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the odds the FCC will go after people specifically for using non-certified radios is very very slim. One would have a better chance of winning 10 Lotteries. For those that program their non-compliant radios to the exact specs for a given frequency per fcc rules, it would be impossible for the FCC to even enforce it. Now to the idiots that prgram their radios to 40 watts in the FRS band. Go get em'

That’s exactly right. I tried hard to give @Socalgmrs his due. I even upvoted a few of his posts after others piled on just because it was him, wanting him to settle in and realize he didn’t have to act like that, but after the past few years where he has steadily gotten worse rather than better I realized that nothing I did was going to change for the better. It helps to understand that he was a member here under the name wrxp381 (his call sign), then changed his username to SocalGMRS, quit the forums, had all of his identifiable posts changed to come from username “guest”, and then came back as socalgmrs again to act exactly the same way he did before or worse. As Randy said, others will provide whatever good information that he might have injected into a conversation. You’ll literally miss nothing by adding him to your ignore list.

Best wishes as you go through ham licensing. HamStudy.org makes it easy and enjoyable and free if you like online learning. One of the things you might learn within a couple years of becoming a ham is that one radio isn’t enough. You might even find that the radios you have unlocked, thinking they could do it all, really aren’t enjoyable to use on those unlocked frequencies when compared to a radio certified for those frequencies.

DOSW, I forgot to mention that I don’t use ch 1-14, only 15-22. So this 980P should work just fine. It will be replacing the Anytone AT 5888UV which is brand new… with issues. I’ve had it for a month. It was working just fine, but started having problems with it yesterday. It would power off immediately after turning it on.

That’s exactly how I feel also. A fine for using a radio that hasn’t been certified for a particular service will be a secondary charge and will only accompany much more severe primary charges, such as intentionally interfering with government agency’s communications.

DOSW, thanks for your reply. I missed the 2w limitation in the original post for MURS. I’m hesitant to purchase the KG-1000 plus as I’m in the process of getting licensed for HAM and I’d like a radio that can do GMRS as well… like the KG 980p. I was just curious about expanding the frequency range or “unlocking” it. Looks like I’ll just copy and paste my CHIRP settings and hope for the best

You might also consider a GMRS radio with all the controls in the handset like the BTech GMRS-20V2, the Retevis RA86, or the Midland MXT275. A controls-in-the-handset unit is even more space-efficient than a detachable-faceplate radio and it's easy to find a place to hang the mic. The KT-9900 GMRS is the same radio as the BTech GMRS-20V2 and is the GMRS version of the Anysecu WP-9900 and the KT-9900. I have the WP-9900 and it's a decent unit.

The Anysecu WP-9900 (aka KT-9900) is such a radio. I have one, and I like it for what it is. It is an inexpensive Chinese radio, but it will do what it claims. Mine does a legit 25 watts on VHF and 20 watts on UHF/GMRS. The receive sensitivity is good and I've never had any complaints about the transmit audio. The audio of the speaker mic is so-so and adjusting the volume on the fly is a major PITA. Mine doesn't like a standard CB-type remote speaker; for some reason, the radio turns off when the speaker comes on, but even if it worked, you still have the issue of adjusting the volume. I added a pair of small USB-powered speakers with a volume knob, and it works great. One thing I learned the hard way is that you have to carefully check the SWR of your antenna. If you key up on an antenna with an SWR higher than about 3.5:1, you'll burn out the finals in a matter of seconds. Is it what I'd call a great radio? No. But it's good enough that when I burned one out, I bought another one. As far as I can determine, it's the only ham radio with that form factor, so for the price, I like it okay. I'd rather have one with the same form factor made by one of the Japanese manufacturers or at least by AnyTone or TYT, but there aren't any. There are a couple of options in that form factor for CB and GMRS radios, but the major manufacturers of ham radios seem completely uninterested. Given the space constraints of modern vehicles, I think they'd sell like hotcakes, but maybe I'm wrong. It does seem to me that a lot of (most?) hams like the aesthetic of a whole bunch of radios visible in the vehicle, so maybe it wouldn't be as popular as I think.

