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My personal preference is to use the official factory software where possible. That's really important for commercial radios. CHIRP is nice, but for every radio it supports the developers have to reverse engineer the code plug layout and communications protocol with the radio. When it works, great. The one issue with Chirp is it may not always give you access to all of the radio's features. For that the only choice is the factory software.

You can always change it later. Once you drill a hole, well that's not going away if you change your mind. I had a buddy who messed up his measurement when he drilled a hole for his NMO mount in the roof of his old van. It got into one of the support beams on the underside. He ended up putting a plug in the hole he couldn't use and drilled a new hole over a bit. We kidded him for a while asking to see the Band-Aid on his Boo-Boo. Oh, if you do end up at some point drilling a hole. Be absolutely sure you use the right hole saw. The wrong one will really mess up the roof.

DMR is defiantly a different game, which I have never used RT or Chirp to do since my Hytera CPM does it well. Right now the only DMR radios i have is Hytera and mostly because i like their overall package and ease of using their CPM. Not to mention some very good deals i've gotten on Ebay....

Chirp does remarkably well for being non-commercial software. If it was available for all of my radios I might never have switched to RT Systems. And I will not say that RT Systems has worked perfectly. I’ve run across a few problems with RT Systems when programming DMR code plugs, which admittedly is an order of magnitude more complicated than typical analog radios. But their DMR calculator makes it much easier and when I have had a problem I have been very impressed by RT Systems willingness to thoroughly discuss and understand every issue that I have reported. Having RT Systems available for my db20g radios really made the difference for me though. I really like this radio and Chirp isn’t available for this radio.

I haven't seen a cigarette lighter in new vehicles since around 2002-2005 time frame.

RT is defiantly easer to use but considering the amount of time, at least for me, you spend on programing, i can get things done almost as fast in CHIRP. I'm not a fan of the Wouxun software either but it does do everything needed. I don't use much of either anymore since i use mostly Hytera stuff now. Their CPM is extremely easy to use and learn and very powerful. I have a couiple Motorloa radios, which i like but never could get my hands around their CPM..

I agree with Gil (wruu653). I’m curious what you disagree about. Do you disagree that the conditions of clauses must both be true (the literal and logical meaning word “and” at the end of the first clause), otherwise the repeater must transmit station identification? Do you disagree with our interpretation that the condition of the first clause is satisfied only if the people using the repeater are people using the license of the repeater owner? Literally “stations operating under the authority of the individual license under which it operates”. Do you disagree that the condition of the second clause is satisfied only if all people using the repeater follow the rules regarding identifying when they use the repeater? Or do you disagree on some other basis? Enhanced Content - Paragraph Tools URL https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/part-95#p-95.1751(c) Citation 47 CFR 95.1751(c) : c. Any GMRS repeater station is not required to transmit station identification if: (1) It retransmits only communications from GMRS stations operating under authority of the individual license under which it operates; and, (2) The GMRS stations whose communications are retransmitted are properly identified in accordance with this section.

Well, to be fair, the Midland GMRS radios that I've used or investigated don't have very much to set up and configure. Each frequency is one channel. You cannot have the same frequency on more than one channel. That means you cannot have two repeaters configured for the same frequency, but with different tones. No channel naming, they're just very simple but reliable. To me the downside is the cost; you pay *more* for the simplicity.

it's kind of funny with GMRS compared to HAM Radio like WIN or PAPA. The later being busy every single day almost every min of the hour.. GMRS on the other hand, at least in my area and places i frequent while camping, has it's cycles. Some days the spectrum is busy as heck and scanning will drive you nuts and other days it's so quite you begin to think your radio is broke. My repeater can go weeks with zero traffic then all of a sudden its a mad house, it sounds like grand central station. There is even a young crowd that come and go on my repeater, every once in a while they get on and zabber having fun then their gone but they always seem to come back. On the HAM side with PAPA and WIN, it's like wait your turn so can can speak. I prefer using GMRS becasue i dont line the pressure of following the HAM zargin. They like things done their way or you can't play, but i respect that.

I haven't paid the RT price, so I don't know what I'm missing there. CHIRP has been adequate for my needs, and I find that it does control all the settings I can think of for the KG-UV980P, as well as for my other radios (UV-5G, AR-5RM, RA87). There are things I don't like about it's UI: Copying, moving, pasting, cursor movement.... some things are just not quite as easy to use as a typical spreadsheet. But it works and is reliable. And it's community driven so new radios show up pretty quickly. I did try the Wouxun software and didn't care for it.

