• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

MURS Radio

Status
Not open for further replies.

matt131

QRT
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
317
Hi Everyone,

Is anyone using MURS? IF so I was curious as to what you are using for equipment. I would like to use MURS but am unsure what to use for radios.

Thank you for your help.
 

rescuecomm

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
1,455
Location
Travelers Rest, SC
I have an Icom F30GS and an older Icom F30LT 16 channel. One of the guys I occasionally hunt with also has one of the F30LT's and a newer Motorola CP200 4 channel radio. The VHF MURS has noticeably better range versus the UHF GMRS W/T's in the woods.

Bob
 

n2nov

Active Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
832
Location
Staten Island, NYC
I have an Icom F30GS and an older Icom F30LT 16 channel. One of the guys I occasionally hunt with also has one of the F30LT's and a newer Motorola CP200 4 channel radio. The VHF MURS has noticeably better range versus the UHF GMRS W/T's in the woods.

Bob

UHF wavelength is short enough vs VHF to be attenuated by the foliage.

Rule of thumb with comms:
- UHF in cities for signal reflection capability and to get out of or into a building via windows, elevator shafts, etc
- VHF in suburban/rural areas to combat attenuation by foliage

Also, maximum power output of the radio is 2 watts. Anything more (check the programming of your commercial radios guys) is against the law [FCC Part 95.639(h)].
 

rescuecomm

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
1,455
Location
Travelers Rest, SC
The Icoms are set at the L1 power level. I can't vouch for the Motorola since I didn't set it up. At least we are complying as best as possible. Other hunters that I have encountered in the woods are using the GMRS/FRS with no licenses or Marine VHF HT's. From what I heard from someone, party dog running bear hunters seem to found of the VHF HTs. These users are obviously well outside the law, but I am not arguing with a group of people with rifles?

Bob
 

RayAir

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
1,930
Hi Everyone,

Is anyone using MURS? IF so I was curious as to what you are using for equipment. I would like to use MURS but am unsure what to use for radios.

Thank you for your help.

Vertex VX-500 and VX-510 portables. I have my own programming software.
 

matt131

QRT
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
317
Motorola CP200

Well, If I got a pair of Motorola CP200 VHF portables and had them set to low power (2 watts) and I had no way of increasing the power would they be legal to use for MURS?
 
N

N_Jay

Guest
Well, If I got a pair of Motorola CP200 VHF portables and had them set to low power (2 watts) and I had no way of increasing the power would they be legal to use for MURS?

I would think not.
adios that are not type accepted for a particular service can not be brought into compliance with adjustments.
 

RayAir

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
1,930
What is with all the radio police busting people on "type acceptance"?
 
N

N_Jay

Guest
What is with all the radio police busting people on "type acceptance"?

RANT ON:
What is it people who jump on the (incredibly stupid) "Radio Police" bandwagon, even when the post is directly answering a question asked about legality.

You would think said (incredibly stupid) person has a chip on his shoulder, (or a stick up his a. . . )
RANT OFF:
 

matt131

QRT
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
317
Are there any MURS legal radio even around

As I think about the MURS service I started thinking if there are any legal MURS radios available and I really don't think there are. There are plenty of commercial portable radios that are part 90 certified that can be programmed not to exceed 2 watts and will do the correct bandwith for MURS. There aren't any portable radios to my knowledge that are VHF and are part 95 certified. Any ideas or thoughts to this statement?
 
N

N_Jay

Guest
I thought there were some bubble pack MURS radios, bu Motorola, but I could be wrong.

Found this little tidbit that could be helpful.

