n4gix

By "breaking the rules" I was actually referring to keying up a repeater without identifying yourself, which is what "kerchunking" means. Of course on an FRS or MURS frequency one doesn't have a callsign anyway, so no ID is even possible...

Since you are already "breaking the rules" by kerchunking the "repeater" you may as well give a brief voice transmission as well, such as "Testing, 1, 2, 3" and see if it is "parroted back" to your radio.

Uh Drake, you do realize that the first seven FRS frequencies are shared with GMRS... right? 01 462.5625 FRS 1.... 500 mW 12.5 kHz GMRS 9............... 5 W 25 kHz Unofficial national calling channel 02 462.5875 FRS 2.... 500 mW 12.5 kHz GMRS 10............. 5 W 25 kHz 03 462.6125 FRS 3.... 500 mW 12.5 kHz GMRS 11............. 5 W 25 kHz 04 462.6375 FRS 4.... 500 mW 12.5 kHz GMRS 12............. 5 W 25 kHz 05 462.6625 FRS 5.... 500 mW 12.5 kHz GMRS 13............. 5 W 25 kHz 06 462.6875 FRS 6.... 500 mW 12.5 kHz GMRS 14............. 5 W 25 kHz 07 462.7125 FRS 7.... 500 mW 12.5 kHz GMRS 15............. 5 W 25 kHz

I suspect hearing yourself being "parroted back" after a making a transmission just might be a give away...

Welcome to the forums! I highly recommend the Tera TR-505 handheld radios for your use. It is one of the very few new radios that actually have both Part 95A and Part 95J certifications. That is because in addition to UHF GMRS, it also supports VHF MURS frequencies. Granted it has only sixteen channels and no display, but that is more than sufficient for most folks needs. Transmit power is a fully legal 4 watts. https://powerwerx.com/tera-tr505-gmrs-recreational-handheld-radio http://puu.sh/qSzUr.jpg

Look at the FCC Certification for the TR-505. Part 95A for GMRS, Part 95J for MURS: https://fccid.io/2ACK8TR505D http://puu.sh/qOn35.png

Apply a bit of deductive logic to the matter. GMRS is a licensed to family radio service. MURS is licensed by rule. Trying to use any MURS frequency for a link would also allow anyone with MURS to use that frequency and (a) interfere with the link, but more to the point ( allow an unlicensed person to be heard on a GMRS frequency. No one would thank you; legions would curse you; the FCC possibly would fine you. Now it just might be possible to use a link in the 900 MHz band for a link, but I'd have to research the legality of that. Since I have zero interest in the matter, I'll not invest the time to do so however.

Welcome to the forums!

I think the most critical detail that the OP mentioned is that the repeater is not "theirs" at all! belongs to the local amateur radio club and they apparently are simply using it. I honestly cannot think of a single thing they could do to improve coverage in the side canyons. Possibly a remote receiver and link would allow for improved coverage, but it likely would not cover all of the affected areas, and a link would require using one of the seven other available GMRS frequencies.

I think in the case of the North Shore Emergency Association (NSEA) it has more to do with the fact that the organization was founded in 1966 and has been continuously active in support of community activities. NSEA also owns and maintains four very well placed repeaters which allow for a wide area of coverage on the Northeast side of greater Chicago, making it possible for members to actually have reliable communications available at all times.

Thanks! Yes, it was very fun but also quite tiring. I'm still somewhat in "recovery mode".

For the parade assembly we used 462.675 simplex since everyone was clustered in a 12 block area just to our left (the direction of the longer yagi antenna). For the parade itself we used our 462.700 repeater located at Northwestern University since we needed coverage in both directions as the parade began and spread out over 30 blocks. Counting myself as net control operator, we had one acting as the logging operator, and 15 others as "tags" assigned to specific Parade Marshals, police liason, fire dept liason, and four mobile operators; three on bicycles and one on a scooter to provide roaming rapid response to any incidents. NSEA has been providing this communications support for forty-six years. Although this was my first year, I'm already looking forward to next year! NOTA BENE: For the record, since I've been criticized elsewhere let me make it crystal clear that the pumps in the service station were shut down during the entire parade period, and did not resume operations until we'd completed our equipment teardown!

The most noticeable effect of narrow band being received by a wide band receiver is a severe loss of volume...

