WRPQ991

Up north in Copperas Cove, (Ft Hood) I can sometimes get Oglesby but nothing from the south. Austin has the local repeaters that don't reach far. I can sometimes get one when I visit family in Phlugerville.  But it don't quite reach Round Rock.  Going up to Shreveport when I lose Oglesby in about 45 minutes I start picking up Tyler, that gets me pretty close to Shreveport, But there is NOTHING there.

The kind of short version is we share a well. The booster pump and reservoir tank are closer to my house. The tank is 10 feet lower than my house and 20 above his. Over the last 6 years we have experienced at least 15 power outages with several of them being multiple days long with the longest being 5 days. The pump house with it's own electric meter is closer to me. With a transfer switch we can run the well and booster pump on a generator. The 5 day outage was accompanied by 6 feet of snow over a week which made snow shoeing up and down the hill the only method of travel. We will run the generator for the well and booster pumps on a schedule and use radios for coordination. He was using one of my radios. Now he has his own. Last week we lost power three times for 3-4 hours at a time. We have started turning on our radios when we lose power just in case. 

Its hard to cover all GMRS radios, but the terminology is not standard. in and out tones are a big one. And repeater offsets. not all GMRS radios call it the same. And maybe a word on "Chirp" I've had alot of issues with it.

What happens when a soldier speaks to a truck driver? Both have special acronyms and codes, Then a LEO gets involved, again different codes. So, a lawyer who  speaks in circles and is incapable of answering a simple question gets involved with alot of leagaleese and double speak so it's nearly impossible to get a clear message. The FCC does not understand or really care so the OK it and there we have it..Everything should be in clear and concise English.   And Alice Cooper says "mixerthingwhaynowbatcrapwhatdaywasitbefore." and we are all confused. 

I picked up this one. By filing down the sides it fits perfectly into an empty switch blank in my 4Runner. Mic / control head plugs right into the dash and looks factory.

CERRXIAN RJ45 Male to Female LAN... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRZAN3R?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share




Using a ProClip console phone mount, angled wedge, and MagneticMic holder.




Here’s a shot of the dual NMO antennas; one for the Midland and one for the Wilson WeBoost. Both head units mounted under driver & passenger seats. Both work great!




Controlled power for both through the SwitchPro. Top left is the Wilson, bottom left the Midland.



Semi-related, but the other coiled cord visible in a prior photo is for the phone. Here’s my DIY dash mount for iPhone.








…….and a random glamour shot in its element. In this photo I was trying a Wilson whip antenna, but it broke (and didn’t work too well anyway).

The one in Troy is WRAL242. It has great connectivity from Northern Austin up to West, Tx. If you search WRAL242 in the repeater list, it comes up. I've spoken to the repeater owner and it is an open repeater and free for use for all GMRS licensees.

Since this discussion is continuing, I will repeat myself from the previous discussion on hams using GMRS.
I think it demonstrates that the amateur radio service is not providing the “service” it should be, to the community at large, in 2023. Many ham radio test questions are out of date or antiquated. They have no real purpose to the users who are entering ham radio, and these questions and tests only serve as a barrier. Some will say they want that barrier to exist, to keep out the unwanted, just as they did with the morse code requirement. To those hams, I say ‘get over it’. The days of most hams being aerospace engineers and having pocket protectors are long gone. Like it or not, we live in the here and now, and it is a “new normal”. It may not be better, but it is new.
I thought there was a proposal in recent years to offer an entry level test of 5 questions, to give privileges on 70cm. That would be a step in the right direction for ham radio. What happened to that??? That is exactly what needs to be offered for entry level hams who only want to use an HT or mobile FM radio, with privileges only on 70cm FM frequencies. Give them privileges on 2m FM as well !
And in all reality, why do we even need test questions for those privileges, when it is basically the same as GMRS ? What do you need to know? You have a requirement to ID every so often, and you have to stay on these particular frequencies, and you would be limited to 50 watts TPO. No need to see if the applicant can recognize a resistor or a diode on a schematic. Who can do that today, with SMD components in everything? -/\/\/\/- is futile
 

