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Sorry. But that is simply incorrect on 2 grounds. 1. Many ham repeaters are effectively private and do not publish their access requirements; and 2. Repeaters are not and have never been part of what you get rights to use with a GMRS license.

I wouldn't say repeater owners are trying to keep people out, rather, trying to control abuse of their systems. Repeater owners easily put out nearly $1000 just to get a system running. That doesn't include time spent maintaining the system, cost for repeater sites, cost of internet use (for linked systems,) or cost of power use. Because of this, and because there are people who simply wish to be destructive for whatever reason, repeater owners don't always disclose their access codes to the general public. This prevents unlicensed access and also reduces intentional disruption of the system. I use to publish my input codes for the public, however after an unknown user jammed the repeater forcing me to take it off the air so it didn't suffer damage, I changed my input code and did not publish it. When a licensed GMRS operator contacts me requesting the info, and I can see that user is local to the repeater, I give them the access code. Simple as that. Ask and I think most operators will grant you access.

Hello and welcome. I personally like to keep a few bubble pack radios on my bench for quick testing. That way I know that a new radio I purchased at least transmits and receives. Best of luck to you.

Absolutely any number of things. First, Welcome to the forums. There are a lot of great techs that can help you out with almost anything you ask. Now. As I said, there are any number of things wrong with your set-up, I'll list a few basic ones to start. 1) Nobody on frequency. This is a big one as most people think if they dial up a frequency and key up somebody somewhere will be listening. With 22 channels to chose from catching people on simplex isn't always easy. 2) Wrong PL/DPL programing. Along with knowing which channel to listen to, there are "Private Line/Digital Private Line" codes commonly refereed to as CTCSS or DCS codes. These codes will mute your radios speaker unless an incoming transmission has a matching code. There are hundreds of codes, and when you add in split tone combos, thousands of code combinations. This only complicates things more when making simplex calls. 3) Terrain reducing range. With GMRS and especially on portable radios, your range is extremely limited depending on the terrain you are in. GMRS works off line of sight, thus if you can see it, you should be able to talk to it. The more hills, trees, or buildings between you and the other radio, the less range you will have. An easy way to fix this would be to log into MyGMRS.com and use the map or repeater finder to locate repeaters near you if any. Follow the directions to get permission to use a local repeater, and that may extend your range. I hope some of this helps

I agree that you need the permission of the owner to use their repeater. Be a good GMRS citizen and use only repeaters that you have permission to use. If MyGMRS lists the repeater as open and the owner publishes the code in their listing, one can interpret that as permission. I still ask. There are a couple of models of GMRS radios on the market that are derivatives of similar amateur radios and feature the ability to scan for the code. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

if you don't have it, the manual is here: https://midlandusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/MXT275-Owners-Manual.pdf out of the box, you probably have to enable the repeater channels in the menu (look for option 'rp' and set it to 'on'). next, pick the repeater you want to access, note the frequency and tone, and figure out which channel it equates to. (pg 27 has a chart of channel to frequencies). switch to that channel, then back into the menu, and you have to set the tones. page 28 has the code charts; see what code the tone equates to, and set it in the menu. from there, you should be set on the basics.