Rule Changes-Radio Picks

[Hiskid1973]

Doing more research is bringing up new question. I read now of proposed rules changes of dropping the GMRS license fee and lowering power. How likely and how soon would this happen ? As for radio's I rather get something used and better quality. I read on various forums of these commercial 4&5 watt radios are being used. Which ones would be the best deal. How hard are they to reprogram ? Thanks.GBY

Pair of Motorola HT 1000 16 Channel Two Way Radios | eBay

Icom IC F21GM with Charger | eBay

Kenwood TK 3302U Radios | eBay

Motorola HT1000 VHF Portable Radio Narrowband DTMF | eBay

 

[SteveC0625]

Doing more research is bringing up new question. I read now of proposed rules changes of dropping the GMRS license fee and lowering power. How likely and how soon would this happen ?

There is a sticky at the top of this sub-forum that has a lot of info and discussion on the proposal. We're dragging into the third year that this has been dangling out there. Usually the FCC moves on a proposed rule making a bit swifter than this. We may never see a change.

http://forums.radioreference.com/gmrs-frs/184173-proposed-changes-gmrs-comments-link.html

As for radio's I rather get something used and better quality. I read on various forums of these commercial 4&5 watt radios are being used. Which ones would be the best deal. How hard are they to reprogram ? Thanks.GBY

Pair of Motorola HT 1000 16 Channel Two Way Radios | eBay

Icom IC F21GM with Charger | eBay

Kenwood TK 3302U Radios | eBay

Motorola HT1000 VHF Portable Radio Narrowband DTMF | eBay

I can only speak to the Motorolas. The HT1000 is a great radio, but it's an older radio. The RSS software is becoming increasingly difficult to find. If you poke around here, there have been several folks who bought HT1000's and had a rough time finding someone to program them. And, if I recall correctly, the RSS needs to run in a pure DOS environment which is OK on most current PC's, but people are less and less knowledgeable about it these days.

One other point, given the age of the HT1000 products, there may come a point where Motorola discontinues depot support. How soon that will be is a guess right now. But it does mean that getting one fixed will become more of a challenge.

I have a M1225 mobile in my truck for GMRS, and that suffices for 95% of my needs. I have a CP150 portable set up for GMRS. It's easy to carry as I use the same holster that I have for my EMS CP200XLS, and it programs with the same CPS. But the number of times that I have actually transmitted on the portable is very few.

 

[W2NJS]

Two of the four eBay listings in your post are for VHF radios which are unusable for GMRS/FRS because GMRS/FRS is UHF. The story on the FCC proposals is that most of us think that the FCC was just throwing ideas out in front of us to see what the reaction would be, and any action on them is a long, long way off in the furure. If you get into cheap, meaning less expensive, Motorola radios you'll have a harder and harder time maintaining them as time goes on, as was stated above. If you want a better Motorola radio, meaning made more recently, it's going to cost you more. The real workhorse radio is the Saber I, and these are now going for next to nothing on eBay, but as with all of the Motorola stuff you'll run into special programming problems because you either have to invest in the software, RIB, and cable or you have to pay a shop to do the programming for you.

 

[Hiskid1973]

Thanks Steve. So with the ruling, anything could happen anytime ? Is there a step up from the HT1000? Is it a five watt radio. I wouldn't mind setting up a mobile as a base station as I have a repeater about 8 miles away. I am also looking in to the Technician class license if I can get this old brain into gear.

 

[Hiskid1973]

Thanks W2NJS on the heads up on the UHF radio. I just went through picking out some low priced HT1000's and not really fully reading the listing. I just want to get into radio and learn and not just go the bubble pack route and chatter.

 

[Hiskid1973]

Thanks for the Sabre1 tip, looks like some good deals. Someone offers programming for $25. Are these only 4 watt radios ? Any 5 Watts. I checked out a repeater about 8 miles as the crow flies at a higher elevation. Could this be reached with a HT with a mobile antenna attached?

 

[SteveC0625]

Thanks for the Sabre1 tip, looks like some good deals. Someone offers programming for $25. Are these only 4 watt radios ? Any 5 Watts. I checked out a repeater about 8 miles as the crow flies at a higher elevation. Could this be reached with a HT with a mobile antenna attached?

High power UHF portables are generally 4 watts while VHF is 5.

Terrain plays a big part in this. If it's true line of sight, you may be able to hit the repeater from your portable. The mobile antenna would help a lot if it is properly installed. (Which in my book is drill a hole in the center of the roof and mount the antenna there.) That's one of the reasons that I have the 40 watt mobile in the truck. I live at the south edge of the Adirondack Park and it's all hills and mountains here.

 

[Hiskid1973]

High power UHF portables are generally 4 watts while VHF is 5.

Terrain plays a big part in this. If it's true line of sight, you may be able to hit the repeater from your portable.

Thanks, I never knew that . I Am Learning here.

