UncleYoda

95.1763 (c) 467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels What the wording means is very relevant to anyone who tries to follow the rules. And I think if there were a court case, intent would be considered. But with this attitude, we may as well stop the discussion here because the wording of the regulation is lacking detail.

But if fixed stations are a special type of base station usage, then that should be specified in the regs. We should not have to guess what they mean, and our opinions are not authoritative. And points in favor of fixed station being different are: The fixed station definition does not mention base station at all; Even on a farm, there would be a lot of benefit to being able to talk to mobile and handheld portable stations, and probably base stations on other farms or in town, so what would the fixed station offer that a base station wouldn't. The idea that a station's current use can be base or fixed while seamlessly switching back and forth just based on who you're talking to, is total nuts to me. It would be impossible to regulate for one thing. And a lot of users do talk to people they don't know; that's a common use of many different types of radio. Even a family member might use different station types. In any case, examples we make up don't tell us what FCC meant, which is what needs to be clarified. It has to come from them to have any authority.

I agree it's not about the radio itself. It's common to use a mobile as a base station. That's not the issue for me at all. I even use handheld as a base for HAM, and would do the same for GMRS if it wasn't for the nutty rules.

@Sshannon Reposting this here from a discussion in another unrelated topic: Obviously, mobile and handheld portable aren't fixed so that part is clear. The one 99.9% of users mistake is base station. Base can't be what they are calling a fixed station (even though it is in a fixed location) because the regulations are clearly different for the two types - different power limits, different channel usage, different definitions.

OK, let's focus on just that. Base, mobile and handheld are not limited to talking to just their own type nor just to fixed stations. It would be nearly impossible to use them that way. You don't know what another user is using before you talk to them (except possibly a family member, but even then they could be mobile or portable). I've got a topic on exactly this, so really that should be where we continue this, not under avoiding FRS channels.

I don't know why you can't see what you're saying makes no sense. But put your money where your mouth is (figuratively speaking). Contact FCC and get the explanation from them. That is the only interpretation that counts. Good Luck! In the meantime, I will go by what I see which means almost every GMRS user is wrong about this.

NNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!!! A FIXED STATION IS NOT, I REPEAT NOT, A MOBILE, HANDHELD OR BASE STATION. It is not any of the normal station types by its own lame definition - can only talk to other fixed stations. Obviously, mobile and handheld portable aren't fixed so that part is clear. The one 99.9% of users mistake is base station. Base can't be what they are calling a fixed station (even though it is in a fixed location) because the regulations are clearly different for the two types - different power limits, different channel usage, different definitions. The fact that FCC can't clear this up proves they should be defunded pronto because it's ridiculous for a regulatory agency to not properly explain regulations.

You're misreading the regs there. It does say only when communicating through a repeater (or test message) - seems plain enough to me. The only type not included in that is fixed station, which even FCC can't explain what it is. BUT I SEE YOU CHANGED IT IN YOUR NEXT POST. (Both of those can't be true.)

I use phonetics a lot. I wish more people did. I have been able to decode only about half of the GMRS local area users callsigns because they all rush through their IDs. Maybe FCC can make sense of that but I can't. So I'll keep using phonetics as often as I feel like doing so.

Wrong. It's very common on 2m for HAMs to turn up the power to get louder voice audio. There's a difference between theory and practical experience.

You can trim the antenna but you don't want a full wavelength, use 5/8. And mount it on center of roof if possible. And the cable is probably an issue. Small cables like RG58 and even smaller ones they use on these mag mounts are not good for UHF. You'd have to cut the cable near the mount, put on a new counter, and connect it to some better quality cable. Buying a new antenna would have been a better choice because you'd still have your CB antenna for a time when it may be useful again.

