I love how the market just makes regulations impossible to enforce. You can put numbers on paper all day, but electro magnetism is a continuous phenomena - and from a practical point of view, who wants to pack two radios just because the taxing authorities tell you to?
It’s a function of the what the radio features are and what you are allowed to do. GMRS is channelized, so there is no VFO. Type accepted Part 95 radios (including GMRS) are not supposed to have a VFO because then you could TX off channel. GMRS is also FM only and operates on specific UHF frequencies only. There are also max power limits of 2 watts on some GMRS/FRS channels that are “baked” into type accepted GMRS radios. Ham radios (Part 97) have VFOs and operators have privledges on various bands spanning multiple frequency ranges (VHF and UHF for HTs). Hams are free to use any frequency within their frequency allocation for the class of license they hold and can use much more power, though HTs can’t practically exceed a Ham’s limits anyway. Hams are expected to know these and not stray from them, so the radio doesn’t have to be locked down to preset channels. So, Ham radios are open, where GMRS radios are locked down. That is why you have to test to be a Ham, but only have to pay a fee to be a GMRS operator. Personally, I think Ham operators should be able to program GMRS channels into their Ham HTs as long as they pay the GRMS license fee, use the GMRS callsign, and follow the GMRS operating rules and output limits on those channels where they exist. In practice, many folks do that since it is technically possible, if not technically legal. But, technically, Ham radios are supposed to be frequency locked to Ham bands only, even though most Chinese radios aren’t, and most others are easily modified to unlock them via software or simple hardware hacks. But hey, I don’t run the FCC.
Elephant in the room: There are more than a few dual-licensed people who do the MARS frequency unlock to their ham radio with zero intention of ever participating in the MARS.
The government doesn't trust responsible people to be responsible... while understanding that unlawful types are a fact of life. We appear to do a really good job of self-policing, so why not allow someone with a higher/better license to operate out if type acceptance? We know the risks/reasons... let us be mature.
I am relatively shocked that we didn't see NOTARUBICON somehow crash in on this video! He probably started having a twitch and didn't know why! Great review, now I might, for the first time, think about doing GMRS...
Try to remember something. Rules and Regulations are not laws. The FCC has zero power over you that you do not relinquish to them. By getting your ham license, you are effectively promising that you will not break the rules. Remember Marbury v. Madison (1803).
I'd love to work with one of these radio manufacturers to implement audible/voice prompts in more useful ways. For instance, having the voice prompts fire when you scroll through them, not when they're selected (so you know which menu you're on before opening it). High/low pitch tones to denote toggled states. Things like that. I'm curious to know which menus have voice tags and which do not, some that did, I was pleasantly surprised by.
@@temporarilyoffline One possibly accidental accessibility thing many of these handies have, is the ability to access menus and menu settings directly via the numeric keypad. For instance, 0 for an off state, 1 for on, or options in order by number. The Baofengs even allow you to directly enter a CTCSS tone directly, rather than a number from 1-50. i.e. entering 1862 for a 186.2 tone rather than 36, its position in the list of CTCSS tones available.
ANI - Automatic Number Identification encode function allows a two way radio to send unique identification with each transmission, to other radio users. ANI decode function allows other radio users to easily identify on the display of the radio, who is making each radio transmission.
I found this on Amazon a few weeks ago. If you read the description (kinda hidden at the bottom of the page) it says it only TX on GMRS frequencies and RX only for everything else
I definitely like the idea of a hybrid radio that can RX/TX GMRS and amateur bands as well. Having airband and USB-C is pretty sweet too. I"m looking forward to a little more on this radio.
Yes, I think as Hams we should be legally allowed to do this since we are "uber-radio-responsible licensed types" ya know... I really do want a radio that does it all... something like the 705 would be a great place to start.
I only want to communicate in GMRS . Being I only have the license for that . I would also like to figure out how to scan the air band . This is an all new radio to me. Appreciate the comments and your videos here. Thanks
You can start the SCAN Mode on this radio by press-n-hold on the A|B button. Press-n-Hold the red Return button while in Channel Mode and it will rotate from name, frequency, and number.
Love this radio. New firmware upgrade 20.x works. Thanks to RU-vid videos, it took me a couple hours to figure out all the features! Big plus is the aircraft band coverage. USA Ham/Air band tx turned off by default.
It is far more dangerous to speed in an automobile than to use a radio with multiple bands. Thus, I will readily use one radio for multiple bands. I do not speed off the freeways. Anybody that speeds in their automobile better not cry to me that I use one radio to transmit on CB, FRS, MURS, GMRS. If I get an amateur radio license, I will add that to the transmissions. Nobody will ever die, be injured, nor even become ill, from my use of a small, multiband, transmitter in an antique Jeep. It came with the Jeep. I am not going to remove it to leave a rectangular hole on the dashboard. Besides there is no license needed for the frequencies I mentioned, safe GMRS, which I do happen to have as a Unit 2. Unit 1 is the dayshift supervisor.