 

[rapidcharger]

I can only speak to the Motorolas. The HT1000 is a great radio, but it's an older radio. The RSS software is becoming increasingly difficult to find. If you poke around here, there have been several folks who bought HT1000's and had a rough time finding someone to program them. And, if I recall correctly, the RSS needs to run in a pure DOS environment which is OK on most current PC's, but people are less and less knowledgeable about it these days.

The RSS is actually becoming easier to find, it's just that a computer old and slow enough that can run it successfully is becoming harder to find.

 

[rapidcharger]

Doing more research is bringing up new question. I read now of proposed rules changes of dropping the GMRS license fee and lowering power. How likely and how soon would this happen ? As for radio's I rather get something used and better quality. I read on various forums of these commercial 4&5 watt radios are being used. Which ones would be the best deal. How hard are they to reprogram ? Thanks.GBY

Pair of Motorola HT 1000 16 Channel Two Way Radios | eBay

Icom IC F21GM with Charger | eBay

Kenwood TK 3302U Radios | eBay

Motorola HT1000 VHF Portable Radio Narrowband DTMF | eBay

I have some of the 3302s and they are really good radios for the price.
I use them in a noisy industrial environment and they stack up well against other higher end radios in a comparison test with machines running in the background. Lightweight yet durable. Highly recommend. Best of all you can program it with any modern computer and knock-off programming cables are very cheap for those. Good battery life too. The downsides, only 2 watts, PTT button is a little small and they aren't the easiest to set them down because they're top heavy so you'll find yourself just laying them down. Either way, if you can get a pair (that work) for that opening bid, I would pounce.

 

[Dantian]

I read now of proposed rules changes of dropping the GMRS license fee and lowering power. How likely and how soon would this happen ?

It has been a long time, hasn't it?

What effect will changes at FCC have on the long-running (since Aug 2010) proposed changes to the GMRS rules?

The FCC was not just "throwing out ideas". It is a formal Notice of Proposed Rulemaking whose final product is a Report and Order: final rules that everyone has to abide by.

Usually. Sometimes it is another Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ... You get the idea. It's the government...

But why so slow? KAA8142 visited FCC in Washington and knocked some heads about it, figuratively, but it didn't speed up anything. On the other hand, he may have slowed down things that should have been slowed down or stopped.

I can think of three theories:

1. The final rules aren't out because not everybody who has to sign off on them agrees with them. This is quite likely.

2. People keep filing cookie-cutter replies in the GMRS docket even though the deadline for filing expired long ago.

3. The final rules aren't out because two Commissioners just announced their resignations. This is all over the news. The Chairman and one Republican commissioner are exiting.

There will soon be only an Acting Chairman of the FCC and the President has to pick a new real Chairman and they want to wait until the new one is seated and decides what to do and what to put on the shelf.

However, this could be good for GMRS. There is usually a backlog of minor, not very interesting or CNN quality items waiting for action. The interim chairman may get those done while they wait for the super Presidentially appointed chairman to take over.

GMRS is so far down the bin that I believe few in FCC have even heard of it. This is an agency that has $NNN/hour lobbyists for the telcos, broadcasters and major ISPs all over them every day.

So FCC may act on it and other insignificant items while the more important things are on hold.

 

[quarterwave]

Two things get attention from FCC...things that have money attached and Public Safety.

GMRS is neither, and there is nothing to gain for them by wasting time piddling with it. They need to leave us alone.

 

[robertmac]

So it too will go the way of Crappy Band. Oops, already there but without the skip and high powered amps, but they are probably next.

 

[DaveNF2G]

If anyone at the FCC has any brains, they won't deregulate GMRS. If the band is to have any monetary value, then they need to keep it "clean" enough to auction off to some industry giant. 11 meter CB is worthless because it is full of unlicensed operators that simply cannot be cleaned out.

Getting rid of GMRS will be much simpler. Reallocate the frequencies and cancel all of the licenses. The level of "rogue" operation is a tiny fraction of what was allowed to take over CB after it was deregulated.

 

[Hiskid1973]

So I guess from what all you are saying is I can spend money for the license. The rule won't be changed anytime soon...BTW.. I have been studying and took an online practice Tech test and scored a 74.4% with no cheating....

 

[redneckcellphone]

This has been beaten to death way too much. Nothing is changing. Check mygmrs.com for repeaters in your area before you decide to spend the 85 for the license


Sent from my iPhone yes iPhone using Tapatalk app thingy

 

[Hiskid1973]

I wasn't sure what was going on. I didn't want to spend 80 dollars this month on a license and have it not be needed in a few months. I'd rather buy two older commercial radios that can be programmed. Have any
e-bay picks of a good buys. I prefer 5 watts. Thanks

 

[N4KVE]

I wasn't sure what was going on. I didn't want to spend 80 dollars this month on a license and have it not be needed in a few months.

I'm with you on that. These days you can find 2 nice Kenwood mobiles for $40 each.

 

[redneckcellphone]

99% of the UHF handhelds are 4 watts. I picked up a icom a few years ago and got the programming cable and it was easy to program myself


Sent from my iPhone yes iPhone using Tapatalk app thingy

 

[Hiskid1973]

Are these tj-3302u UHF? Kenwood TK 3302U Radios | eBay