wrci350

If you are suggesting that the GMRS repeater network in western/central NY was shut down due to DMR (or other digital format) being used, I think you are incorrect. What brought you to that conclusion?

It's long, it's stiff, it's ugly, and I still haven't figured out how to make it fold! But ... I was using it on a magmount on top of the roof of my crew cab truck and had a good SWR on GMRS and MURS as well as 2m, 1.25m, and 70cm amateur frequencies. The only place it went above 2:1 was at the very bottom of 70cm although it was between 1.5:1 and 2:1 on the entire band. It worked well for me ... but it's long, it's stiff, it's ugly (did I say that??), and I now have a permanent NMO mount on my truck and I'm using a Larson NMO2/70SH which is only 19" long (less than half as long as the Comet) and actually has a *better* SWR not only on 2m/70cm but also on GMRS and MURS. It IS a unity gain antenna which may be good or bad depending on the terrain. And it's nice to be able to go through a drive-thru without taking my antenna down!

Yes. That tends to work a lot better than an HT (with rubber duck) inside a vehicle.

Take a look at the Alinco DJ-G46. My experience has been that it has a better receiver than other GMRS radios I have.

Leo, your call sign is WSCI776. That's the letter "I", not the number "1".

Sweet. What are you doing for an antenna?

Just one more note on the DJ-G46. RT Systems has released their programmer software for it. I purchased it this past Monday evening, downloaded and installed it, and right away I noticed a bug. I read the programming from the radio (that I had done with the Alinco software) and the frequencies for the custom repeater channels I had programmed were totally off (578.xxx receive and 583.xxx transmit). I contacted their tech support via email Monday night, and after I supplied a copy of my programming file via email (which was delayed because I was away from the radio and computer on Tuesday) they found and corrected the problem and issued an updated version of the software by Wednesday morning! As I said in my review, this radio doesn't have a 'menu' system so the changes you can make without programming software are quite limited. The Alinco software is "ok", but I would highly recommend the RT Systems software and cable instead, not only because it is more polished but because of their excellent customer support. I really like this radio. Hopefully it will be a success for Alinco.

OK please pardon the ignorant question, but what is the orange bar on top of the hood? Nice looking vehicle and radio install, BTW.

It's not designed to be tuned, but it IS designed to have an SWR of 2:1 or less on GMRS. I have one and it sweeps at < 1.7:1 on 462 and 467. So should work out of the box on GMRS. It's a tall and ugly antenna though!

If by "private" you mean, "no one else can use the repeater" (or at least "someone needs the non-standard tone to use the repeater"), sure. If by "private" you actually mean PRIVATE, like no one else can hear you, that's absolutely not the case. Anyone listening to the repeater with squelch tones turned off can hear everything. But you knew that, right? Keep in mind that someone doesn't need your secret tone to jam your repeater, either.

Some of the models will; some won't. https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-805g.html Scroll down and there is a table listing four. 935G does, 805G, 905G, and S88SG do not. And having a dedicated NOAA radio that runs off AA or AAA batteries is a good idea. That way you aren't dependent on the battery in an HT.

Businesses are allowed to use encryption, yes.

No.

You can either turn the receive tone back on, in which case you will only hear transmissions with that tone, or you can leave it off (and then you will hear anything on that channel, either from the repeater or simplex). Many repeaters do not send a CTCSS tone when they identify, so people running with the receive tone on don't [have to] hear the ID.

Yes but Baofeng's are ... special. They all used to ship "unlocked" with a bunch of random test frequencies programmed at the factory, many of which were in US public safety bands. After the FCC finally woke up and complained, they started shipping locked to amateur frequencies, but of course everyone who buys them unlocks them. But here's another suggestion. Buy a $150 Windows laptop and then you can run the Yaesu software, or the RT Systems software. I have nothing against Chirp specifically, and I am a long-term supporter of "free" software, but Chirp is not the be-all and end-all that many think it is. I cringe every time someone buys a "good" radio and wants to program it with Chirp.

Maybe because it's a ham radio, designed to be used by licensed amateurs on amateur frequencies? Out of the box, that radio will only transmit on 2m and 70cm frequencies. You put in the magic code to "unlock" it, and that's exactly what happened. Here's a suggestion: Keep your finger away from the PTT while you're scanning those Arizona Highway Patrol frequencies.

Tell us more. 200 miles simplex on UHF? Are you on top of a mountain, surrounded by desert?

If the OP is only concerned about two locations that might be a solution. But not an option if we are talking about a more general use case (people at multiple locations, driving around, etc.)

Totally depends on terrain and vegetation, buildings, etc, but generally less than 10 miles. Often much less. If someone "sold" you on GMRS being the solution to this problem, they mislead you.

30 miles simplex on UHF is possible given ideal circumstances (mountain top to mountain top, for example, or two locations in the desert with no vegetation or sand dunes in the way) but probably not going to work for you. If there *was* a repeater in a good location then that would be doable. The other question is easier: absolutely. Just get a power supply. This is a good one, but there are lots of less expensive alternatives: https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/alo-dm-330mvt

Here are a few suggestions. First, I would take GMRS off the table. As you know, GMRS is a licensed service, and while your license covers you and your family (including any Scouts that are your kids) that doesn't extend to anyone else in the troop, adult or youth. You could, as has already been suggested, use that as an opportunity to have members negotiate the FCC website, but minors aren't even eligible to get a GMRS license so their parents would have to get one. I'm sure some may read this and think, "no one will care if you let kids use your GMRS radios" but A Scout is Obedient, right? FRS and MURS, on the other hand, are great tools. We used to use FRS bubble pack radios but switched to using MURS radios instead since they work better in the thick vegetation at summer camp. If your troop goes the FRS route then you (and anyone else with a GMRS license) can use a GMRS radio to talk to the FRS radios. We primarily used radios in three ways: 1) Inter-vehicle communication while travelling to campouts and summer camp. Using an HT inside a car or truck is not ideal, but as long as you are fairly close they do fine. Simple things like making sure all drivers have their Scouts and are ready to go after a stop are much easier done with radios. 2) Communication between leaders at summer camp. Radios are VERY useful while at camp. "Hey Mr. Scoutmaster, since you are over that direction can you please stop at the office and pick up our mail?" "Mr. Smith, can you please bring a couple blue cards to the lunchtime merit badge class?" Sure, they can be used in an emergency too, but it's SO much easier to ask if someone is in camp and can grab something rather than having to walk back yourself! We also did a hike one day at camp and the radios were useful for keeping track of the hiking group's progress, and for coordinating between the front and back of the hikers. 3) Communication between leaders and patrols during weekend campouts. Useful for things like, "Hey Mr. Scoutmaster, a bunch of us Scouts want to go play gaga ball until it's time to start dinner" so you hand the SPL a radio and tell him you'll let him know when it's time to come back. Sure, you could just have a leader go fetch them when it's time, but why not use the technology at hand? Hope this helps!

Yes, it is. But thanks for helping me win my bet. Three in one day.

I'm not arguing anything. I'm quoting Part 95, which is the applicable section of the FCC regulations for GMRS. Part 90 does not apply to GMRS. Sorry if you think otherwise.

Where do you see "fixed base" or "fixed base 2" in Part 95? FB and FB2 are terms used for Part 90 licensing, no? So not applicable to Part 95? Oh and I tried to go read your post in that other thread but the link didn't work for me ... just took me back to this thread.

OK I'll recap. I challenge your incorrect assertion that all "at home" GMRS stations are considered fixed stations and rather than defend that position you start insulting me. Into the ignore list you go. For those watching from the sidelines ... why are there definitions for "base stations" and "control stations" in Part 95 A?