jgillaspy

Actually not so much. Hear me out. . . What I've found with my CCR ham radios is they have power-on-key-press actions to "open up" (MARS mod) the radios. I have several Mirkit (Baofeng) HTs and a couple of Anytone AT-779UV II mobiles and all either were already (Baofeng) or were easily opened up. It seams the FCC is harder on the Part 95e certification that on the ham certifications. So, buying a ham version of the radio and doing the MARS mod might be the way to go. JG

Even in the amateur radio world there are only a couple of Manufacturers that produce in the USA. They are VERY expensive. JG

I love it!!! Just what I expected.

So, there is a difference between the older Part 95 and the newer Part 95e certifications. Back in the day a manufacturer could get an "add-on" part 95 certification for just about any part 90 certified UHF product. That was the Part 95 cert. Now there is a separate certification process and that is the Part 95e certification. I point that out because there a couple of Kenwood and Motorola repeaters that were certified under the old system which are grandfathered in, so we can use them for GMRS. Here are a couple: Kenwood TKR-820 repeater Kenwood TKR-850 repeater Anyway, hope this helps. JG

I've found with many radios that you have to really push hard to get the little clip to fully engage. Otherwise it will eventually pop out when you pull on the cable using the mic or vibrations work it out. JG

Yep, just read the same thing over at QRZ. Glad I got my General class and Vanity call sign before this. I may actually try for Amateur Extra sooner than I had planned. JG

If you are comfortable using a Windows PC then I'd consider a used Kenwood tk-880 or tk-8180. They can be found on ebay and often on sites like used-radios.com. They can program your radio with the GMRS standard channels so you can get started right away. The programming software (CPS) is available free online. You can buy the cable on ebay from bluemax49ers. The radios are built like a tank, so moving them from car-to-car-to-house would present less of an issue. You can buy multiple brackets and power cables so you unhook power and antenna, unscrew the mount and off you go. This was my plan until I got my Technician ham license and went to Anytone at-778UV which does 2M, 70CM and GMRS transmit and receive. I bought my tk-8180h (high power) from used-radios.com and had them program it. worked right out of the box. JG

I don't think there is much of a way to clean up a mag-mount antenna. You will always have the wire showing. You might want to look at using a lip-mount and mount it on the upper side of your rear hatch. You can then route the cable in through the hatch and hide it under the interior trim. Just make sure to stay cleat of any curtain air bags. Also make sure you get one with a sealed mount cable. JG

Make sure you have the SWR meter connected correctly. I had this issue when I had the meter connected backwards. . . Really made me feel stupid when I realized it later. I lost several hours of troubleshooting to my mistake. Mine read 19.9 as well. The meter ports are labeled - verify your connections. JG

My next purchase will be that same antenna. Currently I'm using a mag-mount dual-band on a cookie sheet in my house. Works great on 2M, nothing on 70CM or GMRS. JG

I'm' over near Sea World and can't hit anything. Looking to setup my own repeater at this point. Only traffic around here is a couple of kids and Chick-Fil-A. Looking for a good base antenna at this point as well. JG

Like any of the bad guys care. JG

After last years power outage here in SATX I got a gas/propane negerator (10KW) and 2 x 100# propane tanks. Couple that with a manual transfer switch I can keep everything except the stove and HVAC running. JG

The DB-25 is on sale as well, $96. https://smile.amazon.com/Radioddity-Repeater-Scanning-Receiver-Overlanding/dp/B09C7JBBVY?ref_=ast_sto_dp

That was awesome! Keep up the good work on your channel. I really enjoy it. JG

Interesting take on "gaming" the FCC. The issue would be finding a Part 95e-certified radio that can be setup to receive outside of GMRS in the UHF spectrum. Now an older Part 95-certified radio (think Kenwood or Motorola) you could probably get this to work. But why?!? JG

For the 2M band I have 3 x YSF, 2 x D-Star and 1 x DMR. 70CM is worse and nothing for 6M. Fusion it is. . . Gotta save up for that. JG

Really, I'm just exploring options and learning. From a prepping standpoint all of the digital, internet-connection options are gone anyway. The whole world is going "digital" so I'm exploring options. I don't want to go one direction and have to go another. As far as contacts go I have no expectations. I will look into the 6M stuff though. JG

So, I got started in civilian radio as a prepper's communication choice. I'm no REAL prepper, but I do a little. I started w/GMRS because it was easy. After programming a non-part-95e HT and getting rather frustrated rather quickly (GMRS is pretty dead here in SATX) I started thinking about amateur radio. My dad was a ham and I learned to read a schematic, solder, etc. when I built his Heath Kit power supply for his 20M rig. I started looking at the technician test and figured, with a little study, I could get that. I did and here I am. The HTs I have are ham radios so I've reprogrammed them and now also have an AnyTone AT-778UV as mobile. Before I invested more money I wanted to see what all was out there, so digital ham entered the picture. All the digital choices will do analog as well, so I'm not giving up one for the other. I just want to make a good choice based on my circumstances. I do plan on taking the General test, but just haven't studied enough yet, so currently I'm pretty much stuck in the UHF/VHF world. I have looked at a 10M mobile rig that can do SSB but not sure I really want to go that route either. Choices, choices. . . JG

What about the FT-70DR HTs? They are more in my price range. What am I giving up with those? JG

@tweiss3Thanks for the update. ebay and QRZ have them starting @ $300. I'll keep watching. JG

Hello All, So first off, let's try to keep this on topic. The last thread about "Your favorite digital mode and why" flew off topic rather quickly. From what I've found so far when it comes to digital voice you have 3 choices: 1. System Fusion - Yaesu proprietary, easy to use, internet connected with wires-x, expensive hardware (HT or Mobile), no registration 2. D-Star - JAIA open source project with proprietary CODEC, ICOM's solution, less expensive hardware, a little more difficult to setup but not bad, requires registration to leave local repeater 3. DMR - Completely open source, available from all the CCM folks, requires registration, very involved to setup, cheapest hardware options I know the choice may really come down to availability of repeaters in my area. In a 25-mile radius of my home I see the following: 1. System Fusion - 11 2. D-Star - 4 3, DMR - 3 Each is a mix of 2M and 70CM. I've read where Fusion is falling out of fashion across the US, but winning here, so that would be a logical choice, but the cheapest mobile I've found (used) is around $500. More than I want to spend to try this stuff out. What says the group? JG

Hey @pcradio Here is a link to the channels: https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FRS/GMRS_combined_channel_chart JG

T0 remove the board from the chassis I have to remove the antenna connector, but it isn't small. What a design. . . JG

Hey All, IO bought a Wouxun KG-UP920P-A knowing it had a failed final MOSFET thinking I could do the repair. I had no idea the piece sas so small. I just don't have the tools/skills for this repair. I'm having poor luck finding anything local to San Antonio, TX for repair. Anyone have some place/someone to whom I could shit it for repair? I'm only into it for $75 so far, so unless it is an expensive fix (already have 4 x MOSFETs) I'll still come out ahead. Here is a link to the repair process I found online - https://owenduffy.net/equipment/KG-UV920P/index.htm Thanks, JG