Ahh I guess you’re right there. It’s a 12V accessory port, not a functional cig port.

I’m running the MXTA25 ghost on a hood-hinge mount on the passenger side. Absolutely not the best location for it RF-wise, but it was the best spot for me since I wasn’t prepared to drill the cab roof. I’ve been testing it out the past few days w an AT-778UVII at ~5/15/25W and it’s done remarkably well. Granted, it does better when I’m pointed at what I’m talking to since it has the passenger A-pillar behind it. My radiation pattern is a bit wonky due to where that antenna sits. But I’m happy with this so far. I’ve been able to get into repeaters with low watts at distance so it’s working for me, despite the non-optimal config.

Is it an actual cigarette lighter port or is it a powder accessory port? There is a difference between the two. A cigarette lighter will have prongs inside to hold the lighter in while it heats up while an accessory port does not have the prongs.

My current 2021 Tacoma has one. And my 2013 328i had two believe it or not lol But agreed, cig ports are a dying breed and not a reliable source of clean wattage.

That's definitely a downside, perhaps even a deal-breaker, IMO.

Sorry, But I Don't Agree With Your Interpretation Of Part 95.1751 (c). #2 - GMRS Stations (Not Operating Under The Individual License) (Other GMRS Stations) Are Properly Identified For The Retransmitted (Repeater) Communications. The Words "If" & "And" Are Key To Understanding The Rule, That's Why It's Very Self Explanitory.

Ask away. That's literally one of the reasons this site exists. I'm always happy to answer questions it I can.

GMRS doesn't get a lot of use in central Oklahoma, at least on repeaters. It's not completely abandoned, and there are several repeaters, but they're not usually too busy. One in Oklahoma City gets steady but not overwhelming usage during the workday because someone uses it for their business, but it's a brief conversation every 15 minutes or so. I occasionally hear someone on simplex in the more urban areas, and FRS gets a lot of use by construction crews and store staff, but the range is so short that it's hardly noticeable. I'm sure it's different in more heavily populated parts of the country, but at least here, GMRS is a good communication option for many of us.

When I went on jump status in 1978, it was $50/month. In 1978, that wasn't huge, but it was significant.

Nothing except the fact that most of the people who want/need an FRS radio aren't "radio people" and don't even understand the need for programming. Most will just give up if faced with the necessity to do more than push the button and talk. Admittedly, it's not a very high bar, but it does make some difference.

My repeater is not open. It is only used for my ranch & range. I have gave permission only to a few other ranchers near me and the owners of leased land for the cattle. Every time the range is hot the range officer broadcast that. When it is cold too. It's a safety thing.

Agreed. An eventual reduction to zero is feasible. After all, as was pointed out there isn't a big operational gap between FRS and GMRS and FRS is already not licensed. GMRS was $70 for a 10-year term and is now $35 for a 10-year term. IDK, perhaps I've got the wrong perspective, but at a rate of $3.50 per year it sure doesn't seem like money is the FCC's motivation for GMRS licensing. Otherwise, they would be charging more and wouldn't have recently lowered the fee. I think that at some point the FRS/GMRS chaos will reach critical mass, and the FCC certainly has bigger fish to fry. I too had one of them there CB licenses back in the 70's that soon became irrelevant. I also had a cheap Kraco radio, and it worked great!!!

I guess you didn’t read or the rules you agreed to read when you got your license Follow the rules or don’t but you are giving incorrect information. If people other than your family are using the repeater you absolutely are required to have you repeater ID. FCC Part 95.1751 (c): (c) Any GMRS repeater station is not required to transmit station identification if: (1) It retransmits only communications from GMRS stations operating under authority of the individual license under which it operates; and, (2) The GMRS stations whose communications are retransmitted are properly identified in accordance with this section. the “if” and the “and” are key to understanding the rule regarding the need for repeater ID. It doesn’t say “or”.

yes, but with a price tag.. Some like RT, i have used both, I don't mind CHIRP, it's free and will get you the same results.

Ignore the crass comments here on the forum. Everyone is a beginner at some point and sometimes if you are not at all familiar with something, the manual is not as intuitive as we would like. Asking question is okay! Like @WRYS709 Said: Welcome to MyGMRS.