wrci350
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Posts posted by wrci350
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7 hours ago, WRQC527 said:
You can buy CB base stations, FRS base stations, and amateur radio base stations, but no GMRS base stations. You need to roll your own with an HT or a mobile connected to a power supply.
It's also odd that if I'm talking simplex from my house to a mobile or HT, I'm a base station, but if I'm talking to those same people through a repeater, I'm a control station. The FCC is weird.
"Station" is not the same as "radio". If you have an HT connected to an outside antenna at your house, that's either a base station or control station, depending on how you are using it. The FCC cares about how your "station" is used, not what equipment makes up the station.
Most hams who use 2m or 70cm (either simplex or through repeaters) do so using a mobile radio connected to a power supply and outside antenna. There are only a couple currently-available "base" ham radios that include those bands.
Can't disagree with the last paragraph. As I said in my previous post, just accept the definitions the FCC provides and move on ... don't try to make sense of them!
- WRUU653 and SteveShannon
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The really good programmers (like RT Systems) default to the last file opened. Some of the vendor-supplied ones don't do that and you have to re-open the file. If you click on "Open" you should see the name of your saved file.
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You can save it wherever you want. Just remember where you put it.
For example, create a folder on your desktop and call it "Radio" or "GM30" and put the saved file there.
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Control station. A station at a fixed location that communicates with mobile stations and other control stations through repeater stations, and may also be used to control the operation of repeater stations.
IMHO, the two keys to understanding Part 95 are to just read the regulation as it's written (and not "interpret" it) and to accept the definition of terms as the FCC lays them out, even if they don't agree with common usage.
If you have a mobile radio (because AFAIK no one makes a GMRS 'base' radio) connected to a power supply and antenna on your roof, and you are talking through a repeater, the FCC calls that a control station. That's what Part 95 A (which applies to all other subparts of 95, including 95 E) says.
Base station. A station at a fixed location that communicates directly with mobile stations and other base stations.
If you have a mobile radio connected to a power supply and antenna on your roof, and you are talking directly to other mobiles or base stations (i.e. simplex) the FCC calls that a base station, even if it's the same setup you use to talk through repeaters. Again, that's what Part 95 A says.
Mobile station. A station, intended to be used while in motion or during halts at unspecified locations, that communicates directly with base stations and other mobile stations, and with control stations and other mobile stations through repeater stations.
A mobile, on the other hand (and HTs are considered a sub-class of mobiles) can do both ... direct and through repeaters.
Again, the key is not to try and make sense of the distinction between base and control stations. Just accept the definitions and go with them.
I will also bet that someone is going to come back and argue with me about what a control station is because they want to interpret "may also be used" as MUST BE USED. Uh, that's not what it says. It says, "may". "May" does not mean "MUST".
- gortex2, WRUU653 and SteveShannon
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28 minutes ago, WSAA635 said:
The Yaesu FT-65r seems like it'd work but $95 for a SOC radio seems pricy.
An SOC radio with good filtering will far outperform a superhet radio with poor filtering. Don't put too much emphasis on "SOC".
- SteveShannon, WRYZ926, WRUU653 and 1 other
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It's just a typical "Baofeng" k-type programming cable. This one should work fine:
https://www.buytwowayradios.com/xlt-rpc-k1-uf.html
Or go to Amazon and search for "Wouxun programming cable" and you'll find lots of alternatives. You just have to be cautious because some of the cheap programming cables use counterfeit chips and won't work on Windows 10 or 11.
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https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-905g.html
Click on "Downloads".
The Wouxun cable is (IMHO) a step above many of the other K-type cables, but looks like it is sold out. You should be able to use a different one.
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@WRPV394 Did Remtronix get back to you with the link to the software? Raj told me that they were looking for feedback on it and once they had a new version the link would be posted on their website.
I promised a "full review" of the DJ-G46 but honestly I'm not sure if I am qualified to provide one. I don't have a bench full of test equipment, and I'm definitely not a "power" GMRS user. But I'll share my bullet list, starting with the "cons".
