Really?! On 1-7 is it the typical 5 watts? I have an FCC license, so I could use 8-14, unless your rig cannot transmit on those channels. Could you please spill the beans on the setup so than I may totally copy you

 

I've got a legal setup on the radio right now (according to www.gmrsoutlet.com) and saw an outline document of the channels and broadcast powers. I'll try and post it in a bit.

I believe that the channel 8 to 14 restriction is because I've got an external antenna. Those frequencies are reserved for units with built-in antennas like the ones you get at Sprawl-mart.

The owner of the website, above, was adamant that just getting the antenna out of the car would give huge gains and that the 5 watt to 45 watt power upgrade that I took by installing a dash unit would give an additional 20% distance or so. It will let the car with the antenna hear farther back and definately project farther out.

I think that same site makes a custom-built, bare-bones repeater unit, but it's $560... looks like it's made by tying together 2 units like the one I got; http://www.gmrsoutlet.com/product.ph...1&cat=1&page=1 Maybe I can upgrade some time and power up the whole caravan!

 

I'm a licensed amateur radio operater, and perhaps can offer some thoughts on the topic. You need a "Technician" (or higher) license to operate VHF (such as 2 meters, 440, etc). This license requires only a simple written test that covers FCC rules, operating privileges, etc. Anyone can pass it with a minor amount of study. It's a multiple choice test, and the EXACT questions and answers are published by the FCC and available several places online. There are no age limits to qualify for a technician license. There are 2 meter repeaters all over the country almost all of which are available for use by any licensed operator, and are much more effective than FRS. 2 meter radios are available as small handhelds, or mounted in your car as a higher power mobile unit. Hams frequently supply communications for events like marathons, long-distance bicycle rides, etc. By the way, violation of FCC rules (such as transmitting out-of-band or higher power than permitted) can result in SERIOUS financial penalties, and certainly not worth the risk when other easy options are available.

 

Doh... I think my set is UHF... not VHF, like I stated earlier. Yep...just checked th box

 

Thanks for the links

 

Here's the unit I got. The ICom F221 http://www.gmrsoutlet.com/product.ph...5&cat=2&page=1

I just got in from the garage. I got the Unit mounted under the toggle switches. it fits beautifully! I ran the power line back along the e-brake housing, under the rear seat and back to the battery. I've been debating back and forth on where to put the mic... I hate having things dangling and flopping around when I'm driving. I just fabbed up a piece of flat aluminum into a bracket that will mount (like the panavise gps mount) on the screws for the factory radio that are hidden by the passenger side downtube. The Mic bracket will go right in front of the preset #6 button on the radio. I need a couple of screws to finish off the install and a coat of black paint on the bracket.

The antenna hasn't arrived yet (it was drop shipped from the manufacturer), , but I can transmit to my FRS radio that is in the car with me, so it works! I've got some ideas on how to store the magnetic mount antenna in the boot when I'm not using it but I've got to make a Home Depot run to pick up a few things first!

 

Nice! Is this the antenna you got?

 

Sweet radio, Aaron!
I've thought about going that route, also.

Antenna placement WILL make a big difference... I use a headset with my GMRS handhelds... I've found that attaching the radio to the passenger headrest in my cabrio, to get the antenna up higher than the structure of the car, makes a HUGE difference in reception, vs. having it sitting in a cupholder or wherever...

 

I got the 3.0 gain antenna as recommended by the owner of the shop. http://www.gmrsoutlet.com/product.ph...1&cat=9&page=1

Don't forget the magnetic base attachment: http://www.gmrsoutlet.com/product.ph...&cat=17&page=1

I got the base in black and the chrome antenna. The black costs a few $ more.

You will probably also want the programming cable (I got the USB version for $30 + free software) so you can do your own setup, should you ever want to have more fun with the radio than FRS/GMRS. The GMRSOutlet will pre-program the radio for you, installing a basic, legal FRS/GMRS setup... 4 watts on ch 1-7, listen only on 8-14 and 45 watt on 15+. I'll try and get the full tech breakdown on this setup posted... I meant to do it this morning for you, but forgot and left it at home.

Radio was installed last night. I'm still waiting on the antenna (drop shipped from the manufacturer) and I'm working on a custom bracket for the Mic holder to be mounted on (IMHO, it's gonna be SWEET). I've also got an idea on Antenna storage while it's not in use, but I've gotta wait for it to arrive to see if everything will fit!

If I wanted to start cutting plastic panels, there would have been room to move the radio back a bit into the opeinig, but there was a much firmer attachment point for the radio mounting bracket just under the toggel switches, so I mounted it forward a bit to save the panels and get a nice, firm mount.

