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Since, I have all my Saturday chores done, I decided to do a quick bench test. I don't have a 20-watt Mobile to test, but I do have a 25-watt Mobile and I highly doubt that 5-watts of RF output power would make a difference in any farz or much of a power draw. I used a Kenwood TK-880-1 UHF 25-Watt Mobile radio, Bird 43 that was recalibrated last year, EMC Corp 150-Watt 50 Ohm Power Terminator (Dummy Load), and a Powerwerx 30-amp variable power supply. My first test was with the voltage regulated at 12.9 volts. The stand-by power draw was .3 amp, the transmit power draw at 6.3 amps, and RF Output at 23 watts. At 13.8 Volts the stand-by power draw was .3 amp, the transmit power draw was at 6.6 amps, and the RF output was 26 watts. The voltage did not drop one iota That is .533 dBm difference in RF power levels and my Farz guesstimate for difference could probably be measured with a short tape measure or maybe a yard stick.

I've ordered 14 of the H3's so far and passed them out to family. I have 6 myself that I keep in the house. 2 are in constant use scanning. The other 4 in a go box. Out of those 14 two were bad and got replaced for free and they didn't ask for the old one back. I hung onto them thinking I could open them up and see if maybe I could find out why they were DOA. Well today I pulled one apart hoping for an easy find, like a bad solder joint to the antenna. No such luck and I couldn't get the screen removed to get at the screws underneath to remove the circuit board. So I started to put it back together and decided that the one I use all the time could benefit from a new keypad since mine is wearing out. So I swapped them out and now I have a brand new spanking keypad on the 1 1/2 year old radio.

Would not open for me last night on my iPad, but this morning it was working fine.

It opens fine on my iPhone:

Still having problems with this link; even on my Mac in addition to my iPhone. Is it just me? Do these work with the older style format: UV-5R, DM-5R and RD-5R?

Typically it is a driver problem. Have you programmed any other radios with this computer/Windows 10? Do you have the "official" USB to K-1 cable that is designed for this radio? Similar to Baofengs DMR RD-5R and DM-5R radios, the USB chip is inside the radio and hence the cable does not have a USB chip, so that Baofeng cables for the UV-5R and other analog radios will not work here. I purchased a few extra cable from AliExpress for less than $3 apiece and they work fine! I did have problems attempting to install OpenGD77 on a DM-1701 in Windows 11, so I went back to Windows 10 and it installed flawlessly. BTW: I personally hate the "flaw" in these Technical Discussions posts that rank them by "popularity!" In the future, I would suggest these types of questions be posted on the Ham Radio subtopic here on myGMRS.

Roger beeps don't bother me when on simplex. Yes it can be a little chaotic and annoying with a bunch of different Roger beeps along with the repeaters courtesy tone every time someone un-keys their mic. I normally won't say much on our repeater if it is slow and there are only two people talking at the time. But I definitely don't want to hear a bunch of Roger beeps when there are multiple people on at one time or during a net.

Hey all. Just moved to Charlotte last weekend from NY. Had just got into the hobby and have a bit of equipment. I have handheld and a new Radioditty DB25-G. Using it as a base and current antennas are a standard spring whip with magnetic base, and attentive Farrah J hung on my apartment complex porch facing east. I'm in the Noda neighborhood. I have the basics pretty well, but so new to setting up repeaters and such. Like im in the 1st month of a new language class . Are there any newbie-friendly clubs in the Charlotte area? Looking for the comeraderie of a club, or to get in on group chatter sessions.

I can see, especially on a repeater or a net, where - if you have fifteen different users with fifteen different roger beeps, AND the repeater might have some tones or squelches or something - it could be a little bit chaotic. But, on a quiet, simple repeater to immediately be told, with no tact, to "turn off your roger beep" is wild to me. Same vibes as the guy who wears the CCW sash. Calm down, Boss Hog. You'll get them Duke Boys one day.

I would but I'm probably putting this radio away in a faraday cage box so I can grab it and throw in the car. I selected option 3, a static burst that makes it sound like an old pro radio. The first two are double beeps, indistinguishable from one another to my ears. I'm not sure the static will get the same hate reaction. I would enable on my GMRS handhelds if they had it. If anything, even worse on ham. AFAIK, they just hate the sound. But repeaters that have a courtesy tone (not much different) are fine.

Just pull it out to the length needed for 6 m. Use an analyzer to tune it, mark it, and return to that length when you want.

To your first question, that would depend entirely on the person on whose repeater you are speaking. With the GMRS license, your whole family is allowed to use the radio. I think you are correct in wondering about the rest of the users wanting/not wanting to hear you and your daughter talk. It is a courteous thought. My advise would be to key up and ask when you hear traffic. Make sure your daughter knows basic radio etiquette see how it goes. I routinely speak with my daughters but we use simplex and tones to ensure they don't hear any untoward traffic that may be out there. To your second question, short answer is "no." There's not a way to filter incoming RX from the repeater. In for a penny, in for a pound, so to speak.

Actually, the only people that won’t talk to you if you have a Roger beep are the folks who want to control others’ use of the Roger beep. I would rather talk to the other people anyway.

Someone should make one of these for 6m.

I've often wondered the same thing.

It is interesting to me that so many people in the GMRS community, if one can call it that, have such strong opinions about something so silly. Is it because CB bois use it and GMRS people are much more serious "radio operators?" What's the aversion? I really don't get it.

Let me know which one gets the most reactions.

I'll have to look those 2 up, thanks.

I have used OpenGD77 and OpenUV380 many times without any problem finding the right com port. Have you loaded the correct driver for the cable? When you plug in the cable, watch in Device Manager to see which com port is created.

I am having problems Upgrading my DMR 1701 to Open GD 77. It will not find a COM PORT for uploading. Please advise if anyone has ever had this issue and how to remedy it. If anyone has a good download for it. Thank you.

Regulations wise? So long as they're not doing anything else wrong, no problem. As far as the owners of the network are concerned? You'd have to read into it / talk to them about it. I've seen all sorts of weird rules for 'mah repeatah!!!!' Nope. Generally, the 'rebroadcasting to the network' part doesn't happen on your radio's end, but on the linked repeater end.

Regulations permit your child to use your GMRS radio including talking on the repeater. Anything other than that would be the personal preferences of the repeater owner. If the repeater is linked to other repeaters you’re stuck hearing the link traffic.

The Diamond SRH999 and SRH940 both include 6 meters.

Yep, same