KAF6045

Unless the shop had really old stock, my 935 is from last month. It has both in the menu. As I implied, I don't have enough GMRS traffic in my area to be able to test (I suppose I could press-gang my relatives into using my other GMRS HTs, set for different channels, with the 935 configured with both channels showing in the display). SMUTESET turns off the sub-band WHEN (based upon setting) one is receiving/transmitting/either on the main-band. TDR appears to turn off the sub-band entirely AND removes it from the display. SIM-RX -- hypothesis: may turn off the sub-band at all times, but leave it on the display. Wonder if it would show "busy"... {failed: at least my attempt with main band A, sub band B, different channels, and using a Midland unit set to the sub-band channel -- signal came through with no hindrance} In all three cases the [BAND] button toggles which is the main vs sub band.

Yes -- old post, OP may not be reading and has solved the matter by now, but... Try modelling it... https://www.eznec.com/ If the vertical component has loading/trap coils, you are on your own (EZ-NEC handles them) -- I've only modelled simple stuff, like an MFJ OCFD [40/20/10/6 meter] for purposes of required RF Safety evaluation). HTs and Mobiles aren't commonly required to be evaluated -- they are low enough power OR transient enough that the "uncontrolled environment" [people passing by without knowing about radio exposure] doesn't apply, and the operator is in the "controlled/occupational environment" which allows higher exposure limits. I have to reduce power on 6m as the uncontrolled safe distance just reaches the neighbor's upstairs bedrooms. Going to have to model the 2m/70cm I'm putting up on the garage -- but that is basically the center of my lot, so should have a long safe zone. 20" radials is about 1/4 wave on 2m. I suspect longer radials won't affect the higher bands too much (I've not modelled your situation). 1/4 wave on 6m would be 1.5m, or 59 inches, so your estimate looks about right -- not counting velocity factor of the metal (which, again, may not be critical if they are longer than actual wave fraction -- after all, they provide an apparent ground plane to the vertical, and real ground is doesn't vanish an N-inches from a vertical).

Not really... It may be tunable, but you'll need to shorten it a fair amount but you won't be able to use it for 146MHz, 445MHz (I'm picking mid range of most repeaters), AND 463MHz (rounding up) even if you use a reversed antenna selection switch (instead of picking from two antennas, sharing one antenna with two radios -- a bit of a risk as they aren't perfect and some signal leakage can feed back down the "off" side... and with 100W out, that leakage might be enough to damage the receive input of the other radio. I really need to modify my shack by using four switches to allow for || with two antennas, and then X with the two [bottom are radios, top are antennas]) 463MHz is ~65cm. Assuming quarter-wave whip, you are looking at cutting 1.25cm off the antenna (half an inch); most don't have that much adjustment range using set screws and shifting the whip. Looking at the manual for the GP-9... It is NOT tunable, it is manufactured "tuned" for the 2m/70cm bands, and appears to be phased/stacked half-wave antennas (2m half-wave is 1m and this antenna is 5 of those in length, 14 for 70cm unless trapped internally to a shorter length). (nice, but pricey... I'm halfway through installing an MFJ ground-plane 2m/70cm that I've had for half a decade onto the end of the garage... Need to get suitable hex-head wood screws for the five attachment points -- and a day when the temp&humidity aren't so high! Running a "wire rope" with adjustment turnbuckle between the house eave and garage eave did me in today [this is for me to loosely spiral the coax around, rather than have 10-15ft of coax dangling between buildings]) I suspect 445 and 463MHz are close enough that fitting a GMRS antenna in parallel (on the other side of the mast) is going to cause problems -- detuning of both, possible reflector/director effects making the pattern of the antennas somewhat directional... AND OVERLOADING the receive circuits of a unit when the other is transmitting.

DMR /is/ a 12.5kHz service, using two 6.25kHz time slots. Making GMRS an NFM service essentially takes out the "interstitial" frequencies (which currently are lower power and overlap the primary/repeater channels). They'd just be very tight packed non-overlapping channels, and would probably be up'd to full power (50W) for GMRS. "first round of renewals in 10 years"???? My GMRS license is already past its third (and likely 6th) renewal. The ULS system doesn't have the history from the paper-only days but shows my license was renewed in 2010, 2015, and 2020. It most likely had renewals in 2005, 2000, and maybe first issued in 1995 as that is the time period of my first GMRS radio -- the Maxon GMRS 210+3 radio (at the time, a $300 HT). GMRS existed in the 60s already (as Class A of the Citizen's Radio Service; CB is Class D). It was highly restricted as to usage: basically one requested a pair of channels for the license (yes, only TWO of the eight primaries were allowed), and communication between different licenses was rare, base to base was prohibited, mostly one was to talk to family members residing with the licensee.

A fuse on both leads seems to be common for all the mobile radio's I have -- except those that had cigarette lighter plugs for power (and some of those are dual fused as they have one in the power lead, and one in the lighter plug). Having one on each lead doesn't hurt anything and, as explained, is pretty much a requirement when wiring direct to the battery -- since if the negative/ground cable comes loose from the chassis, the radio negative lead becomes the vehicle ground and all current will be going through the radio's lead (it probably won't damage the radio directly if the route is through the vehicle frame, the radio mounting bracket, the radio chassis, ground/negative lead, but the lead isn't sized to handle the current). A fuse only on the negative, however, is unusual. My recent install (Icom ID-5100A) is wired to the battery with fuses on each lead. The MXT-115 and Cobra CB [an old model where the entire radio is basically the microphone (there is a small box where the microphone, power, and antenna connect) both had lighter plugs for power (along with inline fuses). I cut the plugs off and spliced the power leads into the ID-5100A leads (which was already spliced as it too 18feet of wire to go from radio to battery, but it only came with 9feet of power-leads). Since the Icom is 50W, I doubt a 15W GMRS or 4W CB is going to strain the power leads. And the odds of having three free hands to hit PTT on all three rigs at once is pretty much 1:infinity! ?

That option appears, under the name SMUTESET, on the KG-935, with the same options (off, rx, tx, both). So, no real clue in my GMRS-void area as to what SIM-RX really does... TDR toggles the dual/single "band" mode. The only option left, in my mind, is that SIM-RX leaves the unit in dual "band" display, but sets it to only operate on the "band" marked "main" (so the sub"band" never activates even if shown on the screen).

I was concerned about clearance when opening the hood -- but the Wrangler series maybe has enough (considering they also [used to] support folding down the windshield).

Retevis has a slew of them on sale (at those prices, I'd suspect clearance!) Down to $18 for some models. Though check the manuals for specs before purchase -- The RB17 pack doesn't seem to support CTCSS, and channels 4-5 are NFM (normally those are wide FM). The RB27V is a mixed FRS/MURS radio! The RB38V appears to be the only one I'd suggest (or BTech MURS-V1 with its 15 channel capability -- would permit setting up a single MURS frequency with different CTCSS combinations, but otherwise one just three copies of the 5 frequencies preset to no-tone, CTCSS, DCS).

Make sure the lip-mount offers full tilt/swivel features. A pure/simple "trunk-lip" mount expects a horizontal lip. Your hood lip is vertical, so the mount has to swivel so the antenna is not sticking out the side. The MFJ I'd linked to https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-013622 comes with coax (though I'm not thrilled at the RG-58 losses at UHF). You'd swivel the bottom to put the hinge parallel with the other edge of the lip-mount, then tilt it up to get a vertical antenna.

That's (proximity) is one reason I didn't try to install my old FT100 in my current vehicle (besides the fact that my brother lost the small screws used by the remote mount extension cable). My Jeep Cherokee (1999) tailgate had a "bent" profile -- the portion with the window was sloped \, and then the lower half was vertical | -- putting a lip mount just at the transition point meant the antenna and body distance increased as one went up. Pity I rolled it on a wet off-ramp having practically no approach lane (go from 65-70mph with trucks roaring up one's tail to a tight cloverleaf ramp with a 35mph recommended speed). Went a quarter of the ramp with my headlights 3 feet from inside guardrail before it overcorrected and dived into the outside grassy slope. I suspect the radio itself is okay, but the ATAS screwdriver antenna may not be. At the least I would need to find a whip for the top, mine looks like Zorro used it for fencing. The top of the screwdriver/coil section was just at the roof line, and may have stripped threads (would have been worse if I didn't have it all the way down). Replacement vehicle is a rust bucket Jeep Liberty bought from an in-law (bad mistake, by the time I get all the noticeable faults repaired I could have made a 25% down payment on a new Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk) has a vertical tailgate. No clearance for an antenna. It now sports a glass-mount 2m/70cm antenna (on tinted glass... against mounting instructions... The only clear glass is windshield -- too thick for antenna coupling; and front row windows -- good bye to opening window... GMRS is a the puny mag-mount whip that came with the MXT-115. Cobra CB with its mag-mount whip. Both on the roof (and I have to tilt over the CB, and remove dual-band whip, to get in/out of garage)

In the US, at least, 470MHz-520MHz is allocated to UHF TV channels 14-22. 470-482 covers channels 14&15. (With ATSC, the displayed channel number on a TV does not have to match the broadcast frequency channel number). Are you planning to potentially interfere with broadcast TV stations?

Power limit on the original GMRS interstitials is 5W (at a time when most HTs were 2W ? ). Note that the regulations specify ERP for the interstitial channels. That means 5W going into a "gain" antenna may be in violation (I'm presuming they are measuring for a half-wave dipole or quarter-wave vertical with good ground, and not isotropic; dipole is already something like 2dB above isotropic in the main beam direction -- part 95 A provides a definition for EIRP, which is explicitly isotropic). You have to remember that the interstitial channels OVERLAP with the main channels. Power restrictions apply to reduce interference with the main channels (FRS service is narrowband to further reduce interference chances -- and with the reorganization giving GMRS access to the 467MHz interstitials, that group is 0.5W NFM).

Concur on mount location... I'd suggest trying to find some way to put it above the hood (at least to test). (I also note the "factory" example image has it mounted above the door hinge but that may just reflect model changes). The main thing that "stealth" antenna seems to provide is a 1) small size which may reduce chances of getting snagged by branches, 2) sturdy shell to resist damage when it is snagged by branches. Possibly you can find a mount (what is the base? NMO? SO-239?) that can clamp to the side of the hood that may lift it up higher, away from the body coverage. Examples: https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-009011 https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-013386 https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-013622 https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-009009

For the Summer Deal I think it's the batteries. I recently purchased something from a dealer that had notices that they could ship 1-radio&1-spare battery, OR 2-radios for the cheap rate; any combination with three batteries required them to either make multiple shipments or otherwise use a costly shipper. I broke down -- really can't afford all this but... Went with the RA85 combo (I prefer having 30 available [once purged of Retevis defaults] channels that can be customized for specific repeaters over color display but only one channel per repeater frequency or the computer program only units) That brings me up to five "proper" GMRS HTs, the mobile, and a flaky pair of repeater-capable (hence now GMRS) Motorola bubble-pack units (well, also a pair of >2W non-repeater Midland bubble pack). Should the scattered family ever get together that may be enough units to share.

I don't see any way to access firmware version. Note that SIM-RX does not appear in the programming software for the radio.

Well, neither am I but... As a (former) software engineer, I've developed a tendency for literal and strict interpretations... "... station...identified by...it's FCC... call sign", under a strict/literal interpretation, means the call sign goes with the station(s), and not the operator (though as the licensee is an individual, it may seem to belong to the individual... but again, the "immediate family" clause allowing family to use the station(s) under that call sign points to it being a station call-sign, with the licensee responsible for who operates using that call). {Further examination of the Amateur regulations is that "station privileges: primary" means they may operate stations under their operator privilege level. Club and Military Recreational station licenses only grant a station call-sign but, especially in the case of MilRec stations, does not grant operation privileges and the licensee/trustee doesn't need to be a licensed operator -- the user of the station needs to have a license with operator privileges (for Amateur, that also means station:primary privileges); I've been browsing the other FCC regulations just to see if I can find examples that might clarify Part 95 E. Maritime seems a mess -- examine: Taken literally, a small yacht on the Great Lakes does not need a license so long as it doesn't stop at a Canadian port!?!}

Yet Part 95 E reads "Each GMRS station must be identified by transmission of its FCC-assigned call sign" which implies the call sign is part of the station, not the operator (though other parts read "individual who holds an individual license may operate his or her GMRS stations" which has "stations" PLURAL -- so each HT, mobile, etc. is a separate station yet all are covered by one license/call). A further bit of evidence for the call sign belonging to the station(s) and not the operator is the text of the license itself, which explicitly reads "Radio Station Authorization" and then specifies the licensee. In contrast, an Amateur license reads "Amateur Radio License <callsign>" and further down the page has boxes for "Operator Privilege" AND "Station Privilege". The license is for both operator and station as distinct features. Amateurs using someone else's station should ID with their call AND the station call (especially when the operating privileges are different and the station is being operated outside of the licensee privileges).

