UncleYoda

There is a designated frequency for emergency use on Marine radio (be careful though, may be monitored by Coast Guard). Nothing I know of for hikers (except Montana I think designated ch. 3).

That, or what I suspect I'm hearing, GMRS radios being used as FRS radios with no ID.

Doesn't following the regs matter? Many, maybe most, are not. I'm also curious how we are supposed to detect who is an FRS user.

It's not really on topic for this thread. Here's my thread on it from a few months ago; we can discuss it there. (But, I'm done responding to all the crazy stuff posted on this site.) https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/10063-base-station-cannot-use-repeaters/#findComment-106907 Here's another good post that discusses base stations and also quotes the regs: https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/4835-fixed-station-what-does-that-mean-to-fcc/#findComment-47394 There are also scattered discussions on this going back years before I came along. Lots of opinions but the FCC clarification is what counts.

I responded the way I wanted to (I don't care if it satisfies you). If you think you have good justification for linking, present your case to the FCC. As far as unjust, the only reg that comes close to that in my opinion is not allowing base stations to use repeaters.

They aren't (in this case at least). I support FCC's strict prohibition on linking. Stand alone repeaters are enough. If they were to allow some linking it should be done by special permit only.

Screw that. This site should not be promoting breaking the rules.

The issue is not what it says (anyone can copy and paste), but that people don't agree on the meaning. All you have to do is look at some of the past threads to see the interpretations being applied.

I don't think it's comical or anything like the Jerry Springer garbage. I think it is a typical example of what the situation is here on the forum and on the air. We all have our opinions but nobody has any authority, so we deal with this anarchy. Some want to ignore rules that aren't enforced by the Feds. Others (repeater owners) want to make up their own rules with the idea they can enforce whatever restrictions they choose. Neither is good. I can just stick to simplex where I am the master of my domain and I do things my way within the Fed regs.

Too bad guys, it doesn't break any rules... deal wid it. (My user ID here is based on phonetics and I don't intend to ID as a uniform yankee.)

As a possibly bothersome old man, I agree with some of your concerns. Hamification of GMRS is common and widespread and IMO needs to be addressed (but not everyone sees that as a problem). I disagree with you and Randy on using phonetics for callsigns; it's extremely hard to copy a callsign correctly without phonetics. Now you can say I don't need to know but callsigns are used to keep track of who is who (there may be several Steves and Bobs so first names alone aren't good enough). For those who only talk to family the behavior would be different.

There are more important concerns with GMRS use.

If you're keying in the frequency, then you're probably on a channel that has transmit disabled or in VFO mode where some radios also have transmit disabled. Kerchunk is the sound you hear from the repeater when you press and release the push-to-talk button.

HTs can be set up as base stations. Antenna type isn't specified in the OP.

I don't know exactly what they're doing but I can tell it involves linking repeaters to internet access (nodes?). I didn't see any listing on the site but that may be my content blocking interfering. Wouldn't being listed there be telling everyone you're breaking the rules? (I mean the repeater owner not the site owner.)

I'm 3000mi from you so proof isn't possible. But, the best answer I can think of are the power level settings on my Yaesu mobile: 5W, 10W, 30W, 75W. Doubling (or more) the power at each step can make a difference of whether the signal is copy-able or how strong/loud it sounds based on distance and intervening terrain. Years ago I did compare FRS bubble-pack radios to old Cobra 2W GMRS radios with stock, short antenna and the Cobras were better (good signal 1/2-3/4 mi.) Note: I used the ham radio for an example because my DB20G in GMRS mode has no power adjustment. Haven't done any tests on my GMRS HTs (UV5G) because they're good enough.

Yep, I had found that one and have it marked to order. It fits other 5RM models like my K5+. A ham friend strongly endorsed that one a few years ago. I didn't get it after reading the negative reviews. I recall there's another one that some reviewers say performs equally for half the price. They do often fall apart (even TV/stereo headphones at the local big box store are the same inferior quality). The best quality I've found is CommMountain. It's a lapel clip style. The mic holes are tiny and clog easily.

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@TerriKennedy If you have any influence with BTech, two things I'd like to see them make higher quality versions of are (1) battery eliminators (my experience is with ones for UV-5R and compatible models), and (2) speaker mics. A third would be earphones with mic button with a more durable cord (I've replaced a bunch of those). I use the earphones indoors but would like to use the speaker mic outside if there was a good one available.

Calm down Queenie. I was trying to get him to understand it's not "dual on both". Sounded like by both bands he may also be thinking of bands A and B as the two frequency bands in VFO mode, rather than Line A and B.

Sounds like you're misunderstanding. There is no "dual monitoring on both bands". It alternates automatically between checking Display A and Display B. It only receives on one or the other at one time. And the dual watch setting is called TDR on the UV5R function menu.

What I've noticed with some of these CCR vendors is they use fake American sounding female names for either a Chinese person or an automated bot. With the use of AI increasing, expect more of that.

So, did those places complain about the radios? Anyway, I never claimed there weren't places with the name. Just isn't relevant IMO. Everyone can read their own labels so no need to argue that point further. As I wrote earlier, I don't think anyone else cares. Most people still don't pronounce it correctly either. :) My opinion is BTech doesn't have any radios that are unique, just some minor tweaks and a custom label.

The battery isn't - the contacts are on the inside face. It's a 5RM or 5RH variant not a UV-5R.

The story I heard wasn't about a place name. It was that Baofeng is a family name and the family objected to its use for these radios. That's when I first started seeing Pofung as a brand. But I wasn't referring to branding but rather what it shows on the manufacturer label on the back of a recent radio I bought. And as far as that Fuji Nana stuff goes, I've also seen other stuff like Quansheng Electronics. It's apparently whatever they want to call it - neither companies nor brands mean the same thing in China as here. My UV-5G says "Po Fung Electronic(HK) International Group Company" and that's from 2022. p.s. I don't know what your Pro version is but the BFF9 I got (supposed to have been an improved BFF8 with 8 watts like an HP) was terrible, extremely low power on 440 and same as 5W models on 2m. Worst UV5R type I ever got.