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Hunting Radios

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adterra

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You might consider the MFJ-662 "MFJ Pocket Repeater"

MFJ Enterprises Inc.

MSRP = $89

Oh, and speaking of antennas. My personal favorite for a very inexpensive MURS antenna is to find a bargain, widebanded (6mhz), 6db
gain Shakespeare marine vertical. It will receive all MURS channels well, but transmit should be limited MURS 4 and 5 (ie, the 154mhz channels), because that's closer to where the antenna is matched. I picked up one of these on ebay for about $35 on closeout a few years ago.
Thx!!!
 

adterra

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North Texas
"You are going to help me get a better overall GMRS signal, (dirt cheap) …aren't you?"
Dammit Jim, I'm a surgeon, not a bricklayer! (;->)

I'm seriously out of my league here so I'm questioning the legality of a simplex repeater on other than Amateur VHF/UHF frequencies. Hopefully this will get a proper answer and keep you out of trouble should such operation be against the rules.
Well, …at least you got me off the fence, …give yourself a couple of points for that!

One thing I must say is experience has told me that a PL tone is a must or everything any repeater hears will be repeated and confuse the hell out of everybody. (;->)
PL tone?

FYI -
Intelligence scale = Digital / Analog / House painter
:(
 

kb5udf

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Messages
801
Location
Louisiana
Pl Tone

A Pl tone (originally stood for "Private Line," I think a proprietary term from GE) also goes by other names including, interference eliminator and CTCSS (the most generic general term). When the radio transmits, it also sends along some bass (ie, a tone between 300 and 67 hz, there are about 20 or so to choose from). The speak on your little handheld can't reproduce this low tone, but a circuit detects it, and without it, you won't hear someone talking. So it's a way for you to avoid hearing say, the local walmart that might be grandfathered in to use a murs frequency, formerly known as "Red Dot."

If all the radios send and decode the same PL tone, you will only hear each other, unless someone else within range of you, starts sending out the same tone (not likely in the woods). Essenentially, any reasonably modern radios you get your hands one can send and receive/decode these tones. Using PL tones is a very good idea, and once they are set, you won't notice them at all.

For an example as to how they work, if you've ever used an FRS/GMRS bubble pack radio, you might notice it has two numbers, one for the channel number another for a code you can set. On some of the ones I use, channel 8, with code 13, comes out to something like 462.xxx mhz with a 127.3 hz tone, or so. Now I don't hear every kid in the neighrbood, just mine when he calls.

JB
 

adterra

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Joined
Nov 24, 2009
Messages
37
Location
North Texas
A Pl tone (originally stood for "Private Line," I think a proprietary term from GE) also goes by other names including, interference eliminator and CTCSS (the most generic general term). When the radio transmits, it also sends along some bass (ie, a tone between 300 and 67 hz, there are about 20 or so to choose from). The speak on your little handheld can't reproduce this low tone, but a circuit detects it, and without it, you won't hear someone talking. So it's a way for you to avoid hearing say, the local walmart that might be grandfathered in to use a murs frequency, formerly known as "Red Dot."

If all the radios send and decode the same PL tone, you will only hear each other, unless someone else within range of you, starts sending out the same tone (not likely in the woods). Essenentially, any reasonably modern radios you get your hands one can send and receive/decode these tones. Using PL tones is a very good idea, and once they are set, you won't notice them at all.

For an example as to how they work, if you've ever used an FRS/GMRS bubble pack radio, you might notice it has two numbers, one for the channel number another for a code you can set. On some of the ones I use, channel 8, with code 13, comes out to something like 462.xxx mhz with a 127.3 hz tone, or so. Now I don't hear every kid in the neighrbood, just mine when he calls.

JB
Thanks JB!

Is this what you are talking about?
These are codes for the Motorola Sport I was talking about earlier.
FRS radio Specifications, Frequencies and Codes
 

rescuecomm

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Jun 20, 2005
Messages
1,445
Location
Travelers Rest, SC
Simplex GMRS Repeater

I had thought about using a simplex repeater on GMRS. To prevent the confusion of people hearing the initial transmission, I was going to use separate tones on Tx/RX. This required public safety type WT's for the simpeat and the HT's. Turned out to be too expensive at the time (1999). We are using MURS at present for hunting comms, but I am working on my hunt partner to get his Tech ham license.

Bob
 

adterra

Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2009
Messages
37
Location
North Texas
I had thought about using a simplex repeater on GMRS. To prevent the confusion of people hearing the initial transmission, I was going to use separate tones on Tx/RX. This required public safety type WT's for the simpeat and the HT's. Turned out to be too expensive at the time (1999). We are using MURS at present for hunting comms, but I am working on my hunt partner to get his Tech ham license.

Bob
Thanks rescuecomm!

Hopefully, everything I'm ordering will come in within the next two weeks and I will be able to pull off a field test on the last week of December.
For the price of this set up, under $400.00, the six of us might be in pretty good shape, ...echo aside.

If not, ...look for some really good deals on eBay early 2010.
C'est la vie!
 

lavigne

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Messages
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alberta
this guy is jelouse cause he stays at home gabbing on his radio ,because he dont have the means to go out in the bush and have some reall purpose to use his radios ,that goes for lots of ham users they dont have a reall purpose to use them ,but they like to discourage the hunter who has a purpose to use them .
 

lavigne

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Messages
57
Location
alberta
hey adterra ,set yourself and your buddies up with ham ,you will get awsome range compared to crappy gmrs and frs and CB
 

gewecke

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
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Illinois
this guy is jelouse cause he stays at home gabbing on his radio ,because he dont have the means to go out in the bush and have some reall purpose to use his radios ,that goes for lots of ham users they dont have a reall purpose to use them ,but they like to discourage the hunter who has a purpose to use them .

OH but we DO have real purposes,and Btw I AM a hunter also!!:evil:
n9zas
 

lavigne

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Apr 23, 2007
Messages
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alberta
thers guys out there all they do is sit at home and gab on these radios and they complaign when someone wants to use them for a purpose or they try to discourage them
 

lavigne

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Apr 23, 2007
Messages
57
Location
alberta
it just pisses me off when you got these guys who spend thousands of dollars on equipment and all they do is gab on these ,then you got a guy like a hunter for example that has a good purpose to use them a( reall reason).then you got the guy at home who spends most of his life on his radios thats accumulated lots of knowledge over the years doesint have the decency to help a guy who wants to use them for a reall purpose ,not all ham guys are like that but there are some cranky idiots out there
 

iMONITOR

Silent Key
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Messages
11,156
Location
S.E. Michigan
hey adterra ,set yourself and your buddies up with ham ,you will get awsome range compared to crappy gmrs and frs and CB

There should be no difference at all between GMRS and 440MHz amateur radio performance in simplex mode, or with comparable repeaters.
 
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