wilbilt62

I am not interested in that at all. However, I am interested in using a frequency and tone that I have a legal right to use. That probably doesn't make sense to you.

And that, in a nutshell, is the entire point of this thread.

The issue is that all of the pairs around here are jammed up with "private" repeaters (most of which are mostly silent). Simplex is full of farm worker traffic in Spanish or Punjabi. Of course, they never use call signs or follow any rules in any way. I suppose I could poke around and find a pair and tone that isn't already "claimed". But if you are close enough, you can hear traffic regardless of tone. Would I then be "interfering"?

Of course not. I have been driving for nearly 50 years and am about the most courteous driver you will ever meet. I have never been involved in a collision, although I have avoided many because I was paying attention when others weren't. (I don't refer to collisions as "accidents", because 99% of the time, they aren't "accidents") I received my most recent traffic citation in 1981. And I always use my turn signal because it literally requires zero effort and is the courteous thing to do. I extend courtesy to all others on the road, and I expect the same in return. If I am transmitting on a public frequency and tone, being courteous and following the FCC rules, I am doing the right thing and being courteous. And I expect the same in return. Hell, I even hold doors open for people.

Sure. But you also aren't entitled to park your personal vehicle across a public road, blocking access to others. You own the vehicle, but you don't own the road.

I suppose I could set up a repeater on the same frequency and tone and then claim it is mine. Of course, I wouldn't do that because I am not a di*k, but I certainly could.

Yes, that rule seems pretty clear, although its existence is kind of a mystery to me. The nearest repeater to me (about 10 miles) is a "private" repeater. A few years ago, I came up on that repeater and asked for a radio check, I just wanted to see if my new HT could make that 10 miles. The owner of that repeater immediately responded and tore me a new one for accessing his repeater. I apologized and stated I was just requesting a radio check and hadn't intended to ruin his day. I haven't accessed that repeater since, due to courtesy; but here is the thing...I have that repeater in my normal scan and that repeater literally has LESS THAN 5 MINUTES OF TRAFFIC on it per year. No recurring repeater ID. Yet this guy is sitting on that public frequency and tone, claiming that he "owns" it. It boggles my mind and makes no sense.

Yes, one of the reasons I left So Cal nearly 40 years ago. Too many people in general and a high percentage of those with an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Rural Nor Cal was an enlightening experience for me back then. Friendly people, much less sense of rush. Many neighbors helped us out when we were trying to get established and basically starving. Since then, I have tried to pay it forward. If that means setting up an open repeater on the travel tone, so be it.

I am seriously considering it. As I stated previously, my location is really not ideal for what I am trying to accomplish but it is worth a go. Tough crowd in this room. I am simply trying to help out my neighbors.

I grew up in So Cal (Simi Valley) in the 1960s and 1970s. Back then, the "neighborhood moms" would help you out if you rashed your face on the pavement. My wife and I left there in 1985 and moved up north to the "wild west", we we still are today. Today, my "neighborhood" is about 12-15 miles north to south and about 6 miles wide. Much of the area has very few services. In the southern portion, there are no stores, gas stations or retail businesses of any kind. Law enforcement response was measured in hours or even days until recent years. We are basically on our own down here. Many live behind tall fences and locked gates, because the tweakers will rob you blind given half a chance. BTW, I have some "experience" and don't play that game. In the rainy season, the roads flood every year and we are cut off from anything. In the summer, fires are a constant danger. This is why I would like to establish a radio network for emergencies. There are several established repeaters that easily cover this area, but the owners are all "mine, mine, mine!" centric. It is pretty sad, actually.

A quick update...the 3rd-party cable I had ordered nearly a month ago finally arrived about 30 minutes ago. It was listed as a cable for the AnyTone AT-5888UV & AT-778UV radios. I ordered it because the photo of the pinout on the RJ-45 jack looked the same as the Midland cable I had borrowed. And it works! I can read from and write to the radio. It was $11 on Amazon. Now I can fix my radio if it loses the split tones again. However, I will still be looking to replace this radio.

LOL. I catch your drift. I may give them another try.

