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I've noticed some weird things going on here too. The last update he sent out was directing to the wrong repeater accounts when you taged on a specific account.. Ii.e. f you taged on a repeater in Ohio, it was directing to an a repeater in New York. Weird things like that????

I’ve reported your issue.

Our work here is done!

WoW! That says it all…

Exavtly what I am looking for: thanks for the link! I have ordered one to try it out.

Yep, HF or linked repeaters are the only likely solutions, but that's all ham radio.

OP That kind of range is unlikely with GMRS, especially given the physical obstacles highlighted in @amaff’s post, but amateur radio on HF (lower frequencies than VHF and UHF) can probably communicate between Olympia and Puyallup. They also may have linked repeaters for VHF or UHF, which are allowed in amateur radio but not GMRS. Both communities have amateur radio clubs. Consider contacting them for more information: The Olympia Amateur Radio Society: http://olyham.blogspot.com/ Valley Amateur Radio Club: https://www.arrl.org/Groups/view/valley-amateur-radio-club/type:club

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say 'probably not'.

You would be shocked to see how many people don't know this fact. I can imagine US tourists using their FRS radios while the ship is docked in a foreign port and those frequencies are used by the local fire and police.

That’s okay, it was a very good answer anyway.

Not all Kenwood radios you can program out of the official band split. One notable example is the NX-411. That radio can be used on the Ham 33cm band. The programming software simply won't accept the out of band entry like most of the other KPG radio programming packages for Kenwood. This particular radio required hex editing the code plug. I wrote up the procedure and posted it on another forum. A fellow Ham, a computer professional, used that to write a custom utility to automate the process. Oh, hex editing is your only option if you're stuck with any of the Kenwood "ProTalk" radios. Those allow ONLY a limited selection of discreet frequencies to be selected in the programming software. The hex editing process is similar to the one used on the NX-411 I mentioned. That's why I stay away from the "ProTalk" models no matter how good the deal, price, looks. Not worth the trouble, unless you plan to program it once and never touch it again. How to Hex edit Kenwood code plugs - 20241011.pdf

To throw another fish on the pile, use of personal radios on a ship require the permission of the captain.

GMRS relies on line-of-sight distances like all radios using the VHF and UHF frequencies. The only way to have contact between your two locations is through a SINGLE repeater that both locations can reach. Almost all GMRS repeaters are owned and operated by individuals and their availability and coverage areas vary widely. Most GMRS repeaters also do not have emergency power or if so, it is limited to a few hours of operation. You may want to research amateur repeaters for their coverage areas and their networking methods. Ham clubs in your area can provide the information you need for your decision-making on both GMRS and amateur radio.

We are "some people"! YEA, I enjoy using past descriptions of, "Some People" and behavior, just to get the attention of "Some People'" Good morning.....

Not really, no. You might see a small drop in power output, but that’s about all i ever noticed. Not every Kenwood model will let you do this, but most every older conventional model i’ve tried it with worked. Can’t recall if i ever did a 880-2 or not. If it programs and transmits without beeeeeeeping when you key up it worked. If not, put it back to its original band plan and sell it. (or keep it for parts)

That I need one more hobby to add to the 632 I currently have.

Howdy!

I'm considering getting a GMRS license for a trip to Glacier National Park, but I'm wanting to see if I would be able to use it to communicate with family in power outages or emergency situations. I'm located in the Olympia, WA area and have family in the Puyallup, WA area. I see the Cougar Mountain repeater, and then a couple of repeaters near me with small range. There seems to be a gap over the military base. Is it possible to get a range from Olympia to Puyallup easily? What kind of set up would I need, and would it be reliable in emergency situations? I know very little, so I'm just trying to see if this is something that would be a good fit for me to pursue. Thanks!

Yah, that's @H8SPVMT's fault....

For some reason, it was highlighted as a recent thread. Probably just to make me look foolish. Let he who has never replied to an old thread cast the first aspersion.

Nice, I like that for testing. I'd suggest borrowing one of your friends' GMR2+s for an afternoon so you're not trying to troubleshoot this on the trail. I'd be shocked if the KG1000 doesn't have a tone scan function. Worst case you can use that to figure out what's actually going on.

Some updates removed the old CTC line. Recreated CTC line and added DCS line just in case. I was able to upload it to the radio. And can now transmit. No more "I can't do that" tone I have a Talkpod A36plus that I also programmed with these to lines. I have tested both channel settings. Can transmit/receive on each side. Now just to meet up with some friends that have a Rugged Radios GMR2-PLUS and find out what its using. Thanks for everyone's help.

You're a bit late to this party:

It's not really too complicated. FRS radios and unlicensed users are restricted to 2 watts on channels 1-7, 0.5 watts on channels 8-14, and back up to 2 watts on channels 15-22. FRS radios and unlicensed users are restricted to narrow (12.5 kHz) bandwidth on all channels. GMRS licensed users are allowed 5 watts and wide (20 kHz) bandwidth on channels 1-7, 0.5 watts and narrow bandwidth on channels 8-14 (the same as FRS users), and up to 50 watts and wide bandwidth on channels 15-22 and repeater input frequencies. It's noteworthy that most GMRS or ham radios won't go as low as 0.5 watts, and it's common for the manufacturers of GMRS radios to just leave out channels 8-14. They may or may not renumber the channels. With regard to communicating with your family, you're all allowed to use the same GMRS license, which makes it fairly simple. Use GMRS radios and stay off channels 8-14. Most GMRS handheld radios aren't capable of more than 5 watts anyway, but if yours are, dial it down to 5w on 1-7. Licensed GMRS users with GMRS radios are allowed to communicate with FRS users, and the rules for you remain the same. You don't have to go down to 2 watts or narrow bandwidth on 1-7 and 15-22, but the requirements for identifying yourself by your call sign remain the same. Presumably, if your GMRS radio is capable of 0.5 watt and narrow bandwidth, you could talk to FRS users on those channels, but I wouldn't bother. Some GMRS radios (IIRC) include 8-14 as "receive only" channels, and that's probably useful sometimes. Hand out 5 watt HTs programmed for channels 1-7 and 15-22 to your family and have at it. More than 5 watts is pretty much pointless in an HT anyway, given the limitations of the antenna.

Thanks to WSGH297, WSBM443, WRXS569, (and me, WSDV406) for jumping on the net tonight at the new location of Brentwood 462.600, tone 123.0. See yall next Wednesday at 8pm. Don't be shy. Just key up, check in, and connect with other folks that can hear you. We might need each other one day.