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Success! Looks like I may have not been transmitting with the correct offset! I manually input a repeater pair, and got a successful (though faint) signal check response. Excellent. I've just ordered a programming cable so I can go ahead and program in my local repeaters more easily. But, at last I know the radio is working. I appreciate the help and patience everyone!

Fair enough. I forgot about LMR/business licenses. I was thinking about DMR/Fusion/D-STAR.

It's not permitted on GMRS but digital is in no way exclusive to H.A.M.. I do not have a H.A.M.s radios license but my FCC Business License (LMR) lets me transmit digital and encrypted.

right on. Time to start doing more troubleshooting. Appreciate the things to look into!

No.

Nah, you're good. All GMRS is analog FM. CTCSS vs DCS is just a different way of sending the squelch code. I don't think you get into digital signals until you start getting into ham stuff.

ah, it looks like that might be setup wrong on my radios! I'm gonna reset them and try to reprogram in a repeater pair by hand. Maybe that will help! One other thing I just thought of... the repeaters I am trying to access use DCS codes. would that mean that they are digital repeaters? If so, the baofeng radios are analog right? Would they not be able to access digital repeaters?

if they are the same as my uv5r, it will show a "+/-" symbol at the top of the display when the current channel is programmed with an offset. the "OFFSET" option in the menu (as @hxpx noted) should show what it's set to. If you have the programming cable, reading the programming from the radio with software (such as CHIRP) is also a possibility.

Assuming the manuals I have are right: UV5G: Menu 25 should be SFT-D which is Frequency Shift Direction - should be +, and Menu 26 should be OFFSET and should be 05.000. UV5G Plus: Same deal but the menu numbers should be 28 and 29 Not sure if the manuals I'm looking at are correct, so you might have to look around for those.

Got a question - is something up with the Baraboo650 and the Devil’s Head Gmrs repeaters? Are they down? I’m currently on a camping trip at Devils Lake and I noticed that the repeaters are somehow not opening when I’m pressing the PTT and transmitting my callsign, and I’m also around 10 min away from both repeaters so I know I should be able to hit both repeaters, even if it has a lil static (bc of the forest I’m guessing). I did also notice that the Baraboo650 is both on the map and on the search result, but Devil’s Head isn’t on either. Also mind you, I did hear radio traffic on Devils Head and Baraboo650 a week or so ago, so Ik I should hit the repeater and hear it kickback. I did also program the repeaters correctly since I’ve used these repeaters last year (and I check the myGMRS website to see if any updates happens to any of the repeaters I use weekly). Radios used: Motorola XTS 3000 and Radioddity DB-25G mobile.

These are all helpful! Thank you! It's odd that it is on both radios... I would've thought one might be broken, but not both. How do I verify the offset?

the ability to swap out as needed is very helpful, and i have probably 3 or 4 mag mounts around for whatever i feel like messing with

Bummer. Here's a list of things I'd try: Verify your offset. Channels 23-30 should already be set to +5 Mhz. If you're inside, get outside and away from nearby buildings. I can receive just fine sitting at my desk, but I can't transmit to nearby repeaters unless I'm sitting in a very specific spot (thus the mobile mount on the porch). Make sure your radio actually works. My dead TD-H3s act like they're transmitting and I can pick them up from other rooms in the house but not across the neighborhood, much less hit a repeater 25 miles away. Either send someone out with a second radio to make sure it works or get a cheap SWR meter and make sure the HT is sending power to the antenna. If everything checks out and you still can't get to the repeater, you can try a 771 GMRS antenna. (Edit: could also try to build a rat tail counterpoise if you're feeling feisty, but if you don't already have a wire stripper/crimping tool, you'd probably spend as much on wire, terminals, and tools as you would on a 771)

that's the direction i was thinking as well, just trying to turn the train of thought into something coherent. i suspect the base programming on those uv5g will be similar what shipped on my Btech gmrs50x1, channels 1-22 were the 7 low power simplex frequencies (1-7), the 0.5 watt FRS frequencies (8-14receive only on mine), and then the 8 high power simplex channels (15-22). Slots 23-30 were set up for repeater use, with the +5.0mhz transmit offset baked in, though they used the same receive frequencies as 15-22. if i have a local repeater that the output is 462.575, i'll be able to hear it whether i'm on channel 16 or channel 24, because both receive on 462.575. However, on transmit, channel 16 is transmitting on 462.575 as well, while 24 will incorporate the offset and have me transmitting on 467.575 (which is where the repeater is listening).

The only other thing I can think of is the transmit frequency. The repeater channels receive on the same frequencies as 15-22, but transmit on 467.xxx MHz channels.

Well.. tried again today when I heard some people jump on to do signal checks. A random guy jumped on asking for signal check, and another person answered along the lines of "I'm not sure if you're looking for someone in particular to confirm, but I can hear you just fine". Once they ended their quick back and forth, I keyed up asking for the same, but with no response. I'm certainly doing something wrong. I've got my "Receive Tones" off, and my "transmit tones" set to the settings provided me. There are no other codes that I can see on the repeater listing page. I can hear traffic, but can't broadcast in. I'm also not hearing a "kerchunk" when I hit the PTT button, so I wonder if I have a setting buried somewhere that I've messed up. I've reset both radios to factory and started from scratch... so, conversely, maybe there is something I haven't activated to be able to use the repeaters. Or, I guess I'm probably just out of range...

They'll be a judge to sign a TRO in 3....2....1.....

Offroader just signed an Executive Order.

So it is spoken, so shall it be done.

Overruled!

You will never notice any difference compared to it being straight up and down.

The last time my antenna was tilted like that I was able to bounce my signal off the moon. It was strange that I made it that far as I was only transmitting 100 mW on GMRS.

He's telling me how I can use my repeater on the free airways. Schmuck.

In theory, it will tilt the lobes of the signal to be higher on one side and lower on the other. In practice, it might not matter. The only way to know is to try it and find out. I suspect that unless you're trying for some absurd distance, it won't make a discernible difference.