n4gix

Bad link.

As a proud member of the NSEA I am very happy that you've pointed out this information.

Have you ever opened up your BCR-40U? It is in fact nothing more nor less than "two mobiles in a box". There is of course a custom controller, front panel controls, display, and a 30 amp power supply.

I have a Bridgecom BCR-40U with duplexer tuned to 462.675 CTCSS 123.0 for which I'm asking $1000 + shipping. It includes the programming software and programming cable.

I own a barely used Bridgecom BCR-40U repeater with internal duplexer and full programming kit I'd like to sell. It was only on the air for about four months from my residence. Since I've never been able to locate an affordable tower, I have no real need for it any longer. It is currently tuned to the GMRS 462.675/467.675 repeater pair. The current price for this complete system from Bridgecom is $1430 + tax and shipping. Please PM me if you are interested, or email me n4gix at Comcast dot net. I'm asking $1000...

The KD-C1 radios are fully able to be programmed on any UHF frequency within the band range. I have one programmed receive only on eight of the Chicago PD dispatch channels. The others are strictly limited to simplex and repeater GMRS frequencies used by NSEA.

I've used the Diamond SX600 for many years now and have been very pleased with it.

A few days after I returned from my annual visit to the "Holy Shrine of Hamdom" (Dayton Hamvention) I received a mysterious email notifying that a package was being sent from Ohio via FedEx. I was a bit suspicious since I knew I hadn't ordered anything. Then I thought maybe DARA (Dayton Amateur Radio Club) was sending me a polo or tee-shirt as a thank you for my weekend of volunteer work as a shuttle driver. But then, I noticed that the package weighed 2.5 pounds, and a signature was required, so just what was it? When it was delivered a few days later, I briefly noticed that the edge of the box had "JCVKenwood" printed. Now my curiosity was truly aroused! It turns out that unbeknownst to me, I had won one of the major show prizes in the hourly ticket drawing! It was a brand new, shiny Kenwood TH-D74 Tri-Band HT! Shoot, the thing will also receive AM, FM, SSB and CW. Every thing pretty much from DC to Daylight no less. MSRP for this HT is $585 USD, and the currently lowest price is $506 at Amazon.com While it was indeed a very pleasant surprise, having played with it a bit, read the manual, and watched quite a few YouHooTube videos, I'm come to the conclusion that it has several drawbacks, at least from my point of view. It's way too complicated with nearly 1,000 menu options. Its programming software is more complex than any DMR radio I've ever seen, and that includes Motorola. It's digital mode is D-Star, not DMR. As there are only two D-Stars in Chicago, they are way out of range of an HT in Northwest Indiana. It is completely useless for GMRS since it will only Rx on those frequencies, Tx is inhibit and cannot be modified, except for the traditional MARS/CAP expansion! I first thought I'd sell it, but by the time PayPal and eBay extorted their share of the proceeds, I would probably only net around $400 or so... For these reasons I've decided to donate this to my local ham radio club to be used as a Grand Prize in a future raffle. At least this way the club will benefit, and we can use the proceeds for our STEM projects to encourage youth in their education, and perhaps gain a few new youngsters into becoming amateur operators.

The only ones who are excluded are the "outlaws..." <snicker!>

What those workers were doing is extremely dangerous. Removing a cross-brace prior to installing a new one is similar to Russian Roulette... Sad that anyone died as a result.

I actually do precisely this whenever our local ham club and local GMRS club conduct "joint emcom nets". Since I am a licensed GMRS station as well as a licensed amateur operator, I handle the 'test message' traffic from one group to the other... I just have to remember which 'hat' I'm wearing whenever I grab for the mic!

No, they don't need to be Part 95 necessarily. Read the "exceptions" cited above.

Absolutely not. GMRS like any other radio requires 50 ohm impedance, the which RG6 is not. The three most important requirements for any system are: 1. height 2. antenna 3. feedline (coax, 50 ohms)

While the explanation from Cornell Law School is certainly cogently stated, in the Real World actual practice is that a permanent station can be a "base", "fixed station" or a "control station" depending on specific circumstances. When acting as a "fixed station" my power is set to low (about 10 watts out). When acting as a "control station", such as operating as net control, my power is set to only enough to operate the repeater at full quieting (usually low power). When communicating directly with mobile or portables, I am not a "base station" and will use whatever power is required, up to the max allowed. In the final analysis though, no one actually gives a tinker's damn about the nuances of the rules, especially the FCC.

Do "Fixed Stations" even exist in the GMRS world? I cannot begin to imagine anyone using their radio at home or office to only communicate with another "Fixed Station..."

The loop serves as an RF choke, and acts to reduce common mode current. This will assist in reducing the tendency of the coax to act as an active part of the antenna, which affects both transmission and reception. If you really want to get into the technical explanation, see this PDF article: http://audiosystemsgroup.com/NCDXACoaxChokesPPT.pdf As I use 1/2" heliax, I can't create a loop, but then heliax obviates the need for a common mode choke anyway. To see many images of such coax chokes in action, see here: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=coax+loop+choke&id=2F362EF35CC88DA2316C4C069F5E278D0AA1C188&FORM=IQFRBA

Actually since the FCC is issuing call signs in strict alpha/numeric sequence still, "triple-seven" would not be out of possibility... ...numbers run from 100 to 999. Just to think that there are now potentially 899 folks with the WQWU prefixes is a lot of tongue-twisters out there!

The PA doesn't work on that frequency, so they just pass the exciter output to the antenna port.

I like that viewpoint. I also like your call sign, as it simply rolls off the tongue... ...unlike mine that's decidedly a tongue-twister! WQWU626 Folks are all the time asking me how I got a call sign with only three letters, 'cause all they hear is "WQW626. The last "U" is elided into the preceding "W" unless I enunciate the letters s l o w l y.

Just for information, a base antenna height of 15' provides a line-of-sight (LOS) approximately 5 miles. Assuming a portable's antenna height of 5' provides a LOS of approximately 3 miles. Adding the two LOS distances yields approximately 8 miles in total. Of course, those numbers are subject to reduction based on the buildings in between the repeater and the portable, as well as the topography of your neighborhood.

You are absolutely correct!

That is very true. There is a tremendous difference in the propagation characteristics of AM versus FM though. I well remember how things were in the early sixties when I could make transcontinental contacts from Fairfax, Virginia to the West Coast... ...with a 100mW portable with a "long wire antenna" clipped to the telescoping whip with an alligator clip!

Since none of my radios has MDC, I simply make the noise myself (I am amused easily)...

Or he could simply be a local and 'lying through his teeth...'

Note to Self: always read the entire thread before replying... Um, just no... He is an Extra Class ham: See also from the FCC Database: http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=253782