Tag: radio

July 10, 2024 – What A World We Live In

July 10, 2024 /

Maybe you are not like me. I like to think that while I didn’t share all the experiences of my generation, I grew up experiencing things that everyone did. I can remember getting a transistor radio for Christmas. As you probably know, radio has always been a part of my life. I would carry that radio around when I was doing stuff.

One time my brother and I were messing around. As we did, we were climbing a tree. I had the radio setup on a branch and it fell and snapped off 2/3 of the antenna. Maybe, I could have gotten a replacement through Radio Shack, that time has long passed. But the truth is, if we use our stuff at some time it is going to get damaged. Back in the 1980s, if it couldn’t be found in a store it didn’t exist.

A month or so ago, when I bought my scanner, it was missing an antenna. I purchased one that plugged into the BNC port in the back. After further inspection, I found that there was a second place for an antenna. One port is for the ‘factory’ antenna and the other is for expansion or a better antenna. I decided to order a second antenna for the factory replacement.

The first one I ordered was two for $8. What I didn’t realize was that the diameter of the antenna was 7mm and the hole was 5.5mm. I started my search again and found that most antennas do not list a diameter. This is likely because most devices don’t have a thickness restriction. In my case, the antenna is inset into the case. For a brief moment I thought about modifying the case just by drilling a larger hole but first I decided to find a better replacement.

I found an antenna that was listed for RC cars and toys that had a diameter of 4.5mm. Bingo, that works. I really wanted one antenna for $5 but I had to buy six for $8. Now, I have five spares. Not that I think I will be carrying my scanner around but I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up buying another used one at some point.

I have always taken care of my stuff. For instance, I still carry my pocketknife I purchased in high school. But stuff happened and my handheld radio fell because I was using it like it was intended. Too often, those events were the death knell without the ability to buy replacement parts. I was extremely sad when that happened and the radio got thrown in the junk pile.

Amazon in particular has become a boon for cheap and outdated accessories. As personal electronics have a lifecycle, you can’t just walk in and find a I-Pod Nano screen protector at a store. Especially not unless it is a specialty store. But, you can find that stuff on Amazon and cheap too.

I live relatively close to a mid-sized city. There is one electronics store that is pretty sparsely populated. It is kind of a mix of radio/antenna focused components and odds and ends. I would probably shop there more if they had what I wanted. The demise of Fry’s electronics took away the other semi-local options. So, really all I have is the internet.

End Your Programing Routine: If I had had the internet in the 1980s, it wouldn’t surprise me if I would be rocking that handheld radio today. That wasn’t the only device that was a victim of broken antennas either. As much as I would rather have a place to go to buy what I wanted, I am sure thankful there is a place to buy anything I can think of. It makes buying used viable.

October 10, 2023 – Talkin’

October 10, 2023 /

As part of my recent deep dive into technojunk, today I am writing about GMRS (General Mobile Service Radio). You know, those inexpensive walkie-talkies that advertise a 20 mile range. But, before that I am going to update my status with my other endeavors in this arena.

Since I am coming back from a long weekend of hunting, I am writing this ahead of time. At least at the time of writing, I have successfully installed the driver for my SDR (Software Defined Radio). I can hear consistently broadcast FM stations. I am still working on installing the program that I want to run on Linux called SDR++. Eventually, I will need to add a second SDR in order to make the scanner work.

I also purchased a CB last week. This is a great tool if you are going to be in the woods during the week. The reason is that it helps you stay in touch with what is happening. Log trucks are on the CB frequency and I don’t know if you have ever seen the roads, but you don’t want to come head to head with a semi truck. This will be my entry into CB because you know it takes two to communicate. I have plans to add more radios. One final reason that I did it was because my dad has a CB and so I think it offers communication is an area that phones will not work.

When you buy these inexpensive walkie-talkies and read the instructions, it says that there are some frequencies that require a license. FRS stands for Family Radio Service and I already said what GMRS stands for. But what does it mean? Well, FRS frequencies are from 462.5625 to 467.7125 MHz and GMRS is 462.55 to 462.725 MHz. And what it really means is that these walkie-talkies can operate on both spectrums. Furthermore FRS is open like CB whereas GMRS is supposed to require a license.

As far as I know, no one has ever been prosecuted for using a GMRS frequency without a license but you should know before you use those channels what the expectations are. I am not entirely sure why they actually require a license to use, but regardless it is a pretty low bar of entry. The license only requires paying a fee and it is good for ten years. I am thinking that I will just go ahead and get the license.

I have been aware of this requirement for a long time. My frugal solution was to stick to channels on the FRS band. Over time, I don’t have all of those channels and frequencies memorized and I don’t remember what I should and should not use. I think that the cost of entry is pretty cheap and if I am thinking of going further into radio I might as well be above the board.

In case you didn’t get the title innuendo, you have to go back to the mid-2000’s to the song Ridin’. “Try to catch me ridin’ dirty.” I heard this phrase when I lived in SC and it means driving without tags (or legally). That is what it is talking on GMRS without a license. Anybody can buy a radio and in theory start using it. This is also true in the ham radio band in the 144.0-144.1 and 219-220 MHz. That is the honest truth, while it does require a license to use these radios, there is nothing stopping you just like speeding.

Generally, I am not for most sorts of regulation. In this case, it probably isn’t a bad thing. I don’t know if you noticed, but GMRS and FRS overlap in their frequency range. What if you started broadcasting over the cell phone range? We have collectively agreed that there should be some boundaries in use of the electromagnetic spectrum for purposes of safety and privacy and even exclusivity.

I know that it is strange to hear, but not all government rules are useless. It is the purpose of the federal government to setup rules when common interests overlap. Some of the intent of the mission is to keep noise off of frequencies used for safety and security. I think that we all want the ambulance to arrive in our time of need. They lose their way when it comes to administrative power and enforcement and move beyond scope of purpose.

I realize that I went kind of technical today. For me, I am learning so much about what things use what frequencies, it is kind of like assembling a puzzle. I will try to keep the jargon down to a minimum in the future, but I may do a more technical post so that I can refer to that as a baseline.

End Your Programming Routine: In the end, I don’t really care whether you use the GMRS frequency without a license. I feel like the radios are so inherently limited in range and usefulness that it really doesn’t hurt. I have had trouble using them from car to car on a road trip, so it is a really localized problem and whatever harm can be had by improper use is pretty well contained. That being said, I feel like it is my duty to investigate the process, benefits and drawbacks.