The FCCID will tell you if it's legal to use on GMRS. The "locked to GMRS in USA markets" tells you what you need to know there. If yours didn't lock out then it's likely they are using the same international stock and slapping FCCIDs on it to get it through customs. That also means that the radio isn't compliant with its license and cannot be used on GMRS as it isn't the same radio that was authorized to the ID even if the only thing changed is a software lock.
Great video.. I just found you.. I have my GRMS license, but I'm wanting a radio capable of tx on ham in case of emergency, because as you know in an emergency one is allowed to use the ham radio frequencies.. So, I'd like a radio that does both.. This one that you just reviewed, but also I'm looking at the TidRadio HD8 I think it is, that in ham mode is 10 watts. Not that it would probably give me much extra, but in an emergency who cares. If it helps at all it would be worthwhile, plus it has an app and is bluetooth enabled for programming! It's a little more expensive though at about 69 bucks I believe.. Anyway, great video.. I might just get my tecnnician license for ham so I can enjoy some of the 6 meter band fun or lower VHF radio frequencies at least for fun! Best Regards from the midwest USA Tim
There used to be a Baofeng Tech radio called the TERMN-8R that claimed this capability. You could "boot" the radio into GMRS mode. But the "ham" mode was not locked to amateur bands and so therefore you could just transmit on GMRS frequencies regardless. It was originally FCC type approved for GMRS, but the approval was later revoked.
Happens to the best of them. I think its because the rules are different all over the world, and some of them are very hard to interpret. (Take a look at the GMRS rules in the description for example)
Here's a thought. What if they put the antenna on a chain, like those pens that used to be in bank lobbies. So, technically, it would not be removable and okay for GMRS.
@@RKingis (www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E): § 95.1787 GMRS additional requirements→ (a)Digital data transmissions→(4)The antenna must be a non-removable integral part of the GMRS unit. It only comes in to play for GMRS HTs that have internal data capabilities.
I doubt that the FCC would approve dual certification for Amateur Radio and GMRS use. However, I wish the FCC would, because it would allow someone with both licenses to carry one radio. Then again, that may not be a wise decision on the FCC's part, because radios like are widely available and the majority of users neglect to apply for a GMRS license, so I doubt they would have sense enough to find a technician exam session and take the exam. Those same individuals would say I bought this radio so I use it anyway I choose and besides I pay taxes. I just imagine some individuals do think that way, which is the wrong way.
No go for me. Mine arrived on 6/26/23 direct from CN ordered thru AMZ with v1.9 firmware. I re-flashed to v1.18. Will not transmit on simplex 2M or 70cm frequencies. Duplex is fine. It is heading back to AMZ for refund. Can't use it with my UHF AllStar node or .52 so that's a fail. Advertised battery size was larger than the 1800ma I received also.
Can you test that weather feature? There should be a weekly test alert. They say it's between 11am and noon on Wednesday but I know mine comes at 10:30 so it may be a little earlier.
I have a midlands that goes off every wednesday... and then at least once a week during the summer to tell me of impending death in the middle of the night. I'll have a play.
My Baofeng radios can also transmit on both GMRS and ham frequencies so i am surprised that you have not heard of that since Baofeng radios are all over the place, but they are not FCC approved to do so. Therefore, this radio you are reviewing is also likely not approved.
AFAIK its a violation of the rules to do it, yet it has an FCC ID on the back. I'm going to guess that its not allowed and they won't get caught like Baofeng didn't get caught before them.
Got one of these. Pretty good radio, though something in interested to how works. It's encryption. It isn't voice scrambling per what I hear on my scanner, when it's wnabled it nixes the CTCSS and DCS operation per it to. Yet it will not talk to other A36Plus radios without the same encryption code. Winder if it is using a rapid code cycling method that's faster than what the scanner can decide?
Hello KM9G . Disabled Army Veteran . So is this a GMRS radio? And if so what is the power outage . Also what air bands does it receive ? Are they civilian and Military ? Thanks
Hello Michael! This is a GMRS radio, but it can be unlocked to be a very dirty ham radio. I RX AM airband in the 120-130 range, I don't know about military.
I'm sure it's hackable to do anything but like other radio's, is it ever legal?😊 No GMRS here so it'd have to do 477MHz for UHF CB here. The lime green looks cool.😎
Your 477 mhz is pretty much the equivalent of our (USA) GMRS. I presume you have to get a license for the UHF CB but easier or no test much like our GMRS.
