Ham Radio Help

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JeanInaBox

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To all you Radio folks I need a little help. I bought two radios from amazon that I thought were license free. Turns out I was misled. Good news is that I plan to one day go for my license so now I have a couple good radios for when I do. Bad news is I need to re program them for a trip to FRS? ( ? License free frequencies). I’m totally clueless on the steps to do that. I bought the cable, downloaded a program that was recommended. But I can’t get the settings right I think. Not sure. The brand is LUITON , LT 316. I mean really I’m not techy with radios. I need step by step.

If someone would please post the steps with LF frequencies to get these up and running for my trip I would greatly appreciate it. The instructions are basically useless that came with it. I really don’t want to send them back. Followed a YouTube channel video. Still not getting it right. Won’t recognize the radio COMP(?)

Maybe leave the last frequency in the last slot for to communicate with you when I get my license and I’ll try and make contact to thank you over the radio. [emoji16]

Best regards,
Jean


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do you have a link to the radios?

there are FRS(Family Radio Service) and GMRS(General Mobile Radio Service). with FRS you do not need a license, with GMRS you do. is that what you have?

I have a pair of Midland handhelds the work on both services. you just need to change channels to go from one to another. they are very handy for convoy driving.

highdesertranger
 
I did a bit of googling, really you should post the exact link to the units you bought. There are literally a half-zillion brands and models of these chinese radios that have flooded the market. Calling these things, 'ham radios', is a stretch. 

Is this what you have?

http://luiton.com/product/lt-316-uhf-400-470-mhz-mini-handheld-5w-walkie-talkiewhite/

If so, good luck on that. Other than calling or emailing customer support, or looking all over the web and youtube...I've never heard of this brand, and I've been around ham radio hobby a LONG time.

If you just need a pair of FRS radios to convoy with, walk into a big-box and buy a blister pack, for $40 or less, and a package of batteries, you will be ready to roll, plug and play.

Good luck with it.
 
Tx - yes that’s it except it’s black.

I saw the one and only you tube video of a guy that was programming one. But I had a problem with the setting for COMP. I think it’s 3 but I don’t know if I’m just typing that in wrong or what.


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HD- yes it can work in both but I think it’s preprogrammed for ham out the box. Amazon reviewers that are radio guys posted that I think.

I’m lost.


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Well I guess I’ll be headed to Wally World then.


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I like the FRS/GMRS radio's as they are easy to operate and IIRC a license for the GMRS part is really just a fee, no test.
 
A license is not needed for the typical FRS radio (with 14 or 22 channels) that you buy online or at a big box store. (These are sometimes labeled as FRS/GMRS but this is a holdover label, they are now reclassified as FRS ONLY)

This is the typical handheld radio used by the general public, businesses, children on Christmas morning! and recreational travelers. Some of them have a 2 watt power level and this is fine for car-to-car or rv-to-rv over short distances, say a mile or less. 

TRUE GMRS radios, and those higher power radios (more than 2 watts) programmed up into the GMRS service, WILL require a license. 

The license is good for 10 years and costs $70...

Again, this complexity (programming, ID requirements, and licensing) is NOT needed for the typical car-to-car or rv-to-rv use. 

For that use, the proper tool is: FRS.

And again, these are NOT ham radios.
 
This one is 3 watts. A reviewer that is a radio guy posted that it would require a license if using on ham frequencies. I’m trying to get the radios to be recognized using CHIRP so I can note the preprogrammed frequencies and at that time reprogram any channels to FRS and low power.

Here is one post( copied/ pasted) directly from amazon. It reads...

Walkie Talkies LT-316 Outdoor Camping Hiking Hunting Uhf Mini Walkie Talkies 3 Watts Output 5-10 Miles Range Micro USB Charging Amateur Two Way Radio (Pair) (Black)
Q:Do you have to have a Ham license to use these?

Answer this question
A: Officially yes.
To use FRS, there are requirements like FRS frequencies (this can be programmed to use those frequencies), non removable antenna (check) but also max power (500 mW)
Depending on where you look, this device is 3W or 2W/5W which is more than 500 mW (0.5W).
A GMRS license allows up to 2W, so it may work within GMRS license (which is just a fee, no exam) when set to low power.
Practically, after you set it to FRS frequencies and low power you may be fine using them without any license...

So I’m trying to set them to strictly to FRS frequencies at low power which I saw on YouTube but wasn’t clear to me. It can be done. As stated before I’m trying to do that through CHIRP but I’m missing something.

Anyone who’s a ham operator on here that can help me with CHIRP and walk me through it is what I’m really hoping for. Maybe be asking a lot but my great uncle, since passed on, was a huge radio fan always said that radio guys are always eager to help others if they can. So I’m putting my money on that and will check back daily.

Thanks to all who are trying to help.

Jean


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whew...a lot to unpack here....settle in people!.... we're gonna get nerdy!


