donmontalvo
Newbie
Totally forgot to respond to this...
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GMRS radios: Midland vs. Wouxon
- Thread starter donmontalvo
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Totally forgot to respond to this...
Your sole reason for saying the Midland radio is "crappy" is because they don't come pre-programmed with channels that you can't transmit on anyway? Do you have any other reasons? Do the Wouxon radios you recommend have FCC equipment authorization for Part 95E?
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- May 18, 2020
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Motoro
Yours very truly ,
FCC agent wanna be.
Now in all seriousness, let's see how long it takes before some moderator deletes this even though the majority of us here are sick of these kinds of posts. Just mind your business guys. We post here for answers to questions not to get legal advice from quasi-lawyers. I pay for a premium membership and should be allowed to post this without it deletion. Only time will.
Yours very truly,
A man with an opinion in a free country.
MOTOROLA? ARE YOU AWARE THAT THEY ARE NOT TYPE ACCEPTED? YOU CRIMINAL.YOU SPURIOUS EMMISIONS CREATOR. THE FCC WILL FINE YOU$1,000,000,000,000 AND IMPRISON YOU FOR 8 CENTURIES.
Yours very truly ,
FCC agent wanna be.
Now in all seriousness, let's see how long it takes before some moderator deletes this even though the majority of us here are sick of these kinds of posts. Just mind your business guys. We post here for answers to questions not to get legal advice from quasi-lawyers. I pay for a premium membership and should be allowed to post this without it deletion. Only time will.
Yours very truly,
A man with an opinion in a free country.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Some Motorola radios -do- have Part 95. In fact, it was quite common 'back in the day'.
As for Midland versus Wouxon, to me that's sort of like comparing two Yugos to see which one can lap the Nuremberg Ring faster than the other. Fun to talk about, but sort of pointless.
I'm a moderator. I did not delete your post. But, quite frankly, I don't see how it contributes to the OP's claim that Midlands are crap and Wouxons are not.
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It doesn't. But somebody mentioned part 95E. So I know what's coming next. It is annoying to get legal advice from people who are not lawyers and from people you didn't ask to give you legal advice. It happens often and everybody knows that it does and more people than not are annoyed with it and that is just a fact. I am not trying to be an ass I am just stating my opinion.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
This pretty much applies to what you are stating, and what the OP posted on the website….
The FCC Type Acceptance rules serve a couple of purposes. It's not there just to make things difficult for people, although I can understand why those that don't understand this stuff think it is...
The OP complained about needlessly complex FCC rules/Licensing requirements and other things they didn't agree with. I get it. It's complex stuff to those that don't understand radio.
Where it works really well is reducing the complexity of the rules for end users. By purchasing a radio that has the correct type certification, it ensures that the radio is not only legal to use, but also has the required features and meets all the complex technical requirements (narrow banding/power limitations, etc). Where newcomers end up getting confused by the complexities of the FCC requirements is when they buy non-type accepted equipment and then try to adapt the radio to fit the rules, or in some cases, try to adapt the rules to fit their radio.
By purchasing a properly type accepted radio for GMRS, you get a radio that is going to work correctly (in most cases) without the end user/consumer trying to digest the complexities of the FCC rules.
Sort of like how CB works. If you buy a type accepted CB, you really don't have to be worried about the FCC technical rules on how the CB works. You just plug it into your cigarette lighter and throw a $20 mag mount on the roof of your car and start using it.
Buying a dual band, non-type accepted radio, and then trying to figure out how to program it correctly to meet the requirements is complex for those that are not well experienced in the two way radio field. Unfortunately some that go this route get frustrated and will blame the FCC for not making things easier for them, failing to understand that they brought on the complexities by purchasing the wrong equipment.
TLDR; Buy a type accepted GMRS radio, get your license, do a quick/dirty install, and you are good to go. -OR- Buy a CCR and attempt to program it to meet the rules and get frustrated.
There are many of us here who are in the two way radio industry as a career, and we are paid to understand this stuff. We do our best to assist newcomers in understanding the rules and how they apply. Unfortunately there are always those that will get upset if we try to explain the FCC rules to them in a way they can understand.
