n4gix

He's absolutely correct. The FCC simply hasn't got the budget they once had to enforce the rules any longer.

The plus + model is very nice, with 2m, 1.25m, and 70cm all in one package. No HF or waterfall display of course.

Likely 'cause it takes a few seconds for the gerbils to spin up the treadmill generator! ?

FCC Rules changes!

The doubling of voice communications on a single frequency is also a major plus!

I probably bought one of - if not the last - Bridgecom 220 radios! They had a sale on them about a year ago for $120 discount, so I immediately grabbed one. Although I've programmed it, I have yet to actually install or use it. I suspect the reason for the "fire sale" was because they weren't selling as many as they expected. Sale goes for the 220 HT I bought four years ago. Both have gone the way of the do-do bird. ? I also bought an Anytone AT-5888 UV III tri-band mobile radio. The high power is 50w @ 144 MHz, 25w @ 220 MHz, and 40w @ 440 MHz. The 220 band has 25w/15w/10w/5w selectable power output. This is a true dual transceive radio with separate volume/squelch controls for the A and B sides. The 220 frequencies may only be programmed for the A transceiver however. I have been extremely pleased with this radio!

In my opinion, using any "channel number" is impractical. None of the radios I use for GMRS have channel numbers. They display only the frequency or the "channel name" I've given them. ?

Well, if you do put up a repeater with a good (high) antenna system, there's a good chance you could get "state wide" coverage! ?

I have to question this. Since the repeater is listening on 467.725 and transmitting on 462.725 that would seem to imply that the owner has replaced the HT with a full-blown repeater. The other clue is that evidently the owner is using split tones, again implying a real repeater and not simply an HT with parroting capability. ?

That is absolutely correct. Talk-Around is not the same thing as "Reverse (frequencies)".

Nearly all electronic gadgets we use show some parasitic drain on a car's battery. That is why I installed a battery monitor in the hot lead from the battery to the distribution block under the dash where all my 'gadgets' draw their power. If the battery voltage drops below 12.5 VDC, it will automatically disconnect the main power to the distribution block. I've never again had a problem starting the car due to a drained battery! $25 to preserve my sanity... ? CZH-LABS LVD Low Voltage Disconnect Module. (12V / 30Amp): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

When I ordered my RT-97 from Radioddity directly, I specified the frequency pair I wanted to use (442.975). Radioddity's technicians tuned the duplexer to my chosen frequency pair. I never bothered to program any other frequencies as I knew the duplexer would not pass even a frequency only 0.25 MHz +/- higher or lower.

You evidently did not read the history posted on the NSEA website. Unfortunately, many have either never learned, or have forgotten the history of GMRS.

For the most part those self-labled "private repeaters" are very low profile "garage repeaters" and have a very tiny footprint anyway... Very few people can afford to pay monthly rent for tower space.

The line exists because Canada has long ago reserved those frequency pairs for their own use! That is why using them is forbidden to GMRS operators.

That simply is not accurate. NSEA* has a repeater on 462.675/467.675 141.3 for well over fifty-one years now! Call sign is also the oldest in Illinois: KAA 8142 NSEA | History | GMRS | Repeaters | Projects | Skywarn *Note: located in Parkridge, Illinois and covers most of Chicago.

Also: RadioReference.com - Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

The phenomenon is known as "picket fencing..."

'twas only a joke! ?

With all the antennas on my roof and around my house, plus the ones on my car... ...my neighbors are convinced I must work for one of the three-letter agencies! ?

Bowel Movement? ?

Currently all GMRS calls are 4x3, that is four letters followed by three numbers. They are all sequentially generated. An example would be mine: WQWU626. Legacy GMRS calls were 3x4, that is three letters followed by four numbers, just as were the 11m CB calls from the past. That is of course because at that time our current GMRS frequencies were Class A CB and issued for business and/or personal use. An example of a legacy Class A call might be: KAE8142 while a Class D call would be KQI2403 (my old CB call). While all Class D licenses are now non-existent, Class A licenses are still valid as long as they are kept renewed every 10 years.

I use only FTDI chip cables from BlueMax49ers. They are guaranteed to work or the owner will work with you to get one working. That's premier service!

The term is "harmonics" and the original UV-5R has always been plagued with their crappy filtering. ?

Your SIL could have simply used your license and saved $70... ?