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You’re making the assumption that it’s a “bad habit.” That’s a value judgement on your part that’s simply not true. If it was true the other choices would not exist. Teaching the OP about them is not wrong, just because you wouldn’t do it. Some people want to hear all transmissions on a particular frequency, especially when traveling. Programming a squelch tone prevents that.

I see the benefits of having a Motorola or Kenwood and would go that rout if I could. But my budget doesn't support that. CCRs are better than no radio at all.

Why do the 1/2as’d “easiest” way when one could do it right from the beginning and not have to learn bad habits. This is one simple issue that as soon as it gets learned it won’t be an issue ever again.

Your Input Tone is what Keys the Repeater, leave the RX tones section blank.. Populate the TX / CTS DCS field with the correct tone for that particular Repeater. Make sure for TX you are using a +5 offset otherwise your simply using Simplex. Example RX Frequency: 462.600 MHz TX Frequency : 467.600 (TO KEY REPEATER) IF INPUT TONE IS SET CORRECTLY & You are within Range of Said Repeater... Input Tone: 69.3 <--- DOUBLE CHECK THAT... Repeater Owners sometimes Change Tones to Cut down on Riff Raff. Output Tone - Leave Blank for now. This also may be redundant but if the repeater is not "OPEN" make sure you have permission from the Owner to use that Repeater.. Have FUN!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can Radio be an Addiction? A: Depends on the Frequency. ----------------------------------------------------- > Today I saw an ad that said "radio for sale, $1, volume stuck on full." > I thought, "I can't turn that down." "LIFE IS GOOD" - Hickok45.

The easiest thing to do is choose Tone for squelch type instead of TSQL. That’s the same as having no tone for your receiver. Then it doesn’t matter what the output tone is, your radio will reproduce it. You still have to match your transmitter tone to the repeater input tone or the repeater will ignore you.

Ah! Come to think of it, the latter is probably what happened. Live and learn. And Thanks!

I'm not sure about "most" but for a UV-5R I've done several tests in my neighborhood and the stock antenna doesn't cut it from my house to a particular point at the end of a bike ride. Both the 701 and 771 do make the trip with the 771 a little clearer than the 701. Mind you there are a lot of trees and houses full of f...furniture in my neighborhood.

@WRUU653 & @WROA496 check this out. And a cheaper one here.

I wish Josh would get right on that

That’s actually a very good path, starting with a UV5R and learning the basics. As you learn you will be able to make more informed decisions about what you want going forward. I commend you for using ham radio studying as a way to learn more about the science and terminology of radio. I used HamStudy to do that and found it very helpful because it allows a person to follow any topic as far as possible.

One way in which it’s possible is that there were several linked repeaters covering all those channels. 15-22 are the same frequencies as repeater transmit channels 23-30. (Repeaters receive about 5 MHz higher.) Another possibility is that you were monitoring two channels simultaneously and changing one channel while hearing the other. Welcome to the hobby and this forum!

He already stated that the used Motorola he would buy rather than a CCR has quality, longevity, and features. But in a real SHTF scenario (rather than a Red Dawn style farce) having the durability and especially the receiver quality of the Motorola far outweighs the inclusion of “face programming, no noaa, no am/fm broadcast radio, no vhf,uhf monitoring”.

That really depends on the Motorola doesn’t it. An xts3000 Motorola has almost no features. No face programming, no noaa, no am/fm broadcast radio, no vhf,uhf monitoring. So again it’s about what features the user wants and what budget they have. In a shtf scenario one would still need a CCr that does more than a Motorola

Not true at all. A stock antenna n most hts will do 10-20miles for me. I can do 50-60miles with a 771g. So double or more. And even further with a 48” foldable. Bigger antennas that are built right not only get up higher but have gain.

I would rather buy an used Motorola radio for the quality and longevity and the features rather than a new $18 CCR junk that does not have near the features of a professional Motorola.

I found this thread through a Google search, as I heard something a few times that I didn't know was possible. Complete beginner here, so what do I know? It sounded like a group of people having a conversation simultaneously on Channels 14 through 22. I heard it this morning on the 5 through LA/Commerce. And last night on the 605 through Pico Rivera/Whittier/South El Monte. I didn't check the lower channels, but they were on all the 50w channels. Am I imagining things? Or have others heard that?

Just use the antenna that came with the radio. Most of the other types of antennae is just foo foo stuff.

If you're just trying to access nearby repeaters any appropriate antenna for the frequency will be fine and will not make any difference or change the price of rice in BFE if you use a mobile antenna. The end result will be the same and it's not like that you'll be trying to shoot skip to BFE anytime soon on GMRS freqs. Now, for simplex base to mobile communications, that is a different story and the appropriate base station antenna will have a huge difference in performance. In this case, you would want a quality base station antenna like a Laird FG4605 as high as you can get it.

Just repeating what other folks have said. The key will be the antenna, I love the flagpole suggestions, there is lots of possibilities there. initially maybe focus on a base station and the antenna solution. Fortunately gmrs frequencies lend themselves to small antennas. There are "ghost" antennas which are small. I am not in a HOA so I have more flexibility. A attic solution may work, depending on type of roof. There are some ghost antennas which are only 3-4 inches tall, specific for mobile installations, may not be ideal for base station, but its better than nothing. The image below is of the antenna I use. Its primary application if for mobile use, however with the added counterpoise ground solution it works very well for a base station. Since gmrs antennas can be so small, some folks will put the antenna on a roof vent, and if the antenna is only 8-12 inches tall, and it were painted the same color as the roof vent, it would probably be next to "invisible" best of luck, there is a solution

I think that's why I started with a UV-5R. Learn to use chirp, how to set tones, experiment with antennas, program in repeaters, local emergency channels, local school channels, etc. If I mess up and the thing explodes, I'm out $19. Now I'm working on my Ham license... not that I'm concerned about the "license" part.... I'm in it for the education part. Just to follow this thread, I have to google at least 4 things a day to understand what people are saying.

Space was my biggest constraint as well. Once you add "detachable face" to the list of requirements, the list of available products drops dramatically and the cost goes up. Tough pill to swallow, but it will be a clean install when done. That is one I initially looked at... my concern (with my aging eyeballs) is how far I would have to mount it from me and I would need a larger screen. But the cabin in my truck is so small, there is nowhere to mount it where a radio is visible that won't get kicked, kneed or launched at my face as an airbag accessory.... that brought me back to the detachable face thing. FYI, I'm just on the other side of the ship channel from you (League City/Friendswood). Happy to see a neighbor here.

I considered this one when I was choosing a mobile but I needed a detachable face due to space constraints. The 778UV is still on my list of potential base station radios. It looks to be a good bang for your buck radio.

As it has been said it really depends on how you define best. I truly like the KG-935 plus. However I recommend a fully immersive approach to the radio illness and keep buying radios one after the next. You’ll be in good company.

Ya its almost like being under water. You have to get the antenna's above the surface so to speak. Both party's need a tower. That works for base to base but your out of luck with HT's and mobiles.

Same with foliage. One would think that flat Florida would be perfect for radio, but trying to push 5W on a stock antenna through the woods means 1/2 - 2 miles, max.