It is an HT, I doubt there are components in there that I could service with my 62-year-old eyes. Recent capacitor replacements on much larger devices required enhanced illumination and magnification (for me).

Thanks, but I replaced the battery with no success. It will sometimes retain the programming for a few minutes or an hour when turned off, but will eventually revert to the factory program with Chinese voice prompts. Displays only CH01, CH02, CH03, etc. All repeater and other programming is lost. I was just keeping it turned on in the charging stand when not in use, but it became a hassle and I finally just put it back in the box. This is why I hesitate on buying another Wouxun.

Thanks. And I am your favorite subscriber, because you told me so LOL. This Midland has been very reliable for 4 or 5 years now, but is limited to only the 4 repeater pairs, without the ability to add any additional repeaters. Also, it cannot receive vhf frequencies to be able to be used as a public safety scanner. The inability to set split tones from the radio is also a liability, especially since this radio (and apparently, the programing cable) have been discontinued by Midland. I have no idea why the radio suddenly lost the split tone. I hadn't changed anything. I have a Radioditty (can't spell that) DB25G in my car and it also has quirks. Such as the tendency to drop the receive in the middle of a transmission and add a long, loud squelch tail, even though the "Squelch Tail Eliminator" is turned on. I have been looking at the Wouxun KG100G, but have some concerns as I have a Wouxun KG805G HT that lost the ability to retain the programming whenever it is turned off. I contacted BTWR.com and they said it sounds like the chip that retains the programming has gone bad. Unfortunately, out of warranty. So...I don't know. I need to have reliable base communication and the ability to add multiple repeaters on the same frequency since I live in Nowhere, Nor Cal. VHF scanning capability would be a plus as well. I do have battery backup and a decent generator. Landline, internet and cell service pretty much suck here. NOAA weather radio is pretty much useless, as there is virtually no reception from any of the "local" NOAA stations here.

Any suggestions? This Midland has serious limitations.

Does anyone know where to find one? Midland is out of stock and so is everyone else. My radio recently had an issue where it lost the split tone on a repeater I regularly use and It couldn't be fixed from the radio menu. I tried a couple of 3rd-party cables with no success. I even tried rewiring those cables and wasted a bunch of RJ-45 connectors with no joy. I borrowed a Midland cable and fixed the issue in two minutes, but had to return the cable to its owner. I have another 3rd-party cable on the way, but am not optimistic. Ideas?

If I could find someone about 5 miles north of my location willing to host a repeater site, I could likely scrape up the cash to get it done. I don't think it would meet the goal if I did it where I am. These are small, rural communities in a low-income area. One has about 2,500 residents and the other (where I am) has about 350.

The interest in GMRS as a form of emergency communication here was sparked (not a pun) by the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA several years ago. That fire wiped out nearly the entire town in less than two hours. Utilities were all overhead, nothing underground. Within a few minutes, power, landline phones and cell service were all down. Paradise is an area with poor commercial radio or cell service on a good day. On that day, there was literally nothing to let the people know what was coming and how quickly it was moving. Nearly 100 people died. Last year, the Park Fire moved up a couple of ridges over and nearly wiped out the town of Cohasset. A repeater had been set up there a couple of years prior to that fire, and at least one resident told the repeater owner that he would have died had it not been for the information provided by his GMRS radio. Sometimes, there aren't any other forms of communication available.

I have actually thought about it. Unfortunately, my location is not ideal for what I would be attempting to accomplish. I would be trying to establish a means of emergency communication between two small communities about 10 miles apart in a rural area. Simplex on HT likely won't do it.

Yes, I see that now. Unfortunately, where I live in rural Nor Cal, you can't swing a dead cat around without hitting somebody's "private" repeater. Often on the same frequencies and tones. Might as well shut my radios down and throw them away. A shame that "public" frequencies aren't "public".

Fair enough. I have read the part 95 GMRS regs over and over and I don't see it. Maybe someone else can clarify.

If no rules or laws have been broken, what would be the basis of the complaint? A serious question.

Sure. But as a licensed GMRS user, I can transmit on any public GMRS frequency, using any public tone, without breaking any rules or laws. Legally, what can you do about it?