gortex2

Laird 4605 and LMR400 from Times Microwave....I'd rather spend the funds now vs speniding money over and over for the same thing.

TX power has nothing to do with reception. If you are on the edge of the repeaters coverage then have 3db of loss in cable that's most likely your issue. A 50 watt radio will not receive any better than a 5 watt radio. Depending on the repeater this may be your issue.

Nothing is standard. It can have software ADP depending on the flash code of the radio. Q667 was the Software ADP option. You really need to run the flash code from the radio you are looking at to determine which options it has. I have multiple XTS portables that have no secure in the flash code.

So some clarification on ADP on MSI gear. Yes some MSI gear came with software ADP, but not all of them. It was a flash code option. I have XTL2500's for SAR that have Hardware ADP/AES as once you add any other encryption you need to be hardware. When the APX series came out ADP was standard and free. That has changed to a option but still can be had. Regardless of secure type (ADP, AES, DES, DES-XL, DES-OFB) if its set for hardware with a MACE board you will need a key loader of some sort to load keys. Also when you apply for your license you will need to determine your modulation. You can have multiple on the channel but make sure they add it to the license while applying. Adding DMR/P25 to your analog emission is what a lot do. If you know your never doing DMR then dont worry about it but again its part of your license. I'll add DMR is a more economical digital standard for B&I stuff where as P25 is the standard in Public Safety. The reason really boils down to cost. Yes you can buy used LMR gear but if your looking at new stuff a XPR is a 1/4 of an APX. Also if your only looking for a few portables, repeater and maybe a few mobiles talk to you local LMR dealers. Alot run a SMR system (most likely DMR) and you can rent airtime and not worry about repeater sites, maintenance etc required with your own stuff. And it allows you to dabble with a service until you decide what you want to do. When I was in the shop days I think it was $15.00 a month per radio and got alot of folks on the air over night per say. Definately do research if this is for a business use. Sometimes a basic simplex system is all you really do need..

Back to FCC licensing. As said above find a frequency coordinator. Also depending on the "business" service it may require a certain coordinator. Not all coordinators deal with all services in regards to that. Public Safety coordinators normally focus on that while other focus on B&I frequencies. Also depending on your location the license can take forever (Above Line A) as it will need to go to Canada for approval. It took us over 2 years to get approval for the last SAR frequency we got in NY. In the south a standard business license will be processed by your coordinator and then tru the FCC pretty quickly. It will also depend on if your looking for just simplex channels or repeater or multisite repeaters. Thats really were the coordinator and your self need to do some work.

I test every radio I get in my house. I dont video them or normally document a ton of stuff becasue if I did I'd have piles of documentation that I just dont have room for. I utilize both a R2670 General Dynamics and my Anritzu LMR Master (later mostly now). Personally @marcspaz spent way more time I would arguing with someone over did he or did he not test something. Some of on this forum work in the LMR field and do indeed have knowledge and equipment to do this. Sorry if many of you dont understand this but its a reality. I didn't get where I am working for a lead LMR manufacturer by not knowing what I was doing. @marcspaz is in the same boat. There are others on here. Learn from those folks. WE have lost a few good techs from this site over threads like this.

ITs been like this for a week now. I have multiple changes to process. Guessing the squirrels took a nap.

They only put out 5 watts on TX. I run the VHF version for some of my SAR sites and they all run thru a TPL 100 watt amplifier. Thats how they would ship when purchased new. They are a solid little unit so If your looking for a commercially made unit that will last this is one to use.

Correct. I have MSI radios in every vehicle I own as well as all our SAR folks and friends all run Motorola. I have Midlands in my parents Jeep and my Jeeps for simplicity. Thats why I dont have RAS enabled at this time. But its not been an issue for me. If it does I'll swap my parents Midland out for XTL's. They are really the only non MSI radio using the repeaters as I use my APX when I'm on repeaters. All the rest of us use MSI radios.

I guess this really goes back to use case. Each use may be different. I own 6 repeaters. 1 is an open repeater although not listed here. All of mine are funded and maintained by myself. They are for my family and friends use only. Personally I dont want to wake up at 2am with 2 guys jabbering about his big toe that needs fungus removed. Between electric and tower fees its not a cheap endevor for some repeaters so thats my take. If someone wants a repeater to talk to there family I can see it being closed. Ive been doing this for ovder 30 years and while GMRS has changed I still use it for the same reason my parents used it for. Internal communications. Back to topic on hand. As said it can't be blocked but can be limited. All my repeaters used split DPL/CTCSS tones. Motorola offered RAS on some of the repeaters and has been used with great success. I've not needed to use it yet but if it gets to a point I may turn it on.

Laird 4605 on house and DB404 on Garage/Shop.

I run the InReach Explorer and from a SAR experience side I'd recommend a Montana or 67. The Explorer is ok with navigational stuff but its limmited. I still carry my Garmin 60CSX along with my InReach when on a misison. The one nice thing about the Explorer is it does have a vehicle mount. I'd like one for my JT so the wife alwasy has one. Both will also sync to my Garmin Overlander GPS and its way easier to send messages on the tablet than the little screen.

Starting with a base would be smart. If a base can't talk then a repeater wont fix that. Go with good cable and a decent antenna and you'll get a good idea on coverage.

Sorry I thought we were on a GMRS website. We get spun up in arguments over ID'ing your repeaters and everything else but daily conversations over how to mod your ham radio to use with GMRS. This is a HAM radio. Go to a HAM radio site and talk about it. Its also a CCR in a box. If your annoyed call Baofeng and tell them. Most likely they dont give a rats a$$ about it. But then again if it fits your youtube stuff I guess its all your gospel.

The local club near me still offers an in person class.