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G & J

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Hope this is the right home for this.

I am working on my HAM license so I am not the most knowledgeable guy on the subject. That said, I am wondering if there is an all in one radio that will cover the HAM (VHF/UHF), CB, and MURS frequencies? It seems like most guys are running separate radios for each.

Thanks for the help!
Greg
 

RoarinRow

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Hope this is the right home for this.

I am working on my HAM license so I am not the most knowledgeable guy on the subject. That said, I am wondering if there is an all in one radio that will cover the HAM (VHF/UHF), CB, and MURS frequencies? It seems like most guys are running separate radios for each.

Thanks for the help!
Greg
That would be cool if there was in all in one, but I personally have not heard of one. I would think manufactures would want/need to keep them separate due to the complexity of the technology (in addition to different antenna requirements) as well as the separate license requirements for Ham and GMRS. I have all three, Ham, GMRS, and CB. Even if someone did come out with an all in one, too late for me, I already drilled into my dash lol.

Good luck on getting your Ham!
 

Sparksalot

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Each one is a separate radio service under FCC rules. A radio has to be type accepted for the service it’s used in.
 

LostInThought

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Hope this is the right home for this.

I am working on my HAM license so I am not the most knowledgeable guy on the subject. That said, I am wondering if there is an all in one radio that will cover the HAM (VHF/UHF), CB, and MURS frequencies? It seems like most guys are running separate radios for each.

Thanks for the help!
Greg
The short answer is that the FCC licensing and use rules basically prevent a single radio design from being able to achieve technical compliance with the different rules for those bands.

For FRS, GMRS, MURS, and CB, the FCC places strict limitations on radio hardware approved for those bands - the hardware must enforce the band-specific restrictions on operating modes (AM, FM, Digital, etc), channel frequencies, power output, and bandwidth (for FM). The restrictions are in place to prevent the radio from accidental interference with adjacent channels, some of which are used for public safety etc. This is a BIG DEAL. Additionally, while MURS (multiple modulation modes) is close to the VHF ham band (predominantly FM) and FRS/GMRS (FM) is close to the UHF ham band (again predominantly FM), CB is way down in the HF bands (11 meter? IIRC) and is AM or sideband.

On the completely nerdy side, *IF* you're a ham who coordinates military and public safety operations (think hurricane response, search & rescue, etc) and *IF* you're willing to spend a few hundred dollars on a ham rig and THEN tear it open and go after it with a soldering iron to do what's called a "MARS mod" (assuming the radio supports it) then it is technically possible to modify the ham rig to additionally transmit in the bands reserved to FRS/GMRS/MURS. (or damage it so it won't work at all!) BUT the radio will not enforce the correct transmit power, channeled frequencies, operating modes, or bandwidths that are, by law, baked-into the radios approved for FRS/GMRS/MURS. Interference is NOT a consideration for the emergency response operations that the MARS mod is intended to support, so there may be interference issues when operating on those frequencies. While it's possible to make your mod'd ham rig's transmissions look pretty close to an approved FRS/GMRS/MURS radio, you could more easily miss and do something that was obviously non-compliant with the rules, possibly causing interference with other public safety and airband communications. Flying Ninja Monkeys with radio direction finding rigs strictly enforce that MARS mod'd radios are only used by those authorized and only for approved operations, so I don't recommend this unless you're actually working MARS ops.

For me personally, I did ham and GMRS licenses and installed two radios: a 50W ham rig with a remote head and a small 15W GMRS rig with all the display/controls on the mic. But I really hate the Flying Ninja Monkeys.
 
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Kent R

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All the info above is awesome and spot on. Here is just one more take on the question.
A ham radio that is modified (Not legal per FCC regs) can talk on ham 2 meter, 70 centimeter, FRS, GMRS & MURS. The biggest issue beeside the legality is transmit power, most mobile ham radios only go down to 5 watts and FRS & MURS are restricted to much lower than that.
This is not legal per FCC regs but in El Dorado and Placer County's most of us have our radios modified to talk on CalCord so we can coordinate the landing of helicopters on the Rubicon and surrounding area.
I have seperate Ham, GMRS & CB radios in my rig and yes its a pain but In reality having separate radios is nice especially when you have numerous channels going on separate platforms being used during a trip.
 

Sparksalot

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I have seperate Ham, GMRS & CB radios in my rig and yes its a pain but In reality having separate radios is nice especially when you have numerous channels going on separate platforms being used during a trip.
This is why I have two radios permanently installed and sometimes two more. I also have speakers placed in various positions so I can tell which radio is talking.
 

LostInThought

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Thanks all. I was hoping my dash wouldn’t look like my old SO cruiser. Oh well...
I went with the Midland MXT275 micromobile for the GMRS radio. The display and the controls are all on the mic - works great. For the ham, I went with a Yaesu FTM-400XDR which has a detachable/remote faceplate. This let me put both radio bodies under the seat and keep the dash neat.
 

MidOH

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Go with a hand held ham and GMRS. Yeah, a dash covered in radios and GPS was cool for a year or two, now I hate it.

Don't spend too much. Overlanders are frivolous things. They'll all switch to some other new expensive junk radio in a few years, and leave you hanging with a ton of expensive useless radios.

Forget about cb. It's obsolete now. Low range, huge ungainly antenna. Fragile.
 

Prerunner1982

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How much do you want to spend? A modified hf/vhf/uhf ham radio can do all that, though as mentioned it's not legal and not cheap. Typically more expensive than one wants to spend unless they are a #radionerd .
With one radio you are limited to the one frequency, with multiple radios you can monitor multiple frequencies at once, group simplex, local repeater, forest service, GMRS...or whatever combination there of.
 
