rdunajewski

myGMRS runs a network that has grown pretty big. Corey linked to our linking bundle which is a Raspberry Pi 3 with an interface board of your choice to connect to your repeater. You just need to supply your own cable from the board to the repeater. Typically we can help with that as long as there isn't a proprietary connector on your radio except for the Motorola Maxtrac/CDM 16/20 pin connectors. Check out a map of our network: https://link.mygmrs.com/map Corey's group has some more information, too: https://mwgmrs.com/linking/

It's like being angry at the guards for catching your kids playing around on Area 51's land. "How dare you scare my kids that were breaking the rules?! I want to speak to your manager!"

Make sure you get an antenna that doesn't need a ground plane for the best performance. With it mounted so close to the edge of the roof, you'll be missing an effective ground plane to the rear which might cause your radiation pattern to be directional. Height might be an issue but if possible look for something that doesn't need the ground plane. Bonus if you can find a covert or short antenna that can do it.

Cool. It's entry level, but it seems to work quite well. If you had any negatives, I was going to suggest bringing them up with BuyTwoWayRadios, as they worked with Wouxun to have this radio made for GMRS. Any issues could be brought up and resolved for a future generation of the radio.

I'm curious, did you have any problems with it? Or just moving on to bigger and better things?

I'm open to guest authors who want to help out with articles like that. Articles in general are one thing I want to add that has been missing. The site is functional for looking up repeaters, but lacking in substantive content that will drive traffic to us.

If anyone wants to try out Slack, I created an account for myGMRS. Here's the link to join: [Link removed, moved to Private Discussion] I recommend putting your callsign after your name in the "full name" field (first name only is okay if you prefer).

We had a chat on this board before, but I didn't renew the license for it. Nobody was using it. Instead, we could use a service like Slack or Discord to hold discussions. Then we would get notifications on our mobile devices if we so choose. I think a chat on the forum means everyone needs to be logged in and sitting on the chat page, which is exactly why nobody used it.

We have several projects planned that are in various stages of development, but I'm trying to figure out priorities based upon what the members want (and some things that I haven't thought of yet). I think we can all agree that Problem #1 is outdated listings that never got removed but are no longer on the air for one reason or another. We have plans to address that, but it requires a major redevelopment of the site. In the meantime we have the toggle switches on the map that allow you to hide anything that hasn't been updated in the last year, as it could be stale. So, what do you think myGMRS needs? What do you personally wish we had that we don't? Here's some projects that are being considered or are already in the works: Finish working on the mobile apps. We have a beta version of the iOS app that has some issues before it can be released to everyone. That effort needs to be revived soon. The Android version has been released but there are new features that we want to add (and will also be in iOS). A complete site redevelopment. Much of the code powering myGMRS is over 10 years old. It's the main reason new features aren't being added -- we need a fresh modern platform to work with. Some early experimentation has been done and we think we have the right combination of technology, but need to build it. Then we can begin adding new features once we have covered all the current functionality. Launch of our store and securing reseller arrangements with various suppliers. This has been a small success already that we're hoping will grow with time. Most of my energy has been spent here lately, trying to get products that our members are likely to want to purchase. We're always looking for suggestions on products we should add, so please let us know. Expand our repeater linking project. We have had success with adding systems to our myGMRS Network over the past few years but we haven't pushed to expand very hard. Interested parties have come to us asking to join and we have approved them on a case-by-case basis. It's time, I think, to ramp up the project and try to get more high-quality repeaters on board across the country. There is a lot of work involved in making this something that can scale up without taking huge amounts of my time, however. Upgrade the forums. We're using an older version of the IP.Board software, and I want to migrate to the latest version soon. We'll have to migrate all the accounts and topics over, but hopefully it won't be such a tough process.I also have a really cool project in mind that I'm going to remain tight-lipped about. It would be an app which would be of interest to the entire two-way radio community, not just GMRS and Amateur operators. I'm working on a proof of concept that could expand into a whole side business if successful. So again, what do you think this site is missing? What kinds of features do you think would be worth paying a small subscription for? The core features of the site will remain free. Since incorporating, we have had to look for ways to monetize the site so it pays its own bills and can grow with time. One example might be an ad-free experience for paid subscribers. Another could be advanced tools for helping to compile a list of repeaters along a trip or commute. Dream up some ideas and hopefully we can launch them all!