If I only wanted to talk to my wife I would have got a MURS 900MHZ radio. or simply walk into the other room. I got into GMRS to talk to other people. Not chatter away for hours but check on road conditions or events. There is only one repeater that I should be able to use, but so far nothing..don't know if I'm doing something wrong or just can't reach the distance. I've put it on scan and pick up NOTHING ever. Very disappointed by the whole deal. At least with the little CB in my truck I can hear the gravel haulers and a few other trucks that come thru daily. But no locals.. I've scanned the 10M band, the 12M band, 2M and 6M bands and only thing I pick up is a religious station in Nashville. So, I see no reason no get a ham license.  Granted I don't have the right antenna for Ham bands.
I've put quite a bit of $$ into the GMRS just to hear static. Radioddity DB20G on a Nagoya NMO200c high gain antenna with Nagoya GPK-01 ground plane, sitting 25ft high. A Wouxun KG 805G and Baofeng UV 9G handhelds, and the Midland MXT500 in my truck. And all I get is static.

I used to belong to a CB club many many years ago in Colorado Springs, I just got my GMRS license, don't have a radio yet. Over the years I've looked at ham radio, but the cost of equipment kinda kept me away, gone are the days of build it yourself Tandy kits. I'll have to see if there is much activity near me, I'm between Waco and Austin here in central Texas, there are a few low power repeaters in and around Austin, and a big on near Waco. Used to be a sideband group in Salisaw Oklahoma I could reach on 10M. with an Antron 99 at 30 ft. Will have to wait & see how the GMRS plays out down here

There is one in Troy TX I'll have to find his info

OK please explain how to go back to GMRS. Was fun for a minute.   Never mind  I got it:)

OK please explain how to go back to GMRS. Was fun for a minute.   Never mind  I got it:)

Some Operational Tips:
Open up the Ham 2 meter and 70 cm bands to transmit on the USA version (also available in the provided software under Model):
1) Turn off the power.  
2) While holding down the V/M button, turn on the power.  Use the Up and Down arrow keys to change from the GMRS setting on the display to 136-174 MHz; 400-470 MHz and now power down.  
3) When you power back up licensed operators can now transmit on the GMRS channels and the 2 meter and 70 cm Ham bands. 
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Giving a Channel an alphanumeric name without using a computer:
1) Go to the appropriate Channel
2) Push the FUN button and using the V/M and MAIN buttons to go through the Menu items until you reach Function 29: DSPCHANNEL and using the Up and Down arrow buttons, select NAME. Push the FUN button to exit the Function menu.
3) Push the FUN button and using the V/M and MAIN buttons to go through the Menu items until you reach Function 12: CHANNEL NAME.  Using the Up and Down Arrow buttons, scroll through the list of 1-0, A-Z and a-z to find the first letter.  When you do find it, push the MON button to confirm that character and move to the 2nd position.  Repeat as necessary until up to 8 characters are entered.
4) When finished push the FUN button to exit the Function Mode.
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Programming a repeater channel without using a computer:
1) Switch to VFO mode (from Channel Mode) using the V/M key
2) Using the number keys on the mic, enter the repeater's output frequency
3) On the mic, push FUN then 9 repeatedly until the proper split (+ or - or blank for Off) appears above the frequency.
4) Press the FUN key on the Radio and use the V/M and Main keys as an up/down to get to function 10:Offset.  
Use the Up and Down arrow keys to set your offset split, such as 5.00000MHz or 0.60000MHz (you can hold down the Up or Down key to have it continuously change). 
Once you get to the proper offset, push the FUN key again.
5) Press the FUN key on the Radio and go to Function 01:T-CDC and use the Up and Down keys to find the proper transmit PL Tone.  
Use the same method to optionally set the proper receive PL Tone, if necessary, on Function 02:R-CDC (or Function 03: RT-CDC if both tones are the same)
6) You can rotate through High, Medium and Low transmit power using FUN and 0 (zero) on the mic.
7) Save to the first open channel by pushing Fun and UP on the microphone (or then use the UP and DN keys on the mic to scroll through the available channels, with empty ones saying NULL
? Save to this channel holding down the "MON-*" key on the mic and you are done!
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Use DCS Digital Tones:
Go to desired channel
Press FUN on mic
Press 1 on mic
Go to menu 1 using V/M or Main key on mic
Press number 1 on mic to cycle to 000 N display for menu 1
Use up and down on mic to scroll to code corresponding to desired DCS code. 
List is in the instructions.
Use V/M or Main to go to menu item 2. Repeat selection process
Press DIL on mic to exit.
_________________________________________________________________
New Radioddity DB20-G CPS software V2.02
1. Change the default bandwidth from Narrow to Wide.
2. Address the bug that "when repeater TX frequency change, RX frequency automatically match"
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One of the favorites here on this Forum that will meet your specifications is the Radioddity DB20-G a/k/a Anytone AT-779UV.
For $99-109 (and recently discounted for Black Friday) it is:
A mini-mobile that can fit in the palm of your hand and there are cup-mount holders for easy moves back and forth to another vehicle
12V Cigarette Lighter plug for easy power
18 Watts UHF and 20 Watts VHF
Out of the box it is a fully certified Part 95E GMRS device that receives and scans on VHF and UHF and transmits on only GMRS channels, with the first 30 channels preprogrammed and then 9 more DIY channels for more repeaters with different Tones.
Using the push buttons (or the included CPS software) you can "open" this unit to transmit on all 500 channels GMRS and/or on Ham 2 meters and 70 cms as well.
Using the push buttons and/or software, you can at anytime restore the original codeplug and "lock" it back down to GMRS for compliance with Part 95E.
 

