SteveShannon

It really depends on the radio, but it could. If the Surecom 102 is right at the edge of its ability to detect reflected power (which it very easily could be at an SWR of 1.1:1) it really might not be able to accurately tell the difference between 1.11:1 and 1.39:1. Even Bird meters are only represented as reading +/-5%. Most inexpensive meters are more likely 20%. Are these readings all taken on the same transmit frequency? Does your radio have an ALC circuit that adjusts to SWR? Show us a picture of your sw-102 for both antennas so we can see all of the readings, please. There’s a lot more information than just SWR and power. Can you spot the errors in the following photo from the Radioddity site?:

Are you confident that your SWR/wattmeter is correct and sensitive enough? Many inexpensive ones do a poor job of differentiating between very slight reflected power levels, especially at UHF. What does an antenna analyzer show for the two different combinations?

This is exactly right. In my defense, because it is a GMRS radio, the channel should have the offset baked in to the channels between 23 and 30. Or did I misunderstand it being a GMRS radio?

John, We must both be equally dense. It looks like you have it set correctly. Try getting closer to the repeater.

Why? If the goal is an honest comparison of the potential of two different services, why constrain one in such a way that it cannot achieve its potential?

Yes, a 5 watt GMRS handheld and external antenna is more comparable in capabilities and performance to CB, but the question raised by this thread was specifically about FRS versus CB.

Good catch that would have been even better without the snarky comment about knowing how to use the map.

My understanding is that UHF is better at penetrating dry structures than HF or VHF (which is why cell phones work in buildings), but it’s worse at penetrating water or water bearing vegetation, which is why leafy trees affect it.

Good hunting!

A certified FRS radio shouldn’t be able to transmit on the repeater input frequencies. But those kids (and their folks) could have been using GMRS radios.

Make sure you’re at the mygmrs.com level, NOT the forums.mygmrs.com level. It’s only at the higher level that you can change your username. Rich gave us that ability about a year ago.

We’re at that age (I assume) where we help those who need help. It’s not always easy but it’s rewarding in its own right.

I agree, it looks like Henderson and Omaha 725 are the nearest on this map.

Exactly. The reason I ordered the UV380 was because I’d been programming code plugs for a blind/deaf (mostly) ham friend. The OpenGD77 and OpenUV380 software supports a fairly rich set of voice prompts which are a huge benefit to my friend. For the Anytone/Alinco model I found that the only way to make channels easier for him were to exactly duplicate the channels for every DMR zone. That way he could memorize the numbers of the zones and the numbers of the channels within the zones. So, channels 191, 291, 391, … all pointed to Talk group 91, the North American talk group, differing only in zone number. But as you say that’s a lot of duplication and ends up with many channels that differ minimally. The OpenGD77 model is much more intuitive.

I agree, but recently I repleaced the firmware in a couple of TYT MD UV380 handhelds with OpenUV380. It is actually intuitive compared to the Anytone model which my Alinco radio used. You program repeaters, just the way you would an analog repeater, except of course you need to include color code and time slot. Then you group the talk groups into “talk group lists”. Finally you associate each repeater to a talk group lists. No more having to individually program every single talk group for every single repeater. It’s even easier and more intuitive than using the DMR calculator supplied by RT Systems.

It’s pretty easy. Edit your profile at the mygmrs.com level and enter a new username.

There are some things to be careful of. If you get a LiFePO4 battery and intend to charge it from the alternator, there are special chargers that need to be used to avoid burning out your alternator. There are lots of YouTube videos about it. I haven’t done it and have no experience.

Yes, it’s possible. A secondary battery would be the most efficient and have the least opportunity to create noise, but there’s no guarantee it’ll be a perfect cure.

Good job!

No, I know of Wilsall . My dad’s cousin owned the Clyde Park Tavern in the 70’s or 80s.

It wasn’t a stupid question.

Welcome!

1. It really depends on the repeater how much traffic you hear, but the nature of Famished that you only hear one transmission at a time. Let us know if I misunderstood your question. 2. Tune to the correct repeater channel. Program the repeater’s input tone or code into your radio as the TX CTCSS or DCS. At first, leave the RX tone empty so you hear all traffic; you can always go back and set it if you receive too many transmissions that don’t come from the repeater.

Hi John, For GMRS and FRS, the FCC has designated 22 specific frequencies for our simplex use and 8 more for transmitting to the repeater. The channels are interlaced. So tuning to an “in-between” frequency might be interfering with other services or other channels. You’ll definitely want to read the regulations to see what frequencies we are allowed and the power and bandwidth: § 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.

Thanks for the reminder of how to print the official copy. I always have to fumble around a little bit too.