SteveShannon

It is simply not necessary to have DC continuity between an antenna base and the body of the vehicle. Magnetic bases have no DC continuity to the roof and work just fine. The RF connection is easily made through paint. However, with that said, an intermittent electrical connection between car body parts and an antenna base can cause static interference. You will see people bonding car parts together using short braided jumpers in an effort to minimize noise.

It’s not as simple as that. Some of the thirty GMRS frequencies listed in four different groups have specific limitations for power and bandwidth. The easiest way to ensure you comply is to purchase a radio that has been certified for GMRS. A better way to think of this is to understand that your license doesn’t license you to use specific frequencies, but rather to use certified GMRS radios. There are amateur radios that are not certified but allow you to transmit on GMRS frequencies. It’s highly unlikely you would be cited; almost nobody ever has been. I don’t know if the UV-82 is one. Personally I buy GMRS radios for GMRS. It’s just easier. And I buy amateur radios for amateur radio use. That way I don’t even need to think about it. If someone tells me to use channel 20, I know what exactly they mean. Repeater channels only need CTCSS or DCS tones added because they’re already programmed.

§ 95.1763 GMRS channels. The GMRS is allotted 30 channels—16 main channels and 14 interstitial channels. GMRS stations may transmit on any of the channels as indicated below. (a) 462 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, repeater, base and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 462.5500, 462.5750, 462.6000, 462.6250, 462.6500, 462.6750, 462.7000, and 462.7250 MHz. (b) 462 MHz interstitial channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable and base stations may transmit on these 7 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 462.5625, 462.5875, 462.6125, 462.6375, 462.6625, 462.6875, and 462.7125 MHz. (c) 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. (d) 467 MHz interstitial channels. Only hand-held portable units may transmit on these 7 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 467.5625, 467.5875, 467.6125, 467.6375, 467.6625, 467.6875, and 467.7125 MHz.

I agree there’s nothing wrong with narrowband but what does your part 90 license have to do with your GMRS repeater?

Agreed, but the fact that radios may not be certified for GMRS if they are easily used for amateur radio, removes commercial motivation for producing an amateur/GMRS antenna. “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.”

He often is!!

That looks right.

That’s correct but you must also send the correct CTCSS tone or DCS code in order for the repeater to pass what it receives to the transmitter.

I’ve certainly typed similar brain farts. Don’t be embarrassed. But one thing to be aware of is the power attenuation that happens at GMRS frequencies in RG-58A/U. It’s not insignificant as something I wrote recently was corrected.

That’s correct. They are digital codes and the I version has the bits flipped compared to the N version. They are definitely not the same. But DPL and DCS are two different names for the same thing.

Do you receive this annoying noise on all of those channels or just some? If just some, which ones?

All the extra power will really do is shorten your battery life. Your range will not be significantly greater. If you’re buried in vegetation it might help.

Do you have 19 set to AND or OR? Thinking about it, it seems like if it’s set to OR it would unmute whenever the CTCSS setting is satisfied. Try setting it to AND and see what happens.

Look in the manual for something called “squelch tail eliminator”. I don’t have that radio, but some radios have this feature.

He was found:

If you’re transmitting to the repeater while standing next to your wife while she’s listening to her radio, her radio might be desensing as a result of your transmission. That doesn’t explain why others on the repeater don’t hear you. Transmitting with the wrong tone would explain that, but you say you’re hearing the repeater pick up on your wife’s radio. It’s difficult to diagnose for certain but it sounds like a combination of desensing and possibly incorrect tones. Drive closer to the repeater. Separate from your wife (distance not marital status). Don’t give up. It’s not intuitive at first.

Nobody said anything about Spanish speaking. You responded to the post above that specific said Puerto Rico.

I was wrong. After looking more carefully I found this: § 95.931 Permissible CBRS uses. The operator of a CBRS station may use that station to transmit two-way plain language voice communications to other CBRS stations and to other stations that are authorized to transmit on CBRS frequencies. (a) Emergency communications. Any CBRS channel may be used for emergency communications or for traveler assistance. (1) Operators of CBRS stations must, at all times and on all channels, give priority to emergency communications. (2) CBRS Channel 9 may be used only for emergency communications or traveler assistance. It must not be used for any other purpose.

PL-259 is simply the connector, also referred to historically as the UHF connector. The actual cable type should be marked on the jacket of the cable.

Doesn’t exactly say that either. Go back and read Marc Spaz’s excellent summary on one of the first pages. But the most important requirement is this: § 95.1749 GMRS network connection. Operation of a GMRS station with a telephone connection is prohibited, as in § 95.349. GMRS repeater, base and fixed stations, however, may be connected to the public switched network or other networks for the sole purpose of operation by remote control pursuant to § 95.1745. Notice also that mobile and portable radios are not addressed at all.

According to page 60 (labeled 3-6) of this document, it was reserved by the regulations at one time. Since then much has changed. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/47617NCJRS.pdf

You’re correct. The convention of using Channel 9 for emergency purposes is not part of the FCC regulations. What I said above is incorrect. Channel 9 is reserved in regulations. § 95.931 Permissible CBRS uses. The operator of a CBRS station may use that station to transmit two-way plain language voice communications to other CBRS stations and to other stations that are authorized to transmit on CBRS frequencies. (a) Emergency communications. Any CBRS channel may be used for emergency communications or for traveler assistance. (1) Operators of CBRS stations must, at all times and on all channels, give priority to emergency communications. (2) CBRS Channel 9 may be used only for emergency communications or traveler assistance. It must not be used for any other purpose.

Once again, that’s not how regulations work. If it’s not part of the regulations, it cannot be part of a citation, because citations require a reference to the rule that’s being violated.

Here are the official regulations: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95#subpart-D

This doesn’t make sense even from a conspiratorial perspective. Why would a friendly fcc employee throw a life preserver to the repeater owner and then cite the users? Second, show me a regulation that says it’s forbidden to use a repeater that’s linked.