Determined quickly whether a radio is legal to use on MURS:


•If the radio is Part 95 certified and operates on MURS frequencies
•If the radio was Part 95 certified prior to November 12, 2002 and transmits no more than 2 watts, and has no external control to increase power above 2 watts and only operates wideband on the 154 MHz frequencies (all parts must be true)
•If the Radio was Part 90 certified prior to November 12, 2002 and transmits no more than 2 watts and has no external control to increase power above 2 watts and does not narrowband on the 151 MHz and 154 MHz frequencies or narrowband on 151 MHz and wideband on 154 MHz frequencies (all parts must be true)
 

RayAir

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
1,930
As I think about the MURS service I started thinking if there are any legal MURS radios available and I really don't think there are. There are plenty of commercial portable radios that are part 90 certified that can be programmed not to exceed 2 watts and will do the correct bandwith for MURS. There aren't any portable radios to my knowledge that are VHF and are part 95 certified. Any ideas or thoughts to this statement?

I would say you would be just fine using any 1 or 2 watt portable for MURS. I have seen radios advertised as being MURS, but they have been commercial radio gear with MURS just programmed in. I have seen plenty of 5W radios on MURS. But if you want to be a Dudley Do-right, any portable 2W or less would be fine. The difference in range between a 2W portable and a 5W portable is miniscule considering the small amount of power and the negative gain antennas most portables have.
 

RayAir

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
1,930
I thought there were some bubble pack MURS radios, bu Motorola, but I could be wrong.

Found this little tidbit that could be helpful.

Determined quickly whether a radio is legal to use on MURS:


•If the radio is Part 95 certified and operates on MURS frequencies
•If the radio was Part 95 certified prior to November 12, 2002 and transmits no more than 2 watts, and has no external control to increase power above 2 watts and only operates wideband on the 154 MHz frequencies (all parts must be true)
•If the Radio was Part 90 certified prior to November 12, 2002 and transmits no more than 2 watts and has no external control to increase power above 2 watts and does not narrowband on the 151 MHz and 154 MHz frequencies or narrowband on 151 MHz and wideband on 154 MHz frequencies (all parts must be true)

After a quick search I found these:
MURS 4-Mile Range Intercom: Hand-Held Radios
The price is pretty steep though, compared to the cost of bubble pack GMRS/FRS,etc.
 

gewecke

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
Banned
Joined
Jan 29, 2006
Messages
7,452
Location
Illinois
Radio shack marketed 2 radios dedicated specifically for murs, a vhf 2 watt single ch. the btx-128
and a 5 watt(pre-tuned to 2 watts) 2 ch. mobile. Although I forget the model of that one.
The talkie was almost the same as a motorola P10.
These can still be found on ebay for almost nothing. Popular communications mag. did a review on that mobile.
N9ZAS.
 

n8emr

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Messages
498
Well as several people pointed out most of the radio people have mentioned for MURS use are not legal to use on murs and dont meet the rules, There are few November 2002 radio that will do wide and narrow as required to use on MURS, Kenwood 2100 comes to mind as one that can. You can use pre 2002 radio's on MURS but usually not on all 5 channels, usually that are only legal on the 2 wider bandwidth channels.. Any post 2002 radio MUST SPECIFICALLY be certified (type accepted) for MURS use. There are few out there but not many
 

rescuecomm

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
1,455
Location
Travelers Rest, SC
The limitations on the radio specs is probably from our Motorola corp. friends. They filed to stop the MURS frequencies from being released to the Part 95 section claiming that existing business users would find the channels too congested. As in my previous post about marine VHF bootlegging, that is what happens when the FCC fails to follow through on a good idea. It would be a lot better for those guys to use surplus VHF Part 90 hand helds on MURS. But there is no path to that, so here we go.

Lets see: CB licensing stopped because the FCC said it cost too much to administer and served no useful purpose because most users didn't bother to get one. Marine VHF licensing for private craft stopped for the same reason. The MURS freq stuff for the same reason ( most businesses took them out of the box and talked). GMRS will probably go the DOC Canada way (2 watts-no licensing) eventually, since millions of users are not licensing and what good would it do if they did?

But hey, it is all cool to me.

Bob
 

n2nov

Active Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
832
Location
Staten Island, NYC
So, is this the point that we stop following a law/FCC rule just because we feel like it? Are we rebellious teenagers again? I am certainly one to poke a bad law in the eye with my Libertarian viewpoints. But in the meantime, we still have to follow the law until we can legally get it changed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top