Cons
- There is no "menu" available to make programming changes. Out of the box, you can modify the squelch tone and mode on any of the pre-programmed 22 channels, but that's it. Any other changes (adding channels, customizing key functions, etc.) must be done through the programming software.
- While the radio has a K-type accessory connector, it does NOT use a K-type programming cable. That means the Baofeng cable many folks have lying around will not work. Instead, an Alinco ERW-7 or ERW-15 cable is needed. Expect to spend at least $25 to get the correct cable. I'm also curious to hear if one of those Amazon multi-cables works since that might be a cheaper option. Fortunately for me, I already had the RT Systems equivalent cable (USB 29-A) since it is used for a number of other Alinco radios, both HT and mobile.
Pros
- Well-built radio which feels good (and not cheap) in the hand.
- Sensitivity and selectivity better than other GMRS radios that I have. My non-scientific test was to put the DJ-G46 and two other GMRS HTs in the window of my home office and have them scan the local repeaters. The DJ-G46 picked them up far better than the other two radios.
- Audio quality is very good based on the contacts I've made with it.
- Programming software is decent. There were a few spelling/grammer errors that I noticed and let Raj know about, but nothing that affected the functionality of the software. I asked RT Systems if they would be releasing a programmer for the DJ-G46 and they didn't even realize it had been released. Not sure if they will or not, but if they do I'll buy it. If they don't, the provided software seems to work just fine.
- For some, the simple user interface may be an advantage since it's easier to hand it to a person who is not radio-savy. OOB one of the function buttons is a key lock, so you can activate and the only thing that will work is the PTT.
I did notice on oddity tonight while I was typing up this post. I **KNEW** that I'd seen a reference to the model of programming cable required but could not find that reference on-line or in the PDF of the owner's manual I downloaded. Turns out that the printed manual has an extra page at the end (that is not in the PDF) where it talks about PC programming and that's where the cable model numbers are listed!
Very nice little radio and I like it a lot. I asked my kids for an often-recommended GMRS HT for Christmas in 2022 and they bought it for me. I really wish the DJ-G46 had been available back then ... it's a much better radio IMHO.
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15 hours ago, WRPV394 said:
I just received one and so far it's been great. I ordered an 8 in 1 USB Programming Cable from Amazon that I'm hoping works with it.
Which one did you order? I see a few. Can you please post a link and let us know if it works?
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13 hours ago, WRHS218 said:
MTC states "GMRS is a PAID land-mobile service and a license is required"
Are they referring to the purchasing of the license or am I missing something?
Purchase of the license. That text is on the Remtronix site too. Nice that they are reminding folks that a license is required!
13 hours ago, WRHS218 said:RW AntennaStore says "This is a professional tpe radio and should not be compared to cheap chines built GMRS radios. "
I don't know who the CHINES are but I won't be comparing their radios to TPE radios, whatever that is.
Pretty sure those are typos. If you read the rest of the description it's pretty obvious that it was written by someone who has English as their first langauge ... like maybe the owner of RW Antenna Store (which is in Western NY)? A lot of the text is copied from the Remtronix site (Remtronix is the US distributor for Alinco) but it's not verbatim.
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Brand? Model?
- WRUU653 and SteveShannon
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9 hours ago, 73blazer said:
It's not in the actual rules, just some silly mention, which could be a misinterpretation of the actual rule, or a carry over rule from some other service, or even just a plain mistake, on a rogue web general informational page that 95% of people would never see.
I'm curious how you classify a reference on an FCC webpage describing GMRS as "rogue".
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5 minutes ago, jwilkers said:
That's because you are probably a newcomer. This issue existed 10 years ago. The uvd1p has gone by the wayside as other radios have become more popular.
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28 minutes ago, tweiss3 said:
In this interpretation (if correct), only linking via IP is prohibited. It is still possible to link repeaters via RF using GMRS frequencies, and remain completely legal.
Yes, but how many of the numerous GMRS repeaters that are linked together use RF to do so? I'm sure there are a few, but the vast majority are using VOIP over the Internet.
