GMRS tower is working on being put up. Group on FB if anyone is interested.

Mods I assume I can post a link in the comments?

Hi, I'm new to gmrs and I got introduced due to being a voluntary on my university EMS. Recently I bought a hytera pd700, since it came with a 430mhz antenna I changed it to a smiley, 465 slim duck 5/8 antenna, but found that sometimes I can't hear people unless I touch my radio, specially on the back pins of the battery. This is a problem since I need to hear messages from start to end, and the radio is on my belt, so most of the time I don't hold it. I don't remember if it also improved when touching with the old antenna, but the new antenna does have better audio quality, I also tried to add a 1/4 wave rat tail and didn't work. Do you have any suggestions or know what could be wrong? Thank you

Hi all!

I recently got into GMRS and looking to increase the range from my home. I was looking a the Ed Fong DBJ and the N9TAXC Slim Jim - any preferences?

For now, I planned on setting up the antenna in my attic but would like to move outside eventually. I see this as a pro for the ed fong due to the PVC sleeve, but I also see the Slim Jim offers a PVC mount too.

Realistically, it will probably be inside for the forseeable future.

Good morning, I recently purchased this Nagoya UT-72G to pair with my Radioddity DB20-G as a mobile set up. The set up works well as I live in a rural area and can now hit repeaters 20+ miles away. There is one thing that irks me though, and it is a chattering sound when I receive a transmission as I am driving. I am guessing this is just a case of getting what I paid for, as it only happens when my car is in motion but clears up as soon as I stop.

My question is: Is this going to be a common occurance with mobile antennas, or is it just because I got a budget one? I am looking at upgrading the antenna to a Midland MXTA26 Micromobile in the hopes that this will reduce or eliminate that chatting sound while I drive since this seems to be a more robust design.

Advice and input appreciated!

I am planning on buying my first hand held gmrs radio. I have some vision challenges therefore the most important thing for me is that I will be able to read the display. Larger "font" and higher contrast=better for me. Also want to be able to use repeater stations. Decent battery life, USB charging, dust and moisture resistance are bonus. Range $40-80. Any thoughts/suggestions?

I know the use of call signs is the standard when using GMRS repeaters. This question is about simplex on the shared FRS/GMRS frequencies. Looking at the FRS/GMRS frequency/channel chart it shows FRS and GMRS share the same channels (frequencies) from channels 1-22. Since FRS does not require a license and a call sign then is there any point using your GMRS call sign on channels 1-22?

I’m to the point now where I am sneaking my new radios through the house, past my wife. Does that sound about right?

Hey everyone, So i ran into one problem, I bought AnyTone AT-778UV and I used it to pickup GMRS signals. I dont want to stick a big antenna on my car so my thought process was that id use one of the antennas from my Retevis Ailunce HA1G handheld. I was wondering if there was an adapter I could use to plug my old HA1G antenna into the Anytone AT-778UV. If anyone knows anything about this please let me know. Thanks

I'm looking for a 3D model for a desk / table stand for my Baofeng GMRS-9R. It appears the relevant dimensions match the UV-9R and UV-9R Plus.

I frequently read that hand-held stations legally have a 5W max limit, period. I'm reaching the point where I think that is not correct, because no one seems to be able to point to any specific place where this is stated. I'm hoping someone here can set me straight.

1. § 95.1763 GMRS channels. GMRS channels are divided into 462 and 467 MHz main and interstitial channels. Hand-held portable units may transmit on all of them.

2. § 95.1767 GMRS transmitting power limits. § 95.1767 (a)(1)-(2) describe 462/467 MHz main channels and power limits for mobile, repeater, base, and fixed stations. § 95.1767 (b) describes 462 MHz interstitial channels, and sets power limits on those channels for mobile, hand-held portable, and base stations. Likewise, § 95.1767 (c) describes 467 MHz interstitial channels, and sets power limits on those channels for hand-held portable units.

What I'm getting out of this is that the transmitting limits for hand-held portable units on interstitial channels is clear. It's 5W for 462 MHz interstitial, and 0.5W for 467 MHz interstitial. What is not clear is what hand-held portable unit transmit cap is for 462 and 467 MHz main channels. There's no logical conclusion that I can draw from the text which specifies any power limit for hand-held portable units on 462/467 MHz main channels.

I have to be missing something. Will someone please point me to the text which explicitly sets a 5W max power limit for hand-held portable units?

E: My opinion is slightly different now, based on the replies and conversations in the thread.

Hand-held units have three different max power levels, depending on if they're operating in 462/467 MHz main channels, 462 MHz interstitial channels, or 467 MHz interstitial channels.

hand-held looks like a subclass of mobile in § 95.303 Definitions.

Hand-held portable unit. A physically small mobile station that can be operated while being held in the operator's hand.

...

Mobile station. A station, intended to be used while in motion or during halts at unspecified locations, that communicates directly with base stations and other mobile stations, and with control stations and other mobile stations through repeater stations.

