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Chirp has been instrumental in helping “unlock” certain GMRS radios that come from the factory locked down to satisfy FCC requirements. The Baofeng UV-5X(G) comes to mind. Since the DB20-G has an easy procedure from day one to “open” it using its keypad, using Chirp to enable transmission on Channels 8-14 is superfluous.

Great Question.

@OffRoaderX WOW! I'm a big fan of the channel!

Base station 50w radios are mobile radios that aren't installed in a vehicle -- usually installed in a home or some other place that doesn't drive around. To run a 50w radio you need a 13.8v (approximately) DC power supply of some sort. One option is a 110v to 13.8v DC switching power supply. You would want one that provides no less than 20A continuous. That provides some level of overhead capacity. But most people buy a 30A unit for $85-$200 depending on the model. Another option is a portable car starter. Connect the alligator clips to the power lead of your radio. Assure that they are insulated from each other to avoid a very unfun experience. I used to have a portable lead acid battery powered starter that had two 9AH fire alarm (or lawn mower) type batteries in it. And it worked just fine, but when the batteries eventually grew old it was not designed for easy replacement. Nevertheless, it lasted 15 years. And another option is to build something with a lawn mower style battery or lithium battery, and an inexpensive charger. The charger would be an automotive style, and must be appropriate for the battery chemistry you choose. And a last option is to simply wire it to your car's battery or your RV's battery, if by "base station" you just mean something you can take with you and set up somewhere, so long as that somewhere is near your vehicle or RV. Powering off of USB-C is probably unrealistic for a 50w radio.

Thank you all for the assist. I appreciate all the feedback.

No mobile radios will have a built in battery. Your best bet is a separate 12v LifePo 4 battery. You will need a way to charge the battery if used for extended periods. There are a lot of solar options.

Good luck on finding one with a Type C - you won't. The best option is for an adapter from the battery to the radio's Tee connector. This will connect to a LiFePO4 15AH battery and the radio. Should be good for a couple days use without heavy sending. FM Mobile "T-style" Power Cable with Powerpoles

Here's another option: https://www.amazon.com/SUPON-Stainless-Cushioned-Universal-Photography/dp/B08RDQMHMK/ref=sr_1_20?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7F0MoaqS1hOXuseoMg5yEjYpp_O-zMI5uiSuOpv_Fuk2OfTdof57AzGC2DiJN2Ps9tYlipokl8qTVyhO2GAXghhtsG07MAx29IdW_9oXP289HV-XBsLZZ3bcP5q779s1U3ql4RT8k1qVGGvMOYXnlcy7YSMBnpRadQZCGNGJDt44ZxiEjWfclO4NgkyvRZomTc2pwLghdBkTluuXs2JsIqZ4ghtBk8Z-DAlrjvTstFqtTqoeWWkLwJUBzc_J28W99A5RiyQuPoFS082QeKHlDsq0nXRMXyg6PH7XJj0ewjY.AvkF1II5IvOKkPeMniBdCh2UnX9ERVlRYHFX1jRFq5U&dib_tag=se&qid=1749492042&sr=8-20&srs=18203216011

You're welcome.

Looking for a base station 50w that can be charged using usb-c. Looking to have a 50 watt radio I can toss into my duffel bag and bring to camp. There is no power at camp, so hoping I can charge it off a power brick with usb-c. Appreciate any feedback, thank you.

Actually,, shooting on a designated BLM shooting range against a very large backdrop.. I guarantee the jeepers air raid siren was much louder than our .308 shells exploding from our AR-10's... I feel sorry for all those jeepers, they had to go clean some dust off their pretty Mall Crawlers

Better value. Thanks for that!

You should have used their rubber ducks for target practice.

I know/am familiar with a lot of the Jeep groups around here and sadly many of them are just very pretty mall-crawlers and grocery getters with fresh wax-jobs and tire-sidewalls still wet from all the ArmorAll, that only go "off road" on flat dirt roads one or two times a year. We dont associate with those kinds.