The other cool thing... the LCD display backlight is amber, so it matches all of the OEM dash lights.

 

Heh... Thats fine! It's happend before, right Blimey?
You just have to take my mod and 'kick it up a notch' like he did, so I can copy your improvements!

 

I have no shame.

 

Here's my microphone bracket, in raw form. I picked up the hardware I'll need to finish it off tonight, so I'll post some pics soon of it in place.

I took a couple of measurements if anyone wants to reproduce it. I fashioned it from a piece of aluminum that I cut from a door kickplate that I bought at Lowes. Some careful bending, drilling (well... some sloppy drilling too) and a lot of file work and sanding to get it all smooth and I'm ready for prime and paint tonight.

All bent angles are 90 degrees (by eye)... nice and simple.



The two larger holes attach under the passenger side downtube, using the screws that hold the factory radio in place. It will cover up a bit of the radio, but I can still reach under it to press those buttons if necessary.

If you can't figure it out, I love full-custom mods!

 

Heh! As soon as I finished posting that last image, a box showed up on my desk!

Holy well-built antenna, Batman! This thing is rugged! A bit over 12" tall...

 

I got the antenna installed tonight with only 2" of cable to spare! It runs from the radio, down the e-brake housing, under the rear seats, behind the passenger-side rear quarter panel, up the rear c pillar and to the roof. It can tuck down into the boot while I'm not using it and I'm working on a cool place to hold it safely.

I had the radio on during my ride home with the antenna stuck out the sunroof. I picked up a construction crew, guiding a load from a crane to the ground. The only crane I could see was on the far side of Downtown Dallas, at least a mile or two away with a lot of buildings in the way (of the guys on the ground), so I think it was working well. I'll get a co-worker to help me test it tomorrow on the highway. I only have a FRS portable (no GMRS on my old, cheapie handset) and I don't have my GMRS license yet, so I'll have to report on the 5 watt, rooftop antenna performance.

I put 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of grey metallic spray paint on the mic bracket and it looks pristine! As with any new toy, I can't wait to do the install, but I'm trying to keep my hands off of it until tomorrow morning so I don't gum up the fresh paint! It's a little darker and has more metallic flake than my anthracite dash, but I like it.


Here's the channel / frequency / options setup that was pre-programmed into my radio.

Bank - Channel - Frequency - Transmission power (watts)

Bank 1 : Simplex No PL Scan
Bank 1 - Ch1 - 462.5625 - 5
Bank 1 - Ch2 - 462.5875 - 5
Bank 1 - Ch3 - 462.6125 - 5
Bank 1 - Ch4 - 462.6375 - 5
Bank 1 - Ch5 - 462.6625 - 5
Bank 1 - Ch6 - 462.6875 - 5
Bank 1 - Ch7 - 462.7125 - 5
Bank 1 - Ch8 - 467.5625 - 0
Bank 1 - Ch9 - 467.5875 - 0
Bank 1 - Ch10 - 467.6125 - 0
Bank 1 - Ch11 - 467.6375 - 0
Bank 1 - Ch12 - 467.6625 - 0
Bank 1 - Ch13 - 467.6875 - 0
Bank 1 - Ch14 - 467.7125 - 0
Bank 1 - Ch15 - 462.5500 - 45
Bank 1 - Ch16 - 462.5750 - 45
Bank 1 - Ch17 - 462.6000 - 45
Bank 1 - Ch18 - 462.6250 - 45
Bank 1 - Ch19 - 462.6500 - 45
Bank 1 - Ch20 - 462.6750 - 45
Bank 1 - Ch21 - 462.7000 - 45
Bank 1 - Ch22 - 462.7250 - 45

Bank 2: Repeater No PL Scan
Bank 2 - Ch 1 - 462/467.5500 - 45
Bank 2 - Ch 2 - 462/467.5750 - 45
Bank 2 - Ch 3 - 462/467.6000 - 45
Bank 2 - Ch 4 - 462/467.6250 - 45
Bank 2 - Ch 5 - 462/467.6500 - 45
Bank 2 - Ch 6 - 462/467.6750 - 45
Bank 2 - Ch 7 - 462/467.7000 - 45
Bank 2 - Ch 8 - 462/467.7250 - 45

Continuous tone selections
1 - 67.0
2 - 71.9
3 - 74.4
4 - 77.0
5 - 79.7
6 - 82.5
7 - 85.4
8 - 88.5
9 - 141.3

Key settings:
Up - Channel down
Down - Channel up
P0 - monitor
P1 - Zone/Bank select (push-hold, then up/down to select bank/zone)
P2 - Scan start/stop (push-hold, then up/down to select scan group)
P3 - lock (push hold)

 

Well, one of the things I am considering is removing the stock antenna since I don't listen to the radio. I can also remove the headliner and just follow the path of the antenna cable and route it that way. I have an '04, so the base and everything is removable. If I do that, then I can just scratch the magnet mount and figure out a way to permanently mount it.

