SteveShannon

Hi Ken, I’ll report your post to the owner. Whoever registered using your call sign used the username Enrique. Does that ring a bell?

The online map and the repeater listings are just two different ways of looking at the same data. I go to the map first because it’s easy for me to see what is nearby, but I’m sure that other people start by entering search terms and selecting search conditions. I don’t think that means one group is smarter than the other. If it’s entered in the database it can be mapped. It might not be the right place. When I said I don’t think you can have it both ways I meant two things: First, publishing the information in an internet database by definition means you can’t keep the information from getting out. Second, an internet database might not be a reliable means to disseminate information in the event of a “grid down apocalyptic scenario”. But if you’ve contacted Rich and he doesn’t want to extend the database to serve your wants this is really a moot point anyway. I’ll follow along to see what you come up with but I’m all out of ideas for you to reject.

I don’t know why the FCC chose to disallow radios that transmit on multiple services. I agree that it doesn’t seem to make sense. Since they’re asking how to simplify the regulations this is one way.

I don’t think you can have it both ways: 1. To create a listing on a nationwide map that’s useful for build a community of users using simplex GMRS frequencies, and 2. Useful for grid down apocalyptic scenarios where you don’t want any information getting out. But if you can figure out what that would look like, your best bet would be to talk to Rich @rdunajewski and see if he can make the changes you want. There’s no reason he couldn’t add fields to the database to support that.

Truly, the only solution that makes sense is to establish a local organization so they can prepare. If you wait for the need to present itself you’re never going to catch up. That’s like trying to teach a drowning person how to swim. As far as the concern that bad people can read, wouldn’t you want them to? Maybe they’ll go somewhere else.

If the input and output frequency are the same it should be obvious.

For that matter, if Rich would be okay with the idea, why not simply create a repeater on the map, but with the actual information for your simplex Neighborhood Watch Net?

What if the Neighborhood Watch Groups were a type of club and the clubs were added to the map?

Maybe you could suggest either tech questions to add to the General and Amateur Extra exams or possibly some hands on stuff that could be tested. Personally I enjoy building, troubleshooting, and fixing things but I know that most people don’t anymore.

Start a club and publish the details in the club information.

Not too much, but you don’t see the whole picture until you put all the pieces together. Feel free to ask questions.

The only factual reference for the GMRS rules is the government rules: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95?toc=1

I wasn’t certain if the waivers/conditions appeared on the reference copies the same as the official copy so I went through the pain of downloading an official copy. It no longer appears there either.

Maybe. Not all repeaters give a kerchunk.

Go to your account at the FCC and download a current version of your license. When I did that a few months ago the Line A restriction no longer appeared.

I really think that the FCC screwed the pooch on this. They should have made some sort of announcement, or better yet sent an email to affected licensees.

Download an official copy of your license from the FCC. If th Line A prohibitions still affect you they will appear on your license. Th consensus of those of us who did this is that our current licenses no longer include the Line A restrictions.

None of us should question why someone else has the budgetary limits they do.

Make sure they do a good job of waterproofing the connections.

I believe Leo was recommending enclosing the driver/power supply for the LED lights, not replacing the wooden mount for the radio that you made.

Yes

If those were the only two choices and money were no object, I would go with Times-Microwave, every time. The Times-Microwave LMR-400 is the original which created the standard. All other companies that make a 0.400 inch diameter cable called something like it (such as BR-400) are insinuating that their coax is equivalent. Some actually make cables that test as good while selling for less. They will be sold by companies that are not Amazon. Nothing wrong with Amazon, but the buyer has to bring some expertise. However, there are some concerns about LMR-400: First, the original has a single solid center conductor that makes it stiff. Times-Microwave solved that by manufacturing a cable that has a stranded center conductor called LMR-400 UF (for Ultra Flexible). Second, some people have concerns about the mixture of metals in the shielding, especially for repeater use. They claim the contact points of the different metals in the different layers of shielding create thousands of tiny semiconductor junctions. I have never seen proof of that, but other companies make coax that use pure copper for every layer of shielding. One of the best known is an Italian company named Messi & Poloni. They make a cable (M&P Hyperflex 10) that tests every bit as well as LMR-400, and sells for about the same price as LMR-400. But there are others as well. ABR400, DX400, etc. The list of high quality 0.400 cables that are reasonable alternatives to the original LMR-400 is long. I have never heard that BR400 listed as one of them. I also would stay away from KMR400 as sold on Amazon. Personally, I have several lengths of M&P and a few of ABR-400. I bought my M&P from Gigaparts, but one of the online vendors that sells mostly Chinese radios also sells it for a decent price, maybe Buytwowayradios.com? Or you can order it direct from Italy. They’ll put it together to your specs and ship it very quickly directly to you. I’m sure this probably adds even more to your uncertainty. Asking which is the best cable is like taking a philosophy course in college. Here’s a link to the Gigaparts web page for Hyperflex 10: https://www.gigaparts.com/messi-and-paoloni-hyperflex-10-coax-cable.html#close

Can’t you download the CPS even though you don’t have the radio so you can see what you think?

It might be true but none of it really means much. I wouldn’t use it. Edited: I searched for 50-3 cable and found one on Amazon that appears to be the same cable. The part you neglected to copy and paste is the cable designation: RG-58. 15 meters of that on GMRS is worse than worthless. It basically converts your RF into heat. As Leo said, buy good quality cable from a place that sells radios. Order the necessary length fully made from DX Engineering or some other radio dealer and don’t buy cheap.

23-30 transmit on 467 and receive on 462 to allow full duplex operation by the repeater.