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Hey everyone, we've been trying to get Chirp integrated with myGMRS for a while but the problem has been a lack of interest, according to the creator of Chirp. There's now a request for integration but we could use your help to prove there's interest out there. Please post a comment in support of the feature: https://chirp.danplanet.com/issues/9169 Thanks!

It depends. Height is king when it comes to UHF frequencies. The higher the antenna and the fewer the obstructions between transmitter and receiver antennas the further the usable range. While there are exceptions, your worst enemy is generally the earth. Put a hill (earth) between two antennas and odds of reception go way down. Trees, houses, barns etc… are obstacles too. Each contributes to signal reduction which translates into loss of range. So while you will likely get 50 miles and more range between higher power radios and two antennas that can literally see one another, that is seldom the case in the real world. I live southeast of Cincinnati Ohio in a location that is in the top 90+ percentile of elevation for the region. I estimate my area is 60% trees plus a mixture of homes, fields, farm land and light commercial. Terrain is flat to slightly rolling. With my base antenna at 56’ and with 50w of power I can achieve reliable communications with a mobile unit out to about 4 miles after which reliability falls off. Beyond 7-8 miles all communication is lost. If I lower the antenna to 40’ that range is cut just about in half. Through that same base antenna at 40’ AGL I can communicate reliably through a repeater 50 miles due north of me. That is because that repeater’s antenna is perhaps 500’ higher in elevation than mine and there are no significant hills or stands of trees in the path between the antennas. Based on my experience, and in my estimation, if you are heavily wooded you are likely going to need to get your main antenna well above the trees to achieve the 10mile reach you desire. Here is a website you can use to predict coverage for your specific site. https://www.ve2dbe.com/english1.html If you give it accurate transmit and receive facts it should give you the best opinion of what you are likely to achieve in the real world. Hope this helps. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

My favorite Kenwood models, for VHF use, are the TK-2170's followed by the TK-2140's. The UHF versions work fine on the Ham 70cm band and should work down to about 440 MHz which covers most of the simplex section and the repeater section of the band. The radios may function lower. You'll need to test your radio and see what it will function down too. https://www.icomamerica.com/en/amateur/amateurtools/US-BandPlan-Update-1-2020.pdf The UHF models come in several band splits, most common is the 450 to 490 MHz or so ones. There are some other radio models that work from 400 to 470 MHz, but seem to be really rare to find. The 16 channel radios are OK if you want something simple to use. They're good for programming in your local repeaters, keeping in a glove box or handing out to family members. There are 2, 4 and 8 channel radios out there but personally I'm not interested in those due to limited channel capacity. The 16 channel models I would consider as the minimum usable. The issue with any of the commercial radios is they DO NOT have a VFO like a Ham specific HT would. Some of the radios can be modified for "front panel programming", which requires removing a diode or resistor from a circuit board plus enabling it in the software, but the actual programming must be done to an empty memory channel. The procedure is rather cumbersome and covered in detail in the radio's service manuals. I've never modified any of my radios, easier to use the software. One work around however is to program a sequence of memory channels using the channel spacing for the band used. On UHF it's typically 25 KHz. So I would start at lets say 440.000 then the next memory channel is 440.025 etc. The channel name would be the frequency like 440-000, 440-025 etc. That gives a decent simulation of a VFO using a fixed step size. The radios have "zones" where you can group channel memories together. For the simulated VFO I stick them all in their own zone labeled "SIMPLEX" for example. The better radio for this is the TK-2140/TK-3140 series since they have a total of 250 memories. The 128 channel radios it gets a little cramped. https://pdfs.kenwoodproducts.com/9/TK-2170&3170Brochure.pdf The below is the same as the TK-3170 but has trunking, which you'll never use, and uses the same software. Works very well for GMRS too. https://pdfs.kenwoodproducts.com/12/TK-3173BrochureRev.pdf The below radios use the multi pin connector, like some Motorola radios, for the speaker mic's and programming. http://www.swscomm.com/kenwood/TK-2140_3140.pdf There are some higher end Kenwood radios that you'll end up paying more for used with extra features you'll likely won't use except for the higher channel capacity. https://pdfs.kenwoodproducts.com/10/TK-2180&3180Brochure.pdf The below radio is like the TK-3170 but has a more basic feature set. https://sieuthimasomavach.vn/upload/tk22123212-brochure.pdf Whatever you buy DO NOT purchase any Kenwood "Protalk" radios. They are normally only 2 watts and come setup with a list of programmed frequencies to select from, which you can't change. The frequencies are all from the business pool, none are useful for Ham or GMRS use. You'll see these being sold at times with what looks like a good deal, until you discover the limitations, then they end up in the junk draw. Fortunately I did my research before purchasing when looking at an unfamiliar radio model to add to my collection and avoided the mistake. If you're interested in Motorola, Icom or Vertex commercial radios there are some experts here on the forum, I'm not one of them.

Exactly, myGMRS would be another option in Chirp for pulling in frequencies. You'd log in just like RadioReference and select the repeaters you want.

You can count on all the Wouxon software being crappy, inconsistent, non-professional software. No, behaviors are not consistent between models. Worst software I have used since the 1980s. What you can count on is that you can program your radio faster using the manufacturer’s software than you can manually. Just do not expect an Excel-like editing experience. If you want a professional software experience you will have to pay for it from RT-Systems. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM