SteveShannon

Here’s the language referring to exceptions for LMR equipment used for PRS: a)Exceptions.Under certain exceptions, non-certified Personal Radio Service transmitters, or transmitters certified for use in the land mobile radio services may be operated. Any such exceptions applicable to stations in a Personal Radio Service are set forth in the subpart governing that specific service. See e.g.,§§ 95.735and 95.1735.

Look for the word ”transmitter” in that paragraph, but also the paragraph earlier about certification refers to transmitters.

It says nothing about monitoring another frequency. It applies to transmitters. And you must also read all of the regulations in the context of the general rules regarding personal radio services. For instance: § 95.337 Operation of impermissibly modified equipment prohibited. No person shall modify any Personal Radio Service transmitter in a way that changes or affects the technical functioning of that transmitter such that operation of the modified transmitter results in a violation of the rules in this part. This includes any modification to provide for additional transmit frequencies, increased modulation level, a different form of modulation, or increased transmitter output power (either mean power or peak envelope power or both). Any such modification voids the certified status of the modified transmitter and renders it unauthorized for use in the Personal Radio Services. Also, no person shall operate any Personal Radio Service transmitter that has been so modified. As for repeaters I’ll copy and paste a regulation that allows for devices certified for other uses in a few minutes.

Nope - still doesn’t work that way. I understand what you mean. You’re just changing the configuration and there’s no reason that doing so should affect the certification, but the regulations say something different. c)No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with a frequency capability not listed in § 95.1763, unless such transmitter is also certified for use in another radio service for which the frequency is authorized and for which certification is also required. No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with the capabilities to operate in services that do not require equipment certification, such as the Amateur Radio Service. All frequency determining circuitry (including crystals) and programming controls in each GMRS transmitter must be internal to the transmitter and must not be accessible from the exterior of the transmitter operating panel or from the exterior of the transmitter enclosure.

It doesn’t work that way. You cannot “modify” a radio into certification.

Once you modify if, it is no longer certified for use on GMRS.

Here’s the index to all the “Parts” including amateur radio: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D

I agree that carrying two identical radios simultaneously is illogical. If Tidradio can do it so can Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, and Alinco. The FCC does respond to petitions; that sometimes works in our favor and sometimes not so much.

You really aren’t. You’re lecturing people and whining about what you perceive as a problem caused by “old hams”. Get off your butt and petition the FCC.

None of those is an attempt to conceal or disguise meaning.

What are you doing about it?

Absolutely none of the educational experience you gained was as a result of burning out a piece of Teflon. Burning out the insert was a distraction, taking you away from all those other things which are interesting. Solving a problem by spending money might be boring, but doing the same thing three times and getting the same results isn’t any better. You’ve encountered a technical limitation of some kind and rather than trying reducing power, you did exactly the same thing with exactly the same results. You did try a 3D printed replacement, which would be a low temperature replacement, and it failed immediately, so the next thing to try would be a material that’s unaffected by heat. Buy a phenolic or Bakelite rod and have some inserts machined at a local machine shop. Also, reduce power, even if only temporarily. The assumption is that this problem is power related. If you halve your output power and the failures are repeated, then it might not actually be your power output.

That’s a good point. Maybe the issue isn’t the RF power, but something else, such as static discharge or a ground loop current.

Are the three beeps received from the repeater or are they generated by the Midland MXT500 radio? Have you tried speaking into the microphone? Does anyone answer?

There have been a few tri-band radios. The Yaesu VX6 is an excellent example of a hardened tri-band handheld for just $30 more. The addition of 6 meters to the Wouxun is an interesting twist, but the need to change the antenna could be confusing in actual use. I wouldn’t mind trying it, but without knowing more, if given the choice I would buy the Yaesu VX6.

My dad used to say “Why did the man keep pounding his head against the wall? Because it felt so good when he stopped.” This seems to be a similar situation. By saying “besides reducing transmitter power” you drastically limit the options. It’s obvious that the duplexer you continue to use cannot withstand operation as you wish. Your choices are really the following: Reduce the power (you might be surprised how little that affects the range), Buy a better duplexer, Contact the customer service department for the duplexer you continue to use and subscribe to the “insert of the month/week/whatever club”, Consult with a technical ceramics company to see if they can make you some custom ceramic inserts. They would withstand the heat, but eventually the heat might affect a nearby portion of the duplexer, shifting the failure elsewhere. Yes, that would cost some money, but so does repeatedly buying a duplexer that doesn’t operate at the level at which you have chosen to operate. It’s obvious (thricely reinforced) that the duplexer in question simply isn’t designed for what you’re trying to do at the power output you insist on using, even if the manual or specifications differ. Saying “but it works so well while it works” simply doesn’t make good sense except as a temporary installation while researching a permanent solution. Regarding choice #3 above, if you cannot contact customer service for the duplexer you like, that’s another reason to switch. I wish you well in your quixotic quest. Please do let us know what you eventually decide to do.

This!!!

Both of those connectors are female N connectors which are more appropriate for UHF than the SO-239 chassis connector. I wonder why the designers used the same pitch and diameter for the bodies of both connector. I’ve seen the N female fingers broken before because someone failed to recognize that it wasn’t an SO-239.

I understand his question as sort of open ended, wondering if someone has plans to make announcements on the repeater about changing local conditions related to the rally, such as traffic reports. I see nothing offensive about the question.

It’s confusing because they limit handhelds on interstitial frequencies but on the main frequencies handhelds are treated like all other mobiles.

Just a slight correction: GMRS handhelds are not limited to 5 watts on the main frequencies.

He will have to work at it. Being Sad Hams don’t come easy.

It appears to be an itinerant frequency in the licensed business band.

GMRS radios that transmit digital data are required to have fixed antennas.

How does it work with the radio completely disconnected from the power supply? How are you grounding the radio, or are you leaving it ungrounded? Same for the antenna. Finally, what does the power supply instruction manual say about being plugged into a GFCI receptacle? I’ll attach a screenshot from the part of a Samlex manual that addresses this: