Fernleaf

Thank you! The holidays got me away from responding, so I’ll give your suggestions a try.
 
Heard someone on a net out in Tulsa last night (Wednesday around 9pm), but there was no clear call sign or club identification to know which one that is. It showed up as Repeater 20, which doesn’t exist except on my new mobile. 

I own several KG-1000Gs and love them. But I’ve never used a cable to program it. (Although I have for other radios.) Out was pretty easy to do it manually so I never bothered doing it the other way  
If it doesn’t work through the programming software, try importing the information through the face or mic. It is pretty easy to do and might give you an alternative to set the repeater information correctly. 
Just a thought in case you can’t get the connection to your computer program to work. 

I reached out to the operator of the massive repeater network on Georgia. He confirmed that the repeater for GMRS themselves do not need to send out a call sign because they are used purely for retransmission from licensed users, therefore operators of their own “stations”. Anyone not authorized is traced and asked to not use it until they get permission as well. 
See highlighted in red below.
So mine would fall under the same classification were it to go live.
§ 95.1751 GMRS station identification.
Each GMRS station must be identified by transmission of its FCC-assigned call sign at the end of transmissions and at periodic intervals during transmissions except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section. A unit number may be included after the call sign in the identification. 
(a) The GMRS station call sign must be transmitted: 
(1) Following a single transmission or a series of transmissions; and, 
(2) After 15 minutes and at least once every 15 minutes thereafter during a series of transmissions lasting more than 15 minutes. 
(b) The call sign must be transmitted using voice in the English language or international Morse code telegraphy using an audible tone. 
(c) Any GMRS repeater station is not required to transmit station identification if: 
(1) It retransmits only communications from GMRS stations operating under authority of the individual license under which it operates; and, 
(2) The GMRS stations whose communications are retransmitted are properly identified in accordance with this section.

If you have the KG-1000G radios, it’s not cheaper than buying the Retivis repeater, but at least these are 50 watt machines. For your family use, they probably do fine. I’m going to set them up to extend the range in my area as OffRoaderX did and run a test for range as well. Since it won’t be used 24/7, I won’t have to worry about duty cycle and overheating. 
 
It will be interesting to see what you come up with. 

@OffRoaderX watched your video on the Salton Sea. It’s amazing how many lakes are drying up. Makes me wonder how many others have been used for governmental test sites without revealing what was dumped in the waters. 
 
Good job on making this issue public. 
 
Also, as a side note, really enjoyed all your Rock Crawler videos. Made me appreciate Jeeps and what they could endure. (And, like your videos on radios, kind of makes me want one of those wranglers, too...? )

And here I thought it was just a typo! Good one!

And here I thought it was just a typo! Good one!

And here I thought it was just a typo! Good one!

I see what you did there … ?

Good explanation Corey. Its also important to note that even repeaters have some form of duty cycle and that the duty cycle can change depending on output power. A great example is the motorola 1225 series repeater. At full power, 45 watts, the repeater is limited to a 50% duty cycle. In low power, 25 watts, they are 100% cycle.

Luckily, good repeaters have protection in the form of a Time Out Timer (TOT) and usually a ReSet Timer (RST) When set up correctly, the TOT should cut off the TX BEFORE the duty cycle is reached, and the RST should prevent transmissions until the appropriate rest period has passed. This helps extend the life of the repeater even when your not there to monitor it.

Almost ALL radios now-a-days have a TOT as well. Typically I set mine for 2 minutes which is more than I need to transmit for, but is less than the duty cycle permits thus protecting the transistors.  I've had people tell me its dumb to do as no idiot would want to talk non-stop unless they are in a net or special operation. That's when I give them this story:
 
A while back when I was on the first aid squad, I was getting ready to go to sleep. Turned out the lights, laid my head on the pillow, then came the sound of a soft moan from a woman. Now, this would have been great, if there had been a woman in bed with me. The moaning continued and a bit confused I began looking for the source. Didn't take long to find my squad radio was receiving, and after turning it up a little, yep you guessed it. Turns out, the LT's portable radio had fallen between the bed and the night stand and as they and their lover were going at it, it was all transmitted quite clearly to the repeater, then retransmitted for the ENTIRE COUNTY to listen to. To make matters worse, the radios all had ID numbers so we knew whos radio was transmitting, and even worse, the LT had shut their phone off, so calling them to tell them their private session was public was not doable. Finally, the radios did not have TOT's at the time and so for a good while (I just shut my radio off but a friend at the county said they heard every minute of the 15+ minute incident. When the portable finally cut out, either from overheating or a dead battery or from falling loose of the PTT button, there wee quite a few catcalls to let them know everything was public including a few repeats of nick-names used during the session.

So folks, learn two things from this story. A: TOT's work, especially when a mistake is made or you don't realize the transmit button is pushed, it will work and save your radio from damage and possibly you from some embarrassment. B: Someone is always listening, so keep in mind what you say or do on the radio, especially if you work for a public safety organization because if you say the wrong things you could find yourself in quite a bit of trouble.

I couldn’t agree more. 

I doubt mine will even run that much, even if it were public. It’s pretty dead out here in this rural Midwest area, too. I appreciate the insight. I’ll try to see how this works out. I’m going to be curious to see just how far it will reach first once it’s up and running. It would be nice to stop bringing the cell phone everywhere just to let people know we’re on our way home, if you know what I mean. (I kind of miss the old phones that were made just for calling... am I dating myself? ? )

That is actually much better and clearer than what the FCC gives as a definition. And you managed to do it without using "Fixed Station" as part of your definition. ?
 
As an aside I give you all this from the office of the federal register pulled from the website of the federal archives. It's a guide on writing definitions for regulations. If you read through it then read through the definitions in the FCC's regulations you will very quickly see that the FCC itself has a hard time following guidelines. ?. Pay close attention to #4 ?
And of course for those that don't like following links I quoted it below.
Now I hope with the answer to the question finally out in the world we can allow this thread to go the way of the Dodo. 
 

Wimp. I've gone out and started my car at -42 so I could drive to work.

It was -6 yesterday morning. Going out wasn’t an option. ?
 

FFS, are you still arguing over this?  4 pages of trying to prove who's smarter over something that the FCC (based on their history of action) doesn't even care about? ..."some people" .... Need to go outside more often...
Just sayin...

I put Kaf6045 on my "3rd-grade hall monitor block list" a long time ago so i dont know what he posted, but, It is important to know the rules.. It is also important to understand the risks and what happens in the real world..
The head of your GMRS group is correct, it is no more of an issue than rolling through a stop-sign is an issue, as the FCC, based on their published record of enforcement, does not care.
 

I've had 3 different repeaters over the last two years:
DIY 2 KG-1000Gs Retevis RT97 Vertex VXR-7000 All using the same ~$120 Tram 1486 base antenna and 75 feet of LMR400 coax
The two KG-1000Gs was the most expensive (~$875) and had the most power - but it was also the most unwieldy and issue-prone The RT97 was a much more compact package, and was the least expensive (~$400), but only output about 4-5watts after the duplexer and has a limited duty-cycle The  Vertex VXR-7000 (what I currently use) is by far the best solution. I paid $500 for mine (used), it puts out ~25 watts after the duplexer and it can be used 24/7 (100% duty cycle) - But because of its age its a bit of a pain to program/get set up.   My recommendation, based on my experience, would be to try and get a good used commercial repeater (like the VXR-7000) OR an RT97.   Next month another company will be releasing a new GMRS repeater very similar to the RT97 but easier to configure -  but i'm not allowed to talk about that yet.. So you might want to wait and see if that one works better for your needs.

Thank you for the reply. Not all of us are on Facebook or have a desire to join. Is there a website or contact instead for the Oklahoma group?

Great information! I’ll keep it handy for future reference. 
 
Meantime, buytwowayradio responded and had the exact part I needed. They are a great company. Never thought about asking them for parts. Now I know!

1st..your relating CB & Ham radio even in the same sentence is ludicrous! CB was doomed from the get-go for many reasons. And Ham radio is for thoughts who want a hobby and learn the inter-workings of radio per sic. Most of use just want dependable, clear and static free commo…period!
So putting up repeaters to provide dependable service to cover larger areas/communities makes since. I, myself; want something…mobile, low wattage for family camping/fishing trips or shtf sinario. Just my $.02.
WRUE648
RicD

Thank you! I contacted them to see if they either had something that would work or steer me in the right direction. Also sent an email t buytwowayradio.com where I’d purchased the radios to see if they could give me a lead as well. 
Thank you for the inspiration to look further!

He does. And I would do the same if I decided to open one up for the community. But for personal use, it should be fine. Probably not the range I’d  like, but a good gateway to a bigger project down the road. 
I’l take a look at his feedback as well. Didn’t see anything on his channel other than the setup worked. Others didn’t like it. 
Something to look at for sue. Thank you!

I came from the largest linked network group (NGGMRS) to a ghost town in the middle of the country. Can’t even get anyone from the only existing GMRS club in the western portion of the state to respond. No CERT or REACT groups, either. Arkansas is pretty active, but not much in the Midwest. 
I’d have thought that it would be a growing interest in tornado country. Hardly any HAM, either. 
Anyone alive in Tulsa, OK area?

Thank you for the reply. Not all of us are on Facebook or have a desire to join. Is there a website or contact instead for the Oklahoma group?