jc1240

A note/warning about the NanoVNA - there are different versions with different firmware and worse, there are some knockoff/fake copies that may not work as well. Here's a video on some of the different versions: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNNtM_mUAqc For some reason, when I add https:// to the URL, the forum site blanks it out. Anyone know why?

FCC should have automatically extended all GMRS 5-years licenses by another 5 years. I know I know...government.

I've heard from hams that congress must approve the fee. Lord knows when they'll get around to that if true.

Is there a whine that changes pitch with the accelerator?

This. I got a PO box just for FCC licensing since it's public info. But I found something interesting. I would think PO boxes would be a set fee like stamps. Nope. I live between 2 Post Offices and am actually a little closer to the one that does not serve my zip code. That closer one (a much smaller post office) was $8.00 /month cheaper with the PO Box rental than my Post Office.

Then only thing you can do is get a PO Box and update your record on the FCC ULS site. mygrmrs.com will catch up a day or 2 after the FCC makes the change. The FCC update is free now and still free when the new fees go into effect. If you are fairly close to 2 post offices, check them both. I'm between two. My official post office wanted $8 more per month for the same size box compared to the other post office. Just make sure if you cancel the PO Box, you update the FCC with your real address. If for whatever reason they mail you something and it's returned or they expect a response and you don't provide it, they will revoke your license.

I don't think there is a link. Just type www.mygmrs.com in the address bar.

I don't know if GMRS licenses are handled the same, but with amateur radio you can renew an existing license up to 2 years after it expires. Beyond 2 years, the call sign is permanently gone and one would have to start over including taking the test(s) for the level desired. If GMRS is the same with the 2-year window, you are still way beyond that.

Josh Nass who runs the Ham Radio Crash Course youtube channel touches on this in a 3-part series about emergency communications (EMCOMM). FRS/GMRS are ok at the neighborhood level, but not much beyond that. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPLLMu4uyok www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCeO6iIkxLQ www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbpk48vDre8

I heard some folks on the Mt. Holly, PA repeater tonight talking about repeaters and their elevations. I was not in a position to chime in (technical roadblocks), but hopefully they read these forums. Regardless, this is a neat tool anyone might want to use. It uses Google Maps/Earth to show the elevation change between 2 points. It defaults to the UK area, but just move the map to the area you want. It's very cool and I found there is only 1 slight hill (relative) between my home and the Hanover, PA repeater. This surprised me a bit, but helps explain why I can pick it up and TX to it about 21 miles away on a HT. You can get the same functionality direct from Google Maps, but I don't know the settings to enable it. https://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-elevationtool.html EDIT: for clarification, the the elevation tool I'm referencing shows line-of-site between 2 points. You can even adjust one or both points for actual antenna elevation (tower height). It will show a graph of the relative elevation changes so you can easily see what might be in your way. Here is an example showing a bit of a hill on the left end.

Doubt it. When they went from 5 to 10 year licenses, they didn't automatically extend the existing 5-year licenses.

The GMRS fee is still $70, but only because the new fee structure has not gone into effect. GMRS, amateur, and a lot of others are classified as "personal licenses" and they will all be $35 (page 85 of the PDF in the first post). Thankfully, change-of-address will not have the fee. EDIT: I see the what n4gix means. Seems the FCC document is a bit contradictory.

The dot with a number in it means there are that many repeaters fairly close to each other in that area. If you zoom in on the map, they will separate to their locations and you can then click them to view the info.

Maybe some folks donated to a fund for the repeater and think of themselves as "part owner" of sorts. No excuse for being rude...I'm just puzzling out loud the reason. Unless the repeater owner says get lost, I would ignore them.

I was quite thrilled yesterday. I replaced the rubber duck antenna with a whip for my 4-watt HT and heard someone on a repeater I can receive. That repeater is a little over 22 miles away according to google maps. On a whim I went outside and gave it a shot. The fellow on the other end (the repeater owner) heard me! We had a quick conversation (I had family duties with dinner), but long enough to know it works, he heard me "well" and gave me a tip to talk with the mic close to my mouth since the distance/signal was weak enough there wouldn't be any over-deviation. HIs repeater has a preamp which helped I'm sure. I'm one happy camper.