But, hey, I'm not a lawyer. Just a guy that's trained/paid to understand the FCC rules and how they apply to the equipment.
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- May 18, 2020
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ABSOLUTELY! I agree. The FCC type acceptance rules do serve a very important purpose. But, when one asks a question and that question is not about the FCC and its regulations, why do people chime in with their FCC rules babble. NO ONE ASKED!
What if you replied to a post that you saw because you had the answer to a problem that was stated in the post and you just couldn't wait to get home to help him/her. So you post that you rushed home as fast as you could to post the answer because you had a similar issue and you know the solution. Do you want people telling you that speeding is wrong? It is against the laws in your county and if stopped you could face a hefty fine? Or, you could have caused an accident. Or, there are other people on the road you endangered, etc. All of it would be true BUT, it is also no one's place to lecture you. And let's face it, these FCC rants are lectures. Again, I am truly not trying to be an ass, I am just trying to get my point across.
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mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
You got your point across.
The Midlands are a nice idea of a GMRS radio, but the choice to use narrow deviation (and give the user no choice) on GMRS is baffling.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
I agree.
But look at the market...
It's aimed at non-radio people that are probably using bubble pack GMRS radios that are hard set for narrow band. Trying to explain to a user that doesn't know UHF from VHS the differences in FM deviation would be asking a lot. I think the radio is clearly marketed towards non-tech users.
I ~think~ I've also heard there was some sort of programming software from the manufacturer that would allow setting the GMRS channels to wide, but I've only heard rumors. Not sure if it's a reality or not.
I was always quite happy with the Icom commercial UHF radios (that had Part 90 and Part 95 certification….)
This is why I returned a Midland mobile radio the next day. The Motorola XTL5000 that replaced it cost a bit more, but I gained with its additional features that I use. I use Motorola XTS5000 handhelds as well with channels 1~7 15~22 and the repeater freqs.
A friend purchased CCR's, so I programmed them with the same 1~7, 15~22 and the repeater freqs. He obtained/purchased his GMRS license and is actually going to take the amateur Tech/General in December. Once again, those inexpensive and inferior CCR's getting people into the hobby. Fortunately, he has an XTS5000 coming his way once he gets his amateur license in December. It is already programmed and ready to go. I'm including an Impress charger and an XTVA, etc.
A friend purchased CCR's, so I programmed them with the same 1~7, 15~22 and the repeater freqs. He obtained/purchased his GMRS license and is actually going to take the amateur Tech/General in December. Once again, those inexpensive and inferior CCR's getting people into the hobby. Fortunately, he has an XTS5000 coming his way once he gets his amateur license in December. It is already programmed and ready to go. I'm including an Impress charger and an XTVA, etc.
It's interesting that a simple question on my part has hit your hot button so hard that you keep harping on the same point.
The OP claimed that the Midland GMRS radio was crap compared to Wouxon. I asked if the Wouxon had an FCC equipment authorization for Part 95E. That was followed by someone saying they wouldn't use either for GMRS and that they would choose a Motorola radio instead. So far, nothing has been said about the legality of using the Wouxon, or any other radio, for GMRS. And, nothing has been said about FCC fines or spurious emissions. And, nobody has started playing lawyer.
But, that didn't stop you from going off on type acceptance, spurious emissions, FCC fines, questionable legal advice, directions from YOU to stop playing lawyer, and speculations about moderator activity. So, wearing my moderator hat, I'm telling you to stop playing moderator. If you don't like questions about FCC certification for GMRS radios or if you don't like conversations about FCC equipment authorization, you could just move on.
Twice you've told us that you aren't trying to be an ass. And, yet, your posts prove that you are one.
The answer to that question would appear to be yes.
While made in China, IMHO they are a BIG step above CCR and feature super-heterodyne recievers (at least according to the manufacturer) and appear to be well-made. I do not personally own a Wouxon GMRS radio but I do have one of their MURS HTs (KG-805M) which is also type certified:
It would appear that their target market sits between the Midland "I just want to turn it on and talk" crowd and the "I use commercial gear because I know what to buy and I have the software to program it" folks.
Thank you for the FCC IDs.
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