How do you manually enter a frequency? I don't see anything that tells me. Search hits point only to Chirp but my Legacy Chirp dies not support Talkpod.
I'd have to dig mine out to be exact, but press the button to get to VFO mode and then key in the frequency. Chirp-next should work fine with this radio.
@@temporarilyoffline My computer will not qualify or load Windows 10 so I am stuck with Chirp Legacy which does not support Talkpod. I did find that my unit will transmit on SOME GMRS frequencies but not all (the first 10 memories will not transmit) and will not transmit at all on any hamband frequencies. I used the Talkpod software to program the first 8 memory channels with 5 local 146.xx repeaters and 146.xx simplex frequencies but it only beeps at me when I push PTT and it does not transmit. IN short, it is a GMRS only radio and does not work on the ham bands.
@@temporarilyoffline Also the PTT+8 option you list does nothing in the V1.20 firmware that I have. So this unit will not transmit on any ham band frequency and will not transmit on all of the GMRS frequencies that came pre programmmed.
If you're inclined to play with the firmware versions that are available, I understand there is one on the website that will allow for unlock, if not, might be a good idea to swap this radio for a different model that does what you need. @@MooneyDriver74531
I have the same radio, when I am on a repeater net I CANNOT get rid of the squelch tail. All my other radios Btech GMRS pro and UV5R have no problems eliminating the repeater squelch tail. No combination of settings on this radio will eliminate it. Does your radio have this issue? Yes I do have STE turned on and have messed with RP-STE and RPT-RL and they have no effect.
I've never tried to get rid of the squelch tail. Interesting thought that one radio could do it and another radio would have the advertised feature and it would be broke.
I wonder how wide the selectivity is. Interesting to see what spurs it has in tx as well. Looks nice but it would be nice if these were also available in the various digital formats.
Interesting? It's essential. If it doesn't meet the harmonic content thresholds it's illegal to use and the HT is worth essentially nothing as anything but a receiver.
Easiest way to do it is to program a button to scan as shown in : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-p6WUPzEG5ec.html I used Chirp to program the orange button on top to Scan (short press) in the Settings tab as I am never going to use that button anyway
Can, should, or will. All very different things. I don't care so much about type accepted or not. As long as your transceiver is putting out the correct power, the correct antenna, the correct modulation, the correct deviation, how is it any different than a part 95 accepted transceiver? It isn't. Not even analyzing with a service monitor.
@@g-whiz286 because its performance in the gmrs bands aren't certified. that's why there are so many people asking for spectrum analyses of the TX. for certified devices, no one has to ask for those 🙂
@@sumanth5875 - I'm not quite sure you understand how certification works. First, a committee of subject experts compile a list of parameters the device being tested must meet (or exceed). Spurious emissions (usually 'not to exceed a certain number of dB') are just one of many and should be included in those parameters. Then the product is taken into a very controlled environment and tested against the previously established parameters. My Baofeng UV-82 transceiver, when setup for GMRS operation, is functionally indistinguishable from my Radiodity GM-30 GMRS radio.
I haven't checked in several years, but while a ham can own a radio that can do just about anything, since it's legal for us to design and build our own, it used to be illegal for a manufacturer to sell in the USA a radio that operates on more than one 2-way service. As far as reviews are concerned, there are 2 things I want to know BEFORE I spend the time to watch a 20 or 30 minute review. First and foremost I want to know up front if the rig meets the FCC harmonic content levels, because if it's not legal to talk on I obviously won't buy one, and have no reason to take the time to watch a review. Second, I want to know the price, since I look at the quality and capability of each attribute of a radio relative to how much the radio costs. That's how I determine its value. I'll put up with some audio distortion when the volume is turned up on a $15 radio. I won't put up with it on a $250 radio. So each step of the review as it unfolds I compare against the price of the radio and decide if it's acceptable at that price-point.
I believe in functionality. Looks like a radio that does it all - poorly? It's nice to have everything, and I'm as nerdy as anybody else, but where does it end? As a price entry point, for many cool features, I'd give it marks for value. But at this level of complexity (and shady transceiver ability) these cease being communication devices and become a box of arcane instrumentation. Not that there's anything wrong with that :-) Looks like a good set of features to surpass the lowly UV5R. How much power? Can you program it? Will I have another K5 on my hands, waiting for software that works? Can you see the display outdoors? Does it float? Scramble? Is scrambling even legal? Too much mumbling.
