New "Rugged Guy" Clueless in PA. Need a mentor.

[WRXB215]

@nokones Nice summary Kenny. Another little piece of history that I find fascinating is the use of reeds.

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, nokones said:

The CTCSS "Tone" is not audible per se, the "Tone" is sub-audible in the range of 67.0 Hz to 254.1 Hz and there are 42 industry standard CTCSS tones. 

Just to clarify, those tones are well within the range of human hearing. For comparison the lowest note on a piano is 27.5 Hz (lowest A).

After the tones are no longer needed, but before being converted to audio, radio circuitry filters out everything below 300 Hz to prevent us from hearing the tones.  

[Guest Rugged Guy]

Thank you all, very good commentary.  So, my only goal at this time is to take my Rugged Radio GMRS 2 Plus, and listen to any chatter I hear over the wonderful airwaves.  I am headed on a road trip and am just concerned about potential communication issues with hurricanes and what not.  So, I figure I get one of these radios and at very least if cell service goes out then I can listen to what is going on.  I am sure once I get into the thing i will become a much more avid user.  I always have an opinion, you know especially on cold beverages. What do I have to do to do that- listen that is?  I think I figured out the menu/scan, which I know - stop laughing..but not even sure I am scanning the right channel???.  Also, these rugged radios say they are preprogrammed so does that mean I still have to enter repeaters and frequencies?? You all are very kind, hope I do not offend.  RG

[SteveShannon]

47 minutes ago, Guest Rugged Guy said:

Thank you all, very good commentary.  So, my only goal at this time is to take my Rugged Radio GMRS 2 Plus, and listen to any chatter I hear over the wonderful airwaves.  I am headed on a road trip and am just concerned about potential communication issues with hurricanes and what not.  So, I figure I get one of these radios and at very least if cell service goes out then I can listen to what is going on.  I am sure once I get into the thing i will become a much more avid user.  I always have an opinion, you know especially on cold beverages. What do I have to do to do that- listen that is?  I think I figured out the menu/scan, which I know - stop laughing..but not even sure I am scanning the right channel???.  Also, these rugged radios say they are preprogrammed so does that mean I still have to enter repeaters and frequencies?? You all are very kind, hope I do not offend.  RG

You certainly haven’t offended anyone yet!

If all you want to do is listen, simply make sure all of the CTCSS tones or DCS codes are cleared out and set the radio to scan all of the channels.

GMRS and FRS have 22 channels for simplex communications, where radios take turns talking to each other one at a time, so radio A transmits to radio B on 462.550 MHz. When it’s done radio B transmits back on 462.550 MHz. 462.550 MHz is channel 15.

There are eight main channels, which are numbered 15-22. They’re actually called the 462 MHz main channels in the regulations. Those eight channels are shared by people transmitting simplex to each other and by repeaters.   Those are the only channels repeaters may transmit on and remain compliant with the regulations: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E?toc=1

But repeaters must receive signals at exactly the same time as they transmit. So they receive on frequencies that are 5 MHz higher so the received signal and the transmitted signal may be handled separately.  Receiving and transmitting at the same time is called duplex (sometimes old people like me call it full duplex but most people simply say duplex.)

The eight channels that handheld and mobile radios use to transmit to a repeater are called the 467 MHz main channels. GMRS radios are set up so when you’re tuned to one of the repeater channels your radio automatically transmits on one of the 467 MHz channels and receives on the 462 MHz channel exactly 5 MHz below it. 
Unfortunately, there’s no standard for how those repeater channels are labeled.  Going back to the example 462.550/467.550 channel pair, that is called channel 23 by some radios and RP15 by others.

If all you want to do is listen, leave the tone/codes out.  But, if you want to transmit through a repeater, you almost always will be required to set a matching tone in your radio or the repeater will not allow your signal through from its receiver to its transmitter.
 

[nokones]

2 hours ago, WRXB215 said:

@nokones Nice summary Kenny. Another little piece of history that I find fascinating is the use of reeds.

You mean the Vibrasenders and Vibrasponders? The old Micors use to have a nice distinct hum on 192.8 Hz especially on a Lowband Simulcast System with Micor Stations using the Motorola HSOs. You can hear the reeds vibrate on the air when the system was keyed. That hum kinda went away with the eprom stations.

[Guest wsfk566]

Thank you very much, sounds like I am good just scanning will do what I need..so hopefully that will get me by.  As time permits, I will do my best to learn more.  I am just under some tight timeframes and had to move on this.  Hope you guys have a good Halloween tonight.....  more Candy please. RG

[SteveShannon]

28 minutes ago, Guest wsfk566 said:

Thank you very much, sounds like I am good just scanning will do what I need..so hopefully that will get me by.  As time permits, I will do my best to learn more.  I am just under some tight timeframes and had to move on this.  Hope you guys have a good Halloween tonight.....  more Candy please. RG

Happy Halloween! 

[nokones]

The "Old People" community I live in should be Goblin and candy free which is a good thing because most of the residents shouldn't be eating the candy for various and obvious medical reasons.  That should mean there will be no doorbell ringing thus waking people up.

[Davichko5650]

1 hour ago, nokones said:

The "Old People" community I live in should be Goblin and candy free 

We live on an very busy 4 lane street, so usually get no kids. A couple years ago we got 8 - but is was actually 4; my son gave the 4 kids each a large Hershey bar. They went around the corner, changed costumes with each other and circled back.  I gave them credit for ingenuity  and gave them more big bars.

Otherwise nobody stops by for candy so we don't buy a large bunch of it.

[SteveShannon]

We get about a hundred each year, depending on weather. 

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, SteveShannon said:

We get about a hundred each year, depending on weather. 

So far it’s much slower this year. Only 20 so far. 

[AdmiralCochrane]

As an amateur musician I always remember A=440

No trick or treaters on the busy highway I live on, too dangerous.