SUPERG900 - oh, I know. I was hoping there'd be a ham-like environment around me. Oh well. I edited my previous post for clarity. Some of it didn't even make sense to me and I'm one who wrote it.

If you are asking in general (as opposed to the OP's specific test site), ARRL has a bunch. http://www.arrl.org/FindOnlineExam I'm scheduled in person on 9 Jan. The local VEC group (laurelvec) doesn't charge a penny (yay!). But I wonder if the bug will cause it to be canceled.

I'm in the same boat. I thought since it was licensed and having repeaters that there were folks out there chatting like ham. Nope. Most I hear are some kids in the neighborhood. I can get the mygmrs net only from the web site. The only repeater I can receive is 20+ miles away which is too far for me to transmit to/through and it is not part of the net. There are on occasion some folks chatting, though. One night it was two fellows discussing what type/model antenna one should get based on current setup, local terrain, etc. I found it more entertaining than what I find on TV these days. Looking forward to taking the technician test on 9 Jan. NOTE: Edited for clarity as some of what I wrote before seemed contradictory.

The flip side is at those prices, a lot more people can dip their toe in. When they realize it's for them, they can grow into a better system.

Thanks for the suggestion; that's what I did. I'll toy around with different versions like removing the h t t p s : / / Hopefully the forum software isn't "smart" and adds them back in....or if it does, it works. I take it I'm not alone in them being blank?

EDIT: I pasted 2 youtube URLs, but I'm only seeing large white space. Are new forum accounts limited? EDIT 2: I removed the protocol part and now they are just text and viewable for copy/paste. This guy mounted it between his seat and center console. It looks like there's just enough room for the seat to not rub the radio. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FuhFBzHxcM These folks mounted it in the center console and used some third party parts to make convenience ports in the console itself for the mic and a USB charge port. I've never had a radio like this, so I don't know if being enclosed like that would result in any heat problems. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehQ46FYdIX8

Rural with lots of trees, some rolling hills which may or may not be higher than our properties and some open farm fields between us. The other home that is 5000 feet away is on the other side of a hill that is about 1700 feet from my house and is a bit higher than ground level of my lot, then more trees and a field or 2.

Hi all. I'm new here. Posted the other day in some of the forums, but figured I'd make it official here. I thought HTs would be good for keeping in touch with family that live near me. One household is 5000 feet away in the next neighborhood and the other is 2 miles the opposite direction (both straight-line distances). Looks like we're all going to have to upgrade to mobile/base stations with an elevated antenna. I receive on a repeater, but no idea if I could transmit through it (definitely not on the HTs unless there's an unmarked one very close). The maps/DB here don't show any in a decent range. I also thought I'd stop at GMRS, but will be taking the amateur tech license test in January. I think I caught "the bug." I keep the money tree watered and fertilized, but no fruit yet.

Thank you WRAK968. I must have been on a cached version of the page and edited my original with info I found that they can talk before I saw your reply (but Midland's didn't have the warnings you provided) The explanations are great. Any more technical at this point and my head would start to hurt, so your level of explanation is perfect.

First - just to point out, there are some Baofeng (actually BTECH is the brand, but I believe it's the same manufacturer) are true GMRS and approved by the FCC. What most mean by "Baofengs" are the ham radios like the UV-5R and BF-8HP that are not approved by the FCC for GMRS. An FCC-approved GRMS radio is built to be locked into the GRMS frequencies/channels at no more than the wattage limits set by the FCC. This is what is meant by "type-approved." The Baofeng radios are ham/amateur radios that can also use the GRMS frequencies. They are not approved by the FCC for GMRS exactly because of that. Also, the Baofengs have "high" output (4 watts) and a low setting (1 watt). The ones labeled "HP" also can also output 8 watts. So, while they are in the limits for most of the GRMS channels, the lowest it can output is 1 watt which directly violates the 1/2 watt limit for channels 8-14.