If true, that would mean hand-helds would have a 50W power limit on main channels, per § 95.1767 (a)(1), which defines a 50W power limit for mobile, repeater, and base stations. (b) Specifies a 5W limit specifically on hand-held units while transmitting on 462 MHz interstitial channels. (c) Specifies a 0.5W limit for hand-held units while transmitting on 467 MHz interstitial channels.

New GMRS user here! I bought the radio with the main purpose of communicating with other trail riding members when I attend off roading events. However, since playing with the radio, I have learned that you can, or should be able to, listen to a lot of stations or channels. I have yet to find any channel or frequency on my radio except the NOAA, where I can hear any traffic at all, let alone noise. Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to mess with some other settings in order to hear traffic? I was reading about the use of repeaters, and I’m not sure if connecting to one of those is why I’m not hearing anything? But I have no idea how I would even connect to a repeater.I was hoping to just listen to some random channels here and there just to hear what’s going on around me. For reference. I have a TIDRADIO H8. Thanks!

Newbie here. I am setting up my radios, including, programed repeater frequ.s. I live in MA right south of Quincy. I found these repeater in one of the sites and it was labeled N. Attleboro, which is way south of me, but I am getting it on my handheld near my house. Any local users know where this might be. I have a suspicion it's in quincy, but can't confirm. And as a 2nd question, any suggestion on best resource for repeaters with in 50miles of me? Apologies for the newbie question... thanks and have a nice day.

Callsign: WSFE677

Hey all,
As the title suggests, I'm looking for the best cheap mobile radio to put in my vehicle. I have a few Tidradio handhelds now but want to get a dedicated mobile for the vehicle. Preferably >25W but closest to 50W would be better. I'm thinking a budget of like $150-200. Hit me with your suggestions.

As far as GMRS Is concerned, are these antennas functionally the same? I know there are some cosmetic differences - but performance wise - what is different between the two on GMRS frequencies.

Hey Everyone. I've got a couple of old Midland GTX710 handheld radios I picked up at REI a long time ago. I just recently bought a Tidradio TD-H3 and was trying out the scan feature to lock onto the channel of the Midland radios. This is when I realized that the Midland radios seem to be transmitting 3.75kHz below the standard channel frequency. So according to the TD-H3, the Midland on channel 8 is transmitting at 467.55875 MHz instead of 467.5625 MHz. The reason this caught my attention is that if the TD-H3 is on narrow band (which it should be on channel 8) then I do not receive the transmissions from the Midland and only receive them if the TD-H3 is set to wide band. The reverse is not the same though. If the TD-H3 is on the correct frequency of 467.5625 MHz and set to narrow band, the Midland will receive the transmission, just the TD-H3 wouldn't get the reply unless manually set to the odd low frequency on narrow band or the standard channel frequency on wide band. Should I even worry about it? Should I just avoid channels 8-14? Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

just got my license and several radios, I plan to use them for airsoft, I'm worried that our terrain/buildings may make the transmission range pretty lack luster, so I'm looking at a repeater I can mount to my box trailer on a collapsible pole. does anyone have step by step with a parts list of things I can use to diy my own repeater? I have a generator so power is not an issue. I have electrical experience. but never messed with programming radios till now. trying to do a repeater on a budget, looked at some pre made portable repeaters but they didn't have the greatest reviews and were expensive for a lacking power output.

I am a noob to radios and decided to get started with GMRS

I got some Baofengs (uv5g and gm5r) and programmed them to a local repeater with Chirp

The repeater in question
Freq: 462.725
Input Tone: 123.0
Output Tone: 123.0

Here is a screenshot of how i programmed it in Chirp. Does this look right?

https://preview.redd.it/ipgixsn4h5zd1.png?width=1173&format=png&auto=webp&s=64fa9e57342f177eb984b806d290b359b0cca9ec

I can hear other people talking loud and clear

but when my dad and I tried to test it out, our voices were very quiet and static-y

I'm about 5 miles from the repeater and my dad is about 17 miles

Looking for an antenna for my offroad rig, and struggling to find the right fit.

Needs:

Dual band: MURS (150-155Mhz) and GMRS (460-470Mhz)
NMO
No ground plane (1/2 wave on MURS)
Has Spring
Black

Closest thing I've found so far is a Comet FC-5NMO (doesnt have spring mount), Comet SS-680SBNMO (not MURS/GMRS), or Laird TE Connectivity CB150/450CS (discontinued).

So close, or discontinued. Anyone know of anything out there I might have missed?

Is height always might? Due to increased cable length creating a loss.

I have 2 choices. Place a small magnetic base stealth antenna on the metal roof. Will need about 15ft of cable, if that. Or I have an old unused 50ft tower 10ft from a corner of the house. Expect it would take nearly 100ft of cable.

Would placing a standard stealth antenna on the tower be beneficial? Or would it only be beneficial with a different antenna?

I think the antenna claims around 3dbi. While some of those white fiberglass antennas are like 10dbi. This makes me think if the cable length results in about a 3db loss over 100ft, it would negate any gains from height. Or I would need a more powerful antenna to offset the loss from cable length. Correct? Or??

