Edmo01

Checking back in 2 months later with an update…
I used hamstudy.org for my General test which was administered at my club’s December meeting…. 100% on the test!
Since I was in “study mode”, I began reviewing the Amateur Extra material.  I found the Extra test bank is definitely a more complicated group of questions.  So after a month of studying I took the Extra test at my club’s January meeting and passed it as well!  Of the 50 questions I did miss 2.  Those were missed because I rushed and didn’t fully read all of the answers and bit off on the wrong answer.  As a perfectionist, missing those 2 questions because I rushed is a bit aggravating! 

During all my years of flying airplanes in the USAF and all of the written test I was required to take I should have remembered the old adage of RTFQ!  
Anyway, good luck on your test…. I’m sure you will do well.
 
Edmo
K5KMY / WRMC916

A well done (and free!) site for test prep is hamstudy.org.  I’m currently studying for my general license using their site.
 
Edmo

A well done (and free!) site for test prep is hamstudy.org.  I’m currently studying for my general license using their site.
 
Edmo

In the amateur radio digital world I am a fan of Yaesu System Fusion (YSF)…
I have a Yaesu FTM-400 mobile unit at my home which serves as my 2 meter/70CM “base station”.  With 2 button pushes it can be switched to a YSF “Node” connected to “Al Gore’s amazing Interweb” through a laptop.  This allows me to talk directly in any of the hundreds of YSF “rooms”.  I can push 1 additional button and set it up to act as a repeater via my home antenna and provide access to all of the same YSF rooms using my Yaesu FT3D handheld or vehicle’s FTM-400 mobile radio.  

Another YSF connection option I have is an OpenSpot 3.  When I connect this garage door opener sized device to WiFi or tethered it to my phone, it allows communications access to many of the same YSF rooms.  I can use it to talk in the YSF network with my home, mobile, or handheld radios.  I can even make digital contacts while out hiking as long as I have a cell signal.
Lastly, there are several repeaters in my area which support YSF digital communications.  I can talk to other local stations just like on an analog FM repeater, but the digital audio is much cleaner and static free.  As others have said when in digital “voice wide” mode (VW), it sounds really nice with an audio quality almost as full as analog FM transmissions.  When I switch to “digital narrow” (DN), my radios include my GPS position information in the transmission.  The sound quality is a little more “digital”, but I can now see bearing and distance information to the other stations as they transmit.
Bottom line:  I have used YSF to talk to stations all over the world, often on a handheld while sitting in my backyard or out hiking.  It is an easy to use digital system and the number of Yaesu repeaters is growing daily.  I would say it is the “up and coming” digital format.
Edmo

As long as you are not transmitting on the 467.000 repeater input part of the band you are not interfering with a repeater.   Its not a prevailing opinion, its an FCC reg. 
 
The 50 watt simplex frequencies are the same as the repeater output frequencies, they are shared.
 
7 miles would be possible with well elevated antennas.  A directional antenna isn't that much help in the GMRS frequency band if there are obstructions.
Height is might.
 
I have made 11 mile VHF simplex contacts with my Anytone 50 watt VHF mobile, UHF/GMRS is harder without pure line of sight.