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Honestly, for as much as I hate to say it, I think this is where we need the FCC to step in, flex its muscle and start making some public noise and examples out of folks using illegal and non-performant product on FRS and GMRS frequencies as well as unlicensed folks using amateur frequencies. It does not help the future of GMRS when anyone in this community condones use of illegal equipment in any way, including, but not limited to, lending assistance to someone asking questions about use of equipment that is known to be illegal in the service. Yes, I am all about freedom, but freedom balanced with due respect of our laws. Just one man’s opinion. YMMV. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

That would work if your duty cycle is very limited

Thank You!

it radio and program dependent. my radios are Kenwoods and big M's all of that can be done in the RSS. also what N4GIX said.

It would also be a moot point if an asteroid blew the planet to smithereens, however power goes out 99.999% of the time for reasons other than emp's and extinction level asteroids.

All commercial radios support an "off hook" feature that will place the radio in "monitor mode" instantly whenever the microphone is picked up. This helps prevent doubling on top of ongoing communications.

I had a similar issue - and the cable I had had an issue up near where it connected to the radio. While it worked fine on a different baofeng radio - the housing caught just a bit on the lip of the recessed area where it plugged into the radio - and it did not allow the two plugs to quite seat all the way. I shaved a tiny bit of plastic off the cable plug (not the radio), and once it seated properly it was ok. I have no idea if this is your situation, but it sounds very similar. Hope it helps. Jim

I recommend this series of books by Craig "Buck" K4IA. I like his philosophy of not using the usual sources because for every right answer they have, there are 3 wrong answers your brain is picking up. He only focuses on the right answers so they stand out on the test. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1985125641/

The entry level Technicians exam is fairly easy, but I personally took (and still take) the examination process quite seriously. I wanted to get my ham ticket 40 years ago, but was put off by the CW portion of the exam. Only this past year did I learn it was no longer a subject that was tested on, so with this knowledge I finally decided to study for my license. I obtained both my Technician and the General Class upgrade. I now am actively working towards the Extra Class. For me, amateur radio is all about gaining knowledge, experimentation and then working and collaborating with others that share that passion. Some get into it just because they want to use the cool cheap walkie-talkies that are available now. Many folks I have heard say ‘just memorize the answers’. For me, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Yes, I wanted to pass, and I new I would given my nearly 40 years working in a branch of the communications field. However, I have always admired the hams and looked up to those that were took it seriously. I knew many that had some good solid technical chops. I was not going to sell myself short if I entered. I studied the books, went on lots of learning trails to fill in knowledge gaps, then took many practice tests and researched each topic when I got something wrong until finally I knew I could get every possible question right. You can feel pretty good about yourself and your accomplishments when you study, I know I did on test day. As I reflected on passing each exam, I realized that passing was truly nothing more than just earning my ticket, my permission to enter. I learned that the knowledge gained in the testing process was just a drop in the bucket compared to what there is know. There is still so much more to learn and so little time to learn it. I wish I had not waited. Don’t sell yourself short. Take it seriously, then get your ticket and enjoy the learning process which is the amateur radio hobby. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

If you can fit 120-150 conversations on the same freq at the same time and 98% of the time they don't know the others are there then they ARE extra channels. That is the beauty of GMRS over CB.

I'm a simplex only user. Base to mobile. I prefer not to use PL tones because I'd rather hear everything that's on the channel. If someone is calling me, I'd like to know. PL tones are just a filter that restricts your receiver , not "extra channels" as some radios may be advertised... : )

All is moot with EMP. Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

It does, but apparently they've disabled the edit field in the CPS for Wide/Narrow in the latest version 1.48 (why?), and of course, it's disabled modifying it via keypad. But, you're a lucky guy after all.... It just so happens that I have a copy of RT76P.exe version 1.45, which does allow you to modify W/N. (I actually broke my Retevis programming cable, so I replaced it with a generic one from Amazon for $9.99 - no big issue.) https://1drv.ms/u/s!AjoUJvZyt8o5iOIgB8Bx6ElB3Hz9DA?e=BqVkCZ I'll have a beer....

Solar is great until it snows and then it’s not. My neighbor across the street has an extensive whole-house solar array on his roof. Right now it’s buried under a foot of snow and ice rendering it inoperable. It’s no one’s fault. It’s just a drawback. But folks who install solar educate themselves about this and have multiple power sources available at all times. I would suggest comprehensive research and planning be first and foremost when considering any robust system.