So my wife wanted to have a means of communication with family members in case of cellphone outages. Basically because none of us have land lines anymore.

So I ordered a couple Tidradio H3’s to get our feet wet.

Now bear in mind I am clueless in this field and am pretty lost just browsing through this sub.

Where do you recommend I go online to get a grasp on using gmrs/ham radios? I feel like it almost has to be explained to me as if I’m 5.

I am aware that I would require a license for the ham use, and am willing to go down that path.

Thanks much

Edit: thanks for so the replies. I was unaware that gmrs also requires a license. I’ve got a todo list now!

I have been playing around with building my own repeater, as many people do. In my area there are maybe 2.

I put an antenna on my roof for a gmrs base station a bit ago so i attached a parrot repeater box to it and did some range testing.

With a baofend uv 5g i get about 3 miles, with an anytone radio i get about 5 miles

Both of these are going through an amp that puts out 27 watts into a retevis antenna with a gain of 7.6dbi and an swr of 1.1:1

im not really happy with the range. i knew the terrain would be slightly limiting but aside from a few very small hills it is down hill to my south, up hill slightly to my north and mount ranges to my east and west. i was hoping to fill the valley for about 20 miles north and south and hit the mount peaks to my east and west but im way off.

if i spent the 1500ish buck on an actual repeater would i see a 20 mile range bump over my handhelds being used as repeaters?

are repeaters like the btech 50w repeater, the one im thinking of, really that much better than a handheld, with the extra 20 watts not with standing?

Hello everyone, very new GMRS user here and wanting to get a repeater up. Would love some tips!

Context I have a few radios and would like to talk to my family around town for emergencies and to keep in touch with the older family members. The farthest distance to family is 4 miles (mostly across corn fields) but a little further would be preferred just in case.

Geography I'm in the Midwest in a rather flat area. Small town of about 20,000 people. Town is 4 miles across at the widest point. I am about 1 miles from the center of town. I have a two story house that is in a higher area and could get an antenna 30ft up. When standing on a 1st story roof I can talk to people about 2 miles away fairly clearly with 5watt hand helds. When inside the house signal drops really bad due to infloor heating, copper pipe radiators etc. hense why I am looking to jump off a repeater on the roof.

Budget Lower is always better but if I need to spend $2,000 to make this happen in a reliable fashion then I am fine with that. I've looked into some of the budget retevis repeaters but worried about distance. Bftech sells a 50watt for $1,500 but not sure if that would be reliable.

Antenna I don't think the wife is going to be happy with a 10ft+ antenna on our roof so would prefer something around 4-6ft.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

PS: Been using our GMRS radios with family wife and kids a lot lately. We have been having a blast!

I recently added a Retevis RA86 to my Tacoma. I love the design and functionality of the radio. However, I’m less in love with the little antenna that came with the radio. It’s fine for a temporary “slap it on the roof” application for a day or 2. For long term use it’s not ideal. The reception is spotty for me (installed on my hood by the windshield). I’m looking to upgrade to a more permanent antenna install.

My question is regarding ghost style antennas. I like the Midland ghost, but I’m curious what experience people have had with the knockoff brands (Bingfu and Anina). The reviews on Amazon are not super helpful, but then not everyone that buys from them is overly educated on antennas and how they work. Let me know your thoughts and experiences. Range, reception and long term use.

I am looking for an acoustic tube (security type) PTT headset that will plug and play with my BTech GMRS Pro. The output jack is M1 type and I purchased a Decibullz PTT headset that is not working. Does anyone know of a "Non-Motorola" M type PTT headset that would work with this radio?

How's it going! I'm new to GMRS, got myself a little baof and a magmount with ground plane.

I don't live near any repeaters but went into town today and figured i'd try a repeater nearby... sure enough, two old timers discussing age related ailments.

I waited for a quick gap, announced my callsign, and asked for a radio check. Came through clear as day apparently!

I thanked then for their time and went about my day. They continued talking about ailments and one dude tried to sell a wheelchair...

Good experience all round I'd say!

I received a RA86, I put in a ammo box for easy transport for emergency situations. I'm very new to GMRS and have a 6 Baofeng uv-5x radios I use with the grandkids and hunting. Not much GMRS action around Houston area, but always searching while driving in my FrFreightliner making deliveries. I'm studying for HAM technician license. I'm looking around the internet for radios, I keep getting advertisements for Allibaba and the radios seem decently price. Is Allibaba legit, I'm just on a budget, looking for HAM and GMRS radios for the work truck,any recommendations on radios for a newbie.

My very simple base station radio setup. I have a President Thomas CB radio hooked up to a Tram antenna in my attic. My GMRS radio is a BTech 50v2 hooked up to an Amazon special cheap fiberglass antenna mounted outside, but I may also move it to the attic. I'm currently using a Pyramid power supply. Although, I'll be replacing that power supply with a BTech 30amp one as my current one does not work on high power at only 4.5 amps. That gets delivered tomorrow. I have no problem reaching my local repeater on low power. Off to the side of I have my cheap Baofeng HTs. Two UV-5Rs and two UV-5G Plus radios.