You have an Amtateur callsign, not a GMRS callsign. A GMRS license is required for this site and to operate on GMRS frequencies. An Amateur license does not grant any privileges. A license lasts for 10 years and covers your immediate family members as well, no test is required.

https://community.allstarlink.org/t/concern-about-gmrs/15549/73?u=n2dlx He started with his nonsense over on the Allstar forums. I felt the need to do a little damage control since these loosey-goosey networks are doing all kinds of stuff that can reflect poorly on GMRS linking in general. Behavioral health is not an area I have expertise in, but this guy definitely seems to have some serious problems.

Ah, yes. Corey will have lots to add here as his dealings have gone much further. Long story short, the guy is a nutcase and I had to ban him from myGMRS after constant nonsense. It started with him trying to list dozens of fake repeaters claiming he has hundreds of repeaters he was going to personally finance and put up all over the country for everyone to use for a fee. Needless to say, he lives in a trailer in the middle of nowhere and everything he said was a lie. Don't send any money whatever you do! If you're going to waste perfectly good cash, at least go spend it in our store so you get something in return, and not empty promises.

Thanks, just remember they need the discount code as well. It's not automatically discounted. Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

We have some big news regarding our new online store! myGMRS is now an Authorized Reseller for Midland Radios! This means you can be certain you're purchasing original product properly sourced from the manufacturer and they will stand behind their warranty should there be any issues with the product. With many manufacturers, if you don't buy from official channels they will not honor their warranty, which puts the consumer in a very tough spot when they have a problem. We now carry the MicroMobile series (which are repeater capable) and some of the X-TALKER series handheld radios! These are Part 95 certified so you will be 100% legal on GMRS. To celebrate, we're offering 20% off all Midland products from now until February 1st! Just enter the discount code MIDLANDLAUNCH at checkout to get the discount. No limit on number of items! Midland MicroMobile MXT400 40W Radio Midland MicroMobile MXT400VP3 40W Radio Value Pack Midland MicroMobile MXT275 15W Radio (Remote Head) Midland MicroMobile MXT115 15W Radio Midland X-TALKER T290VP4 Radios (2-Pack) Midland X-TALKER T295VP4 Radios (2-Pack) Midland MXTA12 Antenna Mag Mount Base Thanks for supporting myGMRS.com!

Unfortunately with shipping that's a better price than I could give on these. I can sell them, but only the DB404-B is currently listed on the store for $499 plus shipping. I have one of these, and it works very well. I needed a folded dipole antenna that wasn't too tall as it was going on the roof of a condo where penthouse owners had roof access, so having a large antenna in their sight line was a problem. All of the Decibel antennas have worked well for me, definitely worth the price. Shipping estimate is near $175 due to the size of it, so that sounds like a decent deal if it's from an authorized reseller.

I have one of these units but I haven't had the chance to throw them on the service monitor yet. Danny from BuyTwoWayRadios said they selected this model because it wasn't a radio-on-a-chip design, so the performance should be better than a lot of the CCR's. I haven't been able to independently verify that yet. The radio does work, I programmed it for a repeater a couple miles away and I was able to talk between my Kenwood NX-5300 and this radio side-by-side via the repeater. So even with the obvious desense, they still worked. That's about the extent of my testing aside from scanning around the FRS/GMRS frequencies to see what else I pick up (which isn't much as this area is very quiet now). myGMRS is also selling these on our shop, and we're working on reseller arrangements with several big names that are in the final stages. The goal is to have a GMRS-friendly shop where you can find type-accepted equipment and some non-GMRS equipment as well, like Part 90 and Amateur equipment. But if you're new to GMRS and have no idea what equipment you can buy, we'll have a clearly-marked GMRS section so you can buy something legal without worry.

Newsflash (at least to me) -- Kenwood has at least one other Grantee Code: K44. TK-8180H, TK-8160, NXR-800K, NX-800H, etc are under that Grantee Code. Also, it seems like if you search for Part 95 vs. 95A you'll get different results. Some were submitted under plain ol' 95 and some have the subpart code. With the latest Part 95 rules, GMRS is actually Subpart E now. So older equipment will have legacy Subpart A certification but new grants and Class II Permissive Changes will be under 95E going forward. Yay, confusion!

Honestly, it's just enabled that way by default. It wasn't a conscious decision. It's probably for the best, like berkinet said. Someone will go crazy and like every single thing one day and just get annoying.

We now have four-letter words for people like that.