@temporarilyoffline How did you get a 4 letter/digit callsign ? Did you get a recycled callsign from FCC or did you apply for family members old callsign, just curious since I thought 4 letters/digit were old hams from a long time ago that those. I am not a ham yet but will try to get my license in the next year or so and I know I can apply for my dads old callsign if no has taken it and his was KA4SEW but he was a Novice Class and never got his higher license at time because he enjoyed morse code so much. He learned morse code from my grandfather that was a communications officer in military in 20s 30s 40s into the 50s. I should have tried to get my license in early 80s but never did hopefully I will soon. If you look at my dads license it say he got it in early 90s but got his in either late 70s or 80s the 90s would have been a renewal date.
They are called vanity calls. Some calls are restricted to use only by people with a certain license class like the 2x1 or 1x2 calls like mine. I'm an Amateur Extra. You can apply for your Dad's call for sure. Its very hard to get a 2x1 or a 1x2 call as there is a lot of competition. Eventually I just put in for a random list of shorter callsigns and KM9G was the one that I got. It would be very easy for you to get a 1x3 with your initials though - like mine could be K9SEM. Things have changed a little since I did mine, but here is what I know and should help you get started: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0-lKqPfgBZU.html
@@temporarilyoffline My dad passed away several years ago. I looked on FCC website and his license expired 2016.I was told when I take test to fill a form to try to get his callsign. I found his FRN number from the FCC website. I already have my GMRS LICENSE . I am WRUC518 on GMRS.
If you're transmitting on the FRS channels, you need to make sure you are transmitting narrowband (2.5Khz) or you will over deviate for those cheap little FRS transceivers.
@@g-whiz286 you cannot change the power levels and bandwidth on GMRS type accepted radios. But the interesting part is I found them to sound pretty horrible if a clear signal even comes through. They probably would benefit from some filtering.
Thanks a bunch!!! Could you test the air band receive sometime? I would also be interested in seeing your feedback after using it for a while! Thanks again, Randy DE N9RAN
My friend Hayden at Ham Radio DX channel did an airband test. I don't get enough airband traffic here to do a good demo. Check this out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-utRG-rYptNE.html
@@temporarilyoffline Thanks! The Chirp supported radio page shows that Chirp can program this radio also. Have you heard of anyone doing that? Thanks again for the review.
It's a Part 95 radio, that can be modified for Part 97 operations, to which Amateur radios don't have any type acceptance. That's why you see Motorola equipment on the ham bands.
I will not buy radios which are locked down any more. It it hard-locked to amateur bands? No thanks. That's a toy. It's not for an amateur radio op. If I can't unlock it, it's for squares in yellow vests.
Not legal in USA. A GMRS radio can only transmit on GMRS frequencies and cannot have a removable antenna. TalkPod claims to have a USA version, but I don't know what frequencies are locked out of it. They also show how to do a firmware swap on their website to unlock the radio. I would prefer the free-range version anyway.
Amateur Radio doesn't require any type acceptance for any radio, including, but limited to the likes of Icom, or Alinco. This radio is only clear for GMRS, but can be modified for ham use making it legal, for hams.
@@DevinRostron when you find yourself in a situation where you need to, you'll realize you have a $50 brick in your hand. You'll be wishing you had bought a cheaper Baofeng.
@@DirtyPlumbusas a ham of nearly 20 yrs I just program my radios for the repeaters for the states I travel through, simplex and other frequencies I need.. I never scan for frequencies.
Remember-the FCC makes rules NOT laws. THe only legitimate purpose of such rules is to allow as many people as possible to use the airwaves while preventing/reducing harmful interference.
@@temporarilyofflinethat’s why I invest in some of the wideband public safety radios from the big M terror group. You program them in the shop to the specifications of the radio service you would like to use and be on your merry way. As a responsible Ham we know where to transmit and when. The wideband UHF radios will be the most versatile for amature use and IF you have super deep pockets AND can find a dual band Motorola it’s even nicer as long as it’s UHF 400-470 and VHF 140-170.
Hey TO, hope your well brother, I'm finally home from my luxurious stay at the saw bones hotel. Great to be in my own chair and trolling videos 👽 $50 dollars? Not when China is practically giving away radios right now. It's supposedly locked to Ham bands only not GMRS and Ham? "FCC ID: 2ADQZGMRS1 with Part 15B and Part 95E Wide 7-Band Receive Range with AM AIR Band & Broadcast FM Radio (w/ 20 Memories) Memory & VFO Modes (Tx locked to HAM frequencies"
Welcome back! Its hard to tell, it does say "locked to...", but it is not locked. If its a software setting, there is probably a magic key press that would unlock it also.
@@temporarilyofflinethat's the fun of these radios, finding the magic key presses to engage the flux capacitors. Like my 2980r 2m rig having that 100 watt turbo button. 😂