But all in your group would have to have a Ham lic. too. With FRS/GMRS they can go to wally world and get a handheld FRS cheap and have communication.
Can't get a consents on the channels we have now on GMRS why would we want more bandwidth/spectrum and more confusion?  

Gonna get me a roger beep, and door bell for key up and an echo board so I can sound like one of them big rig radio operators... maybe even get me one of them linears.
 

Just be careful.....Roger beeps are "good buddy beeps" to truck drivers. You may find yourself the recipient of an invite to a rest area men's room for a romantic interlude

Sent from my SM-A125U using Tapatalk

That's a nice pole, but with the guy wires has a pretty big footprint. Do you encounter any issues with no ground plane, except the ground of course. While the hunting tower has the expanded metal..Here, where I am, the ground has very little reflective properties. Mostly limestone and sand. I see people using aluminum pipe from the top of a wire fence, or a few sticks of PVC, and all sorts of redneck engineering. For your heavy rotor and a set of moon rakers, you could remove the seat and use the pedestal.
I'm just kicking around ideas right now.

I am an engineer ?
When it comes to antennas, everything affects them. A metal roof certainly would. Foil backed insulation between rafters would as well, but usually insulation is between the ceiling joists rather than the rafters unless the attic is heated. 
Even roofing nails can have an effect. 
Attics are also not terribly elevated. 
However, antennas are frequently placed in attics, including a lot of wire dipoles, and they sometimes work well enough. That’s all we need right? Good enough?
Try it. You can always decide to put it outside. 
Note from personal experience: be careful about roofing nails that stick through the sheathing. More than one person has holed his head on them. 

There are some special packages almost all the time. Right now there are three different bundles where you get two handheld radios for no extra charge. 
https://www.retevis.com/rt97-long-range-full-duplex-mini-portable-repeater-promotion
I have no connection to them and couldn’t tell you which package would be better for you. 

I don't know about you, but I can't remember my new call sign without looking. The times I thought I remembered it, I butchered it. So, I got a desk plaque that has the call sign and if I mount my mobile in the car, I'll get a smaller one for the car. I suppose I would remember it if I used it daily, but I don't. 

I dont usually like to post videos here, but I have been so inspired by several of the "experts" in this forum complaining that we should not be using radios made in China that I put together a list of all the American Made radios AND I vow to purchase each one of these American made radios and do a full review of them in the next 30 days..  Thank you to "some people" that opened my eyes about not purchasing radios that are not made in America.
 

When I first set up my btech, I had the 1/4 wave antenna sitting on top of my printer, mag mounted to a piece of sheet metal. When I keyed up, the printer woke up and printed a page of gibberish characters. ?
Setup has since moved, and the antenna is on top of a bookshelf now.

I used to belong to a CB club many many years ago in Colorado Springs, I just got my GMRS license, don't have a radio yet. Over the years I've looked at ham radio, but the cost of equipment kinda kept me away, gone are the days of build it yourself Tandy kits. I'll have to see if there is much activity near me, I'm between Waco and Austin here in central Texas, there are a few low power repeaters in and around Austin, and a big on near Waco. Used to be a sideband group in Salisaw Oklahoma I could reach on 10M. with an Antron 99 at 30 ft. Will have to wait & see how the GMRS plays out down here

Just retired myself here in New Braunfels.  Will be setting up a vertex 7000 with either a db4 or db8 antenna in the coming few months and do some testing.