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My radio is unlocked so it will work on a repeater? Where can I find how?

IF it is not "locked", then, YES. IF it is 'locked', then, NO. So the actual answer is: It Depends TL;dr: Maybe

Mine can, but it’s an older model.

can a baofang uv 5 r be programmed to talk on a gmsr repeaters?

That's true, the FCC just kind of let it slide into history with zero notice... which kinda stinks for people who knew it as the de-facto operation since the `60s.

The point is, "some people" are out there, right now, spreading lies and misinformation on the online forums, videos, etc, claiming that the FCC will actively go after you, track your location, fine, you, or even jail you for using a radio/repeater on GMRS that is not Part 95E approved. We must stop the lies.

Yes.

By "dual receive" do you mean capable of listening to two frequencies at the same time? What Baofeng calls "dual monitoring"? If so, then yes, the UV-5r can do it and according to its advertising the UV-18 can too. If we're splitting hairs, the Baofengs don't actually listen to two channels at the same time; they flip rapidly back and forth between them, but for most people's purposes, it's close enough.

And why would they? They have their hands more than full trying to rein in people who are creating genuine problems. I don't know if it's ever happened, but I could imagine it being added onto the list of charges if they had to hunt someone down for being a troublemaker. As I always say, be polite and things will probably be fine...but be capable of "action" in case someone doesn't respond to politeness.

I thought that, but I just wondered if anyone thinks they should be.

I will agree with Randy (OffroaderX) and others. Don't put all your egg's in the GMRS basket. But I think the off road guys will agree, more is better. IS GMRS good for off roading, yes, most likely. But it can't be the only radio or method of communications in your rig. A CB radio is a great addition, and possibly a ham radio, if you have the motivation to get the license. But, repeating what others have said, A Garmin InReach is going to be king. But you need to understand the differences in what and who you are calling, and what level of 'emergency' you are in the middle of. A flat tire, if you don't have any ability to change it is a problem. If you are in a creek bed and there a flood warnings then it's an issue. If your rig has flipped, and you are stuck under it in the creek bed and there is a flash flood warning, then you need IMMEDIATE assistance. That's the InReach, forget GMRS and all the rest. The other thing to consider is are you wheeling with others. As many have said, never wheel alone. And that's really sound advice. But it's not always reasonable, or we sometimes choose to ignore it for whatever reason we can come up with. We don't know your rig, setup, or what level of extreme wheeling you are doing. Trail running on groomed trails is far different from rock bouncing in Moab. And we don't really know how remote you are running. If your trails run behind family homes that are occupied all year long, it's not the same as there being one cabin in the woods for 5 miles in any direction that while could be broken into in an extreme circumstance for shelter, would otherwise only be occupied one week a year during some hunting trip. Gauge what you are doing with what you are needing. Ultimately it's cheap insurance to have more than you need than not enough communication ability. And even then, the InReach, as far as I know, will work anywhere at any time. Something else to consider as well. And this goes against the historical thought process. T-Mobile is now partnering with StarLink to offer cell service via satellite. That might be an option worth considering as well. The phone of course should have some app on it that will pinpoint your location via satellite, like your GPS does. Again, something below the InReach. You have to understand that the InReach is like calling 911 without saying anything. They just send people to that location and they will come quickly. Inreach has some text function, but it's mostly a distress beacon. A 911 call will generate a similar response, but with more information being given to the 911 dispatcher, they can send a proper response to the actual situation. If they don't know what or who to send, everyone gets sent, and it's treated as a life and death situation.

It hadn’t been nullified at the time of the video and banter. The FCC really should have made at least an attempt to announce it.

I'll have to look at our Bridgecom repeater next time I am at the repeater site. I doubt it is Part 95 certified as it is the exact same repeater that Bridgecom sells for the amateur 70cm band. The only difference is how they program them before shipping. There is a person near me that owns several GMRS repeaters along with several 2m and 70cm repeaters. He uses Motorola Quantar repeaters for all of them.

I remember when you made the Ch19 video and all the banter on here leading up to it. No one has successfully countered it to this day... so It still stands as the only authoritative source! LoL The sad part was, many of us (myself included) had no idea the Line A issue was nullified, which didn't help.

I tried

they never will.. I can tell you, every single one of my HAM buddies with GMRS repeaters, all use Kenwood's, Motorola's, Harris, Hytera radios.. (non-part 95) If the FCC ever decided to enforce this rule, it would be impossible for them to detect them. Outside of putting their eyes on them.. And that would never happenn

Of course I am correct! How dare you have the insolence to think otherwise! .. But..Yah..

So,, im one of those that as at least a dozen of Baofengs. just checking my cabinet, i can see that Offroader is correct. Baofeng does have a wide selection of boxes, even with same model radios.. Ranges from fancy boxing to plain cardboard boxes with Baofeng titles on them.

This is correct - although Retevis has had one for 3 or 4 years, but before that, there were none - Yet with thousands of non part 95 approved repeaters out there, nobody is in jail.

Portable devices typically are not grounded.

That has been my understanding also. Most just use a Part 90 certified repeater. You can find used Motorola Quantar UHF repeaters cheaper than what Bridgecom and B-Tech want for their GMRS repeaters. And the Quantar is way better. If one goes with the Quantar 125, they just need to make sure to turn the power level down so that the 50 watt max is not exceeded.

So, to expand on the subject a little, what about a situation where the entire system is self-contained such as a portable setup? Battery, radio, and antenna, but no connection to outside power. What does that need for grounding? Obviously, it doesn't need to be kept at the same potential as the house, since there's no house and it's not getting power from a shared system. Since you have a pole holding an antenna up in the air, does it need something for lightning protection? Is there a way or even a need to equalize potentials among the components?

It is my understanding that there never been a certified Part 95 repeater available until the Retevis, Midland, and BTech came out within the last year or so.

I was assuming they could. That's what I mean that there's no security with a radio signal. I can see where that might prove useful if you're working with a large group of people where some things need to be heard by everyone, but some things only need to go to a subgroup. I have no use for it now, but there were times in the past when I would have found it helpful. Interesting to know.

This is an incorrect statement and @TerriKennedy should be ashamed for saying something so ridiculous when he obviously has no idea what he is talking about: there is no such thing as a "standard Baofeng box" - i have, or have had, nearly every radio manufactured by Baofeng (dozens), and they have a very wide variety of boxes. Some of them plenty large enough to fit a 15" antenna in diagonally SEVERAL of those radios (and radios from other brands) have shipped with 15" antennas and they all very easily fit inside the smaller boxes, as @WRTC928 stated.