 20 watt repeater. They actually wanted to keep it...I think it worked better than the old GE. 
 
I have seen the old "Industrial" MSF5000 repeaters...big cabinet, all the regular heavy duty internals...and a 6 watt PA.