I just don't see the ban going on for much longer. I think we as a community need to step up and make a convincing case, on the record with the FCC. When they denied the requests to permit digital voice, they specifically mentioned that there was insufficient discussion about it in the record, and thus they could not make a ruling. Once a Petition for Rulemaking is filed with a very narrow set of requests (not the kitchen sink arguments that were flying around last time -- mostly due to so so many proposed changes by the FCC, we had to defend all of them), key GMRS groups and radio manufacturers will have a chance to discuss it officially on the record and the FCC can make the determination. Even still, the main issue I see with allowed digital voice is that no Part 95 equipment (to my knowledge) is even capable of being programmed to enable it. Maybe one or two models exist that carry dual Part 90 and 95 certification. Assuming the FCC even decided to lift the restriction on digital voice, one of three things will need to happen: The manufacturers will need to begin adding digital to their lineup of radios. This is not impossible, as some low-cost dPMR radios exist for Europe, but I don't see it as something they want to jump at right now. I think the tide will turn within the next 5-10 years, but that's quite far off. The FCC would need to permit GMRS licensees to use Part 90 equipment. We've been down this road before, and they pretty much completely shut down the argument. Their position seems to be that the manufacturers just need to submit their equipment for type certification and there would be no issue. The manufacturers will need to begin certifying their equipment for Part 95 as well. For whatever reason, the manufacturers seldom cross-certify for Part 95. We're only just now getting some of the Chinese radios to have Part 95 certification (much to the chagrin of some of us), but getting Motorola, Kenwood, Icom, etc to follow suit has not been going very well. GMRS and FRS were lumped together so GMRS radios ended up being seen as bubble pack radios to sell at Walmart, not for more robust communications. Hopefully now that the combo radios are no longer able to be marketed, that means GMRS will finally get some non-bubble pack love.Digital formats are finally working their way into cheaper radios (mostly DMR at this point), so hopefully the market for digital personal communications will continue to grow and the manufacturers will get serious about meeting the demand. I think this lack of motivation will be a driving factor in the FCC not permitting digital formats in the near future. I also think the bubble pack manufacturers will sit back and moan that digital doesn't do anything special and they don't want to hear complaints of interference. It will need to be a concerted effort to get this done, but I think the case can certainly be made. Everybody needs to be on the same page and the argument eventually has to be had on the record, not just online in forums.

I disagree, on FM this isn't an issue. If the 2 stations are far enough away that they do not interfere on analog, they would similarly not interfere on digital. It's only a problem when the two systems are close enough that analog interference would occur, then the digital signal would cause nearly identical interference. The problem is when a digital transmitter is transmitting all the time (like with trunking control channels), because the analog users would hear constant noise on the same channel (no matter how faint), rather than intermittent transmissions on a normal voice channel. Remember, a digital radio transmission is NOT a digital waveform, and therefore is no more harsh on FM than an analog transmission. The wave is still a sine wave, but the modulation being applied to it results in one of a few levels of frequency shift, since it's FM (commonly 4-level FSK is used). That means that the carrier (present whether on analog or digital) is going to shift either up one of 2 frequencies or down one of two frequencies to represent 2 bits of data (00, 01, 11, 10) rather than only one (0 or 1). What you're hearing on an analog receiver is actually the rhythmic fluctuations of the modulation, shifting up and down as the bits are transmitted. By contrast, analog is rather chaotically modulated by the actual audio being transmitted (a much messier wave, but conveniently one that you can understand as a sound wave/speech/tone/etc). At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what is modulating the carrier wave on FM. A digital signal doesn't actually go any further than an analog signal, it's just that a digital receiver can more easily distinguish, for example, one of 4 frequency shifts on a faint carrier than it could with 8 kHz of audio (including a CTCSS tone) to open up squelch. Hence, most digital radios have better sensitivity on digital (at the expense of a higher error rate in decoding the bits [known as BER - Bit Error Rate]).