You could be right, and it may come to that. We'll see.

We may both be right; it may have to do with the type of operations they conduct at that base. Just an educated guess, but I spent 14 years in the Air Force.

NMO Bracket and Mount https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/nmo-vehicle-specific-mounts/3663-avalanche-silverado-classic-2003-2007-detail Chevrolet Avalanche (2004-2006) Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500 (2003-2006) Chevrolet Silverado Classic (2007)

If you're looking for a trunk lip mount this is the best one on the market and comes with everything you need. And the Midland antenna will work perfectly with the Comet mount. https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-cp-5nmo

Welcome to the fold. I'll leave the technical stuff to guys like Steve. But I want to warn you someone here will likely tell you GMRS isn't a hoot like HAM. But take heart, their opinions hold no sway. And there's a good thread on how to block this individual. GMRS user is clunky. I going to start using GMRS'rs. Hey, it's a couple of letters shorter.

Hey all, As the title says, I’m new to GMRS, and so far, I’m loving this hobby! I only got into it about three weeks ago, but let’s be honest: I’m not made of money, so I’m trying to be smart about what to upgrade next. That said, I think my next step is a mobile unit. I’ve been doing a lot of research and ended up finding this forum, so I wanted to share my beginner setup ideas and see what advice you all have. I’ve been looking at the BTECH GMRS-50X2 with a programming cable. From what I understand, I probably don’t need 50 watts, since watts alone don’t get you distance — it’s more about the antenna and setup. But the radio seems to have solid reviews and a decent price point, so I’m leaning that way. Would love to hear your thoughts on it. Now, I know the antenna is key. I really don’t want a mag-mount, so I’ve been looking into mounting one on my truck — a 2005 Chevy 2500. The problem is, I can’t seem to find a proper NMO fender bracket. Most of what I’m seeing are CB brackets with a 3/8" hole instead of NMO. I know there are clip-on styles, but I’d prefer to bolt it in for a cleaner and more secure install. I would remove the 3/8 part for the NMO-style antenna. I found a coax cable from HYS (part number TCJ-N1) that looks interesting — the NMO connector comes apart so it can sandwich between a bracket. It’s 13 feet long, which I think might be enough if I mount the radio on top of the dash, but if I go lower (like near the center console), it might fall short. I’ve seen extension cables, but I’ve also read that more fittings = more signal loss, so I’d rather avoid them if I can. As for the antenna itself, I’ve narrowed it down to two options: HYS pre-tuned antenna (B0CZL5DY4T) Midland MXTA26 I like both because they’re close to 3 feet tall. I daily-drive my truck, go through car washes, and hit up drive-thrus, so I don’t want an antenna that’ll be smacking everything in sight. The specs on both seem decent. I usually haul a camper around with a convoy of friends (hoping to convince them to get GMRS licenses soon), and we often go over mountain passes and travel all over. That said, I’ve read that 3 dB antennas are better in hills, while 6 dB works better for flat areas because it flattens the signal. Would I notice the difference much as a beginner? I’ve also been trying to wrap my head around ground planes. Since I’d likely mount the antenna near the windshield (up on the fender or cowl area), I’m not sure how much metal it will actually be over. That plastic panel under the wipers concerns me. Do I need to add anything to improve the ground field? Or would a solid hood/fender bracket be enough? I know a pre-tuned antenna sounds great, but I’ve also read that checking SWR is important. I don’t have an SWR meter yet, and I'd rather hold off on that expense if I can. Maybe I could borrow one from someone nearby? Everyone I’ve met in the hobby so far has been super nice, so I feel like someone might be willing to help me check it. I don’t want to waste money on low-quality stuff or end up frustrated. I’d rather spend wisely and enjoy the hobby long-term. I’d love to hear your thoughts or any suggestions you have for a good first mobile setup. Thanks for reading, and I hope to keep learning from everyone here. Hopefully I’ll catch some of you on the air one day! Thanks, WSIK420

