[Hytera radios]

I apologize if this is covered elsewhere, I did a couple of searches and was unable to find an answer.

I have a couple of Hytera radios, a TC-610P and a BD-552i BT, that are both UHF. The TC-610P is only 16 channel but the BD-552i has 256 channels.

Can these radios be programmed for GMRS? Their frequency range seems to fit the GMRS range.

[Rookie question!]

9 minutes ago, MichaelLAX said:

Those are good questions:

The least expensive, usually from China, hand-held radios ("HT"), use what is known as SOC technology: System on a Chip - The whole radio is virtually built into one chip.

Most of the more expensive radios (usually 3X the cost and more), have additional circuitry known as a superheterodyne circuit.  This gives the receiver both more selectivity (the ability to differentiate between two powerful signals on two close frequencies) and sensitivity (the ability to pull in more distant and/or weaker signals).*

In simplex mode: one HT is transmitting on a frequency and the other HT is receiving on the same frequency. There is no second transmission to overwhelm the receiver; only the one signal.

In repeater mode, the first HT is transmitting on 467.abcd up to the repeater; and the second HT is receiving the retransmitted reception signal from the repeater on 462.abcd.

Hence the second HT must differentiate between two received signals: the more powerful signal from the HT and the signal from the repeater many miles away.

Superhetrodynes have that ability; SOC's do not.

How much is far enough away?  Differing factors are at play here: The power of the HT transmitter; the distance between the HTs and the distance and power from the repeater.

Experimentation will help you determine the answer.

*NOTE: this is why when two inexpensive HTs are bundled together with the appropriate cable and settings to act like an inexpensive semi-portable repeater, they must be on the two separate Ham bands: 2 meters (144 MHz) and 70 cm (440 MHz) to avoid this washout effect.

Hmmm….interesting.

Thanks for the explanation, although some of it still does not make sense to my novice brain. I’ll have to spend some time on that for it to sink in. But it also reinforces the old adage of getting what you pay for. In time I may look into better quality radios. A definite deficit to these is the lack of weather durability, kinda defeats the purpose of emergency communications if they are only designed for pristine conditions.

I guess I’ll have to send my wife to the front yard with a radio……

[Rookie question!]

18 minutes ago, MichaelLAX said:

They are still too close to each other. 

How far apart must they be?

Why doesn’t the same behavior occur in simplex mode? I can have the radios within inches of each other, on say Ch 22, and they both send and receive.

[Rookie question!]

I have recently joined the GMRS world with a pair of UV-5X radios. In setting them up for repeater access I’ve hit a problem I cannot figure out. I’m probably missing something glaringly obvious.

A local repeater is open and uses CTCSS 141.3. Both radios are programmed identically. When I do a simple dead key, both radios receive the repeater carrier after I release the PTT. The status light on both radios comes on during the carrier signal, but not while the PTT is pressed. However, when I speak the other radio does not receive any transmission and the status light does not come on to indicate channel traffic. Both radios then receive the carrier signal, and the status light comes on, after I release the PTT. The radios are at least 10’ apart when I do this.

Both radios send and receive properly on all other channels.

What am I missing?