That is for transmissions, not the same thing as conversations. I see all these opinions here that GMRS is for a different use than HAM, but it's just your opinions, not what is in the regs. When I applied for a GMRS, FCC didn't say, "No, we can't issue you a license because you have an Amateur license." So, what y'all think it is or should be means nothing, unless you convince FCC to change the regs, or you set rules for a repeater you own.

Yes, the UV-5G doesn't allow transmit on the additional channels when programmed from the radio (VFO mode). Someone else here said using the Chirp software will allow transmit on additional channels. I haven't tried using Chirp on these yet; just changing the tone is easy enough for my use.

For the ones I've done, the tones were given to me in an email. Nothing changed on the mygmrs repeater listing (tones still not shown). Maybe the repeater owner you requested approval from doesn't know he has to send that to you.

If user knowledge is not required, then why are the GMRS regs worded so intricately that they are very difficult to decipher the intent behind the words. And I'd guess more than half of the users are violating the regs. I agree the radios aren't hard to use, but it is still easy to use them in a way that's not allowed.

I don't need to explain nuthin'. OP is very anti-HAM.

Nagoya UT-72G mag mount: Nagoya UT-72G High Gain Magnet Mount GMRS Antenna (462-467 MHz) Nagoya 771G for attaching to radio in handheld carry mode also better than stock antenna: Authentic Nagoya NA-771G Handheld GMRS Antenna (15.3 Inch) (both also avail on Amazon if you want to support Bezos instead of a small business :) Amazon does offer free shipping but I like supporting the other guys)

But they're still receive only on those channels, right? (barring some unlock trick which breaks compliance).

Yes, it's that "designed" wording. There are other unrelated products that put an American flag on their package based on American design/engineering (or sometimes "assembled") but are made in China. Edit: Also see "American-owned" like that. It's all intended to make it seem better.

BTech has, at least in the past, had worse quality (or quality control) than Baofeng. BTech sold knock-offs that were responsible for many of the older bad reports for Baofeng radios. They were not made in America then AFAIK, don't know now because I won't buy one of their radios. The only one I ever got was an "8W" that only did the same 4.5W on 2m and 0.5W on 440 (paid double for less). Another similar brand I don't trust for radios is Abbree. These companies may improve over time but most start out selling unreliable junk. I may risk it for accessories like charging cables if there's no other vendor.

They've been introducing bills like this for many years. They never pass. Better to just not live in a HOA neighborhood.

Not specifically referencing power limits, but this is wording I got in a response from the folks in charge, if it helps: Handheld portables are a subset of mobile stations and must comply with any applicable mobile station requirements and any additional requirements for handheld portable units.

No, don't have one; seems way overpriced. BTWR has a Melowave NMO mag mount base with better quality cable. And they have a 6DB gain stacked 5/8 wave Tram antenna that should fit (no flex tab on antenna like I am used to but seems to mate OK). I just got both and so far have only tested the SWR (1.1:1) but haven't had time to test transmission or reception yet.

Why are individual Guests listed in Online Users? Most forums just list the count of guests. FWIW, the main reason for asking is it would be less to browse through if it was just members listed.

Well, I was looking forward to it at first, but even before I got all the gear I needed, I was told about the obscure limitation by omission that base stations aren't allowed to use repeaters. That mostly dulled my interest for now due to lack of mobile-ing around but maybe your interests/needs are different. I agree the licensed GMRS repeater users I hear are well behaved. I do hear foreign language users on the repeater outputs sometime but can't tell for sure that they are local on simplex. I rarely hear anyone on the shared FRS channels other than little giggly kids (I guess I should set tones to block those, or disable scanning). I may try shifting my interest in GMRS to some kind of neighborhood comms that don't need a repeater but would benefit from a base station. But that probably won't be used until the grid and regular comms are down long term. 2m isn't quite as dead here as it is for you. Hear more if you know when to listen rather than monitoring throughout the day. I think HAMs are making a mistake by veering off into so many different formats - 2m analog should be the focus. But heck, people don't even agree on what HAM's primary purpose is.