 

The antenna came with a large plastic-ish block at the bottom. The whip will detach from it, though... I just don't know if that large block has a function. I guess you could remove the entire plastic antenna base from the roof and install a new FRS radio base mount through the roof... might have to enlarge the pass-thru hole, though. That's definately a bit more hard-core than I'm ready to go, though... I still like listening to the radio (I'm old-fashioned, that way! :D )

A couple pics for you of the finished install! The Mic bracket came out better than I had hoped.

 

Not trying to be negative here...I have a Tech plus license...

Everyday there's some yahoo keying up the mic thinking he has a CB. Surely they don't have a license...

Point is...doing it and getting caught are two different things. I'm not encouraging anyone out there to do it but let's be realistic here. FCC enforcement has about 40 people nationwide. How many radios are sold every year? tens of thousands???

 

I read some statistic that several million GMRS radios have been sold, but that there are only 70,000-some licenses granted... granted that a license covers everyone in an immediate household, but those numbers just don't add up unless there are over 20 people per household...

I'll probably get my GMRS license eventually. Right now, my club sticks to the FRS frequencies because several folks only have FRS capable radios and we don't wanna cut them out of the fun and security that the radio gives a group drive.

 

Are you able to do the sub channels as well? For instance, DCMM uses 7-21. Also, I see that CH 1-7 are only 5 watts. Is there a way to increase the wattage on these channels?

Also, I noticed that you also have repeater CH 1-7 @ 45 watts. Does this mean that the radio becomes a mobile repeater and can "boost" the signals of incoming and outgoing for the group on a run?

 

Thanks for posting this, Byron. I am also a licensed amateur (call = K3IO. W3IWI is my old call and I didn't change by username). I guess I also classify as a DCMM Old Fart. Click here for 2003 thread I started on the topic of amateur radio in a mini.

To get an amateur license is much easier than it used to be. Morse code has been consigned to the dust bin. To use a VHF or UHF radio, you need only get a technician class license. Here are some photos of an entire 5th grade class in Texas who have passed the test and earned their license.

You can learn about becoming a ham from our national organization, the ARRL -- just click here. The exam you have to pass can be memorized with a few hours of study, and the exams are given every couple of weeks around here.

Despite the disparaging words, you will find that amateurs welcome car rally activities. Many of my amateur friends have fond memories of the times when they used to rally (or drive race cars, or fly airplanes, etc). With an amateur license and a rig like in my Mini several of us have used amateur radio at events. At the Dragon, which is spread out over many miles, some of us have used amateur radio to rendezvous.

So -- amateur radio can work. You do have to pass a simple exam (if 5th graders can pass, why can't you? ).

73 de Tom, K3IO

 

I've thought about exploring the other frequencies of my radio. Thanks for the links and the help! Right now, it's only set up for the FRS/GMRS frequencies, but I've got the programming cable, if I want to start playing in other areas.

I don't think that anyone is saying anything negative about Ham radio operators. I think that most are enthusiasts and follow the licensing regs. Due to the cost of their setups, it is probably not drawing in the more casual 'bubble pack' buyers who get their radios at WalMart and use 'em once or twice a year.

Thanks!

 

OK!

In a non-super-scientific test, a friend of mine and I got on the highway this afternoon... he in his Honda with my ancient Motorola FRS-only handheld unit and me in the MINI on a 5 Watt transmission channel (ch4 was pretty clear in our area). We made it about 1 mile apart on a fairly hilly (loss of line-of-sight with some fairly significant hills and overpasses between us) before signal degraded enough that we were having to guess a bit to fill in what the other was saying.

I wish that my other old FRS handset had been operational so I could have had a control, but the batteries were dead.

 

Well heck, with the CW requirement dropped maybe I'll finally get my license...

 

Last night I fabbed and installed my solution for storing the magnetic mount antenna. This is not an 'operational' position... more of a storage position for the 99% of the time that I'm driving the car and don't want the antenna on the outside of the car.

I took a bit of sheet steel that I found at Home Depot and cut out a piece that is slightly larger than the antenna base. I then drilled some holes in it, rounded off the edges and prepped/painted it. A bit more interior drilling and some rivets and voila! A custom antenna holder!

 

Nice job! Did you ever do that repeater test? If it works like I hope, that will be sweet!