The wording in 95.1749 was not changed recently. On one of the FCC sites you can go back through the last xx revisions and that phrase about "other networks" has been there for a long time. But 95.1749 also says (to paraphrase), "You are allowed to do <this> ONLY", where <this> is remote control. Sending voice traffic between repeaters is not "remote control".
The wording on the Operations tab says, "you are not allowed to link GMRS repeaters over the Internet to carry voice traffic". The fact that the FCC hasn't taken any action against of the linked GMRS networks suggests that they don't care too much. That could change at any time. Or not.
- WRQC527, SteveShannon and WRUU653
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That's not 1 MHz off. It's 1 kHz off. 1 MHz off would be 463.625 or 465.625.
Yes, the repeater appears to be off frequency just a bit, but probably not enough that anyone would ever notice.
FM broadcast radio stations are 75 kHz (I'm pretty sure), not 25 kHz like a "wideband" GMRS channel.
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On 1/30/2024 at 8:06 PM, WRYZ926 said:
I know a lot of people use the cheap blister pack GMRS radios from Walmart during deer season here in Missouri. Or they buy them for their kids to use. In either case, a majority don't bother to read the paperwork that comes with the radios or bother getting a license.
The "cheap blister pack ... radios" were almost all reclassified as FRS in 2017, so no license is needed.
You are correct that the reason for that reclassification was that very few people read the manual and got a license, but that's not an issue anymore.
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16 minutes ago, Lscott said:
Those repeater owners that use MDC1200 tend to get labeled as Motorola snobs since that company originally had the patent on the signaling method. It mostly limited the repeater access to users with Motorola radios.
Yeah that's what I was thinking. I know around here there are a bunch of folks using Motorola radios, which probably aren't Part 95 certified, on the GMRS repeaters. You can always tell by that nice Motorola "burst" at the end of their transmissions.
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1 hour ago, Lscott said:
A GMRS radio is "certified", the new term, under Part 95E. There are some older commercial radios that have Part 95 certification and are legal to use so long as they are programmed with the correct frequencies, bandwidth and power.
The short answer is, "There are no currently-produced 'certified' GMRS radios that have MDC1200". Would you not agree?
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OK first impressions. A real review will have to wait until I can actually use the thing. I was planning to take it with me when I went out of town this weekend and test a new GMRS repeater but it was delivered on Saturday instead of the expected Friday.
I'd say it's definitely based on the DJ-A446. Actually I would bet it's the same radio with different firmware. The inclusion of the "Emergency Alarm" and "Jacklight" (Alinco's words, not mine) nails that for me.
Seems like typical good Alinco build quality. I found it interesting that it came with the antenna attached (making for a long skinny box) but it IS removable.
The manual talks about programming software being used to change various settings, but so far my quest to find it has been in vain.
More to come ...
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31 minutes ago, WRQC527 said:
Here are the definitions of Base, Fixed, Hand-held Portable Unit, Mobile and Repeater stations, copied directly from the FCC Part 95 rules. Using these definitions, you can answer your question as though you are asking it of an FCC representative. Don't overthink it, and don't rewrite the FCC definitions. They are quite concise and leave little or no room for interpretation.
You forgot one:
Control station. A station at a fixed location that communicates with mobile stations and other control stations through repeater stations, and may also be used to control the operation of repeater stations.
Base stations are simplex. Control stations use repeaters.
But many in these forums disagree with your last statement, since there are endless arguments about the definitions.
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Alinco has a number of radios with that form-factor and some are direct conversion and some super-het. It will be interesting to see which this one is.
With that said, I have a couple of their direct conversion radios and they perform well. It's more about decent filtering than what kind of receiver.
On the other hand, I have a GMRS radio that is super-het and I'm not at all impressed with its performance.
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FCC Part 95
in FCC Rules Discussion
Posted
Every time someone asks, "But what's a Fixed Station" my response is, "Not you."
There are a number of digital data (not voice) modes allowed on GMRS.
It is unfortunate the FCC doesn't provide a better definition of "fixed station", and I know one of my two rules was "don't interpret" but I'm pretty sure "fixed station" refers to telemetry between remote locations and a central site.
In any event, normal GMRS usage doesn't fit the definition of "fixed station".