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El-Dracho

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This is why I have two radios permanently installed and sometimes two more. I also have speakers placed in various positions so I can tell which radio is talking.
I also run two radios permanently. One HAM and one CB. So that is a good idea to place the speakers in various position, thanks!
 

GXAndy

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How would one "shop" for a modified unit that could do more? As CB is dying - but still prevalent on the road, it'd be pretty neat to have a radio that could do HAM and CB... I don't have a need for MURS - but would be nice to have FRS/GMRS capabilities... One modified radio would fit for me in the scenarios I envision - CB for on-road (or situations that the group had a CB presence) and FRS/GMRS/HAM off-road... I don't know that I'd have a need to monitor more than one type of comms at once, but have a handheld UV5R with GMRS capabilities...

Would an SDR work for this?
 

M Rose

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How would one "shop" for a modified unit that could do more? As CB is dying - but still prevalent on the road, it'd be pretty neat to have a radio that could do HAM and CB... I don't have a need for MURS - but would be nice to have FRS/GMRS capabilities... One modified radio would fit for me in the scenarios I envision - CB for on-road (or situations that the group had a CB presence) and FRS/GMRS/HAM off-road... I don't know that I'd have a need to monitor more than one type of comms at once, but have a handheld UV5R with GMRS capabilities...

Would an SDR work for this?
SDR might work... but how are you going to run it?

What you are looking for is a radio like the Yaesu FTM-400XDR from a company that offers a MARS/CAP MOD
95E01C99-FA30-4A62-B914-575619C81438.png3AF68DEC-5F94-4E65-9663-EB809C3DD3DE.png

 
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GXAndy

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Cool-- I will look in to this!

I have an Android-based head unit that I can install an RTL-SDR and an app to run it (SDR-Touch) but have no idea the programming aspect of it, or if it is even capable...
 

M Rose

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The FTM-400 won't do CB.
correct... I’ve heard of converting a 10m transceiver to CB, or was it the other way around? But the conversion is an either or, not both.

Another thing... 2m on the road is used... I talk to travelers every day from my QTH on either local repeaters or on 146.52... my CBS are set to channel 19 and 21... in the past year I’ve heard and talked to one person (trucker). All my radios are on 24/7, and I live a mile from the truck stop and 1/4 mile from the freeway.
 
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Prerunner1982

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correct... I’ve heard of converting a 10m transceiver to CB, or was it the other way around? But the conversion is an either or, not both.
But a Yaesu FTM-400 and a modified 10m radio doesn't meet his one radio requirement.

...it'd be pretty neat to have a radio that could do HAM and CB... I don't have a need for MURS - but would be nice to have FRS/GMRS capabilities... One modified radio would fit for me in the scenarios I envision...
 

BagiMT

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While a HF/VHF/UHF rig like the FT-857D can cover all those band (and if modded can probably transmit on all of them) you would still need two antennas or a tuneable antenna and that kind of radio has a pretty steep learning curve (ignoring the legality of using it for CB and GMRS). You are probably much better off with a VHF/UHF mobile and a separate CB if you really need CB. I agree with others that, unless you run with a group that uses CB, CB is pretty much dead here in the US.
 

LostInThought

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But a Yaesu FTM-400 and a modified 10m radio doesn't meet his one radio requirement.
The hams here (myself included) have talked a little about the technical solutions and workarounds but we haven't talked about the other side - FCC rules and legal consequences. I'm not a lawyer and I have zero interest in playing "spectrum cop", but anyone considering going down this path should be, at the least, aware of the potential consequences they might face. The first time I handed a firearm to my son, I warned him about what could happen. I'm funny that way.

I don't want to over- or under-state it, but the FCC's legal restrictions on both the radios and their operations are enforceable. The mentioned MARS mods (over-simplifying a little) are intended for operation under the FCC's emergency use exceptions, not as an extension to licensed privleges. The courts have consistently deemed that using a modified radio to transmit on frequencies or in a manner inconsistent with with the FCC rules is "intentional interference" and as a licensed ham, the court will assume you know better (that's why those questions are on the test). The FCC does identify and prosecute radio operations that fall outside the rules. You won't go to jail, but they will fine you, revoke your radio licenses, and prohibit you from holding future licenses. Here are a few random examples with links:
  1. A company that was selling transmitters operating outside the FCC rules was fined $2.8million.
  2. A Florida ham was fined $25,000 for using his ham radio to transmit outside the ham bands (in or near GMRS and public safety bands - the complaint didnt' say so, but this may have been a radio with a MARS mod).
  3. A California ham was fined $25,000 for causing intentional interference (transmitting music).
  4. A New York ham was fined $7,000 for causing intentional interference (the smallest fine I've run across).
  5. A man in NYC was fined $404,166 for particularly egregious interference with public safety bands (NYPD).
  6. A man was fined $15,000 for operating a CB outside the FCC power limit.
  7. A Pennsylvania man was fined $18,000 for interference from a CB station and refusal to let the FCC inspect his (modified?) equipment.
As you might infer from some of these, modified radios can also "leak" RF energy on unexpected frequencies near the intended frequencies and near harmonics to the intended frequencies.

Again, I have no interest in playing spectrum cop. But when the experienced hams here tell you they are outfitting 2 or 3 radios, it isn't because we aren't aware of technical solutions or workarounds. Rather perhaps we are aware of the FCC rules and legal consequences and because of those consequences we are reluctant to tell you to "go for it". Personally, I'd feel really really really bad if I gave you information that landed you a $10,000 fine and a lifetime loss of radio privileges, but at least you have a complete picture to make your own decision.
 
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