SteveShannon

Just get an FRS radio. No license is needed to talk and you can listen to all of the same channels.

That’s a great example. Another example would be dedicated intercoms between two or three buildings.

Don’t confuse Fixed Station with fixed location. A Fixed Station is not the same as a Control Station. Nor is a Fixed Station the same as a Base Station. All three are located in “fixed locations” but all three serve different purposes and have different limitations. A Fixed Station is limited to 15 watts and is required to only communicate with other Fixed Stations. Base Stations and Control Stations may have 50 watts and are used to communicate with other types of stations.

So it’s possible for a station at a fixed location to change from a base station to a control station strictly based on usage, and back again on the next transmission? So could that same station at a fixed location become a Fixed Station on the next transmission?

How does a base station using a “wide coverage repeater” exceed the range of a mobile radio or even a handheld radio using the same repeater?

Welcome, Nate! If I were you I would find some Notarubicon videos that address your interests. He has them on many different topics that relate to GMRS. Of course the regulations specific to GMRS are here: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E

Isn’t every radio a Control Station then? And I absolutely agree that I don’t think it makes sense to exclude base stations.

What’s vague about it? Base stations are not listed as being permitted to transmit on the 467 main channels. That’s pretty clear.

Well done!

https://pota.app/#/map

Yes, each park has a designator. You don’t need to worry about the coordinates, just give the designator. And if you do a “park to park”, record the designator of the other person’s park.

Well done!! Enjoy GMRS!

If I get up at 3 am it’s to use the WC.

Honestly if you’re going to do anything that’s more permanent than peel and stick you should really just punch a hole and install a through-hole NMO mount like @gortex2 showed.

Perhaps an iron or aluminum bearing epoxy would negate that issue. I don’t know of any commercial epoxies that contain aluminum powder, but JBWeld has iron powder in it.

That’s great. And when I spoke about participating I certainly didn’t mean contests and things like that, but rather engaging with leadership of the ARRL at the local level and higher to help them know how best to serve us. Contests might be a lot of fun (I haven’t participated in contests either) also but I consider the work they do to inform us of legislation and intercede with our government representatives to be their most important work.

I’m an ARRL member because I want to support the one main U.S. based group that represents us hams. They are not perfect but I think having them is better than having no organization. But the only way for a group like this to succeed is for its members to participate vigorously, informing the organization how to best serve the members. Not enough people do that and to its detriment the league sometimes fails to listen.

404 - file not found. Probably a permission thing. As a guest you might not have permission to upload files.

Here’s the rule. Different people interpret it differently. Some say that a base station becomes a “control station” when it transmits to a repeater. I am unsure of that, but it’s not important to me: 467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. Mobile, hand-held portable and control stations may transmit on these channels only when communicating through a repeater station or making brief test transmissions in accordance with § 95.319(c). The channel center frequencies are: 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000, and 467.7250 MHz

I think you already answered your own question. The only benefit of getting one more HT is the water resistance. Yet you listed several new things that you can do with a mobile radio.

Okay, with 24 watts going into the duplexer end of 100 feet of RG-213 you get roughly 7.44 watts out of the antenna end of the coax. With LMR400 (I don’t know how KMR400 compares) the output is better than 12 watts at the antenna end.

Welcome!

I hadn’t considered that aspect. I absolutely agree with that and if @WSEL330 is experiencing any of those problems a replacement duplexer, correctly tuned to the right frequencies could certainly be worth the investment.

Unfortunately none of these are John Deere green: 17.5inchX11.5inch Large Stainless Steel Plate for Magnets, 3M Adhesive Back, Mounting Screws, Ideal for Magnetic Shelf, Spice Holders, Fridge Magnets. Mount Anywhere! (Silver, 1 PACK) https://a.co/d/7FDxliM

Unless you like spending money with nothing of consequence to show for it, I wouldn’t. The difference in range between 24 and 48 watts will be nearly zero. Think of it this way: if your radio has a signal strength meter that displays the strength of your received signal, one S-unit is equivalent to 6 dB. In other words, to go from S8 to S9, you would have to quadruple your RF output power. Second, please tell us how and where you measured your output power and what kind of coax cable you have going to your antenna. Specifically, have you measured your RF output right where the coax connects to the antenna? A lot of times people unintentionally convert their radio’s output power to heat by using the wrong coax for UHF. So, how long is your coax and what type is it. Also, sometimes placing your antenna below the canopy will get you through vegetation better than raising it up into the thick part of the vegetation.