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I think there is an ongoing impression, especially amongst people new to GMRS, that repeaters are somehow part of GMRS and generally available to licensed GMRS users and that this site, or any other, is somehow involved. It has been posted here before, but perhaps it needs to be made sticky, that: A GMRS license includes the right to use simplex communications on all 22 GMRS channels, subject to the published power and bandwidth limitations. While a licensee also has the right to operate a repeater, the license does not include the right to use other repeaters. Any such access, if permitted, must be done in accordance with the operating practices set by the repeater owner.

Happy New Year to you all. May 2021 be much better for you than 2020. 73 to all. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Concur! The key is the comma in : New licenses, modifications That should be read as New licenses and/or modifications. And, there is the new license $35 fee!

I've read in various places that Midland is working on a 40w version of the MXT275. I'm hoping this is true. I've written them an email to ask about it but haven't received a response. What I read was that it would come out 4th quarter 2020, but I think we can rule that out now. Does anyone have any information? I've got an MXT400 in my older Jeep and it is great but very bulky, but it works with the old squarish instrument panel. It sits right on top. My 2018 Jeep has the MXT275 due to its small size and all in the mic setup. I'd love to have the same thing but with the 40w of power, so I'm hoping that what I've read is true and that they introduce it soon. Any info would be appreciated. Heck, I'd even take some wild speculation! Lol!

This comes up ALL the time. IMO nobody can tell what radio you are using when you use it. Be it a 30$ CCR. Or 700$ vertex. Unless you are bragging about it. To think if someone is licensed in 2 or 3 radio services that you would have 3 different radios that can all do the same thing doesn’t pass the straight face test. Plus enforcement....big joke. Before you get anybody showing up at your door step you would have had to do something serious! Follow your heart do what you think is right and keep your mouth shut. Make sure your transmissions are clean and “Follow” the rules.

Well gee I wonder if they will be sending back half the money for folks that got their licenses in the last 12 months.

In that price range, I'd recommend a used XPR6550 - hands down. You can buy them in good shape and working for less than $100 with charger on everyone's favorite auction sites. A decent new battery (prefer the Motorola OEM Impres batteries that would last 3-4 years) would run you less than $70. Audio quality is excellent, spec's are very good, and they'll do DMR digital - useful if you're a Ham, or just want to scan other stuff. If you don't like to deal with Motorola software - then go for a used EVX or VX portable by Vertex. Look for an EVX-539 for a Digital capable keypad radio - or the VX-459 if you want an analog radio with keypad. Other Vertex models don't have keypads - which aren't really necessary for GMRS and I've snatched up VX-231 or 261's at less than $20 each in good shape. Vertex parts, batteries, and software are cheap and available. Their radios have decent specs and quality, and they're good performers with a low entry price. If you're still not satisfied - look for a Kenwood portable. I'm not a Kenwood expert, and someone else could probably give you some better specific model advice, but in my experience - Kenwood has excellent audio & build quality and they're easy enough to work on. Parts and software are also cheap and available. ANY of those 3 are better choices than a new CCR.

I am having exactly same issues (bold and red in the quote) with BTECH GMRS-V1 and CHIRP software. Any help from gurus on this forum would be great.

Not everyone lists there repeaters. I have multiple that are not listed and know of others out there. Its a volunteer thing to go in and ujpdate and many don't care.

Some of the older used commercial radios are FCC Type 95A certified, which was under the old rules. Those radios continue to retain their type certification under the new rules and are legal to use on GMRS. If you shop carefully and wait you can get some good deals. The programming cables are cheap, and the software, don't use Chirp, are easy to find on line usually for a free download with install key. Personally I have used the following Kenwood hand held models: TK-370G-1 TK-3170 TK-3140 (waiting on slow USPS mail for this one to arrive) The commercial radios have a major advantage over the cheap sub $100 Chinese radios, the receiver sections are far better. As most people tend to discover when in a range fringe area the antenna and the receiver sensitivity and selectivity makes all the difference. https://www.ameradio.com/doc/Kenwood_TK-370G.pdf https://pdfs.kenwoodproducts.com/9/TK-2170&3170Brochure.pdf https://www.radiocommunicationsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/kenwoodtk3140_brochure.pdf Beware the radios come in several different "band splits" denoted by a model type or suffix number. Look at the brochures in the above links and scroll down to the last page. It's usually list under "General" in the detailed specifications. I don't have a commercial mobile radios so I can't really speak about those.