BTech is apparently using Amazon as their "storefront" for fulfillment.

If you had read that far, you'd have found the manual runs 52 TIMER 53 AUTOLOCK 54 PONMSG while the radio is 52 TIMER 53 SIM-RX 54 AUTOLOCK Now to figure out how to set TONE-SCAN to a button... It appears tone-scan can only be started WHILE receiving a signal, but by the time one navigates the menu to activate it, most signals are gone. {Accomplished - I can live without 2nd-band PTT, move FM broadcast radio to long-press, and put CTCSS scan on short-press. With luck I can catch a few tones that might indicate repeater usage during my next chemo session.

Don't know what may be causing it, but that file also shows up empty on my system. I'd interpret the first clause in 95.1705 (f) (1) "individually owned by the licensee" to fall into the ID'ing requirements for the licensee -- that is, the SINGLE call-sign on the license of the owner, though "jointly owned by the participants and the licensee" may fall into a gray area. I suppose 95.1751 (c) (2) might be the clause that covers the "sharing" arrangement -- though I, personally, would want explicit clarification from the FCC before I'd set up a repeater in that mode. For me, setting up a repeater would likely only be useful as OPEN: ULS shows there are only 10 GMRS licensees in Lowell (49331) area code (one 550 feet from my location). And all but one are 4x3 calls. Guess which is the exception ?. (I also have an FRN that starts with three 0s)

Said user's must be under the repeater owner's license (and hence call sign). Other license holders ID'ing doesn't qualify -- the ID MUST be that of the repeater owner. Does not say anyone with permission granted by the license holder, but are operating under the license of the holder... Which, given earlier regulations, means "immediate family" (I disregard the clause about allowing others to use the station under EMERGENCY situations -- That clause basically appears in every FCC service class and allows anyone to use pretty much any means to obtain aid, licensed or not).

And strangely, all I get from the documentation is that it does not support stand-alone ad-hoc MURS communications; one must apparently be part of a "group ride" configuration.

Ah, I'd wondered myself (hadn't gone in to see that is was "ON")... Given some GPS receivers have a simulation mode to teach one how to use the unit, I read "SIM-RX" as "simulated", not "simultaneous".

One... The ID requirement is not "every 15 minutes" but at least once in each 15 minute window in which the repeater has been activated. If no one is using the repeater, it doesn't have to ID. The timer starts when access is made (even a mere "kerchunk"), does NOT reset on accesses within that fifteen minute period, and expires at the end of the time, when the ID is emitted. If the tones are not published (and you monitor the repeater to ensure someone doesn't sniff out the tones [some radios have "tone-search" functions]) but are set in radios used by you and immediate family operating under your callsign AND these users ID with your callsign, it is taken as sufficient to also ID the repeater. Official regulations are https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E cf: 95.1705 (c) (2) (definition of immediate family) 95.1751 (a) (1) & (2) (frequency of ID) 95.1751 (b) (valid forms for the ID) 95.1751 (c) (1) & (2) (repeater non-ID conditions) I tried to access the help file by downloading the ZIP archive -- but all that displays for me is the main topic menu... NO HELP TEXT! So you are on your own with regards to what is possible in DUPLEX mode.

Under current FCC regulations -- the only real way to differentiate GMRS from FRS on-the-air (ignoring audio quality between GMRS FM and FRS NFM), is to listen to the repeater INPUTS. Those are the only frequencies that can not be used by FRS radios. If your non-ID people are heard on the repeater inputs, you have verification that they are violating regulations. Hearing traffic on the repeater outputs could mean you are hearing FRS users, and such users have never had call signs. I will concur with others that this fiasco began when the FCC permitted FRS/GMRS mixed class bubble-pack sets to be sold, as the need for a GMRS license was buried in the fine print amidst the various safety warnings that most people never read. If they'd had to provide notices -- at least as large print as the claims for distances "GMRS license required to use channels ...." I suspect they'd have lost sales like mad...