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As pointed out already USB is only 5 VDC. You can get a DC to DC converter however there is a second problem. Most USB adapters/plugs can only supply 1 amp max. A 5 watt radio will likely draw up to 2 amps at the battery terminals on transmit. The total power drain on the low voltage side of the DC to DC converter will be higher due to the lower input voltage, power in = power out + converter losses, which will exceed the rating for the USB outlet.

Anyone have tips for getting the online audio for the net working? I can't hear the feed.

I have no experience with this. I put together a pi device. ? There are other devices made for Echolink or Allstar that might be okay also.

Thank you that looks like exactly what I was thinking of!!

Page 40 if it's the same version as the downloadable PDF from BTWR. Sure enough - I was up in the frequency mode section page 34ish

Are you in Area A or B? Only Area A supports all the receivable frequencies. Area B is limited to 136-174.995 MHz and 400-479.995 MHz.

@Ringo I see @Dave453 already corrected one part, but didn't really point it out. You indicated you set the freq to 467.625, it should be 462.625. When you are setting up the repeater channels in Chirp you setup the radio's receiving freq (the freq the repeater transmits) and then your offset indicates where you transmit relative to that receiving freq. Also, you noted DPL, were those frequencies or 3 digit codes? If there were 3 digit codes, you put that in the DTCS Code column, not ToneSql, and set the Tone Mode to DTCS.

OK, so I just emailed Midland about this. All of the older USB-A model MXT275 are narrow band only. The new USB-C model MXT275 up to until very recently have shipped as narrow band only. It sounds like they well start shipping from Midland with wide band on the repeater channels, but since not all of their inventory has the update, you need to state you want that firmware/config when ordering so they can update the firmware/config before shipping it. If you have already received a USB-C model or buy one from a retail store it will likely be narrow band only, but you can email Midland Support and then mail your radio in for firmware/config update that sets the repeater channels to wide band.

The person at Universal said he estimated 40' tower with DB-404B would have 1sq. ft. wind area. I mentioned the ice storm, and he stated their towers have held with 1/2" of ice. He also said if I wanted to add additional items down the road to plan ahead, and get a higher load rated tower. I feel better now. Thanks marcspaz.

What kind of radio are you programming? Were you able to first download a copy of everything currently in the radio and save it to your system? I would recommend you then save another copy with the word WORK in it so you know it isn't the original that you might need should you accidentally brick your radio. The rest of this is my "opinion" and may be contradictory to what you hear/read but if you give it a try it probably will get you on that repeater. <Wink> After editing you should be able to first save your "WORK" then upload it to the Radio... In your case you probably will wind up with a line that reads something like this at one of your locations: Loc # = Self explanatory Frequency = 462.625000 Name = (Something like) RPT625 Tone Mode = Tone Tone = the value of the PL code he/she gave you to transmit into the repeater (if you click on the space a nice drop down menu will pop up) Duplex = + Offset = 5.000000 Mode = FM (then again it might be WFM depending on what specific radio you are programming - don't use NFM) Power = High (generally - but up to you). All the rest should probably be blank just to get it working.... OK, there is my two cents, for what its worth. Hope this helps get you going. I sure wish you luck and want to say Welcome to GMRS! Dave453 WRPZ453 OBTW, in my experience, there is no reason to set up my radio with a receive tone, you will hear what is being said anyway and its just another step that can get fouled up. If you had two repeaters fairly close by, and you only want to hear what is said on one of them - I guess you could use the receiver "trick", but to be honest - seeing that situation generally is pretty rare. JMHO. A final thought - some of the Chinese radios that have been getting FCC approval for GMRS have a problem if you try to edit more lines for GMRS use than the 8 they have pre-programmed. I have a BTECH GMRS 50X1 that is like that. If that is the case you will be forced to edit the line that already contains the repeater frequency you want to use and just set the Tone properly to get in. Again, good luck with this!

Great, thank you!

I have Argent Data SR1 simplex repeater. I use it occasionally, when deep in the woods. I connect it to my TK-880H in the SUV, with self-fabricated cable. Argent Data has schematics for the repeater and for cable connector, so if you know few things about electronics, putting together a cable for any radio is fairly trivial. Repeater is programmed to listen and stay silent, and repeat only when it hears DTMF "0". Combined with efficient antenna on a tall flat roof of SUV, it greatly improves range of our HTs. Especially, if SUV is parked at a good high spot. The operation goes like this: when far from campsite hiking I call the family and give them some time to answer (about 1 min). If they can hear and answer me, fine. If they do not, I send DTMF "0" from my HT. Repeater hears it and repeats the last transmission with all its mighty 40W. If I hear this repeat, I know for sure that family also heard it. If I do not hear repeat, I know that I'm out of range and need to find higher ground to be heard. SR1 can be programmed to parrot every transmission, but that's extremely annoying, and gets long real quick. Also, simplex repeater seems to be in conflict with store-forward prohibition on GMRS, but it sort of not fully clear to me.

Yes, that should let you set the DCS rx code separate from the DCS code used for tx.

The "stale repeater" function needs a little updating. Repeater owners will not update their repeaters even if they are online. One year seems fair for a repeater to go "stale". However there should be a button or toggle to let other users, who can hit the repeater, let mygmrs know the repeater is in fact still online. A good example is WRAL242 repeater in Troy, Tx. That repeater is online and I use it almost daily, but the owner has not updated it in a while. It does not show unless you toggle "Show stale repeaters". It would be convenient for people like me who know the repeater is online, to simply hit a button that says something along the lines of "this repeater is not stale" or "this repeater is online". Then it could be on the main map without having to sort through stale repeaters that may be offline. It may also get used more.