This year I decided to volunteer my day to helping provide communications support for the City of Evanston's (Illinois) annual 4th of July Parade and evening fireworks down at the lakefront. I live in NW Indiana so it was a long drive for me, but it was worth the trip! Evanston has the distinction of having had the first and longest running annual Parade in Illinois, and draws entries from all around the nation. North Shore Emergency Association (NSEA) has been doing this project since around 1966. My station was as the primary net control operator from the green/white lawn chair on the two base radios. I also passed along the necessary information to the gentleman to my left to enter into the laptop for logging purposes. This is a terrific example of GMRS being used for a good purpose! http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/921/OFMIow.jpg In the late afternoon, we relocated to the lakeshore and I again provide net control as well as operating the FM transmitter that broadcast the synchronized music and "firing cues" for the mortars in the firing pit. I had a blast, but it was a very L O N G day since I left home at 0700 CST on Monday and didn't get home until 0005 CST on Tuesday. The command tent was set up just outside the safety area, so I had the closest view I've ever had of the spectacular fireworks as they burst almost directly overhead! The parade is ready to start! http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/923/9eIVb1.jpg

Trust me, 5 measly watts isn't going to make any practical difference in performance. If 45 watts won't work well, neither will 50 watts.

I'm very pleased with the CS800 (UHF) DMR radio. Note that I've used a 5' CAT5 cable to connect the control head and the radio. The radio itself is mounted temporarily to the right side of the console, and will be relocated to a position under the front passenger seat when I get the time/energy to do so. One feature that the CS800/801 radios do not have is "automatic roaming" but given than I rarely drive outside of my local DMR repeater's coverage, that's not really much of a shortcoming, IMHO! The CS800/801 microphones are very much similar to the Motorola "potato microphones" in that they are beefy and robust and not lightweight and wimpy like so many radios have. Another nice feature that makes mobile operations safer is a voice channel announcement: "Channel One," "Channel Two," et cetera, which means you don't have to take your eyes off the road to "see" what channel has been selected. Also, there are four programmable buttons on the microphone that may be assigned. I have "B" and "C" programmed for channel up/down so I don't have to fumble to reach the control panel's up/down buttons.

I finally managed to get my dual-band TYT TH-7800 and CS800 DMR radios installed in my replacement car. I hope this one lasts longer than the last install in my now wrecked 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis! I had just completed the installation in the Mercury when three days latter got rear-ended... Anyway, the control heads fit in very nicely I think. The TH-7800 fits tightly in the box below the AM/FM radio, and the CS800 control head fits in the little tray below the ashtray. I used two 1/2" angle brackets that I put in the vise to squeeze to 45º. This puts the head at a nice angle for easy viewing. The two radio chassis are mounted as shown temporarily until I have the time and energy to remove the front pax seat and mount them under the seat. There is a nice, deep "well" below the seat where they'll fit nicely. http://puu.sh/piaVw.jpg

Wow! Sorry to read about your health problems. I'm also of an age where I am concerned about such events, so have great empathy for such travails. Here's hoping and praying for a continued recovery and return to health!

Thanks for recommending this wonderful little program! I've been wanting to record my own range tests because I can't always count on having a "helper" around to chat with and provide signal reports. I've set this with a high enough VOX threshold that none of the other radios or scanners will trigger a recording, and by stating time and position when transmitting I can easily correlate this with the log file.

I cannot believe this. There is a repeater owner in NJ who is setting up a DMR repeater on 462.725... http://www.mygmrs.com/view?id=2197 https://twitter.com/JCRepeater2 Of course, he seems a bit confused since he keeps referring to it as DMR/P25... It can be one or the other, but certainly not both! It is totally illegal of course, but you can't tell some folks the truth. They simply won't believe you.

SO-239 is the female to the PL-259's male.

I made my virgin pilgrimage to Dayton Hamvention this past weekend. Now I can die a happy man. I did have an great time there. It was *way* larger than I had imagined. After a day and a half of going around on foot, I finally broke down and rented a mobility cart so I could cruise the acres and acres of vendors set up in the East and West "Flea Markets." As an interesting aside, on my flight back from Dayton I noticed that I was able to hear my repeater IDing with full quieting while still at about 10,000' and 100 nm SE from Hammond, Indiana.

Bird slugs were selling for $80+ each at the Dayton Hamvention. Repeaters such as you got were going for $150+ each.

I spent a few hours reading through the owner's manual for my (new to me) 1998 Toyota Camry, and it was restated in RED INK at least a dozen times in the 495 pages to not connect stuff directly to the battery. In fact they thoughtfully provided an "auxiliary power port" rated 120 watts @ 12vdc nominal. Unfortunately, I have two mobile radios to install, each of which can potentially draw up to 15 amps, so I have no choice but to find a way to fish some heavier wire through the firewall from the battery + and the - side's chassis ground point.

Wow, what a terrific deal you got! Did the seller not know what they were selling?