The GMRS fee is still $70, but only because the new fee structure has not gone into effect. GMRS, amateur, and a lot of others are classified as "personal licenses" and they will all be $35 (page 85 of the PDF in the first post). Thankfully, change-of-address will not have the fee. EDIT: I see the what n4gix means. Seems the FCC document is a bit contradictory.

Don't get too upset. A friend just picked up an MXT275 and we were driving around seeing what kind of distance we could get with clear communication. I was in my Jeep with the 40w MXT400. Several times, I could hear him clearly when he couldn't hear me at all. His antenna placement was high in the center of his SUV with a Midland magnetic antenna mount and 6db antenna. Mine was on a fender mount, a bit lower than his, also with a Midland 6db antenna. I really don't feel like I had any advantage in trasmission range under the given conditions. So I'm not sure how much more the 40w really gives you in the real world. Also, of all the Midland GMRS radios, including the 90 series, MXT115, 275, and 400, the 275 easily has the most consistency in high quality transmission. I can tell when any of my friends are on a 275 as opposed to any of the others with the exception of the Midland handhelds. I think the 275 may still be the cream of the Midland crop. If I continue to feel that way, I'll yank the 400 and put a 275 in that Jeep. I have a 275 in my other Jeep and others tell me the transmissions are crystal clear, too. Maybe it is the mic? I don't know, but it is a great radio.

So if I read Michael attachment correctly, save on the fee. So if you are thinking about getting or renewing your GMRS call sign, wait 30 days... per the attached will be $35. (see paragraph 40 or so). You will save half off the current $70 fee. I got my GMRS call sign in November so I made a $35 donation, that is life, have been enjoying the process to this point.

That would be awesome.

2 miles do not sound like too damn far. My next steps would be: 1. put one operator at home and another operator in car or on foot, and start walking away, find places when 100% availability becomes 75%, 50% and none; 2. borrow HT with better selectivity from your ham friends and see if reception improves at places you identified in step 1. Wide open front end on Baofengs cause de-sense in places with a lot of RF, like downtowns, offices, next to computers, etc. Squelch control on my Baofeng UV-B5 is a joke, program one of the buttons to disable squelch and use it during your experiments. You should use it anyway - to monitor the frequency before transmitting.

I have SureCom SW-33 and I have Diamond SX600. While they mostly in agreement when measuring power and SWR on 2m, they wildly disagree on 70cm and GMRS. I decided to trust Diamond. Surecom measurements are inconsistent even with dummy load. Another thing to consider is that measuring SWR with HT and HT antenna is a tough proposition. HT antennas are designed to work when you hold HT in hand and your body is capacitively coupled with it. Surecom "stick" is comparable to 1/8 wavelength on GMRS and it will change antenna characteristics when inserted between HT and antenna. Same with using pigtails. I do not bother measuring SWR on HT antennas because of that. Measurement equipment introduces a systematic error that is big enough that you can't trust the measurement, Surecom or not. Measuring SWR of Fong antenna or mag mount antenna is a different exercise. In case you're measuring at antenna base, you will get correct SWR of the antenna. In case you're measuring at transmitter, the loss in the cable will lower SWR, the bigger the loss the closer your SWR to 1:1. Do not obsess with SWR, better measure the power at antenna base. SWR does not directly affect efficiency of the antenna, it is indirect metric of the loss in your transmission line and (very) indirect hint at if transmitter will reduce power or burn out.