I don't think favoritism toward a particular standard would be in the best interest of the public, and likely wouldn't be specified by the FCC. What they are likely to do is specify a very limited set of emission designators which may or may not include the type of digital you're hoping to use (i.e. a TDMA format like DMR). So, if anyone has hopes of using DMR one day, they really need to make sure the FCC permits the associated emission type. For example, here are some common formats and their emission designators. The last 3 digits are significant as they designate the modulation and type: 2-slot DMR (MotoTRBO) voice 7K60FXE 2-slot DMR (MotoTRBO) data 7K60FXD P25 Phase I voice 8K10F1E P25 Phase I voice 8K10F1D P25 Phase II has several designators, of which 8K10F1W is one type NXDN 6.25kHz (IDAS/NEXEDGE) voice 4K00F1E NXDN 6.25kHz (IDAS/NEXEDGE) data 4K00F1D NXDN 6.25kHz (IDAS/NEXEDGE) voice+data 4K00F1W NXDN 12.5kHz (IDAS/NEXEDGE) voice 8K30F1E NXDN 12.5kHz (IDAS/NEXEDGE) voice 8K30F1D NXDN 12.5kHz (IDAS/NEXEDGE) voice+data 8K30F7W We are most likely to see the voice emissions allowed but not sure about the data or combined voice+data modes. Note that DMR is actually FXE and not F1E, which means an oversight (intentional or otherwise) by the FCC could exclude DMR simply my omitting its emission type. Now back to my opinion, I prefer DMR. Early on NXDN was a winner in my eyes, but once DMR became more openly supported and the Ham community embraced it, it has become the clear winner. Since we cannot benefit from 6.25 kHz channels on GMRS anytime soon, narrowband NXDN doesn't do anything for us except minimize adjacent channel interference, which typically isn't a big problem on GMRS to begin with. We just don't want to be locked into a particular standard and then when something new and improved comes out, we're locked in by the Part 95 rules. If it meets the emission designators, it would be open to use. TDMA systems like DMR, however, allow us to use a 12.5 kHz channel (really a 25 kHz channel, but we're occupying 12.5 kHz in this case) with 2 time slots, or virtual channels. This doubles our efficiency on a given channel, even if GMRS isn't so busy to really need it right now. It would be good for putting up one repeater and having 2 distinct usages like a private slot for the individual/family putting up the system, and a slot open for the public to use. The two groups can coexist and transmit simultaneously without affecting each other.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hopefully everyone's bellies are full and you're spending time with your friends and family. Now that we're heading straight into the holiday season, I wanted to mention that we have launched a new store. Previously we had a Spreadshirt shop which only sold t-shirts and similar apparel. Now, we're expanding into other categories such as radios and radio accessories. Many of our Spreadshirt items are available on this new Shopify store. We're still working on dealer arrangements with some GMRS radio manufacturers, but in the meantime we have a great Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal: 20% Off your order of $50 or more! Just use the discount code BLACKFRIDAY19 at checkout. If you have ideas for products or designs we should carry, please let me know! https://shop.mygmrs.com/

Sounds like you're looking for a voting system where the yellow circles are satellite receivers, and the audio gets back to the transmitter site (which can and should also have its own receiver, like a normal repeater). Then you need something to evaluate the signals coming in from the array receivers and select which one to use as the transmitter's source of audio to repeat. The voter can switch fairly seamlessly between receiver sites as the signal varies during a transmission. Rather than cutting out when the signal changes, ideally a second receiver will pick up the user and the repeater will grab that other receiver's audio. Traditionally this is done with leased phone lines or microwave links which are very expensive. However, this can also be done over the Internet with one major caveat: timing. When your voter is comparing the signal quality of each receiver, the audio waves need to be in-phase (synchronized) for the comparison to work. For RF or copper links, this is pretty simple to do as everything comes in (roughly) at the speed of light. Over the Internet, however, the packets containing the audio can and will be delayed by variable amounts of time. The only way to line up the audio across various receiver sources is to use an accurate timing system like GPS to "timestamp" each packet and assemble them on the other end. There's a device called an RTCM for Allstar which does this. They're not super cheap but nowhere near the expensive professional grade stuff. You'd need one at the repeater location and one for each additional receiver, plus a GPS for each site. I've done some experimenting with these. You can even achieve simulcast where you have multiple transmitters at the same time, but the RF needs to be in-phase as well or the transmitters will interfere with each other instead of "amplifying" their collective signals. You'd need transmitters which have an external 10 MHz reference signal and a timing source based off GPS ($$) to provide a synchronized 10 MHz clock input. I haven't gone this far, and I think this is probably overkill for GMRS.

I'll be completely honest, I didn't read all of the posts above... But I recommend you make a connector that plugs into the accessory connector which jumpers 12V to Pin 3 so it will work. You might have to hunt around to find the exact part you need, but you should be able to get it from an electronics supplier online like Mouser or Digi-Key. Then you don't have a paper clip shoved in there which could pop out or worse, jumper the wrong pins and cause a short.