Oh... dang typo. yes THREAD is what I meant

I'm a little late to this thread and it appears that you have already received an answer to your question but thought I might chime in anyway. I have a BTech 20v2 and use it to receive many VHF/UHF frequencies outside of the GMRS frequency range. It works great. IMHO, the receiver selectivity is not the best, but it is a good little radio for the price. I really love the form factor and that all the controls are on the mic and that I can stash the radio in an out of the way location. I wish I could find a small unlocked dual band ham radio (like the Btech UV-25X2) with a small display and all the controls on the mic! That too would be handy! Anyway, YES, you can receive ham and various public safety traffic via the radio and use the scan feature to scan thru all of it. I do it all the time. That Btech 20V2 is a compact little unit and will give you the capability you are seeking.

I keep a log of all my contacts on 6m and HF bands. I don't bother keeping a log for 2m or 70cm. And the only time I keep a long for GMRS is for our monthly net that gets turned in.

My information may be outdated. Though last time I checked there are not any 70cm repeaters allowed around certain air bases in California.

Lot of radio in one package. Your right up makes it tempting .. Thanks

His stupidity and the stupid shit he says far outweighs the tiny nuggets of correctness that he randomly shits out.. and he has never said anything that 100 others here in the forum could not also tell you. ...just sayin...

MURS is limited (by FCC regulation) to 2w, and this radio's lowest power setting in the band that encompasses MURS frequencies is 5w. Therefore you cannot set this radio to a power level that is appropriate for MURS. It will work but it will be putting out too much power. The reason for the 2w limitation imposed by the FCC for the MURS band is that there are non-MURS frequency allocations for other services interlaced between the MURS frequencies, and higher power is more likely to interfere with those other services. As for GMRS, using CHIRP you can set up channels in the radio that are configured exactly as a regular mobile GMRS radio would be set up. Once it's set up properly, you would just turn the knob to the correct channel (or input the channel on your mic), and it will work as you would want a GMRS radio to work. As I mentioned earlier, this would not be in compliance with FCC type acceptance. But it could be configured to meet the technical specifications of GMRS. Remember that no mobile GMRS radio should transmit on channels 8-14, the FCC doesn't permit those channels for mobile transmission. Here, the reason is because 8-14 use frequencies directly between each of the repeater input frequencies. Transmitting on these interstitial frequencies at 5w or at wideband has a higher than acceptable possibility of interfering with repeaters. These channels are supposed to be a half watt only, narrowband only, and fixed antenna. But for channels 1-7 and 15-22 plus repeater inputs you can configure this radio to meet the technical limits of GMRS. Bear in mind that a type approved GMRS radio like the KG1000G+ will already be configured correctly, so you can't mess it up. And it will be type approved for GMRS.

Your information may be out of date. There are active 70cm amateur repeaters in both Midwest City and Del City Oklahoma, both of which are adjacent to Tinker Air Force Base.

I've never believed the FCC never takes action, but I think it's pretty clear you have to pretty much be "asking for it" to catch a significant enforcement action. When I see someone fined or jailed for nothing except using an unapproved radio on GMRS, then I'll start worrying. I'm pretty much a stickler for the rules regarding power and bandwidth, because ignoring them can create problems for other users, and I try to be a decent human, but I'm not going to get my undies in a wad over someone using a ham radio on GMRS frequencies. I'm 99.999% certain nobody will know what radio I'm using unless I tell them, and I'm 99.99999% certain the FCC has better things to do than try to figure it out. Don't interfere with other users, especially business and government agencies, and you'll be fine.

You mention that you would not recommend this radio for MURS. Why is that? Also, with respect to GMRS, you said “through some simple configuration adjustments of the band ranges in CHIRP, yes, this will work for you.” I presume you mean the regular manual frequency entries…. Anything else? THANKS

If he was genuinely a moron, I'd ignore him, but he does actually know some stuff that I occasionally find useful. I just don't know why he's gotta be such a douche about it.