SteveShannon

Some manufacturers confuse the issue by naming repeater channels RP15 through RP22. Other manufacturers simply continue the numbering from 23 through 30, so when you said Repeater Channel 17, you were really on channel 17, which is not a repeater channel. Second, I am not familiar with the radio shown and I don’t want to add confusion. It appears to show T-DCS is OFF. Does that mean it isn’t sending a DCS code, @OffRoaderX?

Monitoring for traffic can have a couple connotations. Radio traffic or highway traffic reports on the radio. When I first read the question I wasn’t sure which was being asked.

You’re right. I misunderstood what this device was. Here’s a picture of it in use (as a marketing model).

People come to forums to ask questions. That’s perfectly normal. In fact it’s good that they have someplace to come and ask questions. The OP may have been confirming his own understanding of the regulations. Responding like a total buttplug every time someone asks about the regulations is abnormal.

I’m not a telescope expert, but I believe this is the kind of device my friend used to take the Spaghetti Nebula photo above: https://www.highpointscientific.com/zwo-asi2600mc-duo-built-in-dual-sensor-astronomy-camera?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1360885342&utm_content=61324494144&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-khUbxpGaSORu3Yipm-cdS4E-5t&gclid=CjwKCAiAxea5BhBeEiwAh4t5K29icn6xlqXGdkcmxvtZZ3axpIhvgIy1FW0364WYcUTIhPHYiy-tnhoCpaQQAvD_BwE

Is it possible you’re on one of the simplex channels instead of one of the repeater channels? Both receive on the same frequency but the repeater channels transmit on a different frequency 5.000 MHz higher.

No. New GMRS Licenses are only issued to individuals. For your CERT team to use GMRS each person would require his or her own license, except for family members of a license holder who may be authorized to use the license holder’s stations.

You don’t need a physical com port like a db9 or db25. Your USB ports are mapped as virtual com ports by the drivers that come with the programming software. You will be able to see them appear in Device Manager.

A mobile antenna on a pie plate in front of a window can do a pretty decent job. If I lived closer I’d help you put one in your attic.

The VX-6R is the radio to have in case of the apocalypse. Immersion proof, metal chassis, and reliable. I like it. It’s not cheap and it isn’t loaded with features like APRS or digital audio, but it receives across a very wide range.

Although I don’t use it on GMRS, it’s a fine little radio. It fits nicely in a jacket pocket. I use it mostly for short distances and I put a stubby antenna on it for that reason.

I would call the dealer and rant and rave. They might replace the radio that has a short. They might replace both radios. If the radio they sold you started a fire in your house your insurance company would have no problem calling them. The radio that had been working well is probably okay since the overheating happened when you put the battery into the other radio. I wouldn’t use either battery though.

That’s simply not true. Although some GMRS channels are limited to handheld radios, and some channels are limited to 5 watts, no regulation limits handheld radios to 5 watts when mobile radios are allowed. There are practical reasons to limit handheld radios to low power but not regulatory. Here are the power regulations: 95.1767 GMRS transmitting power limits. This section contains transmitting power limits for GMRS stations. The maximum transmitting power depends on which channels are being used and the type of station. (a) 462/467 MHz main channels. The limits in this paragraph apply to stations transmitting on any of the 462 MHz main channels or any of the 467 MHz main channels. Each GMRS transmitter type must be capable of operating within the allowable power range. GMRS licensees are responsible for ensuring that their GMRS stations operate in compliance with these limits. (1) The transmitter output power of mobile, repeater and base stations must not exceed 50 Watts. (2) The transmitter output power of fixed stations must not exceed 15 Watts. (b) 462 MHz interstitial channels. The effective radiated power (ERP) of mobile, hand-held portable and base stations transmitting on the 462 MHz interstitial channels must not exceed 5 Watts. (c) 467 MHz interstitial channels. The effective radiated power (ERP) of hand-held portable units transmitting on the 467 MHz interstitial channels must not exceed 0.5 Watt. Each GMRS transmitter type capable of transmitting on these channels must be designed such that the ERP does not exceed 0.5 Watt.

That sounds like a quality control issue. I suggest contacting the dealer to get a replacement.

“Only?” That’s one of the best and most rugged handheld radios around. Nice choice! I’m sorry you have encountered some hams who are poor ambassadors of amateur radio. I hope you run into some others who are encouraging and welcoming.

It sounds like you’ve done all the right things. Obviously you have the cable and computer working. The only thing I can think of that would be specific to the second radio is two pin speaker/mike port on the second radio. Is the volume turned up enough? Is the two pin plug pushed all the way in? I’ve seen some radios where they seem to stop and it requires a harder push to seat them fully. If you have an external speaker/mike, see if it works on that radio. The speaker and microphone jacks are mechanical and could be faulty. Otherwise, yeah, I think a call to customer service is next. Like @OffRoaderX, I don’t recall hearing about many (maybe any) Wouxun radios arriving dead. And this one isn’t truly dead; it just has a problem with the speaker/mic jacks. Sooner or later every manufacturer has at least one problem slip through. I read through the manual while looking for anything that might be helpful for you. Obviously I didn’t find anything, but I am impressed by the quality of the manual and the features of the radio. I might have to look at one of the ham variety.

However, (with great affection for my friend Marc) I also have experienced way too many people who don’t speak up when talking into the microphone. That’s equally problematic. So, speak up but don’t yell.

See if this video helps explain things.

Back to the title of the thread, one thing all new hams should know is to keep your handheld antenna vertical.

Here’s a photo a friend of mine took of the Spaghetti Nebula. She did some processing to make things more visible. I put the details beneath the image : SH2-240, The Spaghetti nebula The Spaghetti Nebula is a large supernova remnant. It is 3000 ly away, and spans roughly 160 ly. It is estimated to be about 40,000 years old. It is believed that the stellar explosion left behind a rapidly spinning neutron star known as pulsar PSR J0538+2817 in the nebula core, emitting a strong radio signal. WO Pleaides 68 ASI 2600MC DUO AM3 ASIAIR EAF Antlia ALP-T dual narrow band filter 132x 300 sec exposures 11 hour total integration Processed with Pixinsight and Affinity Photo

Help me understand , please. You were able to hear voice transmissions on the db20g without an antenna, but once you connected the coax and antenna you no longer could hear voice transmissions (annd you made no other changes?) Go back to a configuration that works, even if that means listening without an antenna. Then change one thing at a time so you can eliminate distractors.

Congratulations on becoming a ham! Great job diving in to help with REACT!

Congratulations on becoming a ham! A home base would have more power, but one of the first things you’ll learn is that power is one of the least important aspects of a radio, especially on VHF and UHF. Power isn’t totally unimportant, but the range of a VHF or UHF radio is affected much less by power than a person might expect.

Hear hear! A person always needs a handheld radio to throw in the pocket of a coat. You can use a handheld radio with a mobile antenna or a base station antenna for many basic purposes. Beginning with just a base station or just a mobile station doesn’t allow the same flexibility.

I have a TYT UV-380 that I replaced the firmware with the firmware from the Open UV380 project. It works well as both an analog and DMR radio. Fit and finish seem to be good and one of my friends tells me it has the best sound reproduction of any of my handheld radios. I like it. I haven’t tried the TH-UV88, but the review that @WRUU653 provided will give you an idea.