So, ya went out into the desert (Of all places) to shoot those nasty, foul smelling guns and without much of a backstop endangering the natural habitat and all its beauty. Then, them sneaky Jeepers must have followed you out there knowing you won't lead them astray to get lost, and never find their way back to civilization! It's a well know fact, "All perityfied Jeeps" never dare to leave the pavement in great fear of harming the environment and treating very lightly even on hard-packed, undisturbed gravel roads! I bet the real story is that they stopped alongside the road cause when hearing you shooting that awful 9mm cannon you carry for protection scared em so bad they had to sound the alarm and get on the radios for backup help....... Hope ya picked up that nasty brass and lead bullets you endangered the environment with, my GOD Man! . . . . Had to geo out and check my Jeep just to make sure there were no bullet holes it to!

For the price, it is surprising the quailty the Baufangs offer.

No sorry,,, didn't hang around after spending 3 hours in a hot 106 degree afternoon.. The jeeper parade was a bit kool but most were Fancy Mall Crawlers. Lifted, looking pretty all set up for outlanding The Air Raid Siren was pretty loud and impressive and unexpected considering a large military base is just a few miles away.. Dang, i havent heard an air raid siren in 40 years. I was curious who the group was and what they were up too.. No one here has the dig.. O.K.

Surely there's more to this story. Maybe they all gathered just to hear the siren, but it seems likely it was part of some larger event.

I own the AR-5RM, UV-5r/Bf-f8hp, and AR-152. Quality control can be an issue. I sent back a UV-5r and a 5RM because the batteries wouldn't lock into place and an AR-152 because the audio was extremely low; the replacements were perfectly serviceable. I'm not intentionally abusive to my radios, but I'm not particularly gentle either and they just keep working. I frequently say that Baofengs are better radios than you have a right to expect for the price.

M38 driver here……When a jeep was a JEEP! Still going after 74 years.

You left so much out of your story, I was on the edge of my seat hoping for more. Will you be posting the next chapter of this air raid saga?

There are a number of other ways to link your phone or another node to your repeater. It's just not as easy as downloading a program, installing it and configuring it with some basic information. All the repeater linking that was done on GMRS, or at least a vast majority of it was done with Asterisk which is an IP PBX with an add in that allowed it to pass E&M and PTT. E&M in a phone system existed from day one. Before dialing a phone was even a thing. E&M is Ear and Mouth. Or for radio people TX audio and RX audio. Then you add a bit of 'telemetry' in the form of COR (carrier operated relay) and PTT. All that software needs is a destination address and that destination address to allow connections. With the system that was hosted by MyGMRS, there was a server that applied updates to the nodes to maintain the list of active nodes. But if you go into that list on the node and manually update it, then it will work fine without the database server feeding it. There are a few systems still out there that are GMRS related that are running the same node software and allow you to connect via certain phone app's that were designed for ham radio AllStarLink and other RoIP (Radio over IP) systems that are using Asterisk as there back end. Now setting that stuff up and getting it working is more involved than just getting a radio interface from Amazon and connecting it to a Windows machine where there is a web server out there managing all the linking and simply allowing you to find your node in a list and connect to it. You will now have to work at it to get it to happen but it's certainly possible if you put your mind to it and want to learn some Linux and Asterisk configuration along the way. And it can absolutely be done in a full stand alone manner that only requires a phone with internet access and a computer or Pi connected to the Internet with some fiddling with your router / firewall to allow the traffic in from the web. If you have carrier grade Internet access, then it becomes a bit more complicated, but still not anything that there isn't a solution for.

Let's see if I can clear any of this up for you. GMRS radios set to a repeater channel will always transmit (output) on 467 and receive on 462 (input). It will be just the opposite on a repeater. The repeater will transmit on 462 (output) and receive on 467 (input) For your question on Tone vs Tone Squelch. Normally when Tone is selected, the tone is only set on your radio's transmit. Tone squelch will set the tone for both transmit and receive.

Nope they start with a M as in the M38, M38A1, and M170. The CJ's are just tamed down versions for civilian use

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