Jean, I am trying to help you, by NOT sending you down a rabbit hole with the wrong radios, and the wrong information. YES the radios CAN be programmed up to FRS, but the path to that result is complicated, and might be difficult to solve with help from a forum UNLESS someone has actually had those exact radios on the bench with your exact computer, your exact cable, your exact version of windows, and they documented all of the steps involved. It sounds like you need to get the COM port working....but there is more to it than that.

I have programmed a variety of chinese radios with chirp, RT systems, and a variety of cables and boatloads of frequencies, HF, VHF, and UHF, including HAM frequencies, FRS, GMRS, and public service frequencies, and yet I have never seen one of those exact radios. 

The information from Amazon is a mix of correct and incorrect. Lets just call it, un-informed. You cannot rely on Amazon reviews for correct technical information. And the title and description for the product is typed up by some third party who used a variety of terms to help the search function find their products. Those radios could actually be programmed for ambulance crews, fire-fighters, tow trucks, school buses, taxicabs, medical air-flight helicopters, DOT, FBI, or NASA aircraft! But you dont see those listed....it might get the seller in trouble!

A ham license IS required to transmit on ham frequencies with ANY transmitter. That includes these. But FRS and GMRS frequencies are NOT ham frequencies. So, a ham license is NOT required if you program it for GMRS, but a GMRS license IS.

GMRS (base station and mobile units) can have power levels of way above 2 watts, (up to 50 watts I believe) and that is part of the reason for the license.

You cannot legally use the radio once you have it programmed for FRS, because it is NOT FCC certified for that service...but the chances of getting fined are near absolute ZERO. I only include this because If I omit it, someone will surely post it.

Personal radio service rules were 'modernized' in 2017, and FRS frequencies were expanded (from 14 channels to 22) and the combination FRS/GMRS radios have been reclassified by the FCC as FRS ONLY. Combination radios are NO LONGER LEGAL to import or manufacture in the USA. The ones you see on the shelves are holdovers, and legal to sell until existing stock is depleted, which could take a LONG time.

CHIRP works but someone has to be hands-on to work thru the settings and configurations for the COM ports. and always always do a 'READ', save the data file, modify the data file, then do a 'WRITE'....NEVER modify a data file then WRITE it without saving a READ file from the radio first.

And all this is assuming your programming cable is compatible, and correct for the USB drivers you have installed. Some are, some are NOT. 

The best answer is to call customer support, and there is still less than a 10% chance you will get anywhere. 

Why not send those back and buy a couple of FRS radios? For short distance vehicle-to-vehicle comms, they are perfect, and cheap. That's what I would do, I have done, and I have been a licensed ham for decades.

If you want to verify the information I have presented you are welcome to...here ya go...

Click on news release, then pdf:  https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-modernizes-personal-radio-services-rules

If ya wanna drill deep, here ya go:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/08/29/2017-17395/personal-radio-service-reform

It is possible that you might find someone locally who is experienced with these, either a ham radio operator OR a two-way communications business, and they could program these for you in 15 minutes. 

Failing that, it might be a rough road for ya. 

I hope you find your solution...good luck.
 
Midland (remember them?) makes a few mobile radios, that are on GMRS freqs, (license needed) but are compatible with FRS radios since FRS and GMRS share some channels.

https://midlandusa.com/product-category/micromobile/


Again, license needed for the radio to be legal. 

Handheld to handheld range (these are line of sight UHF radios) inside one vehicle to the next vehicle, can be a mile or so, maybe more in open areas, or maybe 1/2 mile in the mountains and forest.

But having a mobile radio with a small magnetic antenna on the roof of one of the vehicles, can boost the range to a handheld a great amount...you might get 3 to 5 miles depending on terrain.

Mobile radio to mobile radio could possibly yield 10 miles or more, again, depending on terrain, but 5 miles would be pretty consistent.
 
Wow Tx. Thanks for all the great info!
Yep your right. It’s way out of my league. I’ll be sending them back or sell them along the way if I’ve waited to long to do so.

Thanks again!!!


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Maybe I’ll just get a couple CB’s for the road and a pack of UHFs for everything else. Lol.

Rethinking getting ham license. Sounds like it will be wayyyyy over my head.


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Ok...if you want to actually get a ham license that's a whole 'nother discussion...you can do online study, online practice testing, and then buy frequency agile ham radios.

I think I have seen mention of some online testing but I have not looked into that.

Those Luitons or any radios similar to those could be used as decent FRS or GMRS radios, IF you can get them programmed, but they will be pretty lousy for ham radio use, UNLESS you are in one place all the time and you only need to access a couple of close-in UHF repeaters.

IF your goal is to get your ham license, we can help with that, but again, those radios are not the way to help you get a ham license.
 
Tx... my goal is to one day get a ham license. Right now my goal was to use these radios legally. And like you said, needs programming done first probably. So just going to return them. A whole lot easier to get a couple from Wally World and get real ham radios later.


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