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The topic of the use of un-certified radios on GMRS, including Part-15, Part-90 and Part-97 gear, has been: discussed, argued, debated, nuanced, bantered, ridiculed, promoted and otherwise been beaten well past death on MyGMRS,com. It certainly is worthwhile to note any certification a given radio might have. Be it as a pro, con, or simple comment. But, please let's keep this thread to a simple presentation of brand name UHF radios that work on the GMRS frequencies and not get into that discussion again on this thread.

So, since this is the GMRS forums, which one of these are part 95 compliant? Because, sometimes, it's not academic if they are or aren't.

Of more recent vintage, there is the Bridgecom BCR-40U repeater.

That doesn't mean the selectivity is sufficient enough to reject closer noise that makes weak on-frequency transmissions readable.

I have found a repeater about 30 miles out that I can reach, and receive a squelch tone from indicating it has received my signal. I was sucessful in getting a signal report as well from another GMRS operator that made my day! None of that would have been possible without the information gained here from people willing to answer questions. Thank you! I now know my equipment works to it's described capabilities. This, "Learning Curve" has taken me to the highs and lows of human abilities when it comes to the operation of privately owned equipment (repeaters) and the endevor to keep it running. I'm guessing us newbies don't know (appriecate) the struggle of what it takes to actually get a repeater up and running for consistant use. Repeater owners are another part of the American fabric that help on their own free will, to make our society a better place when trying to communicate. Again, THANK YOU ALL. P.S. All this didn't sink in many, many years ago as a sailor in the Navy. We once used ham radio stations to talk from Asia to my wife in Hawaii.

Thanks to @gman1971 for starting up this thread. For the P1225 (this is just for starters, I suspect others will have additional comments on this radio) Pros: Easily found on eBay and other online sites as well as swap meets, hamventions, etc.Programming software is much easier to find than for other, newer, Motorola products.Lots of accessories available from other vendors: Chargers, mics, batteries...Solid radio. Almost indestructible Non-working radios available for a song for spare parts if needed.Good quality electronics, rev and xmt are clean. Well known radio. Lots of online support.Part95 compliant. Cons: Rcv/xmt quality, while infinitely better than CCRs, is nowhere near that of more modern Motorola radios.No Li-Ion batteriesMany aftermarket batteries are junk.Because it uses NiCad or NiMh batteries, the radio cannot be left on and sitting in most cheap chargers.Often the radios that can be found are in ok condition. But, need a charger, battery and antenna, this can double the price, or more.Most models have no display. The models with display are hard to find.Bigger and heavier than newer hand-heldsProgramming software requires older Windows systems (XP or Win-7). However, they can be run in a Virtual Machine.

First thing I do is look for the radio brochure, its got all the add-ons that are available for that radio. https://manualzz.com/doc/8325970/kenwood-tk-7180_tk-8180-brochure Personally, I'd go with the remote head mount for the dash, unless you don't mind the full radio mounted up there. The remote head just gives you more location options. https://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-KRK-10-remote-control-NX-700/dp/B00R8M3ZWI I've removed my rash radio in my '98 Ram, replaced it with a BCT15X scanner..I listen to local FD/PD more than I do the radio.

I think (dont hold me to it) there is a premade double dinn mount for the 8180. I would have to look into it but I believe its made by havis.

I understand the observation. However, I think the analogy may be a bit off-base on two counts. 1) Regardless of snob appeal, or whatever, nobody buys: a gun that doesn't shoot straight or blows up in your face; a power mower that is known to remove toes; or model railroad cars that won't stay on the track. The issue there is indeed one of basic utility vs. a more refined and (perhaps) more artistic, even gilded approach. But, low to high, all the options are still expected to deliver the basic functionality. In the case of some CCRs. While they may appear to work to the first time user, they may be actually failing in two important ways: causing interference to other users, and very poor reception making the radios significantly less useful. 2) In the examples you have cited, brand is the issue. That is still somewhat the case in radio. But, it is even more so a question of overall quality. Rather than a differentiation based on brand names, it is based on two broad categories. Inexpensive products based on a very simple "radio on a chip" design (CCRs), versus professional quality products. While different people have their favorites, there is no commonly accepted "you must have" brand. And where one brand seems more popular, Kenwood in the case of GMRS, it is for practical reasons like availability, especially used, access to programming software and general support from a larger user group. When it comes to the discussions on this forum, I have found that rather than snob appeal visa-a-vis price, it is often quality that is the prime consideration. For example, while people may often recommend the "big" names, like Motorola, Kenwood, Icom, Vertex, etc., they also recommend buying that equipment used, where the prices may be very close to the price of new CCR equipment. And for that small price difference, you may get not only much better quality, but also very practical features like expanded memory slots. This seemingly minor feature suddenly becomes critical when, for example, you have 2 rep[eaters you use on the same frequency, but with different access codes. On the typical CCR you can program one, or the other, but not both. With a more capable radio, each can be assigned it's own "channel" with a corresponding screen display. I encourage you to take a little more time looking through the discussions on this site before making up your mind that the suggestions for different radio gear is just snobbism or maybe more practical in nature.

Motorola MSF5000, MSR2000*, MTR2000, XPR8300General Electric Mastr-II*, Mastr-IIIKenwood TKR-820 repeaterKenwood TKR-850 repeaterKenwood NEXEDGE NXR-800 (nice 5W 1U package for driving an external PA)Kenwood NEXEDGE NXR-810Vertex VX7000 series * = Depends on exact model, not all have Part 95.

The main problem with most CCRs is not the transmitter (though that too can be an issue, but usually to traffic on other frequencies), it is in the receiver. Most, but not all CCRs, are created equally (i.e. poorly). But there are exceptions.