SteveShannon

Honestly, using two radios which were not designed to be combined as a repeater would be quite a challenge anyway. While there are some high end radios that are designed to be combined into a repeater (Motorola is one) and work well, but almost everyone on this forum who has tried something similar with inexpensive radios discovers that problems with de-sense are difficult to overcome.

You might be able to enable VOX on the transmitting radio and let it just detect the audio from the receiving radio.

Can you provide a wiring diagram so we can see how you have it connected? I don’t understand why closing PTT would distort the audio.

Defiantly!

I have the full color Garmin Rino and it is excellent. You can load tops maps at higher resolution for areas you want to visit. The screens are easier to see the brighter the sun. The Rinos are high quality GPS receivers with decent quality GMRS radios built in. The monochrome one is much less expensive, but I like the color. But they are limited to handheld radios by current regulations and the data can not be sent through a repeater. The proposal Gil posted is a change because it will allow mobile radios to do similar functions.

A PLC as in programmable logic controller? Quite a few people use repeatercontrollers like the ID-o-matic. https://www.radiodan.com/idom/

If the only people who use the repeater are those whom you are allowed to authorize to use your call sign, WRXH658, then the repeater itself is not required to be identified. If any other people use it, specifically people with different call signs, the the repeater must be identified. But there’s no requirement that the repeater itself must do the identification. One of you could identify the repeater.

You can’t. Do you hear traffic on the repeater? What are your settings? Squelch mode, Tx tone, Rx tone, radio model, channel?

Randy is right about both points. The FCC has shown little interest in enforcing any prohibitions and at least according to this Reddit post they would appear to be okay with VOIP linking: https://www.reddit.com/r/gmrs/comments/6fiun9/response_from_the_fcc_on_linking_repeater_audio/

Well, there’s 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.

Here’s a short thread from last year about connecting a speaker output to a car audio system, similar to what you’re doing. In his first post, the OP includes a link to a “speaker to line level” adapter to handle the concern I raised. That probably offers a degree of isolation as well. Here’s the converter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VKFSLKN/ Here’s the thread:

A data sheet for a high quality SMA male connector shows that the center pin may be beryllium copper, which is not attracted to a magnet. https://www.fairviewmicrowave.com/images/productPDF/SC7033.pdf Magnetic properties of beryllium copper: https://materion.com/-/media/files/alloy/tech-briefs/at0006-0311---tech-briefs---magnetic-properties-of-copper-beryllium.pdf

Looking at a drawing of one type of female SMA, which has a solder cup on the other end of the center pin socket, it appears that the pin cannot go into the radio. If it could then opening the radio and pushing the pin through would be the way to go.

It might be rough on the radio but the only way I can think of would be inertia. Tap the antenna jack with a plastic mallet and check often to see if it’s working its way out. Once it’s poking out slightly maybe you can pull it out.

Your phone output goes to earphones or an amplified speaker, devices which expect low levels, not directly to a speaker. A speaker output typically drives a 4-16 ohm load (the speaker). If your radio has a headphone output, that would match your car radio input better.

I do not connect my two-way radio to the car radio. I am curious if you hear the whine when the cable is unplugged from your car radio input. What is the impedance at both ends of the connection? Typically speaker level outputs should not be connected to line level inputs. Line outputs or earphone level outputs are better matched.

Encode

It’s true that you can calculate the theoretical losses from that page, but I find it interesting to take forward and reflected power and SWR measurements at both the antenna end of the coax and at the transceiver end of the coax. It allows you to really see the effect of the coax. Your power and SWR measurements at the antenna will more accurately reflect the power that is delivered to the antenna and the true SWR of the antenna. An SWR measurement taken at the transceiver end of the coax is affected greatly by loss of reflected power and doesn’t measure the losses in the coax. So, measure at both places and subtract the forward power at the antenna end from the forward power at the radio end to understand how much power you lose in the coax. Measure SWR at the antenna end to know the actual SWR of the antenna. That’s the place where the forward power entering the antenna and the reflected power from the antenna are most nearly accurate. Best wishes!

I’m not sure if I follow. I’m not going to speculate about the legality without fully understanding what you’re describing. It sounds like you want your friends to use GMRS handheld or mobile radios to talk to an GMRS repeater which is patched to another, more private system of some sort. What is that “more private system?” A diagram would be helpful.

Turn on squelch. It’s purpose is to mute the radio unless certain conditions are met: Carrier squelch mutes the radio unless a threshold signal strength is exceeded.

I’ve used Norton Utilities since Peter Norton owned it and Antivirus since it was released and I’m ready to jump ship. They’ve become the worst at constantly trying to sell a person up. Way more annoying than I want.

And at the Olympics, used by the Chinese ski team.

As a person once said: “I thought I was wrong; it turned out I was mistaken.” Definitely not me.

If it increases enjoyment it might be worth it. Especially for a person who has several of the same $30 HT, or who reprograms a radio frequently, or who wants to import automatically from Repeaterbook, spending $25 for the software might be worthwhile. Or even $49 to obtain a known-good data cable with the software. Good software is sometimes worth the extra price. Just something to consider.

Pin this please!