Yes to both.

The DB-404B is an omni-directional antenna, so there is no need to rotate it. Just put it on the mast. You only need to be able to rotate an antenna that is directional. Freestanding towers are fine as long as you adhere to load and wind restrictions. Some tower manufactures have dual ratings, too; one rating if the tower is left freestanding and a second rating if it is guyed. If you are concerned, you should be able to contact Universal and see if they have any recommendations, if you think you are going to be on the fringe of the load or wind ratings. Based on the description about the tree height vs the antenna height, you should not have any interference from the trees.

USB voltage is 5VDC while the radio runs on 7.4VDC so the USB will not directly charge the radio or run it.

I only watch the ones with GMRS geeks and youtube hobos.

I work in Briggs and can hit the Troy repeater no problem! I start to lose it when I hit Liberty Hill on my way home, then I switch to the Flintrock Hill repeater outside of Austin

I don’t know. I just want to make that clear up front. It may be noise from some device in your house or in a neighboring house (assuming you live near someone else.) But here are some things you can try to discover the answer for yourself: See if another GMRS radio is affected as well. If not, then perhaps it’s a problem with your radio. If another radio is affected or if you cannot easily check, then turn off all the power to your house. Do you still receive the static? If so, turn your house mains back on then turn off your breakers one at a time to try and eliminate the circuits that are not causing the problem. If you find a circuit that is connected to the static do some detective work to determine what’s plugged into that circuit. I would suspect an LED light or fluorescent light with a solid state ballast, a computer or other device. If turning off the whole house power didn’t help, go for a drive. Do you still receive the interference when you’re away from your home or neighborhood? Good luck!

Thanks for getting that from them. That sounds like a real botched delivery.

My Son and I have mentioned it via private message. I believe it would be highly desirable to let multiple users on MyGMRS.com to use the same GMRS Call Sign - since immediate family members are authorized by the FCC to do so for anyone with a proper GMRS license. My son is now registered here on his own license, but when you think about it, none of my adult grandchildren. When you consider it, why unnecessarily restrict by Call Sign??? Respectfully yours, Dave453

Where did you read that? In general, the higher the frequency, the higher the coax loss. While LMR400 is by no means perfect, it's much better for UHF and 800 meg than say, RG-58.

And by "Low" he means 0.5 watts.

Your question was answered in the Guest forum, where you first posted it: https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/3926-can-a-gmrs-station-talk-to-a-frs/#comment-39147

A GMRS repeater may only be operated under a GMRS license. A ham club certainly could collocate a GMRS repeater at their repeater site, but it would have to have a GMRS call sign reflecting its operator’s GMRS license.

It’s pretty sad. I am new to all of this so I am just figuring it all out. My primary use will be in my Jeep so obviously Midland came up when looking at Jeep centric websites prior to making a purchase. I ordered a 275 and didn’t think much of it. When the unit showed up on my doorstep I did some googling and watched a few videos to get some ideas on how to install the radio cleanly in my Jeep. It was through that secondary research that I learned of myGMRS and started going down the rabbit hole. I mentioned I got a GMRS radio for my Jeep. Honestly, the 275 will be fine for it’s intended use. That said, as with most of us on this forum, I got bit by the bug a little. When I learned about things like wide v narrow band, repeater tones, etc. I realized the 275 fell short compared to most other mobile radios. What really irritates me is that according to Zak, the product manager at Midland, the forthcoming MXT575 isn’t considered a premium product offering. Seriously!? It’s got a $400 price tag! The KG-1000G is less money and does far more! So I am stuck in a weird spot. I am not (yet) a full on radio geek but I do want to get the most out of my GMRS setup. The minimum acceptable feature set for me would be the MXT500, as I could program channels 8-14 with repeater tones. Even with my fairly casual use, I could see myself needing more than 7 channels for that purpose, though. Honestly the one feature that Midland offers which I find very, very appealing is the integrated mic. I was able to get the 275 installed really cleanly in my Jeep. I am not a fan of cables and wires running across the dash, etc. My 275 has a what I think is a defective mic. The screen is very hard to read from straight on and impossible to read at an angle from the top of the mic, like when its hanging from my dash, for example. Midland was very responsive and sent another mic right away but it was DOA. It won’t even turn on or light up at all. So this is frustrating. As previously mentioned, when I upgrade to a more powerful radio, I will have to forego the integrated mic to get more advanced features. If I am losing the ability to bury the radio in the glovebox then I have several options for fully featured mobile radios, all of which are cheaper than the Midland MXT500. I guess this highlights the irony of the situation. Amongst crowds that are looking for simple, reliable comms - you know, the whole point of GMRS - Midland is the recognized brand, at least amongst non-radio enthusiasts. They know how to market their products. They appear to be a consumer version (affordable) of something like the Kenwood or Motorola radios. That said, quality control and feature development seems to be severely lacking. That really makes the price tags of the new MXT500 and forthcoming 575 hard to swallow. I really want to like Midland. I really really do. As I previously mentioned, the integrated mic is a game changer for me. I like simple interfaces. I can appreciate how Midland has positioned themselves in the market. I don’t fault them for that. I think they have just dumbed it down too much.