SteveShannon

I have reported it,which is the most reliable and quickest way to reach Rich. The function labeled “My Repeaters” makes it far too easy to accidentally or intentionally allow any person to list a repeater as their own and appears right next to the Favorite Repeaters tab. I suspect at least some people add repeaters to their “My Repeaters” list accidentally while attempting to populate their favorites. To populate your favorites list, just click on the Star next to the repeater name. I suggested to Rich (in my report) that the My Repeaters feature be disabled.

I would try 40 meter mobile ham radios. You might have to try NVIS.

The proposal linked in my first post. If you can show that the FCC is charging too much for processing GMRS licenses a petition to reduce the cost to all who apply would be reasonable, but giving GMRS licenses to ham radio licensees isn’t the solution. “We overcharge GMRS licensees so we’re going to give them to hams!”

First, don't necessarily trust the SWR reading from the Surecom. It might be rights, but there are reports of them being incorrect. An antenna analyzer will tell you whether your antenna has a reasonable SWR in the 462-467 MHz. Once you know about the antenna, then test the combination of the cable and antenna. Second, are you testing with the antenna connected to the car the way it's designed to be? The simple act of raising an antenna, or placing it on a ground plane, or standing beside it, can drastically affect the SWR. Third, What is the SWR on the higher repeater channels (23-30?) Finally, welcome to the forums! Steve

Personally, I think it's sloppily written with inaccurate premises and illogical conclusions. I see absolutely no reason why a ham radio licensee should be excused from paying for a GMRS license and arguing that equipment that requires no certification should be allowed on a service that requires certified equipment is ridiculous. But it's interesting what people will ask for.

I don't recall it being mentioned on the forums here, but in October, Garmin petitioned for a rule change as well: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/search-filings/filing/1005158792395

You can, but it will never be the best option. You have to weigh the advantages against the disadvantages. How long is it? Which leads to calculating the losses. RG-6 loses nearly 5 dB in 100 feet on GMRS frequencies. How difficult would it be to replace? If it’s easy, and the cable is long, go for something better. If it’s short and difficult to replace then I would at least try it. Basically I would try it and see first.

It means it’s “stale”. Its status hasn’t been updated in 2 years.

I wouldn’t think that the FCC would be in on the joke…

That’s exactly the one. It doesn’t fold over, at least not accidentally. It may be that they changed the way the folding whip works since someone complained about it, but it requires a very deliberate action to fold it. One other thing. I bought mine used from a person and saved $10 (I thought), but I didn’t have a decent analyzer at the time. It worked on 2 meters (better than the Midland) but once I got my RigExpert I discovered that SWR was higher than it should be. It looked like the whip was too short. So, I wrote in to the US Comet representative and he immediately identified it as a failed capacitor in the loading coil section immediately above the mount. He sent me one for a price, so by buying used from a private party I cost myself some money. I suspect I could replace the capacitor if I could figure out how to take apart the coil assembly, but I haven’t yet. The factory rep said it couldn’t be done without destroying the coil. Of course you’ll need a mount as well.

No, “TSQL”, means that it transmits a tone and also requires a tone to open the squelch. “TONE” sends a tone but doesn’t require one on receive. It’s the same as leaving the tone out on receive.

I tried to use the Midland MXTA26 antenna for one of my Radioddity DB20Gs, which I reconfigured for use on VHF and UHF Amateur bands, but not GMRS. As expected it worked okay on 70 cm. But it failed miserably on 2 meters, not even communicating five blocks down a straight street. For that radio I switched to a Comet SBB5.

I would suggest contacting the repeater owner to see if there’s anything they can think of, perhaps an additional level of access codes. I admit that’s unlikely, but I don’t know what else to try.

As I read what you have tried I couldn’t think of anything else either. Just out of curiosity do you have any issues talking simplex between your two radios?

No, the system hadn’t recognized him as a premium member yet. It has been fixed.

Hmmm, the document link works for me on both my phone and my laptop. If you click on the second link, which is the filing, then you can click on the link to the PDF near the top.

While I was on the FCC site today trying to decide what (if anything) to enter into the public record about the Midland proposal for digital mobile GMRS radios and digital voice on GMRS, I stumbled across this document: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/121859354063/1 Here's the filing details: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/search-filings/filing/121859354063

No, I said: Such as this: https://www.americanradiosupply.com/uhf-male-to-f-female-coaxial-adapter-connector/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1rSsBhDHARIsANB4EJaXnN6NDUi0pnfCrPC7u1jPPlHuNPlbzokazzddein9TZ6qF3Rgw_0aAjaEEALw_wcB

Yes, one repeater transmitting to another repeater results in an infinite loop. You transmit on Channel A to the small repeater. The small repeater repeats your transmission on Channel B so it can be received by the big repeater. The big repeater must transmit on Channel A or your small repeater would never receive it. When the small repeater receives it on Channel A it repeats it on Channel B where it is received by the big repeater. Infinite loop. There are ways to link repeaters to accomplish what you suggest using network connections.

I would use the coax. It’s not perfect but it’s not terrible. It’ll prevent you from getting an swr better than 1.5:1, but most people are satisfied with that.

The dish is a satellite antenna with an LNB as part of the assembly. It has no practical possibility of being repurposed to 462-467 MHz frequencies. The one you called a Yagi is really a log periodic. Log periodic antennas are very wideband. It might be repurposed, but without an antenna analyzer or VNA it might be difficult. It’s very directional so it would not be ideal as a repeater antenna unless you wish to limit your communications to a narrow field. But if you’re pointing it at a distant repeater it could be okay. Also the coax is 75 ohm rather than 50 ohm. That will limit how low you can get the SWR, but it’s not the kiss of death. You will need an F to UHF adapter though. They’re easy enough to obtain. I would hook up to the log periodic antenna, point it at a repeater and see if you receive. If you do, try transmitting on low power. Even if you have a high SWR by using low power you help protect your final transistors from damage.

If you’re hearing music and broadcast news it’s probably not a repeater. Or if it is they’re operating in violation of the regulations. Repeater traffic should only be people talking to each other. Because the frequencies you hear repeaters on are the same frequencies you hear people transmitting on using simplex it can be impossible to know if something is a repeater based on an occasional transmission unless you hear the repeater ID.

GMRS radios in Canada must be 2 watts or less, marked “IC” (Canada’s FCC) and permanently attached antennas. There are no repeaters.

UncleYoda, You absolutely are within your rights and the regulations to transmit on the 462 MHz main channels. They’re yours as much as they belong to anyone else. And there’s nothing wrong with using the same tones that a repeater uses. However, it could be confusing to anyone who hears you. They would have no way to know whether they were hearing the repeater or someone on simplex. If they transmit in simplex on 462 the repeater would not relay the signal so you might not hear them. Similarly your transmissions will be limited in range. Some people listening to the repeater might not hear you at all which could lead to them inadvertently interfering with your transmissions. It’s not something I would do, but you’re within your rights.

The only person who can help is Rich:@rdunajewski I’ll report your post to catch his attention.