SteveShannon

If the repeater has a DTCSS 205 you must have it under TX. It’s optional under RX. If you don’t have a code under RX you hear everything transmitted on that frequency. That’s helpful when getting started. Later, you might want to add it under RX, but if you do you only hear transmissions that include the same DTCSS code. DTCSS cross mode is used when you have something different in RX and TX.

Both will work equally well. With Tone you’ll hear everything transmitted by the repeater, even if your TX tone is incorrect. That’s why I recommend starting with Tone. With TSQL you’ll only hear radios transmitting on that frequencies using that CTCSS tone.

Sure, first change your radio to the correct repeater channel. Then set the radio to transmit using the correct input CTCSS tone or DTCSS code required by the repeater . Put your radio in Tone mode, at least at first, rather than TSQL mode. In Tone mode you don’t have to have the receive tone or code set to hear the repeater. Listen first, to make sure you’re not interrupting someone. Then, when the airwaves are clear, push the PTT and speak clearly into the microphone. Identify yourself by speaking your call sign at least once every fifteen minutes and when you’re all done talking. Most people will use it as an introduction as well, but that’s not required. That’s all there is to it. Welcome to the forum! Hope you like it.

The higher the frequency the shorter the wavelength and the smaller the opening that can penetrate.

I like making my own wire antennas for ham radio and I have an antenna analyzer and a nanoVNA which both help with tuning (interchangeably-you don’t need both). It’s one of the more rewarding aspects of amateur radio, and tuning an antenna that is designed to cover the range of frequencies to a specific frequency such as for GMRS is straightforward, but there’s a learning curve for the process and the tools. Like many hobby projects it can be very frustrating if you don’t have a mentor close by.

Every occupation and hobby has some people who look down on others. There’s no denying that. But if you feel that anyone who has had to pass an exam to get a license looks down at you, the problem might not be entirely them. I’ve been taught a lot over the years by licensed plumbers and electricians who have been very helpful. Not one of them gave me the feeling that they looked down on me.

I’m bad at counting also. But at least I use an occasional period and paragraph breaks. Every so often I see a post that is one long run-on free association. Those make my head hurt.

Hi Brad, Antennas are much more than simply a good SWR reading. A dummy load will provide nearly perfect SWR while emitting very little RF. All antennas have gain, which is a concentration of the emitted RF in a particular pattern, expressed in dBi or dBd. If you have time, knowledge, and the right tools it’s possible to make and tune an antenna to perform as well as a commercial antenna. I wouldn’t advise it for someone who’s eager to get on the air though. And if your time is valuable it’s unlikely you’ll save money. Most antenna are already made of materials unlikely to corrode although sometimes manufacturers screw up and use set screws that are not stainless.

It seems I have a reputation to either change or uphold. Here are the ten paragraphs and big technical sounding words. Sorry. Lossy cable will always make your SWR appear artificially low when measured at the radio. If lossy cable is attenuating your forward power there will be less power that reaches the antenna and then whatever power is reflected by an imperfect impedance match is attenuated before if gets back to the radio. So an RF power meter/SWR meter placed at the radio will see erroneously low reflected power, resulting in an erroneous calculation of forward power and an erroneously low calculation of SWR. If your radio has an ALC circuit, it limits output power as SWR increases and allows greater power if the SWR appears low. Where are you measuring the power? At the radio or at the antenna? If you want an accurate reading of the SWR of the antenna, you must read at the antenna feed point. If you want to see how much power is reaching the antenna, measure it at the antenna feed point. If you want to see how much power your radio is emitting, measure at the radio. Sometimes it’s very helpful to measure power at both places at the same time to see the difference. How are you measuring it? Some RF power meters are simply better than others. Expensive ones are calibrated to a standard for a specific frequency and power range. Inexpensive ones may lose accuracy at different frequencies and power levels which can make things appear better or worse than they really are. Are all measurements at the same transmit frequency? Our radios often (always?) have a range of power output levels that change at different frequencies.

I have no idea why anyone would want to.

It on your highest level profile, not the forum profile. Toggle the switch that says Weekly Repeater Digest:

The difference between 4 watts and 5.5 watts is only discernible on a watt meter. It’ll make no difference to range. Just make sure you get the features that you want.

@WSIK532 Channel 16 is the same receive frequency as RPT2. The difference is that the repeater input channel is 5.000 MHz higher. Without setting any receiver tones you’ll be able to hear the repeater but unless you have the transmit tone right they’ll never hear you.

I don’t think people understand that the gps is just a receiver. Although it’s possible to see where a person has been if you have access to the phone’s data, the gps in your phone transmits nothing by itself. If you’re in airplane mode the phone does not “ping the towers” regardless of what ChatGPT says.

I don’t always travel into deep state trap zones but when I do I put my phone in airplane mode.

Click on the repeater. Click on View Details. Click on Request Access.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t replace it yourself for just the price of the parts. See if the LED is getting voltage. It’s probably less than a volt to turn on and under 1.3 volts (dc) at max brightness. If it’s not getting voltage then it’s probably one of the chips upstream. Just trace them upstream. Or just start by changing the LED.

But when even the people who have the copyright on the name Meshtastic say it’s a network, the lone person claiming everyone else is wrong, and that it’s not a network, might have a problem proving he’s right.

What word follows “mesh” when talking about “mesh networks“?

DN411 means the same as DPL411.

Personally I bought a Radioddity DB20G. It came with a cigarette lighter plug. I inserted Anderson PowerPoles into the power cord because I wanted them but in my pickup I simply use the cigarette lighter socket and plug. It’s a 20 watt radio but it does everything I need. It would make an ideal camp radio.

I absolutely agree about double checking the legality. Internet has little to do with this though. The fcc simply included internet because it is an example of “any other network.” Originally the prohibition was against connecting to the phone network. “GMRS stations cannot be interconnected with the public switched telephone network or any other network for the purpose of carrying GMRS communications, but these networks can be used for remote control of repeater stations.”* *The above is the FCC’s interpretation, not the actual regulations @Blaise, arguing it’s a mesh, not a network, probably wouldn’t make a great first impression on the FCC. It’s funny though.

Look, connecting your radio to any 12 volt source is unlikely to damage the radio, but connecting a 50 watt radio to a source that can is fused for 10 amps might fry the fuse. Not all 50 watt radios require more than 10 amps. Some are more efficient than others and get by with about 9 amps, others use as much as 11 amps. As far as that “jump pack” I don’t know anything about it.

It wouldn’t be user replaceable. It’s probably a surface mounted LED next to the edge of the LCD. And it might not have failed anyway. If possible return it for warranty service.

The only person well enough known to be upvoted or downvoted just because of “who they are” is Randy, and for the most part I don’t think many (if any) people have downvoted him because of that. SoCalGMRS gets downvoted because of how he treats others, not because of who he is. If he stopped treating others that way the downvotes would quickly cease. It’s that simple.