When I first got my Tech, I made my first VHF contact with that exact set up. I think I was about 15 miles from the repeater. With a good, properly mounted antenna, you should be able to get 5 or 6 miles even in suburban-ish areas. I had trouble with the quality of the wire going to the back of the mic plug and the sma coax. Repaired and replaced multiple times. There are better ways to spend your money. Are you asking if the radio is certified for GMRS? No, its not Part 95 GMRS certified. Unless I am confused, there is no Part 97 certification. Hams can build whatever they want, only have to use them within their licensure.

PL tones only work when you are far from the interference or other radio traffic and relatively close to your contact. This rarely happens in my world but maybe does happen in urban areas. When the PL tone is off you will hear everything on a channel including people with PL enabled. I want to know when a channel is in use because I can probably change to one that's not in use. So we almost never us PL tones. It is a myth that PL tones can effectively create more channels. This only works when you are in well separated "clusters" with members of each cluster relatively concentrated in a smaller area. So all of "our" signals are strong among our group and "their" signals are weak. I guess the other situation is where use is very infrequent so the odds of "doubling" are near zero. Some other responders have also said this - in different ways. Vince

I dunno, maybe I am just being crotchedy, but I usually have mine on 462.675 (Ch.20), as there's a repeater out on Long Island I can hear from my location in S.W. Rhode Island. I seldom if ever hear anyone on the FRS frequencies, my GMRS doesn't get them (Midland MXT90), so those are programmed into my scanner. I used to use an Anytone AT778UV for ALL those frequencies until I learned it wasn't Part 95 compliant, so back in the box it went until such time as I can obtain my Technician Ticket, which with any luck will be soon. The coverage on that Anytone is remarkable, to say the least. And despite what people say about range, with a converted Mobile Antenna and Ground Plane kit up on a repurposed flagpole I can hear a repeater in Madison Ct. (2 meter) from my location, and the distance as the crow flies has got to be around 70-75 miles away, and to my knowledge it's not linked with any repeaters that are closer, and the GMRS repeater out on L.I. is probably 40 miles away A.T.C.F. in Islip I believe. I am situated in a pretty good spot for East/West propagation, but North/South is a challenge, but despite that some days I'll get +10db on that Madison Ct. rig, a little less on Islip. According to the Directory here there's a GMRS Repeater pretty close to me in New London Ct. that I requested access to, have yet to hear back from the owner though. So when I decide on either a Btech, Wouxun (sp?) or the bigger Midland, I'll be able to access at least two GMRS repeaters close by...we shall see...

Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty aluminum foil. Ok, seriously, simple a/c cords do not usually present an RFI problem unless you have some devices that require a ground, but that are not grounded. Motors can be a source of noise. But, at the signal levels you are looking for, the frequencies you are listening to (uhf) and the use of FM rather than AM, your local environment is not likely to have a significant impact on your reception. The case where you might find problems would be trying to receive very weak “short wave” signals on a small radio with the built-in antenna. If you want better reception, the best thing you could do would be to setup an outdoor antenna, and the higher, the better. You do not need anything fancy or expensive, even a DIY 1/4 wave dipole would make a huge difference. (google for build a uhf antenna)

Sounds like it. G.

Several members here have done so. Search the forums for reports. There seem to be three issues that are commonly reported and which may, or may not, be important to you. The Midland radios operate on narrow-band FM while most repeaters operate on wide-band FM. This tends to result in the Midland's broadcasts being heard at a lower volume by listeners. The Midland radios must use the same tone or digital squelch on transmit and receive. So, if you have a repeater that uses different schema on transmit and receive, you will not be able to easily use the repeater. The Midland is missing a small number of PL tones. If a repeater requires one of those tones, you will not be able to access it.Again, I suggest you search the forum for reports and to determine if these issues are significant for your planned usage. And, note also, the built-in search feature tends to miss things. I'd suggest doing a google search for something like: site:forums.mygmrs.com midland review repeater

Hey Corey, Looking at it from a different viewpoint makes a difference. Other than my own trailer mounted repeater, there are none where I live. Gaining that kind of difference in distance is impressive. Sometimes the Symantecs overwhelms the subject. Then again, I do love a good rant.

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